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AMHERST MILITARY DEPOT Veteran Owned and Selling quality parts for over 40 Years. We pride ourselves on our parts and our customer service. The beginning origin of Amherst Military Depot go way back. Our name was Amherst Arms for many years. When Jay Higgins, the owner, was a youth, in the Boy Scouts,
he was fortunate to have a Scoutmaster who enjoyed target practice. Jay fired the .22 Target Rifles and the M1
Garand Rifle and that was the beginning of a life -long passion for US Military
weapons. Jay joined the Marine Corps after high school in October 1970,
and went to Parris Island for Recruit training. He was in Platoon 3018. At the rifle range at Parris Island, Jay was
the high shooter of the series with the M14 Rifle. He shot 238 of 250 points.
He was awarded the Expert Rifle Badge & Expert Pistol Badge and graduated
as a PFC, for being the high shooter of 4 platoons. Jay graduated Parris Island in December 1970. Jay was first assigned to the 1st FSR at Camp Pendleton,
CA. The aerial delivery platoon was part of the 1st FSR. Being in
the aerial delivery platoon Jay was sent to Army Jump School in Fort Benning,
GA and then Parachute Packing School at Fort Lee, VA. He returned to Camp Pendleton
for duty- packing parachutes and making jumps out of many helicopters and fixed
wing aircraft. He was awarded the Navy
Marine Corps Parachute Insignia. Next he was sent to 3rd FSR on Okinawa.
After some time there, he was sent to the 3rd Force Recon Platoon
and became their parachute packer and attended scuba school with them in the Philippines. While stationed on Okinawa went TAD to Korea,
Japan, Thailand and the Philippines. He returned to CA and finished his active
service to the United States Marines. Shortly after leaving the Marine Corps, Jay had a dream of
making his passion his career. He purchased one small M1 Carbine part in bulk
and ran an ad that started his mail order business. That small ad grew to a
full page ad in Shotgun news. He built Amherst Arms part by part and we now are
a well-recognized name in the industry. Jay has always had an avid interest in US Military History
and has been a collector for many decades.
His interest even went so far to inspire him to get a Pilot’s license
and purchase an L-19 Birddog and fly for pleasure. He has owned various
military vehicles and collected manuals as well. He currently is the proud
owner of 2 Jeeps, a 1968 M151A1 and 1966 M151A1C , 1968 M274 Mule and a 1967 M35A2 Deuce-and-Half. Jay’s hard work ethic and meticulous attention to detail
ensure that you will always get the highest quality parts and superior customer
service. We want you to be happy! Looking for something not listed? We might have it. Feel free to call for more information on items. Amherst Military Depot 941-662-8289 11-5 EST Mon-Friday
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