I'm not a big machinegun guy, but my first gunsmithing job ever was working on class 3 weapons, so I gained a few favorites.

I would take a brand new MG3 (current version of the MG-42); they are just so damn cool. Not the greatest LMG in the world, but it sure is the funnest I've ever shot. And that 4 second barrel change, that's just brilliant.


My next stop would be a Sterling Mk V, smoothest, most reliable SMG I ever fired. I have one of the semi-auto's and it's a great gun, but a "happy switch" would be fun.

tommy gun.

Admit it, you chose both of them because of Star Wars.

One of the best and the simplest ever made was the British Stein Machine Gun, full or semi-auto.

The kind that I could get free ammo for.

B A R got to fire one a long time ago and it does have some hitting power.

BREN of course.

The Bren was better than the BAR , better magazine and top loading much faster in Combat

AA12

Thompson........work of art!!!!

M60 & saw

Really?


They are heavy, unweildy as all get out with one of the worst designed stocks of any gun ever built

M249 SAW

Yeah...but you can watch the "killer bees" going downrange. Since we're dreaming, make mine a GAU-8. Should be hell on a herd of hogs.

That was sort of my thoughts behind the AA-12. Loaded with 1 ounce slugs

Thompson....just because

Carl Gustav M45 would probably be my first choice. If I had a ton of money a M1917 watercooled would be fun.

Pistolet-Pulemyot Shpagina- PPsh-41 because with 6 million made, It just might be affordable to buy and maybe shoot every now and again!

SMG? Either an MP5 or a vz.61.
LMG? Russian PKP
Medium? Browning M2 .50
Heavy? Russian KPV
Other? Mk19

All this assumes an ammo dump to feed them is on hand.

I'm going to have to go with "yes"

Top 10 machine guns: http://www.thetoptens.com/best-machine-guns/

can anyone imagine a presidential campaign when the demo's and publicans were debating over which machinegun model or type should be brought back first?

it could happen in our time.

I didn't know they were illegal.

If cost were no option and I had a place to shoot her, Ma Deuce!

Though an M-60 would be fun for old times sake, it would give me a chance to practice safety wiring. Besides, i can probably still strip one down and reassemble one blindfolded.

oh, they are not. just like carrying a pistol, it's ok if you go through the gov't hoops, and pay the taxes.

for the rest of us, they are illegal.

I'd be happy with a full auto AR15

American 180 or a Tommy Gun.

Glock 18 and a Micro Uzi. Both suppressed.

Suppressed MP5.


RS

illegal?no.....prohibitively expensive due to a false market? yes...only so many available to even jump through hoops for so the market is phugged

So many cartridge "conversion kits" put there for the 1919, I think I would get that first with barrels for 30/06, 308 & 7,92x57.

Ma duece!

Always wanted one after I had a chance to shoot one.
http://wallpaperest.com/wallpapers/weapons-thompson-submachine-gun_237716.jpg

Market isn't phugged if someone saw what was coming in 1986 and was smart.

I've read too much history for it to be anything other than the BAR.

I watched a friend empty a 30 round magazine in his AR15 using a slide fire stock. I think the magazine was empty before the first case hit the dirt. Those things are going to be illegal soon enough. I couldn't afford to shoot one if I had it.

I am with you, give me a Maschinegewehr 42. Can't beat German engineering.

If I had to choose one it would be the MP5.




Travis

Wow, I didn't make that connection...but yeah, I can admit that. Although it was an MG34 in star wars, not the MG42

My semi-auto Sterling, I actually did buy because of Star Wars. Trying to get my little boy more interested in guns, I knew if I got the Star Wars blaster (he's a HUGE Star Wars fan), that he would go ape-chit...and he did!

When you look at the BIG picture, it's without a doubt the best SMG of the war. They were VERY reliable, easy to control, and at the height of production they cost the British Government $9.00 per gun to produce. Who needs the "Liberator" just air drop Sten's all over the place...and that's what they did.

But of course sir.

