I remember as a kid going in the American Auto store back in the late 50’s .In the back of the store next to the “tube tester” was a 55 gallon drum of surplus WW II rifles for sale from anywhere from 10-20 dollars. Pay the money and walk out with it .
Likewise, I remember as a kid in the mid-1950’s going into the Gambles store in Pierre, South Dakota and seeing a stack of green boxes with WW2 military rifles packed in cosmoline. I am sure anyone could have paid for their gun, dug it out of the cosmoline and taken it home.