I shot some machine guns today

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I popped my cherry on an M60 and a Thompson at the machine gun shoot at the Londonderry F&G today! I had never shot one before and the amount of ammo flowing through those barrels was staggering.

The M60 was crazy, it had an Eotech red dot on it and it was devastating. Easy to shoot and totally obliterated anything that little dot was on.

The Thompson was a lot harder to shoot, it rises with each shot so you have to hold it in such a way as to force it down. I don't know how those gangsters back in the 20's hit anything. The flash from the muzzle was awesome, I would love to see that thing fire in the dark.

The fun was over way too fast, lots of brass on the ground and a lot of smiles on everyone's faces.
 
The Thompson was a lot harder to shoot, it rises with each shot so you have to hold it in such a way as to force it down. I don't know how those gangsters back in the 20's hit anything.
Did the Thompson have the Cutts compensator? The military M1 did not.

Thompson_1928_Cutts_Compensator.jpg
 
With subguns you don't support the forward grip or stock like you do with a rifle. You treat it like a hi pressure fire hose and control and direct the muzzle at the target with the forward hand. That way you can just about eliminate the muzzle climb. After a few mags most anyone can get the hang of it. My grandkids picked it up real quick because they were taught that from the very beginning. Faster than I did. LOL. Jack.
 
The most fun I have with my machineguns is letting other people shoot them. Not in Ma of course where they take the fun out of everything.
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I've got a special barrel for the Uzi with the end of it painted Ford blue, and let people shoot this stuff, the 5mm Swedish training ammo @ about 2 cents a round. I pre load the mags myself so no regular 9mm gets mixed in as that would be catastrophic.

Cycles just like regular 9mm. I bought 75 cases of this stuff way back when it was cheap and available. The training ammo brass is also boxer primed and reloadable so it's a win win.

The metal stripper clips can be reloaded with regular 9mm and used with the Rapid Loader for Colt 9mm mags and Uzi mags.
 
It was the mil version so no compensator. It was smaller than I thought but it was very heavy. It had a very small wood grip on the barrel and after a few bursts, It was burning my hand. It was not a gun made for accuracy but rather a device to spray lead in a general direction. But, it sure was fun!
Yes, they were designed as a "trench broom".
 
It was the mil version so no compensator. It was smaller than I thought but it was very heavy. It had a very small wood grip on the barrel and after a few bursts, It was burning my hand. It was not a gun made for accuracy but rather a device to spray lead in a general direction. But, it sure was fun!
Strange that the grip would get that hot. Was it the M1? I have the horizontal forward grip for my 1928 which is OK to use, but put the vertical (pistol) grip on it when others shoot it for that Chicago gangsta look. Jack.
 
The M60 was crazy
prone on a bipod or standing up handheld? :)
a real 7.62 machine gun loaded with tracers is truly a way to see how powerful that thing is.

ps. but dunno who could afford such fun now, to waste a whole 1000rds belt or can in a matter of minutes. :)
 
prone on a bipod or standing up handheld? :)
a real 7.62 machine gun loaded with tracers is truly a way to see how powerful that thing is.

ps. but dunno who could afford such fun now, to waste a whole 1000rds belt or can in a matter of minute:)s.
You old enough to remember Dillon's "Machine Gun Magic" 8 track tape? Jack.
 
The Tommy guns shot in the Movies are shooting blanks. So, it looks easier than it really is. What also isn't shown in the movies, how heavy it is.
Found this a really interesting video, particularly since our M60A3 tanks still had M3A1 “Grease guns” as standard driver arm.

Never realized the Schmeisser had a lower rate of fire.


View: https://youtu.be/YxKpSI9CIRE
 
Found this a really interesting video, particularly since our M60A3 tanks still had M3A1 “Grease guns” as standard driver arm.

Never realized the Schmeisser had a lower rate of fire.


View: https://youtu.be/YxKpSI9CIRE

i never liked much those submachine guns, but i was never anything even remotely related to spec ops or whatever else that uses such stuff. coolest one i shot of that bunch would be a new vintorez. a very interesting firearm. probably totally impossible to get and own one here, anyway, in its original unmutilated form.
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but a proper machine gun is an incredibly cool thing. a raw power. just eats way too much ammo, and that ammo is VERY heavy to carry.
 
A very friendly NESer let me shoot his Uzi full auto! Wicked awesome!
The real fun subgun for everyone from 8 to 108 to shoot is the Grease Gun due to it's slow rate if fire. Problem is the price of a transferrable one. Mine, made by Ithica is dealer post sample, $200 35 years ago. Had any brains, I would have bought six of them, but who's to know? Jack.
 
Most of the guns we had were M3A1’s, but we had one M3 with wire cocking handle. And in addition to issue ammo, we could buy .45 ACP at the Rod & Gun Club for $5 a box.

We also had captured AKM’s and ham cans of ammo.
 
Most of the guns we had were M3A1’s, but we had one M3 with wire cocking handle. And in addition to issue ammo, we could buy .45 ACP at the Rod & Gun Club for $5 a box.

We also had captured AKM’s and ham cans of ammo.
No Reisings? I had a couple over the years but the family had little interest in shooting them because they looked like just a rifle. Jack.
 
No Reisings? I had a couple over the years but the family had little interest in shooting them because they looked like just a rifle. Jack.
Not sure Army ever had those.

We had a few M14’s as they fired 7.62. But other than the M3’s and M1911A1’s all other WWII stuff was long gone. We carried M60’s but the tanks had already switched to M240’s for their coax.
 
prone on a bipod or standing up handheld? :)
a real 7.62 machine gun loaded with tracers is truly a way to see how powerful that thing is.

ps. but dunno who could afford such fun now, to waste a whole 1000rds belt or can in a matter of minutes. :)
It was mounted on a tripod and had a short "belt" maybe 50 rounds. Cost $80 for 1 belt, maybe 30 seconds of bursts.
 
Strange that the grip would get that hot. Was it the M1? I have the horizontal forward grip for my 1928 which is OK to use, but put the vertical (pistol) grip on it when others shoot it for that Chicago gangsta look. Jack.
I only got a quick look at it before shooting but it had a "U" shaped piece of wood for a front grip. The top of the barrel was exposed and got pretty damn hot pretty fast. The web of my thumb was on the barrel and this is why I could not hold it down from the way it went up when fired. I kept it to 3 - 5 round bursts. It had a straight mag, maybe 40 or so rounds. Sorry I can't describe it better, there was a lot going on and I am not a MG person.
 
I only got a quick look at it before shooting but it had a "U" shaped piece of wood for a front grip. The top of the barrel was exposed and got pretty damn hot pretty fast. The web of my thumb was on the barrel and this is why I could not hold it down from the way it went up when fired. I kept it to 3 - 5 round bursts. It had a straight mag, maybe 40 or so rounds. Sorry I can't describe it better, there was a lot going on and I am not a MG person.
it is odd what you have managed to grab at, as if you would fire 4-5 100rds belts non stop with long bursts, and then touched a barrel - you would remember that for a long time. :)
you should not be able, typically, to accidentally grab at anything that gets severely hot there, as it does get quite hot. grip does not get hot.
 
it is odd what you have managed to grab at, as if you would fire 4-5 100rds belts non stop with long bursts, and then touched a barrel - you would remember that for a long time. :)
you should not be able, typically, to accidentally grab at anything that gets severely hot there, as it does get quite hot. grip does not get hot.
Maybe not the original grip. I have a Thompson fore grip somewhere that had been reworked and has only about half of the wood remaining. Custom DIY job. Jack.
 
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