I see the new assault rifle from CZ that they're hoping to be adopted for the Czech military is being called the BREN...a bit of marketing genius if you ask me. Also looks to be a hell of a good rifle. Czech small arms have always been very high quality.

That may be true, but the cool factor is off the charts.

How about a Lewis??? In a pinch, You can always strap it to your transent tripod !

New ones for civilian ownership are.

Another Star Wars gun...Brits loved the hell out of the Lewis Gun.

None - I can miss plenty with my single-shots!

Better subject for the thread would be "Which post-1986 machinegun would you want if they were no longer illegal?".

Can't say I can answer that, since I like the older stuff more. A select fire M4 with 3-round burst would be a nice thing to have.

For older stuff, a WW2 era Thompson or WWI Lewis would be on my "fun" list.

Guy had a Thompson at the range one day and let me fire a few rounds. It wasn't hard to manage 3 or 4 shot bursts and stay on a small wooden stump someone had placed at the 50 yard line.

Hearing the thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk of those 230 grain bullets hitting in rapid succession was the aural definition of knock down power.

They are indeed heavy but they are definitely cool guns.

Photo above with Lewis is an aquaintenances grandfather back in the day in Mexico. He was a petroleum or mining engineer. This was the hacienda where they stayed.

Well full auto firearms are legal to own. Need the appropriate license. UZI is the best and most reliable to own. Second choice is the M1919 Browning 30 cal.

This one belongs to a campfire member... Got a serious case of the wants when I saw this in person.

Most impressive!

When did they become illegal?

Late 80's.




Travis

I always thought these were pretty cool. This one may be a Marlin model 1914. Hard to say

Just in case Pancho Villa happened to be in the neighborhood?

First to buy, would be a suppressed MP5, then convert my para FAL, and an ar.
Then would be an ak47.

Or whomever was shooting at them that week!!!

The MG-42 has always fascinated me. I've got several books on it and am just all the more fascinated.

It would be EXPENSIVE to feed though, just like a pet elephant. You'd needs lot of ammo (or hay) to satisfy the beast's appetite!

Nothing says fun like a minigun

Those are so doggone fun to shoot, and accurate too...

Now that I think about it that gun is probably a Colt! Photo was made in April of 1914 at Ludlow Colorado.

heresy is no longer approved. what bout that fact don't you understand?

machine guns are legal. the cost is excessive. but they are legal.

what if the costs went down? what then?

what differnce would it make?

not trusting humans is a weakness, isn't it?

Really? I thought you could still buy them. I realize you can't build them anymore, other than LEO/MIL, but I didn't realize you couldn't buy existing inventory.

mini-guns have to be mounted on top of toyota's or they don't count.

most of those guns i have personally shot, and in a free state, they are not illegal to own assuming you got the tax stamps, registered, and all that. They are rather expensive these days.
The gun control act of 1934 i think it was required registration and payment of the tax. Prior to that, there was NO issue on any of them.
Refering to the 80's the law change did not prohibit or make illegal owning them, just no knew production full auto after that date could be sold to the public. So, those in circulation for the most part were made prior to that date.
Having said that one can obtain certain types of federal licenses which gives one acess if you have the money to the new stuff, subject to various restrictions.
I have seen most of those shown being used at various shooting events.
I don't like an ouzi by the way, but that sten gun is a sweetheart to fire. Very controllable.
The thompson is a classic, heavy, obsolete, all of that, but they are great to fire and you can just about watch those pellets going downrange and walk them one at a time into a target.
Interesting enought the 1921 version was about 1200rpm and slowed down in the 1928. Also interesting was the original mags were 20 rounds.
The WWII versions would not accept the drum mags of the 1921 and 1928, and were much more cheaply made.
I don't think i have seen a single person yet firing a thompson that didn't get a woody.
One of the difficulties so to speak which makes the mg42 so attractive is the ease of switching out barrels. As opposed to burning out a barrel say on a m16 by too much full auto fire.

Spent some memorable time with a 5.7 P-90 full auto bullpup...

Had a red-dot sight on it, and the doggone dot NEVER came off target during even fairly long bursts... Impressive!

You honestly didn't understand the context of the question?

