Wagner Finds Only Antique Weapons In Ukraine's Underground Weapons Cache

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  • čas přidán 20. 05. 2023
  • At the beginning of May 2023, Russian media shared a flurry of videos from salt mines near Soledar. The videos showcased a captured weapons storage depot said to be inside part of the mine complex which was recently captured by Russian private military contractor unit Wagner. In this video we'll look at the videos to see what weapon systems were captured at the depot. The weapons largely appear to be damaged or obsolescent.
    Be sure to check out our accompanying article for this video here -
    armourersbench.com/2023/05/21/...
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Komentáře • 3,1K

  • @TheArmourersBench
    @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +254

    Edit: 3:20 the stocks are for SKS not Mosins, I missed the cutout above the trigger guard and sling loop. Thanks for watching, here's the accompanying article - armourersbench.com/2023/05/21/what-weapons-did-wagner-capture-in-the-soledar-mines/

    • @midknight9327
      @midknight9327 Před rokem +1

      Pin this

    • @democracyforall
      @democracyforall Před rokem +4

      the wagner boss said in the video that most weapons were delivered to soviat union by USA during 2nd world war to fight Nazi germany.

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +7

      Yes, a portion of it, like the Thompsons, is Lend-Lease materiel.

    • @wakeupcanadians
      @wakeupcanadians Před rokem

      fool you are this is old news weeks weeks old

    • @steveshoemaker6347
      @steveshoemaker6347 Před rokem

      l think by hearing your voice i think you are the guy i see on Mooch's channel ?....So i just Sub'ed to your channel...Thanks very much.....
      Shoe🇺🇸....Never forget Air America....

  • @chriskortan1530
    @chriskortan1530 Před rokem +3682

    No one wanted crates of brand new Thompsons? He didn't contact me !

    • @marcusott2973
      @marcusott2973 Před rokem +218

      I wanted to say the same, but then I thought of the legal ramifications of buying trophy guns off a sanctioned war criminal. 😅

    • @cantsneedgaming4591
      @cantsneedgaming4591 Před rokem +202

      ​@Marcus Ott who cares!?

    • @jjjr.1186
      @jjjr.1186 Před rokem +161

      @@marcusott2973 no worse than fast and furious.

    • @jjjr.1186
      @jjjr.1186 Před rokem +37

      @@marcusott2973 no worse than fast and furious.

    • @LRRPFco52
      @LRRPFco52 Před rokem +98

      Collector market in Europe would buy them. Can't import them into the US though, because....reasons.

  • @deanrobinson4129
    @deanrobinson4129 Před rokem +3160

    Those crates of Thompson with original paperwork is unreal part of history

    • @caroltenge5147
      @caroltenge5147 Před rokem +301

      worth more money than a patriot missile...

    • @devil5cry
      @devil5cry Před rokem +16

      @@caroltenge5147
      not NFA item
      well
      at least not in pre sample
      decease the vale

    • @shareurtube
      @shareurtube Před rokem +21

      Just how the hell did they make it to the salt mine and who did they buy them from?

    • @deanrobinson4129
      @deanrobinson4129 Před rokem +109

      @@shareurtube given as part of lend lease by USA in ww2, how they ended up not being used I don't know

    • @klubberzvonhatzenbuhl563
      @klubberzvonhatzenbuhl563 Před rokem +27

      @@deanrobinson4129 - 9mm and makarov rounds were more plentiful in Russia during WWII.

  • @moredistractions
    @moredistractions Před rokem +578

    A sheriff's department here in America still had a Thompson submachinegun in their inventory which they had bought in the 1930s. They recently sold it at auction for $90,000. Those crates of Tommy guns are literal treasure chests.

    • @user-fn9gz7ri9x
      @user-fn9gz7ri9x Před rokem +6

      всем все равно на это подобие оружия
      никому оно даже даром не сдалось

    • @Gangster88232
      @Gangster88232 Před rokem +7

      Old trash. Melt it for rebars.

    • @jamroast
      @jamroast Před 11 měsíci +8

      $150k+ usd.

    • @GiuseppeSimonetti
      @GiuseppeSimonetti Před 11 měsíci +47

      ​@@Gangster88232Why would you melt something worth money into scrap?

    • @RoofKoreanInTheWild
      @RoofKoreanInTheWild Před 11 měsíci +15

      Only problem is getting them into America to sell as the importation of machine guns was banned. anywhere else in the world they aren't worth as much, a original WW2 full auto Thompson in places like New Zealand are only worth $2500-5000 depending on condition and history of course

  • @jlsaz
    @jlsaz Před rokem +180

    I worked with that facility back in the 90's. They had 5,000 new Colt 1911A1's that Waffen Frankonia bought. They have thousands of P38's, Lugers, Mausers, as well as other equipment from WWII, including Indian, Harley Davidson and German WWII motorcycles. They also have tons of other WWII vehicles and according to the documentation I received, several ME-262 jets.

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +17

      Wow. I imagined that there would be more than we've seen. It surprises me there haven't been more photos.

    • @RobertBosley-wh9tl
      @RobertBosley-wh9tl Před 11 měsíci

      I can't even afford to shoot..the peoples time and money stole from them for such absurdity s we cant enjoy or use sad..such controlled waste

    • @cdt996
      @cdt996 Před 11 měsíci +13

      No V2 rockets? Bummer

    • @user-xs2xe6kv8k
      @user-xs2xe6kv8k Před 11 měsíci +3

      Vehicles and jets!?
      Its not a really known place
      I wish there was a video exploring the whole mine

    • @badcornflakes6374
      @badcornflakes6374 Před 11 měsíci +4

      Wow, hoarders

  • @jefferynelson
    @jefferynelson Před rokem +2141

    4:55 it never occurred to me that large stockpiles of Thompson submachine guns still existed anywhere

    • @youboob91
      @youboob91 Před rokem +185

      To the best of my knowledge America exported a load to Russia and the uk during WW2

    • @zoiders
      @zoiders Před rokem +186

      They got sent to lots of places. The problem has always been ammunition. Hence them being left behind as you can't even convert to other calibres.

    • @NineSeptims
      @NineSeptims Před rokem +14

      ​@@zoidersa shame. Soviet weapons are the opposite tho they are still in use.

    • @zoiders
      @zoiders Před rokem +116

      @@NineSeptims The Thompson was effectively a victim of a format war much like VHS/Betamax. Most SMGs can quite easily be converted to 9mm Para, 9mm Largo, 7.65 Luger, 7.63 Mauser, 7.62x25 etc etc. Not so the Thompson.

    • @xthee_0nly_1x11
      @xthee_0nly_1x11 Před rokem +29

      Lend Lease Act

  • @davep5227
    @davep5227 Před rokem +757

    That's not a salt mine, that's a Gold Mine!

    • @davidgalea6113
      @davidgalea6113 Před rokem +14

      It's a waste of beautiful weaponry and a waste of taxpayer funds...impressive but a bit sad really.

    • @chianghighshrek
      @chianghighshrek Před rokem +1

      ​@@davidgalea6113 ummmmm okay we have like a 400000 thousand in stock piles probably

    • @williammcgaffigan9961
      @williammcgaffigan9961 Před rokem +1

      @@chianghighshrek bro said “probably “ smh

    • @chianghighshrek
      @chianghighshrek Před rokem +5

      @@williammcgaffigan9961 oh they made 1.5 million during the war and there are still Thompson's being made even today

    • @UAVet2022
      @UAVet2022 Před rokem +7

      ​@@williammcgaffigan9961 you do understand that this is equipment sold to russia before the soviet union collapsed?

