Shot a full auto today!

[georgerkahn]

I realize this might not be such a big deal for those of you who live in free states, but I live in upstate NY. We are visiting our son, who is stationed in Texas . He didn't have today off, so we were on our own to do some sightseeing and exploring. Of course I googled "gun shops near me" and found a few. One turned out to be a shooting range that also rents full autos.

You would have done it. I sure as heck did!

I chose a 9mm HK MP5. I figured since I had no experience, it would be easier and more controllable than something bigger. And there were definitely bigger ones available.

Gob bless Texas!

Sadly I join you as a (legal residence) New Yorker, and the best I've done was years back when I semi-auto fired a burst. After I changed my shorts... (just kidding -- but to say I was startled would be an understatement!)
I was going to post a query re your cost, but you had posted this -- thirty-five bucks for a magazine? I recall (???) a MP5 is a thirty-round 9mm mag -- so to get/shoot 30 rounds for $35.00 USD seems to me to be a super-super bargain! I have seen 9mm L&P ammo going for as low as 30-cents a round; that's $9.00 for the ammo, and ONLY $26.00 for the use/shooting?
Imho, you got a $$$-deal; and I truly envy your going to said range and having this experience! That you had a visit with your son -- too -- enchanced the experience!
geo

[Digital Dan]

Many years ago I was issued a brand new M16A1. Had never fired one before. Got my purple heart before I had a chance to shoot it. A short while later I turned it in after cleaning it the first time. Somewhere around 35K rounds fired, all on full auto. First half of the barrel had no rifling left, but it still shot good enough for my purposes.

Sometimes my fun was interrupted by the need to shoot a minigun. Praise be unto the Lord that my uncle provided the ammo.

The years passed and I discovered there was no substitute for precision placement of a single shot. Whitefeather is one of my heroes.

[Patrick L]

Actually it was a 25 round mag, or they only gave you 25 rounds?? No matter, it was worth every penny!

[charlie b]

One of the bennies of a cadet was the West Point Museum folks. Military history classes were augmented by those folks as they would dress the parts and demonstrate historical weapons, from bow and pike to modern stuff. Probably don't do it anymore (this was in the early 70's) but once a year they would put on a shoot where the cadets could come out and shoot some of the weapons. Matchlocks to full auto stuff. Not many would take the time on a Sat afternoon to go to the range, but, it was fun.

Later on I fell in love with my favorite guns, 105 and 120mm tank cannons

I never minded cleaning any of the guns (still don't). When I 'managed' the arms room I used to enjoy helping the armorer clean the unassigned weapons. FWIW, I considered the M16 the hardest to get clean enough for an IG inspection. The cannons were 'easy' but took a crew to push the bore brush The M85 .50cal I cleaned myself. They were easy to screw up but simple to clean.

All of this is great fun...until someone shoots back at you

[Lloyd Smale]

I was lucky - I caught the full auto bug in the late 70's and early 80's before the prices went out of control due the GCA of '86.
Been shooting full auto all my (alleged) adult life.
Living in the country in NH, we can shoot outdoors on private ranges or some indoor ranges.
My philosophy is that if you are going to shoot, then SHOOT!
Live Free or Die (our State motto)!
No restrictions here!

i agree with you there. i chuckle when guys say they have no use for them or there a waste of money. i shoot to have fun and if a mag dump doesnt make you smile then imo your just not a gun guy. 2 bother in laws and a bunch of nephews got together at camp for a shoot last month. i brought 3 ar 556 pistols and my little smith ar22 out there for them to shoot. the 22 had a binary trigger (i knew better then to take my binary trigger 556's out there) they piddled a bit with the 556 gun but fought over the 22. i brought a thousand rounds and they shot that and every bit of 22 ammo that was at camp. they had a ball and THAT is what shooting is about.

[WRideout]

In my time in uniform (army that is) I was fortunate to shoot full-auto M16s, the original version. Also M3 Grease Guns, M60 machine gun and M2 50 cal Browning machine gun. Later, a Tennessee deputy sheriff I met let me shoot his suppressed 9mm MP5. The most fun was the 50 cal. When you are shooting armor piercing incendiary tracers, they look like roman candles going downrange.

Wayne

[jimb16]

I used to have a registered M2 carbine but I had to sell it. When it turned into a teenager, I couldn't afford to feed it anymore! At $25 for a 2.2 second 30 round mag empty, it would be VERY expensive to feed. (750 rpm)

[Larry Gibson]

Over my longjevity in the Army I've fired a bajillion plus rounds through about all of out own US full auto capable weapons and many foreign weapons also. It was the nature of my military profession. Note the weapon I'm holding in my avatar......

But as was mentioned earlier in this thread, I also came quickly to better appreciate hits on target than just shooting "rock 'n roll". Thus, I learned that with subguns and automatic rifles short burst of 2 -3 shots on target then moving to other targets is much preferred to a "magazine dump". I will admit to many "magazine dumps" myself as they are, indeed, fun but of little tactical value regardless of what we see in the movies. . With belt fed MGs, especially if shot from a bipod, tripod or vehicle mount then 6 - 10 round bursts do the trick. That is, unless you are firing the FLPF [Final Line of Protective Fire].....then it's "game on" with the trigger held back and your assistant gunner linking belts together as fast as he can (if he's not done that already.....). What a good time.......

[Walter Laich]

They are fun on the range, but they are a lot more fun when Uncle Sam is paying for the ammo.