He's simply asking what everybody would buy if all the restrictions on MG's and SMG's were lifted tomorrow.

Some are legal. Lots ain't.




Travis

I have always wanted to shoot one of those full auto.




Travis

While we are on the subject. A photo of Wifey in happier, healthier days at a big show reenactment firing a Hotchkiss 13.2 mm AA/AT gun.

i am afraid kaywoodie, you are always going to have toys i covet.
i was looking at a 1873 winchester today in 44.40, you don't want to know the price tag.

To make this easy for everybody... Full Autos are legal to own subject to:

Any full auto prior to 1986 is legal IF it's been registered on the NFA list since it was first owned by a civilian or since 1934, whichever is later.

Any full auto made after 1986 is illegal to be owned by a civilian.

.303 or .30-06 ?

Ron, that one belongs to a friend! I don't have anything crew served! Or that big and heavy!

CAR-15 Submachine Gun... nothing more, nothing less.

Oooh... it's in my head that it's 303, but I couldn't swear to that.

It's always funny to see you miss sarcasm over and over.

Of course .22 lr was avl. in America at one time....

M3A1, "Grease gun".

key word, crew served, big and heavy. As apposed to ??????
you need to find me a rear buckhorn sight for a remington 141 by the way.

The original Thompson/Blish design was WAY more complicated than any SMG needed to be. The M1 & M1A1 were not only significantly cheaper to manufacture, but they were significantly more reliable as well.

Would if I could, Ron! I had to quit due to the current family situation!!!

One of my uncles carried and used a Thompson in France & Austria in '44 & '45, almost certainly an M1 or M1A1 so that's what I'd want.

One memorable line I recall: "We knew we were in for a fight, but I had a Thompson and I knew I could knock 'em over."

God rest his soul, not many like him left.

I got to shoot one of those years ago. Fun gun!

American 180 is a super fun SMG to shoot. A friend of mine had 3 of them, even one with the original laser sight that looked like a 2x4 slung under the barrel. The one with the laser sight was from some correctional facility, but I can't recall which.

I got to shoot one, it was way too much fun. He told me that there was something about them that could cause them to fire out of battery (he said that was why the correctional facility stopped using them), and one of his magazines was totaled when he blew a case. All I know is, that was one seriously fun SMG to shoot.

Lead build up in the chamber was a problem with them.

Probably STG 44, FAL, jungle BM 59. But if I could have just one, a BREN or the ZB 26 it's based upon.

Smith &Wesson 76. Much fun to shoot.

new hk 121

This....^^^

Or maybe a Mark 48....



Or even one of these. Though the whole electricty thing could be a problem....

An Uzi or a Beretta PM12S.

MP 5 with a suppressor

I just can't garner much love for the MP5. For a year I did LE sales and sold MP5's. They are a finicky be-otch of a sub gun, but they're easy and fun to shoot when they're running.

Doing a roller locking mechanism on a SMG is just a dip-chit idea...notice NO ONE copied that for a SMG.

But a closed bolt was rather forward thinking of H&K, since it's much easier to to learn to shoot a closed bolt SMG than an open bolt. And since they were really the fist to heavily market a closed bolt SMG, they grabbed up all the special ops teams and sewed up the market before anyone else had anything to offer.

The best of the closed bolt SMG's was the Colt 9mm M16. It had better ergonomics, better sights, better magazines, was easier to maintain, more reliable, just as accurate; pretty much better in every way.

But I never sold a Colt, because all the LE departments wanted the H&K before they even looked at them. Because that's what the SAS and FBI HRT used.

The M16 isn't an SMG, by definition. It wasn't designed around and to shoot a pistol cartridge. Was it modified from the original design to shoot a pistol cartridge? Yes. But it wasn't designed around that cartridge or any other pistol cartridge.

Kulsprutepistol m/45 Swedish "K" Carl Gustave SMG

H&K MP5

M-60

Looks just like the one once carried.

Oh, the Swedish K... HOW did I forget that one?

Something chambered for .22 long rifle......assuming I could get ammo for it...