  • @willmartin7293
    @willmartin7293 Před 11 měsíci +107

    As a weapons enthusiast, this video was making my heart melt. Brand new Thompsons and Maxims in their original factory crates!!! What a treasure they have over there, and they don't have any appreciation of it! What a waste!!!

    • @penclaw
      @penclaw Před 10 měsíci +2

      Maybe they seen something more impressive?

    • @bobigny9345
      @bobigny9345 Před 4 měsíci +6

      You want them to wear white gloves?!

    • @willmartin7293
      @willmartin7293 Před 4 měsíci

      The answer is "yes," because these rare, valuable weapons have probably been in their original factory packaging since they left the factory floor.@@bobigny9345

    • @willmartin7293
      @willmartin7293 Před 4 měsíci +7

      Undoubtedly, modern weapons are more accurate and plentiful, but these Thompsons and Maxims are worth far more to arms collectors than their modern counterparts by a factor of ten or more.@@penclaw

    • @lastswordfighter
      @lastswordfighter Před 3 měsíci

      The Maxims are in enough numbers that both the Russians and Ukranians are still actively using them.

  • @katana2665
    @katana2665 Před 11 měsíci +17

    Absolutely incredible. Maxims in brand new condition. Thompson's by the crate. Millions of dollars worth of black market, collector grade, weapons.

  • @trevorsutherland5263
    @trevorsutherland5263 Před rokem +1889

    Those Thompsons would be worth their weight in gold here in the US to collectors. Maxim guns?? Over 100 years old and in pristine shape?? After the war the whole mine should be turned into a museum. Tourists from all over would pay to see all that perfectly preserved history.

    • @MrSwccguy
      @MrSwccguy Před rokem +20

      Depending on the dates yes

    • @ArnoSchmidt70
      @ArnoSchmidt70 Před rokem +64

      Without the right paperwork they aren't worth anything anywhere. And the right paperwork means "registered pre 1986 in the US". Do you have a time machine?

    • @jamesramirez85
      @jamesramirez85 Před rokem +93

      ​@@ArnoSchmidt70 technically they were manufactured BEFORE 1986 in the US and then sent abroad, maybe, MAYBE they are legally importable and salable as trasnferable machineguns

    • @nadjiguemarful
      @nadjiguemarful Před rokem +38

      Thats what I was thinking! The condition they're in is amazing. They're walking through a History Museum with the most prestine condition things ever lol..

    • @commiesnzombies
      @commiesnzombies Před rokem

      and now the russians have their grubby dick beaters on them...shame

  • @chost-059
    @chost-059 Před rokem +648

    These cold war era dooms day bunkers are absolutely mind blowing, the amount of equipment held inside them is insane

    • @JL-tm3rc
      @JL-tm3rc Před rokem +11

      I guess an artillery shell bunker would be larger

    • @DerDrecksack87
      @DerDrecksack87 Před rokem +29

      Yeah, you havent seen anything. The UdSSR were extremely paranoid about being invaded as ww2 thought them a hard lesson about not having enough gear at the ready, these bunkers & dry saltmines are extremely numerous all throughout eastern europe, most being long since empty (mostly because the new govt sold it) or they have been filled up with concrete/made inaccessible. But even when i was a child we had atleast two in working condition filled with who knows what to the brim with constant guarding by the army one of them being right in the center of our town & the other a few miles away. But to be fair, i bet most of the stuff is rotted away by now, a salt mine is perfect because of the lack of moisture, but the big concrete ones above ground were compromised for sure. We even had an urban legend that several mountains were hollowed out as bunkers & long time storage vehicle depots with hundreds of new tanks as rapid response in case NATO invades. I could bet my meal today that the russians still hamster that way, they know satellites can see what they have & bet they have a humongous amout of stuff sealed away in case they get invaded, but who knows.

    • @Goldo97
      @Goldo97 Před rokem

      Think the US has some forgotten ones in abandoned bases active in the Cold War?

    • @Goldo97
      @Goldo97 Před rokem +11

      Someone contact Russia!!! Don’t fuck up those guns!! They are History

    • @JL-tm3rc
      @JL-tm3rc Před rokem +7

      @@Goldo97 if you have artillery shells you can have it

  • @ifcdirector
    @ifcdirector Před 11 měsíci +14

    The Thompsons were included with the tanks that we sent to the Soviets in WWII but they didn’t have any ammo for them so they just put them in storage.

  • @rufiorufioo
    @rufiorufioo Před rokem +53

    Those Thompsons are actually worth a lot. Incredible weapon. Expensive to make. Expensive now.

    • @Swindle1984
      @Swindle1984 Před rokem +5

      Worth a lot to who? They're worthless in the US due to the 1986 ban on registering machine guns. Anything that wasn't registered by July of 1986 is illegal for civilians to own. At best, these guns would be cut up into pieces and imported as parts kits without barrels, as per ATF regulations. As combat weapons, they're horribly obsolete. Heavy, not especially reliable, and they use ammunition that is next to impossible to find in most of the world and not standard issue in any military or police department, even in the US. .45 ACP, while popular with civilians in America, is incredibly rare elsewhere and is actually illegal to own in many countries in Europe and South America because civilians are banned from owning any caliber used by police or a military, past or present. It's illegal to own a machine gun in most countries, and in the ones where nobody cares (mainly African and Middle Eastern hellholes) they still wouldn't be worth anything because they can get AK-47's for the price of a live chicken, and those they can actually find magazines and ammo for.

    • @wahtx7717
      @wahtx7717 Před rokem +1

      ​@@Swindle1984 bc people just want to flex

    • @corneliusmcmuffin3256
      @corneliusmcmuffin3256 Před rokem +1

      @@Swindle1984 Collectors would pay thousands for one in a good condition, I cannot fathom why Ukraine did not sell them before now, they could get some very expensive military equipment for the price, yea the Thomson is basically useless, it only might be effective at CQC and even then, But none of that matters for collectors who have a lot of money and want a iconic piece of history.

    • @Swindle1984
      @Swindle1984 Před rokem

      @@corneliusmcmuffin3256 But collectors can't legally own them. If you can't sell them to anyone, they're worthless.

  • @onlinebills9169
    @onlinebills9169 Před rokem +667

    Owning a Thompson here in the US is not only nearly impossible, but it would also cost a fortune. And these guys have CRATES of brand-new shipments sitting there for 80 years!

    • @MysticalJessica
      @MysticalJessica Před rokem +39

      Sadly there's lots of things that are nearly impossible in the US that in other countries aren't!

    • @Sombre____
      @Sombre____ Před rokem +24

      I don't understand why Ukraine didn't sold them on the market already. They could buy modern weapons with the money.

    • @marcelo497
      @marcelo497 Před rokem +29

      These old guns are all over the world. Here in Brazil the police ocasionally find guns from pre WW1 with drug cartels. Most conflicts in developing countries use guns from WW2 and Cold War

    • @alexeydyfort545
      @alexeydyfort545 Před rokem

      The FDA is corrupt af unfortunately

    • @ibrahimaamir5554
      @ibrahimaamir5554 Před rokem +24

      they could literally have sold those to collectors and bought modern weapons and ammo. I'm sure there must be people willing to pay astronomical money just too get one of these old guns

  • @undercoverhustler37
    @undercoverhustler37 Před rokem +818

    Up until 2014 ukraine was the worlds premier surplus firearm dealer. My SKS, Mosin, tokarev pistol and SVT40 rifle all came from ukraine. paid under $300 Canadian for each one.