"interesting" more than fun when folks are shooting back

[popper]

Not on my bucket list but did see a Marine sergent dump a mag of 30-06 BAR full auto from the hip AND hit the target at ~30 yds. And he wasn't a real big guy either. Torry pines base. I'm sure he practiced a bunch.

[Rockindaddy]

Glad you got to shoot a speed gun Patrick! They are a lot of fun. They just burn a lot of ammo! Back in 1979 I would travel to Athens Georgia and visit an importer of military parts. Bob Johnson would sell me 20 MP-40 parts sets. The receivers were cut up so just the parts arrived. Part sets were $40 ~ $75 depending on condition. I would buy 20 parts sets at a time and travel north to SW Pennsylvania where I had a shop set up. My Manufacturers License an 07 and Special Occupational Tax allowed me to manufacture NFA firearms (machine guns). MP-40 receivers were stamped out of flat stock by the Germans and rolled into a tube. The outside of the tube had flutes. I ground up a set of cutters and machined flutes into mechanical tubing to simulate a real stamped MP-40 receiver. Had to attach a front boss to hold the barrel and machine a cocking slot, magazine well, ejection port and cocking slot. All finished the tool marks were polished out, test fired and blued. File the Federal Form 2 that registered it on the National Firearms Registry. I sold them for $450 plus the Form 4 cost a $200 transfer tax. Transfers took about 2~3 months then. Up until 1986 when Ronald Regan shut everything down, I had made over 500 MP-40's, a bunch of MP-38's, and some MP-41's. Also turned out some belt feds: Maxim, Vickers, Brownings, and M-60's. They are scattered out over the whole country now in the possession of collectors and shooters. Was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Burned up a pile of ammo too!

[Iowa Fox]

I turned down an opportunity to shoot a 50 cal machine gun, because they said if you shoot it, you clean it.

Believe me you didn't miss anything.

[atr]

while in the service: M3A1, M60 and M14with the full auto attachment. could not keep the muzzle of the M14 down on full auto. The M3A1 was easiest to control but loading that 30rd magazine was a pain. Can't say I had any "fun" with full auto.

[Larry Gibson]

"interesting" more than fun when folks are shooting back

Indeed! Quite "interesting".......

[dondiego]

Glad you got to shoot a speed gun Patrick! They are a lot of fun. They just burn a lot of ammo! Back in 1979 I would travel to Athens Georgia and visit an importer of military parts. Bob Johnson would sell me 20 MP-40 parts sets. The receivers were cut up so just the parts arrived. Part sets were $40 ~ $75 depending on condition. I would buy 20 parts sets at a time and travel north to SW Pennsylvania where I had a shop set up. My Manufacturers License an 07 and Special Occupational Tax allowed me to manufacture NFA firearms (machine guns). MP-40 receivers were stamped out of flat stock by the Germans and rolled into a tube. The outside of the tube had flutes. I ground up a set of cutters and machined flutes into mechanical tubing to simulate a real stamped MP-40 receiver. Had to attach a front boss to hold the barrel and machine a cocking slot, magazine well, ejection port and cocking slot. All finished the tool marks were polished out, test fired and blued. File the Federal Form 2 that registered it on the National Firearms Registry. I sold them for $450 plus the Form 4 cost a $200 transfer tax. Transfers took about 2~3 months then. Up until 1986 when Ronald Regan shut everything down, I had made over 500 MP-40's, a bunch of MP-38's, and some MP-41's. Also turned out some belt feds: Maxim, Vickers, Brownings, and M-60's. They are scattered out over the whole country now in the possession of collectors and shooters. Was a lot of work and a lot of fun. Burned up a pile of ammo too!

I may own one of your MP-40's! I paid more than $450 though.

[Larry Gibson]

while in the service: M3A1, M60 and M14with the full auto attachment. could not keep the muzzle of the M14 down on full auto. The M3A1 was easiest to control but loading that 30rd magazine was a pain. Can't say I had any "fun" with full auto.

The M14 was not intended for "full auto" as in dumping the mag. It was intended for 2-3 shot bursts. In that role with a bit of practice using a proper position, even a standard rack grade M14 can be held on an E silhouette target at 100 meters for at least the first 2 rounds. With the M14E1/A1 which was heavier, had a better stock for the purpose, a muzzle brake and a bipod keeping 3 shots on the E target is a piece of cake.

[dondiego]

I was not impressed shooting an AR 10 full auto. The recoil was hurting me. The M-14 was not nearly as bad.

[haak48]

The M14 was not intended for "full auto" as in dumping the mag. It was intended for 2-3 shot bursts. In that role with a bit of practice using a proper position, even a standard rack grade M14 can be held on an E silhouette target at 100 meters for at least the first 2 rounds. With the M14E1/A1 which was heavier, had a better stock for the purpose, a muzzle brake and a bipod keeping 3 shots on the E target is a piece of cake.

I used to switch my M14 back and forth from the standard stock to E2 (complete with bi-pod, brake, and sling) but as Larry says above, it's no contest when fitted with the E2 components to keep short bursts on target. It stays in the E2 configuration all the time now. Regards, JH

[lx2008]

Fun...isn`t it! but the "mystique" wears off quickly. mine just sit now waiting for the day if i ever need the $ for them.

[Moleman-]

It's more affordable when the government is paying for the ammo, but still fun when I'm shelling out the bucks. Legal to own where I live, but cheaper to rent. I'll usually check if there is a full auto rental nearby when planning a family vacation and make a reservation if the timing works out.