A select fire 10/22 would be ridiculously cool.

Yes,we can thank Ronnie Regean for this.

I've been lucky in that I've fired almost every "modern" machine gun made, and quite a few of the antiques.

That being said, the one that was the most fun to fire was the Glock 18.

Super fast rate of fire, and try as we might, we could not make it jam. So that would be my first choice, a Glock 18.

Police are the only ones who should have access to machine guns.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/shooting-spree-cop-found-dead/

MAC 10 w/suppressor.

Do these count?

I'm going to have this one up for sale soon.

To own and utilize? An HK MP-5, preferably suppressed.

While on active duty [USMC 1966-70 FWIW) I fired M-60's and BAR's. Of those, I liked the BAR by far the best, pretty easy to hit with.

We had M-14's in boot camp and at my first duty station but I never used one on auto. We had early AR's in Vietnam and still had M-3A1's in the armory and M-2's on vehicles but I never got to fire either.

How it was "designed" has nothing to do with it. The Colt is full auto, pistol cartridge, blowback design. If design were a part of it, then the MP5 wouldn't be a SMG. It's just a partially shrunken down G-33, even uses the same operating system, whereas the Colt goes from gas operated to blow back.

Maybe it's a carbine to you, but the rest of the world sees the Colt 9mm SMG as a true SMG, even if its adopted from a rifle.

Swedish K was a huge favorite of MACV-SOG in Vietnam. They had to be deniable, so had to carry foreign weapons, and the Swedish K quickly became a big favorite. And the Hi Power became their pistol of choice.

An American 180 , the chainsaw on a budget. But a muffler MP5 would be my 1st choice, and I do get to play with them on a regular basis. Would be nice to have one on the truck seat all of the time

Yeah, one of the best parts of being in the Army. Got to shoot enough to work out the allure of the things. Had an uncle that was the director of one of those federally funded LEO supporting institutions. With the demonstrations and training he got to appreciate the MP5 that way.

M-14! The only way to fly! Loved those weapons back in the day.

Yes! Not enough thanks is given to Reagan for his lifelong support for firearms safety laws. So many Republicans get treated the same way. They are instrumental in getting firearms safety laws on the books, but the media, and even the NRA, do not give them the credit they so richly deserve.

M3A1, helping folks connect with their dark sides since 1943.

None for me.

Same here. I've spent many happy hours working and playing with one.

Ed

Sturmgewehr.

I shot an MP 5 once years ago and while it was fun, I don't have any desire to own one or any other fully auto firearm. I just don't get into situations where I need to put that many holes in something that fast.

You can buy one today if you want:

http://www.colt.com/Catalog/SpecialEditions/1877BulldogGatlingGun.aspx

Dan, why the fugg did they give you one of these? why didn't they at least get you an M2 like my Pop had in the tank in the Big One??

MP5
Uzi
StrumGewher

Tommy gun
Bren 303
MP5, suppressed
Ma Duece

BMT

In honor of my father it would a Thompson. Dad marched across Africa and Europe carrying a Thompson. He did a lot of inner city street combat and the Thompson was his go-to gun. He also had massive respect for the BAR and the guys who humped them. Dad liked the Thompson because he said as long as he had a Thompson, he didn't have to try to hit anyone with "that damned 1911."

HK 191

M-14....in a heartbeat. Loved carrying and shooting those weapons.

HK 21E or Stoner 63 for a belt fed.

MP5 for a subgun.........:)

I do love them BARs but i think Swedish-k with a can would be my choice.

No contest M60.

m2 carbine and/or mp5 suppressed 9mm

MP 5/10 10mm if the FBI would be nice enough to give Me one.

Full Auto with a stubby M16 with short burst: http://youtu.be/vVWSrZa4-jM

here is my wife with her stubby.....her favorite

M60, w/o a doubt.

MM

I don't really have much interest in full-auto as it's a bit spendy to keep them fed, but if I were to go through the headache of obtaining one I think I would like an MG-3, the modern version of the MG-42.

Otherwise, when the time comes that I need a FA, I'll pluck it from a lifeless enemy.