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M-60 marked "CENTRAL KY ARMS CYNTHIANA, KY"


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I could use some help evaluating another cool item my friend has. He bought it decades ago when he was an SOT and he doesn't recall many details. It is transferable.

Anyone familiar with the maker stamped on the bottom? Any sense of how the value might compare to other M-60s.

Any help would be much appreciated.

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/A540CA62-841B-42B5-BA3A-5549B85C483E.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/211255FB-0828-472C-A9F9-17B12DEDC3C5.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/7D55646D-ADE3-4D6F-9134-C985E09CB638.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/9D0C9942-F002-4570-AE56-80117D02F6EF.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/994D9CC3-4FD0-413E-BA36-284EF900E8C7.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/7D55646D-ADE3-4D6F-9134-C985E09CB638.jpg

 

 

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/684611BA-1E52-4218-90EA-D3EC25837589.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/6CA6C042-CEBA-4600-994B-65C504D317D8.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/F3729FE9-3583-47E5-A69F-D7D8549AAC44.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/A87526D4-1BBE-4E59-9AE4-3E0A4AE36AC1.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/7A975C82-4738-403A-BCEE-C18C2652E83E.jpg

 

http://i584.photobucket.com/albums/ss281/wwiifirearms/m60%20machine%20gun/E1990223-B3F9-4CC5-9B07-8B9FAF2EFCB2.jpg

-wwiifirearms

Edited by wwiifirearms
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I don't recognize the name of the CII who built the gun, but there are not that many makers of remanufactured M60s. Topcover hinge ears were welded back on and the rail ends welded to the trunnion. Welding the rails makes the joint a lot stronger and is a plus. None of these welds were finished out which would have improved the appearance, but they look OK and would need some close inspection to see if they are holding ukpwell. Mashed rivets heads on receiver the box to the trunnion is shoddy, but probably secure, again a question of cosmetics. Check to see that they are tight.

Other issues have to do with wear in the barrel socket, oprod tower, bolt lugs, barrel extension, etc. Looseness of the breech end of the barrel in the barrel bearing of the trunnion is annoying but will rarely affect the function of the gun. The fitting to the gas port into the gas tube often reduces the slop in assemblies that are a bit loose. Oprod towers wear significantly where the tower rides in the bolt but significant wear doesn't always mean that th gun won't function. Cracked, chipped and broken bolt lugs do need to be addressed with replacement. Check the inside of the barrel extension where the bolt lugs lock up to see that there is no spalling, cracking, etc. Check the fit and condition of the extractor and the condition of the spring as broken extractors can jam the bolt quite dramatically.

Overall conditiion of all parts and assemblies should be kept to a high standard to preserve them and inside reliable function. Appropriate lubrication of specific areas of high friction should be a priority, and checking to see that this gun has been well lubricated will give you an indication of the current owners attitude towards care of the gun. The number of MGs that arrive in my shop for work that are bone dry, including M60s is very discouraging.

A thorough field strip and close inspection of all parts and receiver should suffice to assess condition and wear on parts. Running a few hundred rounds of good ammo through this gun should prove its worthiness.

FWIW

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Thanks!

This gun has been in storage for 10 or 15 years prior to coming out for these pictures. The owner is a friend of mine and starting to reduce his NFA collection (I just made a deal for a 1921a). I am trying to get him an idea what this might be worth, and I was finding a wide range of values. My guess is this is in the $30,000-$40,000 range for the gun, 4 extra barrels, mount, and both spade grip and shoulder stock assemblies. He also has 10 gallon barrel of links and 15,000-20,000 rounds of linked surplus ammo, worth perhaps another $10k. Am I in the ballpark on current values?

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As with all remanufactured MGs, the products of the well known makers of s specific gun generally bring higher prices than guns made by shops not known for their remans or those specific guns. Many reman M60s required the tinkering and repair provided by multiple owners over the years to bring them up to reliable standards in function and cosmetics. RIA probably produced the largest number of reman 60s of any shop and they are pushing the limits of their values recently when only a few years ago they were not very highly regarded. Many RIA guns needed work anyway.

In regard to the gun you are considering, in my opinion, since it is an unknown maker, you would do well to make a low offer, perhaps something between $25k and $30k, for instance and let the owner prove to you the gun is worth more. FWIW

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Thanks for the input. I am thinking we may just take a trip to the family farm and see how it runs. If we do I'll shoot some video and post it.
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  • 1 year later...

I know this topic is over a year old, but I don't get here very often.

 

Central Kentucky Arms made rewelds back in the day. Don't remember if it was before or after RIA rewelds but seam to remember the guy doing them either moved from RIA and started CKA or the other way around.

Kind of a clunker of a M60 but most of the time they worked...I had to repair mine as it didn't when I first got it. Since then it has been rebuilt basically from the trunnion up with new parts and now it's like a new gun.

 

Like BRM said they had the rails welded to the trunnion and no rivets, all welds holding it together.

Did the gun sell yet?

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I purchased an m60 from Rock Island back in 1987. Parts were used an the receiver was marked Central Kentucky Arms just like the one you mention. Receiver was new made with a SACO GI trunion that was used also. Have never had any problems. I believe the Reese brothers owned Rock Island and they also made M1A 's the semi auto M 14 rifle. They still make the rifle maybe a call to them may give you more info on Central Kentucky Arms. Rich
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  • 3 weeks later...

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