Oh my goodness, all those "military grade" weapons put in the hands of civilians. Great episode as always Santee.

I have fond memories of the army navy stores. The owner was a avid wild west historian, he taught me some of the card games that were popular at the time. When he passed away, I was willed his pair of 1860 colt army revolvers, I still have them to this day.

Always enjoy going to an Army-Navy store if I'm in the area. Don't think there are many left. Never thought of them supplying westward pilgrims, but should have. Thanks for opening my eyes. 😊

Loved that you mentioned my cousin Jesse. He started his outlaw career using his pistols from the War. He received them from some Yankees that didn't need them anymore. My 2nd Great Grandpappy kept his Enfield rifle that he used during the War of Northern Aggressison. He used it for hunting. My western impression has several items that I used as a Confederate Reenactor. Thanks as always Santee. You are doing a fine job.

The current Military Surplus stores just don't seem to have a lot of Civil War leftovers to sell these days! I may have picked up a bit of ACU and Multicam stuff a few years back, maybe my great-grandkids can do some reenacting in the future! Cool video Santee!

I remember going to an army surplus store with my father when I was a kid, he wanted good warm gloves and I was concerned thinking only soldiers would be allowed to buy things from the store 😅

Military surplus is still full of surprises. Recently a couple bought a bunch of plastic shipping boxes from a military surplus online site. A couple of the boxes came filled with fully functional M16A2 rifles!

Another excellent video Santee! My ancestor recalled how the uniforms of the Billy Union were used by actors and dodgy "newspaper men" in stage photos to tourists from who wanted sell staged photos. Also, interestingly he was told to dress up as a union soldier to sell "his story" about his involvement in the war, even though his father forbid him to join or even hold a rifle, he told his story for coins, which he had to give half to the the inn keeper and the other half to the blacksmith and his wife were he stayed for a while. Other times when uniform were used by outlaws pretending to be part if the federal army to rob wagon travellers. Other times most civil war men keep their stuff, and later sold them as souvenirs of the war. Anyways, a wonderful video Santee well done to you and your crew!

I knew that surplus came west but I'd never thought about the volume of surplus. The army kept and converted a number of Springfields and Colts but most of the conversation models were phased out by the 1870's add to that, the downsizing of the military, that is a tremendous amount of weapons and equipment available on the open market. That also explains why firearms manufacturers put out new models frequently in the later half of the 19th century. Thanks for making my gears turn! You folks do wonderful work on this channel!

Great video Santee, I incorporated several items that would have been civil war surplus into my western outfit, gives it the lived in feel

My 12 year old son has gotten hooked on Airsoft battles and gear. I took him to our local surplus shop yesterday and he got a full set, jacket and pants, of woodland BDU's for just about $40! He's rockin' them on the Airsoft field today. I have always enjoyed the surplus stores and I'm passing the torch! 😁

When I was a kid all my camping equipment came from the surplus store, most of that stuff would probably be worth money now.

I used to live in Poughkeepsie, New York and would see Bannerman's castle near Beacon on my way to Manhattan on the train. I always wanted to visit the island, but not owning a boat made it a little tricky and so I never did. Here in Toronto, Canada there was a military surplus store up until about ten years ago. The differences in kit from American are fairly interesting.

Never thought about this, another informative topic of the old west. Thanks Santee.

I was floored when I heard that Old Tucson had closed. I was born in Tucson and I’ve been there dozens of times. I’m glad to hear it’s coming back.

Thanks again Santee & Co. Several years ago I bought a set of Vietnam War era " Chicken Plates " helicopter door gunners armor for $100 from an Army/ Navy surplus store . They can't be found at any price now . Among my firearms collection is a Model 1896 Swedish Mauser rifle chambered in 6.5 x 55 mm Swedish with a manufacture date of 1912 . MilSurp gear can be a great bargain .

Thank you Santee. The Army / Navy stores sure have changed, I loved the old ones too. Thanks again.

Thanks! I was a denizen of the local Sunny’s Surplus Store. They supplied my aviator googles and leather helmet for sledding and later Army blankets, packs, and sleeping bags for Scout trips. Thanks for another fun video.

As a kid I wanted a WWII M2 GI helmet. Instead, my Grandpa bought me a WWII British paratrooper helmet from the Tampa Army-Navy Store because it had padding and a good chin strap. I was a bit disappointed, but still wore it everywhere, including summer camp where I dragged it along on a half-day nature hike. The Florida humidity eventually accomplished what the Axis forces could not as the interior slowly rotted away.

