Venezuelan

[richhodg66]

Check this out. It seems after Socialism has been an utter failure, Venezuela seems to be calling out the militia to handle civil unrest, story here;

https://www.apnews.com/5c771b44623c4312a4e49a7d80e2aa8a?utm_campaign=Soci alFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP

Check out the picture, looks like the cleared out the old folks home and handed them all Mosins. I know Venezuela has been in bed with the commies for a while, but I also know that at one time they armed their forces with nicely made Belgian Mausers in 7x57. I'd have thought those old stocks of rifles would have been used.

[LAGS]

Well, we know now where to go find more MN's to import

[richhodg66]

YEah. I'd hazard a guess that there are still an awful lot of countries around that have Mosins tucked away someplace.

[gnoahhh]

All their Mausers have been in the hands of Americans for years now.

[funnyjim014]

Hey if I was looking to arm struggling nation, surplus mosins and ammo would be the way to go. Cheep, all in fairly good shooting shape and most importantly a simple arm any farmer can use

[AbitNutz]

I wouldn't call what Venezuela has socialism. That my friends is a communist dictatorship in the making. When the bottom dropped out of the oil market is when the bottom dropped out of their economy. They had no rich to soak and the natural resource that was paying the bills wasn't cutting it any more.

Socialism is required to a certain degree to help make capitalism livable. I would want to live in a pure socialist state but I wouldn't want to be trapped in a pure capitalist one either.

My FN 1949 Venezuelan contract rifle was produced under somewhat different times...

[oldblinddog]

In the making? Have you heard the name Hugo Chavez? A Communist dictatorship is what they had!.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism_of_the_21st_century

Now they pretty much have anarchy.



Socialism is required to a certain degree to help make capitalism livable. I would want to live in a pure socialist state but I wouldn't want to be trapped in a pure capitalist one either.

Ummm...what?

[Red Elk]

Venezuela is in dire straits for sure. If this ends without a massive blood bath, I will be amazed.
No food, no where to get it, no medicines, no functioning hospitals, police and military basically doing whatever they want.
Anyone with any means is fleeing or has fled already. It is a huge disaster.
Unfortunately, I think it will get worse, before it gets better.
I agree, a long ways from a decent Mauser...
They are in for a hard ride.
re

[TCLouis]

Is it just me or do you think that the guy front and center has never heard of Manual of Arms and just got a new uniform and rifle before they caught him on film.
I feel sorry for the people of the country who suffer for the actions of their government.
We should send them obongo to finish their total collapse.

[Shiloh]

Any of the Venezuelans with the means, left either before or just after the Chavez regime. They knew what was coming.

Shiloh

[Hardcast416taylor]

That `solider` with the upside down Mosin is an elderly man with gray hair and a `deer in the head lights look`, those Mosins look to be in pretty good shape - `now where do I put the magazine here on the under side`?Robert

[WILCO]

Rifle upside down and ready to rock.

[Earlwb]

The photo is suspect. it may be a stock photo from a previous parade display or something. The old guys all have brand new crisp ironed uniforms. They just forced a bunch of old folks into uniforms and gave them some junkers to carry for a parade in front of Maduro or something.

The rifles look like M91 Mausers to me, such as used in Argentina or Chile, etc. But they could be Mosins though, what do I know. Venezuela was using M98 7x57mm Mausers in the past. So they likely bought up old surplus M91 stock from the other South American countries. But since Russia and China have been buying up all the oil rights in the country, sending them over a few tons of old Mosins would be par for the course.