Guns International #: 100564315
Seller's Inventory #: 28522
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Guns International #: 100564315
Category - Military Rifles - Non-US
- Ross Rifles
Seller's Information
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Seller: Joe Salter com
Company: Down East Antiques - Joe Salter Member Since: 9/10/10
First Name: Garrick-March-Jim-Joe
Last Name: Salter
State:
New Hampshire
Zip: 03031
Country: United States
Phone: (603) 732-4000
Fax: (603) 732-4200
Platinum Seller
Active Listings: 1197
Total Listings: 20233
Seller Type:FFL Dealer
Return Policy: 3 day inspection and return policy on used guns and accessories.
FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS OVER $500! We also have a 30 day Inspection Period and NOT a 3 day Inspection. Payment Methods: We take all major credit cards with NO CREDIT CARD FEES! Also Check or Money order.
About Us: Joe Salter has been in the Antique and Collector Weapons business for 60 years as both a collector and dealer. Our company is based in Southern New Hampshire and we have had an internet based store front for the past 20 years. We are federally licensed and deal in all types of firearms and related material. We offer free Shipping for orders over $500.
Rare CEF and Kuomintang (Chinese) Marked Ross M-10 Rifle
Description: Serial #415, .303 British, 30 1/2” barrel with a good-very good bore that has dark freckling within the grooves. This rifle has an overall darkly freckled pewter gray patina, especially along the curved surfaces along the barrel and receiver. This gray metal mixes with a slightly rough plum-brown patina throughout which attests to heavy use during the rifle's service life. The rifle is outfitted with a modified Ross “Battle Aperture” rear sight and the bolt exhibits some commensurate freckling along its body, but does have a spot of original bright blue at the rear where it was protected by the receiver bridge. The full-length walnut military stock has been extensively refinished with numerous handling marks and minor blemishes scattered throughout under the added oil. The right side of the buttstock has clear CEF markings including a 1915 date and “67 BATT. INF.” unit marking (Princess Mary's Canadian Scots Regiment). Additionally, there is a large Chinese cartouche at the heel of the butt on the left side with the number 235 underneath (characters for "Enter"/"High"), a further Chinese stamp on the metal at the right of the receiver ring (characters for "King"/"Day"; possibly a name), and a small brass inventory plaque on the toe of the butt. This rifle was one of a consignment of surplus Canadian rifles purchased for the Nationalist Chinese by one of history's more colorful and interesting characters: Morris Abraham “Two-Gun” Cohen. Cohen, a native born Pole whose Jewish family fled to England in order to escape the pogroms, spent his youth frequenting the shadier parts of London, resulting in his conviction as a petty criminal while still a minor. He was sent to Western Canada following his release from reform school and, after a year as a farmhand in Saskatchewan, he began wandering the Western Provinces trying his luck at different jobs including stints as a carnival barker, gambler, and real estate among others. During this period, Cohen befriended Chinese laborers on the Canadian-Pacific Railroad and other Chinese workers and immigrants. The unusual respect and considerations he showed to them eventually led to a rare invitation to join the Tongmenghui (Sun Yat-sen's anti-Manchu organization and progenitor to the Kuomintang), which he accepted, and his career as an advocate for the Chinese began. As his fortunes improved, Cohen was appointed the Commissioner of Oaths after moving to Edmonton, Alberta, and coincidentally commenced his military career by recruiting and training Chinese volunteers in drill and marksmanship on behalf of the Tongmenghui (it was during this time that Cohen made his first purchase of 500 surplus Ross rifles with which to train Chinese troops). Following Cohen's service in the Canadian Railway Troops on the Western Front during World War I, he moved to China for additional railway work, but instead found himself hired as a bodyguard for Sun Yat-sen and made a titular Colonel in the Kuomintang Army (later promoted to General). It was due to his practice of wearing two revolvers on his gunbelt whenever he was seen with his employer that Cohen received the nickname “Two-Gun”. Cohen stayed in China after Sun Yat-sen's death, eventually returning briefly to Canada in 1925 in order to purchase more weapons (this rifle is part of that purchase), and eventually joined the fight against the Japanese just prior to World War II. He was eventually captured when Hong Kong fell and was held at Stanley Prison Camp until he was included in an extremely rare prisoner exchange in 1943. After the war he returned to Canada and settles in Montreal, but returned to China frequently. Cohen eventually moved back to England where he stayed with his sister in Salford, and died in 1970. He is interred at Blakely Jewish Cemetery in Manchester (UK). This rifle is a true rarity and has connections (via one of history's most interesting yet lesser known personalities) to both the legendary Canadian Expeditionary Force of World War I, and the turbulent history of warlord-ruled China in the inter-war period. It would make a stellar addition to any collection. {Ref. “The Ross Rifle Story” by Phillips, Dupuis, and Chadwick; 1984} FFL or C&R SOLD Curio/Relic: Yes Manufacturer: Ross Model: M-10 Serial Number: 415 Caliber Info: .303 Gauge Info: .303 |
Guns International #: 100564315
Seller's Inventory #: 28522
Guns International #: 100564315
Seller's Inventory #: 28522