That’s really cool. My dad would take us all into the many military surplus stores around Tucson. There were many during and after the Vietnam war. I know, I just dated myself.

I miss the old Yellow Front stores in the valley, They had a wonderful collection of military surplus and provided a lot of gear to a young poor kid who loves the outdoors.

Great video Santee, I had never realized how much of a role surplus military gear had played in the old west, but now that I think of it, it does make sense. Military surplus stores were great when I was a kid, you could find all kinds of neat stuff to outfit your backyard camp with for cheap money. But sadly, nothing is cheap at military surplus stores now, they want top dollar for everything. By the way, thanks for mentioning 11BangBang's channel, I subscribed to it. JT

My grandfather and father were still using surplus horses tack in the 40's. Up until a house fire in 2009 we still used a old mcqulen saddle as our braking saddle. It could take a colt trying to roll on it if necessary. And they used old army blankets as saddle pads. You could make the bars fit any horses good enough. And if you sleep out less bed roll you needed. Still have a surplus set of cutting spurs around here some where of dads. But i would never put them on a horse myself. There to dammed sharp for me to use.

Another great episode! My favorite surplus store in Phoenix was on Bell rd after they paved Northern Phoenix. Long gone but the memories.

Great one, Santee! Antique stores (particularly the large ‘malls’ can have good priced items too!)

Omg a vid on surplus! I've always seen how some westerners were shown wearing military clothing and wondered why. Great video!

Ironically I have the very same memory growing up, Santee. Sadly, Military Surplus stores in my neck of the woods have all but faded away.

With you on the military surplus stores. They were mysterious and magical for a boy. Don't know why they went away. Like cap guns and candy cigarettes, gone before their time...

Howdy y’all. I’m using my surplus this weekend on the homestead up here in the pine mountains of Prescott, AZ. The west is still pretty wild in places out here.

Great video, as always. My favorite surplus in the Old West period is definitely the old cap and ball revolvers converted to cartridges. I wish Red Dead Redemption II had put some of these in the game.

I grew up in the late 1950s in El Paso, Texas, home of Fort Bliss and Surplus Stores!!! French WW I bayonets $1, web belts $0.50, steel WW II canteens with cup and cover $1, combat boots $2, paratrooper boots $5, field mess kits $0.25... an endless, cheap, inexhaustible supply of Cool Stuff!

The US Army pretty much had sold off all of the CW Surplus by the 1880s so most of it went west with whomever needed it and could buy it. The first rule of a gunfight is to "have a gun". Also, even if it IS a cap-n'-ball wheelgun, it sure beats throwing rocks!

Great episode Santee! I still have a hard time driving past a surplus store.

When my great grandfather immigrated from Hungary in 1888, he moved to the Wyoming territory. He bought in 1889 a presumably used Colt Richards Mason conversion pistol and Spencer Carbine. We still have the guns and Bill of sale.

In addition to legitimate surplus, there was also always the possibility of military clothing and gear making it into civilian hands by "falling off the back of the wagon" so the soldiers could make a few extra bucks.

We still use surplus stuff now. I’m going hunting in a few weeks and I have a mash of different surplus stuff. I got my 1883 Uberti colt clone, and took it to the range yesterday. What fun! A few problems with my reloads, but I learned a little, and they’ll be perfect for my next trip in two weeks.

I was always fascinated by Army -Navy- Surplus stores as a kid especially the barrels of rifles before The GCA of 1968.. it was so interesting.

I went to the army surplus across from the base in fayetville. I got 2 fragmentation grenades, 200 black tip nato armor peirsing rounds and 800 .223 for my m16 rifle. The stinger were $2000 each and out of my price range as was the .50 cal machine gun.

Many colt revolving rifles went west despite army complaints they hang fired a lot. Marcy in his prairie travel guide in fact praises them highly. Certain both north and south used what they had.