    • @LSOP-
      @LSOP- Před rokem +13

      They are freezing the acceptance of registrations and will also not allow the transfer sale or donation of handguns at this time. Of note this does not effect pre 1998 handguns or collectors.
      Also: - Handguns were used in 59 per cent of violent crime involving firearms between 2009 and 2020, and there are 70 per cent more handguns in Canada today than in 2010.
      -There were over 3,500 reported thefts of firearms in 2018.
      -One in three women and girls killed by an abuser is murdered with a gun.

    • @SimpleHuman-ug8fk
      @SimpleHuman-ug8fk Před rokem +95

      ​@@LSOP-are you proposing to ban weapons for the civilians? In my country, when there was a complete ban, murder weapons still occurred... Only they didn't kill with firearms, but with axes, knives and pokers. Human violence cannot be stopped in any way

    • @usertom1967
      @usertom1967 Před rokem

      Ukraine sold off all the wealth they inherited from USSR, the government is so corrupt

    • @skeletonkey6733
      @skeletonkey6733 Před rokem +11

      @@ColinMor-fj3qc Kohat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It has gained fame and notoriety for its bazaars packed with gunsmiths and weapons merchants. They can make anything

    • @wyattpeterson6286
      @wyattpeterson6286 Před rokem +5

      You lucky man.

  • @kenibnanak5554
    @kenibnanak5554 Před rokem +43

    As a US based weapons collector I can only dream of a whole crate of early WW2 vintage M1928 Thompsons NIB still wrapped in oil paper. Even the crate of M1 Thompsons is probably worth a million dollars (also the crate of (pretty) Maxim guns. I am amazed no one thought to get them out of the mines before Ukraine pulled back and sell them to Western collectors. Just recently I saw someone on a different site whining bout not finding good condition, original, Mosin stocks. There they are. LoL

    • @jamallabarge2665
      @jamallabarge2665 Před 11 měsíci

      " I am amazed no one thought to get them out of the mines before Ukraine pulled back and sell them to Western collectors. "
      Joe Biden would have cut off their military aid... then bragged about it on TV.
      Joe doesn't like arming the proles... now his kid can use dope and buy a handgun, but he's a Biden.

    • @cdt996
      @cdt996 Před 11 měsíci +9

      They’re only worth that because of the NFA which limits the supply of them. While I’m sure they would still be valuable, if these among other non registry guns could be sold, the prices would plummet.

    • @jamallabarge2665
      @jamallabarge2665 Před 11 měsíci

      @@cdt996 "They’re only worth that because of the NFA which limits the supply of them. "
      The goal of Hughes Rangel was to "poison pill" the Firearm Owners Protection Act.
      Instead those two dullards ruined the prospect of anyone trusting a Federal Gun Registry.
      Why register something so that it is frozen, the owners taxed to death or saddled with expensive crap?
      The gun control lobby has become a money making institution. This is why it never wins much. It relies upon people to "overcome reaction" but cheats them because of a continous stream of donations.

    • @nooboftheyear7170
      @nooboftheyear7170 Před 10 měsíci

      They turned out to be sks sticks anyway it seems.

  • @gusgone4527
    @gusgone4527 Před rokem +26

    Those Maxims are still viable weapons for fixed locations. Dependant on ammunition supplies or the ability to convert. Museums would take them in a heartbeat.

    • @gwydionrusso3206
      @gwydionrusso3206 Před 11 měsíci +5

      If I understand correctly those are 7.62x54R caliber the caliber is still very common in Russia and around the world it’s been used from the late 1800s in the early Mosin-Nagant till now it’s used in everything from the old Mosin-Nagant PKM machine gun and Dragunov marksman rifle

    • @gusgone4527
      @gusgone4527 Před 11 měsíci +4

      @@gwydionrusso3206 I think you are correct. It should be easy to check.
      If it reigned supreme in WWI/WWII, cutting down massed infantry attacks. There is no reason why it can't be effective today in a true sustained fire role. I suppose training the gun team would be the difficult bit. Not many veterans from that era left.
      Incidentally, my grandfather who died in the early 1980's. Fought during the last year of WWI and again in WWII. Firstly as a private in the MG Corps, as part of the crew for the Vickers Maxim. (That's why it caught my eye and why I commented.)

    • @SwedishEmpire1700
      @SwedishEmpire1700 Před 2 měsíci

      @@gusgone4527 Bro, they are a tool, tools can be learned with training like any other tool.

  • @artiomvv569
    @artiomvv569 Před rokem +291

    Those brand new Thompsons are such a sight for a collectors eyes . They can fetch a hefty price, up to 40-80 grand. How can anyone not be interested in those Thompsons. It's insane.

    • @tashigyaltsen472
      @tashigyaltsen472 Před rokem +26

      Dont worry wagner had already made deal in black market

    • @artiomvv569
      @artiomvv569 Před rokem +14

      @@tashigyaltsen472 one of them Tommies would sure look good behind a glass case on someone's wall.

    • @tashigyaltsen472
      @tashigyaltsen472 Před rokem +3

      @@artiomvv569 sure

    • @georgesakellaropoulos8162
      @georgesakellaropoulos8162 Před rokem

      Worthless in the United States because they can't be registered.

    • @HDSME
      @HDSME Před rokem

      Not that. U have but alot

  • @REVOLVER_NOIR
    @REVOLVER_NOIR Před rokem +459

    Damn that’s a mouth watering supply of usable hardware. As a gunsmith I’d be in literal heaven!! 😂

    • @DefiantNX74205
      @DefiantNX74205 Před rokem +10

      Now Imagine being the fellas who worked with all that !

    • @orzorzelski1142
      @orzorzelski1142 Před rokem +17

      I think I can hear Brandon Herrera salivating.

    • @dewboy910
      @dewboy910 Před rokem +4

      Yeah, me too. And if my brother was still alive, he would have been hugging the screen!

    • @bibekjung7404
      @bibekjung7404 Před rokem +1

      KAVEEER ALMIGHTY GOD 🙏+🙏+🙏

    • @DerDrecksack87
      @DerDrecksack87 Před rokem +3

      ​@@DefiantNX74205i think constant bombing takes the fun out of working with it, especially when you have to be evacuated because the russian frontline is moving fast towards you, like these guys who probably had to leave in a hurry judging by all the unfinished work. But maybe they could zen out by doing what they like, who knows.

  • @galesams4205
    @galesams4205 Před rokem +30

    The arms caches we found in vietnam always had THOMPSON MACHINE GUNS in 45 apc and were found on some VC soldiers. Mostly they used AK-47, Molson nagant, SKS, and B-40 rocket. 4th div. recon 1969.

