International Military Antiques.

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Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Aug 25, 2012
I will attend the Company of Military Historians annual convent this year in New Jersey. If I want to show up a day early I can take an optional field trip to International Military Antiques warehouse in Gillette N.J. While there the company will let us look at items they have for sale on line and in the warehouse. IMA will also let us fire some of the weapons and provide the ammunition. So in the end I would have to go a day early and probably end up staying in the motel the convention is being held. Spouses or members can take an alternate shopping trip. So should my wife and I go a day early? I am retired so have the time, but our plans was to go a day early and visit her sister-in-law. Visit her sister-in-law the day after the convention ends?

So my real question, has anyone visited the International Military Antiques warehouse? I am not sure what a tour of the warehouse might involve. Ride on a bus to a warehouse and walk around the warehouse and eat a sack lunch? Next question, should I fire a old flintlock or fire a semi automatic rife? I have fired various semi automatic weapons , but never fired a flintlock. Or should I take the bus ride to a shopping area with my wife like a good husband? Shopping trip ends a the rife range so spouses and members who wanted to shop and fire a weapon or two.
 
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I should mention the cost. $95 bus ride, lunch and ammunition cost for the IMA tour. $70 to shop with wife which includes bus, lunch and ammunition cost. Both are not cheap and not expensive.
 
Good luck on your visit, I've lusted after one of their 3rd Pattern Brown Bess kits for a project, but I continue to bide my time, (life will not stop me!!!!).

I'm sure they'll let you buy a gun or two, but I wouldn't believe their hogwash about their Slant breech Sharps rifles and carbines being Confederate. They're evidence is extremely shaky...

But they have guns and relics not from their famous "Nepalese Cache" that are connected to the CW, plus a lot of reproductions. Their website would be a good place to get previews.

ima-usa.com
 
I visited their web site and see some items are reproduction. Half a day at their warehouse sounds like a lot of time.
 
Go for the flintlock. There's nothing like a poof of smoke going off near your face as the musket fires .
 
Yoy won't get powder burns . I have a repro Brown Bess and haven't had any problems . Just don't overload the pan .
 
So my real question, has anyone visited the International Military Antiques warehouse? I am not sure what a tour of the warehouse might involve.
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A few times during 2019, the IMA warehouse has been featured in the company magazine.
That leads me to believe they have become a bit more transparent than they once were.

As you know, the company is very strict about everything.

With that said, I'm more impressed with International Military Antiques since my last response:


BTW, I still regret that I was unable to attend the San Antonio convention.
 
Good luck on your visit, I've lusted after one of their 3rd Pattern Brown Bess kits for a project, but I continue to bide my time, (life will not stop me!!!!).

I'm sure they'll let you buy a gun or two, but I wouldn't believe their hogwash about their Slant breech Sharps rifles and carbines being Confederate. They're evidence is extremely shaky...

But they have guns and relics not from their famous "Nepalese Cache" that are connected to the CW, plus a lot of reproductions. Their website would be a good place to get previews.

ima-usa.com
I bought one of the Brown Bess kits from them last year. The one they sell for around $700 and comes with a repro stock. It came out nice and I fired it for the first time in probably 200 years this past 4th of July. With that said these kits are not for someone with no metal or wood working skills. The stocks are not a drop in deal. They require a bit of work before they are ready to use and it's an odd type of wood from India or some such place that has very hard areas but also soft areas so you'll be cutting on it with a chisel and suddenly get to a soft spot and the chisel will go off in another direction if you're not very careful. The first kit they sent came with an incomplete lock so I had to return that but they sent me a decent one to replace it. The tumbler was cracked where the hammer screw goes though as well as stripped so I had to have it welded up and then redrilled the hole and threaded it. Had to make a new hammer screw to fit because the original threads were hand cut in who knows what size or thread pitch. Another bit of advice is do not buy the advertising hype on the website. They are NOT originally made in England by the East India Company and then remarked with the Gurkha crest. All of the parts are hand made in Nepal and nothing will interchange with any other muskets. Also don't pay the 500 or so bucks extra for the ones they claim have original East India Company locks. It's a fairly well known dirty little secret that "someone", not accusing IMA, took Nepal made Gurkha marked locks and scrubbed off the Nepal crest and faked the EIC markings. All in all though where else can you get a 200+ year old Bess for under 1k ?
IMA Brown Bess.JPG
 
I am leaning against going to the convention a day early and going on the IMA tour and weapons firing and instead stay a day over and go on the optional museum tours. Then again I could both go a day early and stay a day late. I must soon decide so I can send in my application.
 
I bought one of the Brown Bess kits from them last year. The one they sell for around $700 and comes with a repro stock. It came out nice and I fired it for the first time in probably 200 years this past 4th of July. With that said these kits are not for someone with no metal or wood working skills. The stocks are not a drop in deal. They require a bit of work before they are ready to use and it's an odd type of wood from India or some such place that has very hard areas but also soft areas so you'll be cutting on it with a chisel and suddenly get to a soft spot and the chisel will go off in another direction if you're not very careful. The first kit they sent came with an incomplete lock so I had to return that but they sent me a decent one to replace it. The tumbler was cracked where the hammer screw goes though as well as stripped so I had to have it welded up and then redrilled the hole and threaded it. Had to make a new hammer screw to fit because the original threads were hand cut in who knows what size or thread pitch. Another bit of advice is do not buy the advertising hype on the website. They are NOT originally made in England by the East India Company and then remarked with the Gurkha crest. All of the parts are hand made in Nepal and nothing will interchange with any other muskets. Also don't pay the 500 or so bucks extra for the ones they claim have original East India Company locks. It's a fairly well known dirty little secret that "someone", not accusing IMA, took Nepal made Gurkha marked locks and scrubbed off the Nepal crest and faked the EIC markings. All in all though where else can you get a 200+ year old Bess for under 1k ? View attachment 343870

Sounds like they screwed the pooch history wise just like with their "Confederate-linked Sharps" which is something I laugh at.
 
This is the website you want to go on for the answers to your questions.


These guys have gone to the IMA warehouse every year for quite awhile. Just type “IMA” in the search box.
 
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