What happened to the surplus? WOW, I never thought of that. This was very informative, and interesting, as always, Santee. Loved the videos, pics, and the heaping helpings of dry wit.🤗 You're the best.🤠👏👏👏👏

Glad to hear you pronounce Schuyler correctly! It's a tough one if you're saying it without hearing it first. Surplus stores aren't nearly as prevalent as they used to be, probably because of the change in how the military orders its supplies. Instead of ordering uniforms in the millions to mobilize a comparable number of new recruits, they order in batches as needed to cut down on waste (relatively, anyway). With less available, there's less for the stores to buy in bulk to resell. Also why there was a lot of Soviet equipment for a while (and some current Russian equipment until recently).

My army surplus store has a t-shirt that says "I joined the army to see the world, I got stuck in Fort Wayne."

here in England we used to have a paper magazine called Exchange and Mart and my granddad would buy loads of stuff from it and sell them on, it used to have loads of Military Surplus

Those old muskets did double duty as shotguns. The load known as buck and ball was popular and effective right through the Civil War.

Great piece of history Santee. Thanks for helping to keep the Old West alive.

I loved this. I missed it Saturday as I was out hunting sage hens. So glad that they’re rebuilding Old Tucson Studios. I love that place.

I really wish some of those surplus programs were still in effect. I could use a HMMWV. Best of Days to all the Ghostriders.

MIlitary surplus is as popular as ever in the "Bushcraft" genre. Packs, clothing, tents and not just U.S. but surplus for other countries as well.

Great episode brother . My father's father back in the day was Director of Surplus Materials for the People's Republic of New Jersey.

Enjoyed this one too. I sure remember having fun in those army surplus stores.

One interesting fact is confederate gear was still for sale on the surplus market well into the 20th century. All the uniforms used in birth of a nation where orinals and i didn't known that till i asked a history sub reddit. Pretty interesting that there was enough gear in southern depots at the end of the war that 50+ years later it was still on the market cheap.

Ah yes, the Surplus Store, also known as the toy store. As a kid used to collect metal and sell it as scrap. After I got my candy it was down to the surplus store.

Your part of my Saturday morning routine and I still have my great grandpa's musket from the civil war he brought home with him

Great video. I spent my share of time on the surplus section of Yellow Front outdoor store as a kid in Phoenix when we went to town.

One small inaccuracy, there was a McClellan that was issued by the army with a horn. It was the McClellan mule saddle. It was issued to guys who did packing and what not in the cavalry. They're fairly scare and often not cheap, I've been lookin for one from a while.

Very cool gift. This is definitely a really great community.

Oh, for a time machine, and the correct period currency to go on a shopping spree at Bannermans'!

When I was a kid in the 1960's, there was an Army-Navy store in my town. My budget-conscious parents liked to visit the store. They found great pea-jackets, camping gear and even pocketbooks, which had shoulder straps, were made of real leather and lasted for decades. The store closed down sometime before 1972 and I haven't seen any Army-Navy stores since then.

Great video Santee. Most of my W.W.I and II Web gear came from a local surplus store when I was a kid, I still have it all. We used to get helmets for .99 cents too. Those were the days.

You’re almost at 100k subscribers, You deserve it and more Santee!

here in England we had a chain of stores called army and navy stores, boots clothes uniforms, that kind of stuff, never any arms of course .

Thank you for blanketing the video with all surplus. 😜🤪 Very interesting history, thanks for sharing 👍 😊!

Yup the old Army-Navy store when I was growing up was like a museum where the exhibits were for sale. Frank's Army & Navy in the Bronx and Kaufmann's in Manhatten, New York City are in business for at leas the last 100 years..

There was a Army Surplus store in Salem, Mass when I was a kid. My Mom would take us shopping there. Mom bought old surplus army mummy sleeping bags with the snap on covers. The stuffing was feathers. This was around 1968. We tent camped on the acre of land my parents bought in western Maine for years. Those sleeping bags were still good when my Mom (now widowed) sold the small home on that land in 2013. My husband and I still shop at the Army-Navy store here in Tulsa. I was amazed that I could not find spoons from the Civil War era too. Just forks and knives. So I started looking at carved horn spoons because soldiers (and others) did make those. Good place to look is that famous on line store that starts with a E-B under Civil War as a category for original items. BTW a good wool blanket cost three dollars in the 1860s..quite pricey for that time considering what the average wages were per week or month.

Great video (as always). I always enjoyed going in Army/Navy Surplus stores; just never had enough money. I could watch ur videos all day. Y'all do a great job. See ya on down the trail!

Great video! Thanks for all that you do to help preserve out history.