    • @whakatu4life285
      @whakatu4life285 Před rokem +5

      @@henrydevree8382 Nup, shouldnt have been there to start with. F for Failed

    • @henrydevree8382
      @henrydevree8382 Před rokem +7

      @@whakatu4life285 don't hate the player, hate the game dude. He just did his job

    • @whakatu4life285
      @whakatu4life285 Před rokem

      ​@@henrydevree8382 Not hating the player at all, just the BS "thanks for your service" type crap that comes out of the US when the US shouldn't be meddling in other countries issues, nothing to congratulate someone for when civilians die, shame the US only felt that sort of thing when the towers came down, US has killed 100s of thousands of civilians in the illegal wars and invasions over the years so yeah F for Failed in Vietnam and same gonna be the result in Ukraine. US needs to wake up it ain't all it thinks it is and the majority of the rest of the world is sick of its BS warmongering, dictatorial ways. No wonder the US armed forces are struggling for man power, seems lots of the younger ones have woken up to the BS corporate controlled Govt there.

    • @atatterson6992
      @atatterson6992 Před 9 měsíci

      @@whakatu4life285 no, F for Fucc Off and Dye

    • @moredistractions
      @moredistractions Před 4 měsíci

      That's so weird that a Canadian beer company got into the rifle business. I guess diversification is key.

  • @atlasguns11
    @atlasguns11 Před rokem +17

    Unironically more valuable than the modern small arms they could've found.

    • @therideneverends1697
      @therideneverends1697 Před 4 měsíci +1

      Not really, on much of the euro civil market semi converted tompsons and PPSHs are worth less than a off the shelf AR

  • @enormhi
    @enormhi Před rokem +269

    That's pretty wild, just thousands and thousands of 'Forgotten Weapons'

    • @mcbrite
      @mcbrite Před rokem +5

      They were never forgotten... Bout sold them to make his millions...

    • @hunters36forgingwoodworkin73
      @hunters36forgingwoodworkin73 Před rokem +26

      @@mcbrite someone didn’t get the joke

    • @pilotman9819
      @pilotman9819 Před rokem +27

      Don't summon Gun Jesus now

    • @josephmontanaro2350
      @josephmontanaro2350 Před rokem +6

      the best way for Ukraine to take it back would be to say there's stocks of .32 French Longe in there, it's like the US with oil/WMDs, say they are there and he will come :D

    • @SuperErikRoss
      @SuperErikRoss Před rokem +8

      And in comes Ian 🙂

  • @scottwilson9676
    @scottwilson9676 Před rokem +305

    These old Soviet sites are all over Ukraine and the rest of Eastern Europe. Built to withstand nuke strikes, very impressive structures.

    • @shoeby9273
      @shoeby9273 Před rokem +15

      I think the gem of it is the lend lease stuff with all the paperwork. Probably wont find a lot of that.

    • @emilynelson5985
      @emilynelson5985 Před rokem +2

      Then why aren’t we giving them .45 acp? Thompsons have a wonderful reputation as a service weapon.

    • @Ukraineaissance2014
      @Ukraineaissance2014 Před rokem +44

      ​​​@@emilynelson5985 dont be insane. Sub mgs became obsolete 70 years ago. Especially ones which weigh more than a carbine and cost a fortune. You want to be in a trench struggling to find ammo for 3 magazines full with a gun thats useless beyond a few metres/against basic armour and weighs more than a dead cow??
      great collectors items or last ditch weapons only, which is why they were there probably

    • @opairsoft8100
      @opairsoft8100 Před rokem +7

      @@emilynelson5985 the ergonomics are absolutely dogshit, hell I would take a bolt action over a Thompson 99% of the time just do to how ungodly the selector and stock placement is.

    • @jeffmcewen1238
      @jeffmcewen1238 Před rokem +4

      @@opairsoft8100 A Lee Enfield and lots of mags

  • @FumblsTheSniper
    @FumblsTheSniper Před rokem +10

    Loved growing up in a rural town where there was absolutely 10,000 ar patterned rifles and ammunition locked up underneath a national guard depot in the middle of town. Who even knows what else was in there. The underground part is underneath a elementary school and above ground building is fifty yards from the cafeteria lol.

  • @pauliecopez2683
    @pauliecopez2683 Před 11 měsíci +5

    So freakin cool. The mine has no humidity. No rust.

  • @michaeldenesyk3195
    @michaeldenesyk3195 Před rokem +143

    The Thompsons must be worth their weight in gold!

    • @davep5227
      @davep5227 Před rokem +30

      How about those water cooled machine guns! Yummy, this place is a Gold Mine!

    • @mcbrite
      @mcbrite Před rokem +14

      @@davep5227 *salt mine... ^^

    • @BKrol-dr4gi
      @BKrol-dr4gi Před rokem +12

      @@mcbrite gun mine?😉

    • @zoiders
      @zoiders Před rokem +16

      Only on the US market. Surplus has not much more than scrap value in the rest of world.

    • @geroutathat
      @geroutathat Před rokem +8

      @@zoiders Even in the US this amount put on the market would make the market for them collapse. They sell one a day/week to a collector in the US for like 300-400 bucks instead of dumping the whole lot on the market for a buck each.

  • @ratscoot
    @ratscoot Před rokem +363

    About 15 years ago WW2 lend lease weapons arrived from Ukraine in the Eu. You could buy an unissued Thompson M1 for 500€ or a 1928 for 650€. PPSH 41 and 43 were around 250€, a Maxim on wheel carriage was 1000€.

    • @Chiller01
      @Chiller01 Před rokem +6

      That’s really interesting. For a weapon with a fallacious operating system the Thompson would have been an excellent WW1 weapon.

    • @johngreen-sk4yk
      @johngreen-sk4yk Před rokem +25

      I remember Ryton arms had a big stash of ukraine ww2 /cold war warehouse stuff , everything from German 98k mausers to mint condition sks carbines , most of it extremely cheap, collectors in the UK won't see bargain deac deals like that again ! Sigh 😕

    • @pablo-xf3jb
      @pablo-xf3jb Před rokem +4

      @@johngreen-sk4yk same state side

    • @markthompson8656
      @markthompson8656 Před rokem +20

      I want one of the THOMPSON'S

    • @ratscoot
      @ratscoot Před rokem +13

      @@johngreen-sk4yk Indeed, bought a lot of these guns. Tokarev SVT40, Tokarev TT33, Makarov, brand new unissued 1948 dated SKS with laminate stock. 1895 Nagant revolver. Supply has dried up over the years and have doubled or tripled on those guns.

  • @nateone9588
    @nateone9588 Před rokem +4

    I read once that the Thompsons came in crates like that and in the trucks and tanks we sent the Soviets. Problem apparently, was the availability of .45 acp which is why they were never utilizedm

  • @perspectiveflip
    @perspectiveflip Před 11 měsíci +8

    Wow tens of thousands of brand new WW2 guns? This stuff must be worth multi if not hundreds of millions... What an incredible treasure!

    • @therideneverends1697
      @therideneverends1697 Před 4 měsíci +2

      Not really, WW2 MGs are valuable in the US because we are not allowed to import anymore of them.
      In euro countrys that allow semi auto conversions guns like those tompsons might be worth 1k each or so, possibly 2k for the maxims,
      really not particularly valuable to go to much effort

    • @snooks5607
      @snooks5607 Před 4 měsíci

      @@therideneverends1697 probably half that if this stockpile ever flooded the market

  • @VanzerPanzer
    @VanzerPanzer Před rokem +501

    Damn, these might be the last pristine vintage guns

    • @eminence_
      @eminence_ Před rokem +44

      There are hundreds of thousands more

    • @123456qwful
      @123456qwful Před rokem +45

      Their prombly more depot just like this throguht out the former soviet countries so their apt more out their

    • @owllymannstein7113
      @owllymannstein7113 Před rokem +9

      It is a safe bet that every developed country on the planet has similar facilities.

