Welcome to Partisan Rifles! This site is dedicated to rifles from the Balkans region - the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia), Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, and also Italy, Austria, Hungary, Russia, and Turkey - especially those rifles with soldier graffiti on them. I cover anything I can get my hands on, which is mainly WWI to WWII, though there are many examples from the earlier Balkan Wars, and recent Croatian and Bosnian Wars. While not technically in the Balkans, I have found some fascinating rifles from the Spanish Civil War, and will include those also.
Balkans-region rifles from the 1800's and earlier have shown me that decorating rifles was a common practice, possibly stemming from Turkish or Middle Eastern decorations. This tradition has been carried on well into the 1990's. A number of the region's rifles bear initials, names, cities, dates, kill counts, and political symbols on them. Most of these markings were made by non-government irregular forces, or militia members. These markings create a historical journey by showing who used the rifle, where and when. For example, the above rifle was most likely captured from the Italians by Tito Partisans in WWII.
I plan to keep this site constantly updated with my acquisitions, or with new information I learn. Please comment on anything you see, or information you have; I strive to be as precise as possible. And if you would let me showcase your firearm, or even sell one of your firearms to me, please contact me at [email protected]. I can also be found at gunboards.com as the member "hairygreek."
Balkans-region rifles from the 1800's and earlier have shown me that decorating rifles was a common practice, possibly stemming from Turkish or Middle Eastern decorations. This tradition has been carried on well into the 1990's. A number of the region's rifles bear initials, names, cities, dates, kill counts, and political symbols on them. Most of these markings were made by non-government irregular forces, or militia members. These markings create a historical journey by showing who used the rifle, where and when. For example, the above rifle was most likely captured from the Italians by Tito Partisans in WWII.
I plan to keep this site constantly updated with my acquisitions, or with new information I learn. Please comment on anything you see, or information you have; I strive to be as precise as possible. And if you would let me showcase your firearm, or even sell one of your firearms to me, please contact me at [email protected]. I can also be found at gunboards.com as the member "hairygreek."