A friend of mine was doing something metal detecting a homestead in upper Michigan and in the field he found a Union infantry button. Then on the same property he found a Confederate belt buckle. It’s crazy how they both ended up hundreds of miles from the nearest battlefield. Very cool stuff

An important episode not dealt with elsewhere. Army surplus boots and clothing was standard for working on town or on the trail. The Arizona Historic Society has 1 1/2 million photos of that era. This is common with the many other museums. The old photos illustrate the use of army surplus. An interesting video would be the evolution of army boots to cowboy boots and the same with army hats into cowboy hats. The popular cowboy hats with the curled up sides have nothing to do with historic hats' use for shade. The curled hats are rodeo hats which evolved by necessity as the expensive hats hit the ground and broke off during a riders' performance. The curled edges served as springs to make the hat bounce. That innovation became popular because early cowboy movie makers didn't know the difference and the actors were equally clueless.

Hey Santee good to see you. Great content!!

Like many , I loved visiting the army navy surplus store in my town.

There is a house in Georgetown, NW Washington, DC that has a step hand railing made from discontinued .36 cal. rifle barrels.

Great episode Santee. It is always interesting to see what was used from the Civil War at a later date. I have an original knapsack that came from Bannermans. I know he got pretty much the entire run of Rogers and Spencer revolvers but I don't think they made it West and were sold around 1900. Keep up the great videos!

As always, another interesting video. McClellan was a master of supply & guess he developed that saddle but it seems he wasn't famous for going on the attack. ....I was always fascinated by army/navy surplus stores when I was a kid.

I love surplus stores. Got a place called Delk's somewhat near me. They have a lot. Clothes, equipment, tools, Huey helicopter shells, generators. I got an east German entrenching tool cheap. They have lots of American ones even cheaper.

We used to have a surplus store in the little town I live in. I had only been in it a couple of times before it was turned into a fruit and vegetables store. They didn't have much inventory sad to say...but I do like going into them and checking things out 🤠🌵

Oww, you're welcome Santee! This is a surprise! ❤️😉🤠

I always appreciate the content it's become part of my Saturday morning ritual.

That was a great story. I always loved going to surplus stores myself. Really enjoyed this.

Getting a decent surplus Navy revolver cheap would have really beat having a single shot.

Very interesting and fascinating informative video, I really liked and enjoyed it. I learned a lot military surplus in the old west. I’m definitely going to be adding that to my analog horror old West series Mysteriarch Mythos I’m writing.

Another awesome one Santee! Keep on rocking it! Lol. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

This supports the truth, that it wasn't the expensive lever action, the Colt single actio revolver that "won" the west. They only made the News that easterners wanted to read - about outlaws and gunfights - which were much more rare than Hollywood portrays. The guns the both won and settled the west were these surplus guns - mostly rifled muskets, that when they were rotted out, were reamed smooth and became the household game getter - the shotgun. My neighbor had two of them when we were kids. One still had the bayonet rusted onto the muzzle. Smooth bore springfields. I remember still being able to just make out the rifling because the boring out wasn't the best job. Solid minie' balls became hard to get out west, so shotguns were the norm. Much more common than any lever action combined.

Oooh! I love surplus, even today I still get most of what I need from those stores in Belgium. OH and I would love to meet that Belgian Re-enactor so he could give me pointers on my outfit.

As always great video! My grandfather would have loved your videos. He was a avid cowtown cowboy shooter. "Chino McGrew"

I miss the old military surplus stores...

Awesome video thanks for sharing 👍😊

I'd love to have some of those surplus weapons now. great video my friend.

Visited our Army -Navy surplus many times. Sometimes only place Dad could find 30-40 Krag ammo.

I wonder if the Wells Fargo Schofields were nickel plated to protect them from rust. Pretty sure stainless steel wasn't around back then.

I’ve been having the same trouble with my mess kit, and decided based either on one of yours or townsends videos that a bone/horn spoon would be an appropriate fit.

I loved old surplus stores. pew pew!!!

Always enjoy watching!

3:29 The Royal Dansk tins of the day

Been to Bannerman Island a number of times in my youth. Cool place.

we had an Army surplus store in my home town that was more fun then to visit the Disney World

Another great video Santee.

Terrific job Santee.🙏

I never thought of sirplus back then wow thank u sir.

Great video Santee!! Always enjoy them!!

I learn a lot from this channel. 👏🤠