    • @VanzerPanzer
      @VanzerPanzer Před rokem +2

      @@owllymannstein7113 but conditions of maintenance might be worse. I made a pretty bold claim overall tho, yeah

    • @owllymannstein7113
      @owllymannstein7113 Před rokem +8

      @@VanzerPanzer You might be surprised. In 1945 when Japan's general issue rifle had devolved to abysmal quality manufacture they still had stores of pristine pre-war rifles they were saving for the US invasion of the home islands.

  • @EuroS50
    @EuroS50 Před rokem +341

    I think a lot of people need to keep in mind - this is ONE such depot.
    There's TONS of them all over not only Ukraine but Eastern Europe.

    • @Pentazemin44
      @Pentazemin44 Před rokem +9

      just imagine amount of ak variants stocked all over europe, mind blowing

    • @marcelogonzalez8547
      @marcelogonzalez8547 Před rokem +6

      Reminds me of Lynch's Dune, when Sitlgar says "Greater than treasure, Usul. We have thousands of such caches, and only a few of us know them all."

    • @ClaudeMagicbox
      @ClaudeMagicbox Před rokem +23

      Yeah... most people don't know how heavily stockpiled the Soviet Union was
      I've done business with Russians and went around a bit, they told me the West doesn't even imagine the size of the ex Soviet stockpiles of anything war related, they told me that in remote parts of the Urals there are literally artificial LAKES of millions of gallons of diesel and kherosene, enough to fuel thousands and thousands of tanks, planes and military vehicles for at least a century

    • @AlexMilenk
      @AlexMilenk Před rokem +5

      @@ClaudeMagicbox last autumn Russian artillery has used shells made 1971.

    • @williamkunte5361
      @williamkunte5361 Před rokem +1

      ​@@AlexMilenk 😮

  • @dondelchulia3189
    @dondelchulia3189 Před 9 měsíci +3

    That crate of Thompsons is probably worth about a million USD

  • @k.r.baylor8825
    @k.r.baylor8825 Před rokem +5

    The Thompson SMGs, both M1A1 and M1928 models, would be worth a fortune on the US collectors market, once the NFA is repealed.

    • @robdegoyim4023
      @robdegoyim4023 Před 3 měsíci

      Not if they were all suddenly available, prices would crash

  • @thomas_jay
    @thomas_jay Před rokem +140

    There are probably lots of collectors in the USA who would give tons of money for some of the older guns.

    • @barrybb5409
      @barrybb5409 Před rokem

      There are about150k atf agents that would shoot you to prevent you from owning them.

    • @xJDMWaRRi0Rx
      @xJDMWaRRi0Rx Před rokem

      Not probably, definitely. The problem is they legally can’t own them let alone import them from a war zone that the US is actively fighting and sanctioning against.

    • @duc696monster6
      @duc696monster6 Před rokem

      And now the us is giving then tons and tons of money just to keep Bidens secret ..

    • @scar3xcr0
      @scar3xcr0 Před rokem

      Ukraine should sell most of its antique firearms caches to collectors and use the money to buy modern weapons. They could probably get a couple of modern equivalents for each rare but outdated weapon. Mosins aren't worth that much but those tommy guns must be work bank, too bad Wagner has them and you know they will engage in corporate looting

    • @therealgaben5527
      @therealgaben5527 Před rokem +6

      @Quin and?

  • @Chiller01
    @Chiller01 Před rokem +148

    Oh my god. Collectors are sending dark web messages to Prigozhin as we speak.

  • @ianpatrick6034
    @ianpatrick6034 Před rokem +3

    Here in the US a class 3 mint Tommy gun like those are worth roughly 35k-45k and they have dozens, if not hundreds of them in just that location

  • @jabonorte
    @jabonorte Před 11 měsíci +1

    Shows the scale of lend lease that they still have whole crates of Thompson's. Not surprised that they were kept in storage - doesn't look like they had a space problem in there

  • @aaronlopez492
    @aaronlopez492 Před rokem +50

    That Thompson's got my attention!😮

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +9

      Same!

    • @Yankeepride03
      @Yankeepride03 Před rokem +3

      😮 Those Thompsons are worth a lot of 💰

    • @aaronlopez492
      @aaronlopez492 Před rokem +9

      ​@@Yankeepride03Last time a used Thompson's was sold it went for $90,000 used. But the dealer tells me that the bidding on in the crate oiled Thompson's would start at approximately 150 to 300 k. That is a literal gold mine.

    • @mcbrite
      @mcbrite Před rokem +7

      @@aaronlopez492 No, it's a literal salt mine and a figurative gold mine... Speakz!

    • @Erpyrikk
      @Erpyrikk Před rokem +3

      @@aaronlopez492 no, as someone mentioned these thompson's were for sale at about 500 to 650 on the European market. the only reason machine guns are so valuable in the US is because the machinegun registry is closed.

  • @jamesdc9595
    @jamesdc9595 Před rokem +59

    Anyone have Prigozhin’s number? Those belong in collectors’ hands and museums, not rotting away in a Ukrainian mine.

    • @alanxu3936
      @alanxu3936 Před rokem +23

      Indiana Jones moment.

    • @MaxwellAerialPhotography
      @MaxwellAerialPhotography Před rokem +14

      @@alanxu3936 That should have been the new Indiana Jones movie, not the self insert fan fiction that Phoebe Waller Bridge cooked up.

    • @Spudtron98
      @Spudtron98 Před rokem +16

      I'd rather have Prigozhin's current location and a cruise missile.

    • @jamesdc9595
      @jamesdc9595 Před rokem +31

      @@Spudtron98 cringe

    • @thegamiac9539
      @thegamiac9539 Před rokem +13

      @@Spudtron98 goof ball

  • @DK-gy7ll
    @DK-gy7ll Před rokem +5

    Imagine going into a deep cave, and in one corner you find piles of ancient plundered Aztec gold... and in the other corner you see crates of NIB WW2-era Thompsons. Which one would you take? 😁

  • @duanetrivett750
    @duanetrivett750 Před 10 měsíci

    Please show more ! Very interesting .

  • @peterwilson5528
    @peterwilson5528 Před rokem +79

    Those weapons like the Thompsons are priceless for collectors. It is a goldmine for collectors.

    • @brendanoneil3489
      @brendanoneil3489 Před rokem +5

      I wonder what will happen to their values when collector's realise there's probably tens of thousands unused and still in their original war packing. I guess mass produced war finish not really top collector's items?

    • @jamallabarge2665
      @jamallabarge2665 Před 11 měsíci +1

      @@brendanoneil3489 The challenge is getting them into the US. Just shipping them in a plain crate would get them siezed and trashed.

  • @charliemclegend4885
    @charliemclegend4885 Před rokem +40

    I saw this video on telegram where Russian war journalist interviews Wagner fighter in this mine. Now i don't speak Russian, but a related language. And i think i understood that the number of Thompsons held in that mine is around 23 000 guns. The number of PPSh is around 300 000 guns. Ukrainians carried out most of modern weapons and almost all of the ammunition.

    • @Stephen85
      @Stephen85 Před rokem +15

      Just imagine what they took with them, this is just the stuff they left.

    • @spongebob7296
      @spongebob7296 Před rokem

      @@Stephen85 It was all theirs for the taking.

