Sarge

Was at an annual BBQ & shoot in NE Oklahoma for the weekend. Took my M1A1, MP 40, Sten, MAC 10, Bren & BAR. There were several wives & girl friends there. They all shot the Thompson, MP 40 & Sten. Fun weekend - all the storms missed that area. Sarge

If you're still looking - I have both a 1928 and an M1 bbl. Exc cond, both w/o front sight. Sarge

If he has war trophy papers with the description and ser nr then it was brought back as a legal operable and at some later date some dumbass welded it up. In all probability it can be reactivated. It is worth a lot more than $5-600 if the above is correkt!!! Try at least 10X that! The capture papers are in fact defacto registration so the estate will have to transferr it to any new owner for the $200 transferr fee. Sarge

My interest level would be tempered by price. Sarge

Is this show supposed to be about FAs and nothing else? I travel a 600 mi radius to gun shows and very rarely see any type of FA unless there happens to be a dealer set up. Thre is no way you're going to do a lot of "wheeling & dealing" with them. I've got a large collection and don't mind telling people what I think about things, but almost never buy any FA at a gun show. I buy lots of other stuff at gun shows though. Maby I should get hold of them and see just what they have in mind. Sarge

I started buying FAs "Way back in the good old days" - got my first MP 40 in about 1954 or 5 and my first Thompson, M1A1, about a year later. I sold the Thompson within a short time because I didn't get a magazine and there was no place to buy one at the time. I just didn't get any fun out of dropping a rd in the chamber and then shooting it. In the intervening 55 yrs I have owned a wide variety of FAs, even registered about a dozen in the 68 amnesty. Today I have about 20 FAs including 2 M1A1s. Most of my guns will get sold off when I vacate the premisis, but some will go to a niece & nephew who I started shooting at 10 & 11 respectively. They have both shot all of my FAs and like some better than others. They will both get their choice of any 2, maby 3? Oh and about the "good old days" - That was when MP 40s and Thompsons were $20 - $30 ea AND wages were 50¢ an hour. It was no easier to come up with $30 to blow at one time in those days than it is to come up with $15K today. Sarge

War trophy firearms were permitted through out the Viet Nam War - rifles & pistols that is, FAs were Never allowed to be brought back. Prior to 1969 Garands, Carbines, 03 Springfields & 45 autos were accepted brign backs - with the proper paper work. In 1969 they changed the rules and prohibited WW 2 GI weapons from being brought back as trophies. The military, all branches, could bring back one(1) war trophy firearm. MACV & Special Forces could bring back three(3). Never heard the reason they treated us so generous, but I took full advantage of it! I got there in Aug 69 with the intention of finding me a Garand & Carbine to bring back and found that I could not do so. I ended up bringing back an SKS, Makerov and Browning HP. I had a new RPD, 2 Exc AKs and a Thompson set aside hoping they would change the rules and I could paper them - Never happened and I left them with a buddy to sell for me. For those that don't know what the drill was, here is an article I saved from Stars & stripes on the subjekt. Sarge

Interesting. I had nevetr read that. It does bring up an interesting fact - which would still keep me from supporting its passage - It ends the eligeability period at 31 Okt 68! Why the hell not at the end of the US withdrawal from Viet Nam in 1975? This bill give a pat on the back to those who served in RVN in the early years and a slap in the face to those who served in the last half of the war. Sarge

My understanding is that there a piece of proposed legislation called the the Heritage fireams Act or something similiar that would allow further vet bring back guns to be registered. It has languished in Congress for years. Jim This bill is only for WW 2 bring backs - NOTHING ELSE! I hope it Never gets out of committee! There is another "bill" that is much more important and is a blanket free registration of any & All full autos. It is the other half of the 30 day amnesty we got in 68. The original bill passed & signed allowed for a 60 day genreal amnesty to register unregistered FAs. the dufus batf thought they knew better than congress and only gave us 30 days - which was extremely poorly advertised. I found out about it in early Dec 68 - it ended in Nov 68. I immediately contakted the batf office in Fayetville and was able to get the forms to send in. Mine are approval dated Jan 69. IF I had known about this at the start and IF we had been given the 60 days I could have gone home on Christmas leave and bought 12 or 15 guns that I knew about and included them in the registration packet. As it was I was unable to do so. So the gist of this is that - so far - we've gotten screwed royaly!!! Sarge