    • @catharineblore7302
      @catharineblore7302 Před rokem +3

      If the Thompsons are chambered in 0.45 ACP, the PPSh in 7,62 x 25 and the Maxims in 7,62 x 54R the Ucranians did well to leave them behind.

  • @MrTopflight29
    @MrTopflight29 Před rokem +1

    PPSH! Thompson! Damn! Would love to get my hands on these.

  • @ronaldroller7176
    @ronaldroller7176 Před rokem +2

    In Syria about a year ago, a shipping container full of unissued STG 44s were shown in a video. Amazing what we produce for war.

    • @moredistractions
      @moredistractions Před 4 měsíci

      I saw that video. The rebels who found them were bewildered by their good fortune and were mumbling "Allahu Akbar" in thanks. I don't think they understood that the guns (despite looking like AKs) were ancient relics in an obsolete/impossible to find caliber.

  • @Sean--
    @Sean-- Před rokem +97

    the massive gallery of crates is insane to see i wonder how much more interesting weapons were carried away when they left

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +34

      There could be anything down there. The videos show so little really.

    • @BLACKxOPxPRExTARGET
      @BLACKxOPxPRExTARGET Před rokem +11

      @@TheArmourersBench Russian sarcasm is lost on westerner's. He teased the Thompsons M1928 original models. these are priceless in factory condition

    • @user-hm8eh6be8c
      @user-hm8eh6be8c Před rokem +2

      Оттуда вынесли 90% содержимого. Осталось 10% , а может и меньше. В начале распродавали, а потом вывезли всё чем можно воевать

    • @edwardsallow6518
      @edwardsallow6518 Před rokem +1

      @@user-hm8eh6be8c I wonder who they sold them to or if they just moved them to a different wear house in Russia

    • @user-uz7rl4wy5u
      @user-uz7rl4wy5u Před 4 měsíci

      ​@@edwardsallow6518 Он имел ввиду что 90 процентов вывезли за время существования Украины, ибо они продали все что можно. Но оставшиеся 10 процентов это десятки тысяч стволов и миллионы патронов.

  • @mattfleming86
    @mattfleming86 Před rokem +164

    So this is as close to heaven as one can find. An "infinite" number of guns to fix, assemble, and shoot with a neverending mountain of ammo.
    That is just amazing.

    • @SuperErikRoss
      @SuperErikRoss Před rokem +6

      Yup gun heaven !!!!

    • @Stephen85
      @Stephen85 Před rokem +5

      Yeah except for the whole war thing going on.

    • @SuperErikRoss
      @SuperErikRoss Před rokem +3

      @@Stephen85 uh yea that whole thing hopefully it will be over soon

    • @rsuriyop
      @rsuriyop Před rokem +1

      It would be even better if they were able to find the much more advanced modern weapons that NATO has been supplying Ukraine with.

    • @TacticalTerry
      @TacticalTerry Před rokem +2

      ​​@@rsuriyopIf you listen to the video, the Ukrainians took those with them when they left the mine.

  • @thephoenixcycle8854
    @thephoenixcycle8854 Před rokem +1

    Whoa! Look at those Thompson smg's ❤ There are probably thousands and thousands of those wow

  • @rgriffinRETIRED_SHEEPDOG

    Wow! Excellent video

  • @beepbeeep9343
    @beepbeeep9343 Před rokem +76

    i wish i could have all of that for myself

    • @DNS-Freakz
      @DNS-Freakz Před rokem +4

      Agreed

    • @murmenaattori6
      @murmenaattori6 Před rokem +2

      We all do.

    • @gmarie701
      @gmarie701 Před rokem +2

      Start a new PMC and just go get them before they are gone. A piece of pie...💂‍♂

    • @thegamiac9539
      @thegamiac9539 Před rokem +3

      Join wagner for a stash of those now I mean adding these as trophies in payment will sure pump their recruit numbers

    • @carloko08
      @carloko08 Před rokem

      HAHAHAHAH, don't be greedy, man, I want all that for myself too, what do we do? hahaha, let's share all that with all our good bellicose brothers better, beers and whores I invite them XD

  • @koganinja100
    @koganinja100 Před rokem +44

    I’m sure plenty of collectors around the world would be interested, I hope these historical weapons are not destroyed.
    Great video.
    All the best from down under.
    Lewis
    Sydney
    Australia

    • @DerDrecksack87
      @DerDrecksack87 Před rokem +2

      Don't worry mate, i doubt they go out of their way to destroy them, they either sell it inside russia for cheap or just let it in the salt mine, wich probably would be best, in those conditions these beauties have atleast another 40 years to look shiny.

  • @MadeleineTakam
    @MadeleineTakam Před rokem +4

    For anyone interested 24 Thompsons have already been shipped to The DRC, some will end up in République du Cameroun as I understand General Jacob Kodji’s daughter has bought some as gifts. My got my eye on a couple.

    • @briang4914
      @briang4914 Před rokem +1

      From this batch? How do you know this?

    • @MadeleineTakam
      @MadeleineTakam Před rokem +1

      I am African Women… we have access to information that is banned in “Western Countries” and Russia is not sanctioned in Africa. We trade absolutely everything with anyone. C’est la vie.

    • @AquaticGems
      @AquaticGems Před 3 měsíci

      ​@@MadeleineTakamya you're full of shit

  • @JohnWaldron-cm7ce
    @JohnWaldron-cm7ce Před rokem +1

    Whoa! Those Maxims and Thompsons are high dollar items worldwide!-John in Texas

  • @Sub-If-You-Are-Against-Zionism

    Somebody save those beautiful Thompsons. The parts alone are worth a fortune especially in that good of condition

  • @runelokas-zm1bs
    @runelokas-zm1bs Před rokem +40

    The WW2 mint condition guns are a incredible find!!!

  • @Retro_Retriever55
    @Retro_Retriever55 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Whoa a Thompson, I just posted a full auto one. Love these.

  • @Rogue-7.62
    @Rogue-7.62 Před 4 měsíci +1

    Holy Crap, those Maxims and Tommy Guns looked brand new. They are worth a small fortune individually.

  • @orzorzelski1142
    @orzorzelski1142 Před rokem +103

    Mr Prigozhin,
    please don't let the antiques rot. Historical pieces like maxims and thompsons could be sold for a fair price.
    For this invaluable piece of business advice, an AK-74 with 10 spare magazines and 3000 rounds would be very appreciated.
    Yours sincerely,
    Orz Orzelski.
    Well, at least I tried!

    • @carloko08
      @carloko08 Před rokem +16

      hahahah, dont worry dude, who know mr Prigozhin will know about your polite letter to him and he make an offer to you ;)

    • @NeostormXLMAX
      @NeostormXLMAX Před rokem +1

      He wants to sell them actually

    • @carloko08
      @carloko08 Před rokem

      @@NeostormXLMAX wooo really? where you saw that?

    • @Pentazemin44
      @Pentazemin44 Před rokem +2

      oh yeah? and where is he going to sell them lol? like for real it would be transported to russia and disappear forever

    • @Journey_Awaits
      @Journey_Awaits Před rokem +4

      You’ll have plenty of chances to appreciate it in ww3

  • @ritterbruder212
    @ritterbruder212 Před rokem +28

    Quick correction: those are SKS, not Mosin stocks, at 3:20.

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +21

      You're right, my mistake, I missed the inlet above the trigger guard. Thanks for watching.

    • @AlASokolov
      @AlASokolov Před rokem

      ​@@TheArmourersBench just Mosin, not Mosin-Nagant. Or call the rifle Springfield M1903 Mauser-Springfield.

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem

      Well I'm sure Mauser would have liked that haha.

    • @AlASokolov
      @AlASokolov Před rokem

      @@TheArmourersBench He was so angry when he found out that the Americans had stolen the design of his rifle that he sued and won it. Мosin did not steal anything, he took only the clip from the Nagant, the design of the feeder. Nagant borrowed the design of the feeder from another designer. In turn, Nagant borrowed a lot of things from Mosin, and then patented it, that is, in fact, stole it. He is a thief, and you insert his name into the name of the rifle. Given the history of the creation of the Springfield M1903, it looks very symbolic, thieves cover the thief.

  • @mr.unknown5353
    @mr.unknown5353 Před rokem +28

    For some more info on this mine in Paraskoviivka , this is the Kuzminovsky Mine/Volodarsky Mine No. 1/Artyomsol Mine No. 8. It was opened in 1911 as the Kuzminovsky Mine. After the Russian Revolution it was renamed Volodarsky Mine No. 1 after the Marxist revolutionary and Soviet politician V. Volodarsky. On March 1st, 2019 Artyomsol renamed the mine the Artyomsol Mine No. 8.
    After the mine fell into Russian hands mid-late February, I was curious how long it would be before we got pictures and videos from inside the mine.

  • @silverbullet7434
    @silverbullet7434 Před rokem

    Id sure buy the Thompson's and the three machine gun crate full. Pure history and brand new.

  • @InstructorRandy
    @InstructorRandy Před rokem +28

    I just wish we could get our stuff back and buy it at cost.

    • @Vingul
      @Vingul Před rokem

      That’s what you get for helping out communists at the expense of Europe.

  • @MrCantStopTheRobot
    @MrCantStopTheRobot Před rokem +21

    Keep Ian far away; once inside, he might never return.

  • @funklelester8646
    @funklelester8646 Před rokem +2

    It's good to know that even back then the government was giving away stuff that they wouldn't let civilians have.

  • @anarchyscorner
    @anarchyscorner Před 3 měsíci +1

    I know salt mines are used for document storage. But it seems counterintuitive to store guns in there, wouldn't the salinity in the air rust then quicker? Those things didn't seem doused in cosmoline.

  • @Darwinist
    @Darwinist Před rokem +21

    I wonder if there is something about salt mines that caused this location to be chosen as a long-term storage depot. Stable temps due to being deep underground, and it's probably really really dry down there.

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +8

      Seems to be the reasoning. Thanks for watching

    • @benjamindover7399
      @benjamindover7399 Před rokem +21

      The salt sucks every bit of humidity out of the air. As long as it's not touching salt, metal will last forever.

    • @charlesburgoyne-probyn6044
      @charlesburgoyne-probyn6044 Před rokem +1

      It is eerie to see the weapons then which apart from a proof firing have never been used

  • @pilotman9819
    @pilotman9819 Před rokem +127

    Ukraine had one of the largest Black Market in all of Europe before the war. Its insane what antiques they have there and what equipment you won't find anymore they sell for dirt cheap prices.

    • @skeletonkey6733
      @skeletonkey6733 Před rokem +1

      Kohat District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It has gained fame and notoriety for its bazaars packed with gunsmiths and weapons merchants.

    • @poes1314
      @poes1314 Před rokem +6

      No it didn't

    • @spongebob7296
      @spongebob7296 Před rokem +17

      Yes they even made a movie called Lord Of War about these weapons cashes and its a true story of Yuri Orlov a arms dealer that Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Yuri flies to Ukraine and illegally buys Soviet military hardware through his uncle, a former Soviet general who is overseeing the distribution of weapons to the newly-formed Ukrainian Army.

    • @poes1314
      @poes1314 Před rokem +7

      @spongebob7296 it is based on viktor bout, and most weapons that are on the black market are straight from russia

    • @alexandercspmx7322
      @alexandercspmx7322 Před rokem

      They still have the hugest black market selling American weapons to isis

  • @ghostwriter2031
    @ghostwriter2031 Před rokem +1

    I’ve had 2 Thompson’s out of salt mines in Ukraine. Both have been deactivated. There were lots for sale about 10 years ago

    • @TheArmourersBench
      @TheArmourersBench  Před rokem +1

      A chap was telling me about how quite a few were bought out of there in the 2000s.

  • @gibusspy5544
    @gibusspy5544 Před rokem +1

    Prigozhin is gonna have a lot of collectors asking him for those sweet authentic Thompsons

  • @Luiz-jv8lu
    @Luiz-jv8lu Před rokem +25

    People forget, but the URSS had the largest army in human history. That's why there is so many storages like that in all ex-soviet states. And that's why Russia can still fight till this day with old weapons in some areas. Thair stock is HUGE and spread all over the place in bunkers.

    • @user-hm8eh6be8c
      @user-hm8eh6be8c Před rokem +2

      Не во всех постсоветских республиках так. Украине достались крупнейшие запасы. Также много в Белоруссии. В общем с западной стороны, со стороны НАТО. В республиках средней Азии такого нет

  • @lp9280
    @lp9280 Před rokem +30

    One mans rubbish other mans treasure. For modern army all the Thomson's, PPSH, Maxims etc. are useless, or clearly excess amount of surplus AK/Mosin stocks... but for gunsmith working in that sort of area (Brandon Herrera comes to mind) this would be absolute goldmine. Even museums... I cannot imagine museums around the world would not be interested in absolutely brand new old stock Thomson's, PPSH, Maxims and similar weapons... surely not 10,000 of them, but couple of examples each... and there must be 100s of museums around the world.

    • @markthompson8656
      @markthompson8656 Před rokem +1

      I would start a museum to get that collection!

    • @Stephen85
      @Stephen85 Před rokem +2

      I am sure they have already be traded for potato vodka.

    • @lp9280
      @lp9280 Před rokem

      @@Stephen85 I kind of doubt it. If they found any usable weapons then yes, but most of what wash shown were antique weapons for which you can't get ammo, can't use them anywhere etc. In piece time there would be people interested in them if not for utility then at least as collector piece, but in war time literally nobody are are interested. prigozhin is scum, but I do believe he is not lying here by saying "these are new weapons, I called everyone, nobody wants them"... because nobody wants them, not even for potato vodka.

    • @Stephen85
      @Stephen85 Před rokem +1

      @@lp9280 good, I am glad they can't profit off of them.

    • @lp9280
      @lp9280 Před rokem +2

      @@Stephen85 same... i hope Ukraine will be able to reclaim this catche and put it on the market once war ends.

  • @wawaweewa9159
    @wawaweewa9159 Před rokem

    The maxims would be a beast sustained suppression gun mounted with modern ir sights and stabiliser

  • @ejharbord5966
    @ejharbord5966 Před rokem +12

    if these were imported into the USA right now the barrels and receivers would be torch cut in several places.
    our government sucks

  • @izakvandermerwe346
    @izakvandermerwe346 Před rokem +5

    You have a calm systematic way of presenting. Only a pleasure to listen to your presentation.

  • @ikocher
    @ikocher Před rokem

    I’ll be needing those Thompsons back.

  • @AmatureAstronomer
    @AmatureAstronomer Před 11 měsíci +1

    Thompson sub-machine guns sell for $20,000+ in the U.S.A.. Collectors love them. Those in pristine condition could run for about $30,000+.

    • @baneofbanes
      @baneofbanes Před 11 měsíci

      And that’s not the US in the video and those guns can’t be imported or sold to civilians.

    • @AmatureAstronomer
      @AmatureAstronomer Před 11 měsíci

      @@baneofbanes Au contraire, mon amie! I had a friend who owned a Thompson 1928. military style. You pay a $200 fee and pass an F.B.I. back ground check and you can buy a Thompson, a .50 caliber HB machine gun, a .30 caliber water fed Vickers .303 machine gun or any other fully automatic weapon older than 40 years. You must be 21 years old at the time of purchase. Google it!
      I never bought one. Much preferred the 1874 Shiloh Sharps 45/70. Drop block, 34" barrel with Bernoulli or Lyman sights. Single shot a 2,000 pound Buffalo at 2,000 yards. Manly weapon!

  • @TerraRubicon
    @TerraRubicon Před rokem +15

    On the U.S. market people would pay real money for vintage WW1 and WW2 guns.

    • @carloko08
      @carloko08 Před rokem +1

      in everywhere, dude, not just in yankeeland

  • @brianhowe1982
    @brianhowe1982 Před rokem +10

    Man.. really wish they'd put those on the C&R market. Beautiful classic guns

  • @aeoteroa818
    @aeoteroa818 Před 11 měsíci +1

    this would be the ultimate post apocalypse score

  • @josephbingham1255
    @josephbingham1255 Před 11 měsíci

    Facinating. I saw a similar video but a storage area in the Balkans. It contained unused boxed German WW2 weapons.

  • @MartiUK_
    @MartiUK_ Před rokem +16

    Those pristine maxims, stuck in a cave for decades 😢

  • @paulhudson6900
    @paulhudson6900 Před rokem +4

    Friend few years back had a few crates with the Thomson's all for deactivation all welded up i nearly cried ,they came from that mine they have been flogging them for years

  • @ericfirefoxfee5735
    @ericfirefoxfee5735 Před 4 dny

    Those old water cooled maxim machine guns were super cool

  • @moemaster1966
    @moemaster1966 Před rokem +4

    We shipped thousands of Thompson machine guns to the Soviet’s during ww2 from lend lease with millions of rounds of ammunition but for some reason the Russians didn’t like the tommy guns mainly supplied for mobile infantry units and tanks thousands have came back in parts kits but it’s ashamed that a new batch will probably end up being destroyed in the long run

    • @johnbrown8570
      @johnbrown8570 Před 11 měsíci

      A lot of the 45 ammo was lost so submarines in transit. Just imagine what’s preserved in those watery graves in the Arctic. Sucks you can’t disturb the ships.

  • @stanley1554
    @stanley1554 Před rokem +9

    Those piles of crates of never used Thompson submachine guns are worth a fortune.

  • @StellarGryphon
    @StellarGryphon Před rokem +51

    Would love to see some videos documenting the use of the older WW2 guns. I've seen pictures of people running around with Thompson's PPSH's, and I saw a video only yesterday of something running around with a MP-40, but apparently that one was a reproduction from some company in Ukraine

    • @sectero9450
      @sectero9450 Před rokem +6

      Because they are no place for pistol caliber weapons in modern combat as main weapon. Only 7.62x54, 12.7x108 abd 14.5x114 guns were in active use, like DP-28/27/M , maxim guns, SG-43(replacement for maxim in Soviet army) , some ptrs, KPV(its 50s 14.5 machine gun) and of course DShK.

    • @Mortablunt
      @Mortablunt Před rokem +2

      There’s been plenty of use in all the urban fighting and in the trench clearing.

    • @willong1000
      @willong1000 Před rokem

      Several videos have surfaced of the Maxim guns in use against Russian invaders.

    • @TheJarric
      @TheJarric Před rokem

      @@Mortablunt and as secondery for rpg and similar troopers

    • @carlospadilla4138
      @carlospadilla4138 Před rokem +2

      Im sure, no, I hope, Prigozihn understands what they have found, and makes these antiques available for legal sale, to any and all private/civilian individuals interested in a purchase, and of course, at discounted prices.

  • @dfhh4795
    @dfhh4795 Před rokem +1

    WoW those WW2 firearms are more than gold here in the US

  • @rf7192
    @rf7192 Před rokem +1

    Man, I'd love to have one of those Thompson SMG.....

  • @yelsew816
    @yelsew816 Před rokem +11

    I would not be suprised, in light of Prigozhin's recent comments, to see these start to appear in Africa.

    • @123456qwful
      @123456qwful Před rokem +5

      Africa, Latin America, and through out Asia, their enough to supply a nation armory for years

    • @mcbrite
      @mcbrite Před rokem +3

      Yeah, because the rich Africans can afford crates of vintage Thompsons at 150.000-300.000 a pop to do their random killing in style! 🙄

    • @Akeem_768
      @Akeem_768 Před rokem

      @@mcbrite thos guns only have value to american collectors, to the rest of the world it's just another tool for a purpose.

    • @rwps3677
      @rwps3677 Před rokem +3

      @@mcbrite It's not like they pay Museum Quality prices, more likely they get sold by the Kilo.

    • @Clive697
      @Clive697 Před rokem

      African warlords are getting plenty of better stuff (some western) from corrupt Ukrainian officials for over a year now.

  • @paogene1288
    @paogene1288 Před rokem +13

    Goodness, to have such a slice of that arsenal in my armory. Welp, a man can dream,and dreams are cheap.

    • @carloko08
      @carloko08 Před rokem

      hahahah, everybody wnat that right now :D

  • @redtobertshateshandles
    @redtobertshateshandles Před 2 měsíci

    Funny how that " explosives stacked to blow the entrance " looked just like crates of old stuff. 😂

  • @AlexanderTch
    @AlexanderTch Před 11 měsíci

    Jeez. Mosin's rifle fights wars for more than century already.

  • @yeugeniuss
    @yeugeniuss Před rokem +11

    May I come with a truck there? I can help to clean the facility for free.

  • @hankrearden5460
    @hankrearden5460 Před rokem +4

    Man thats a nice find 4:49 they look to be in great shape.

    • @CarverPete
      @CarverPete Před rokem +1

      Yeah no rust whatsoever so no pitting the wood furniture looks superb too with no deterioration I'm guessing that the humidity of that salt mine plus the correct way they were stored helped no end , BTW that's a gold mine for collectors literally.

  • @zokrua
    @zokrua Před rokem

    Always wanted one of those old weapon antiques used in the shows, movies and wars. Bit disappointed they exchanged them for shells right away than grabbing 1 of the unique weapons for their own collections and findings.

  • @geraldtrudeau3223
    @geraldtrudeau3223 Před rokem +5

    That's not a weapons Depot, it's an arms Museum.

  • @tavish4699
    @tavish4699 Před rokem +9

    with all that hardware being assesed now i think i know why wagner is back in the game and doesnt complain about ammo shortages anymore

    • @user-hm8eh6be8c
      @user-hm8eh6be8c Před rokem

      Он жаловался на нехватку артиллерийских снарядов.

  • @pcojedi
    @pcojedi Před 6 měsíci

    great video

  • @bradleyalbright1340
    @bradleyalbright1340 Před 11 měsíci

    thats a really nice gun room

  • @Grasyl
    @Grasyl Před rokem +5

    5:27 Are those Thompson M1928? I think so, Thompson M1 and M1A2 does not have finned barrels ..