I used swansons blanks many years ago, but quit as soon as I found another source for reliable blanks. The swanson blanks are loaded hot as hell AND he uses flash powder in his loads - he is primarily in the movie blank business. None of this bodes well for the weapon AND is a fire hazzard for reenacting in a dry grass area. Sarge

I'm wondering if it could be the blanks you guys were using in those guns? I've had 2 M1A1s for 15 yrs and both are used in reenacting and both are shot regularly with live ammo. I have never had the problems you describe. I have a friend with a Pearl M1A1 that has had the same use for about 20 yrs and he has had no problems. Sarge

Good luck on originals, Maby Wolf make replacement springs? I need a floor plate for an MP 43 mag. Have everything else. Sarge

Well, all I know is that of the probably 50 of the so called "CIA" MP 40 mags I have bought and sold over the past 20+ years - ALL have worked w/o problems in MP 40s. I've kept about 6 for my own use and always put 4 or 5 with any MP 40 I sold over the years. That is all I have to go on. Sarge

Your unmarked mags ARE MP 40 mags! These are the so called "CIA" mags. They have been around for at least 20 years. Many of them are a dull dark parkerized. Sarge

That is news to me. I never heard that the original guy died for starts. If so it was after the 86 ban on new guns. I bought my last rec from him after the ban, but didn't buy anymore because he jacked his prices thru the roof. I've also never heard that there were any problems with his receivers. IF so perhaps they finished out some incomplete receivers? I bought 4 or 5 receivers from him and built BARs. There was never a problem with any of them that I ever heard about. I still know where 2 of those are at. Sarge

I'm not sure what this is since it has no markings of any sort. Sarge

I have a different hole size for ea of my M1A1s. Guess there is some difference in springs? One uses a #19 bit and the other a #22. If you ever get blanks from someone else you will find that your BFA hole size is to big to work. Sarge

I sold a friend of mine one of Pearls M1A1s about 25 yrs ago to use for reenacting and the occasional live fire. He still has it and as far as I know he has never had a problem with it. Sarge

I've blank adapted both my M1A1s and have also done a few guns for others. I'm not home so don't have my references available. I'll be homenext Tue and can send you the info then. E-mail me and I'll send you the info when I get home. I don't know where you are going to get your blanks, but would definately reccomend NOT getting them from Swanson in Ariz! He is over priced and he loads his extra hot. He also uses a powder mix including flash powder since he loads for the movie industry. I get my blanks from Richard Satterfield in Michigan. Sarge

A good friend bought a 21 Thompon from earl, based on his advertisements, while he was in Korea and picked it up when he came back to the States. Like you he got a 21 bbl'd rec and little else that was Colt. earl refused to make it right and wanted to sell him the parts needed. Like you he didn't bite. I have been playing with FAs for 50 years and from the very first time I ever heard of this guy in Ariz who had lots of MGs to sell, I can't remember ever hearing anything good about him! I always advised anyone I talked to not to deal with him unless they could go to Ariz and look at the gun in person. Sarge

Yep, IF I ever get it to someone with a camera. Mine died some time ago and I've never bothered seeing if it is repairable. Sarge

Glad to see this addition. The Bren is one of my favorite toys! I just put up a photo of my Mk I Sarge

Glad to see this addition. The Bren is one of my favorite toys! Here is my 1941 Mk I and some of its friends, all functional. Sarge

I would consider almost All non German or occupied coutries weapons with German markings on the stocks to be FAKE! The Germans always proofed captured weapons on the metal. I have never seen or heard of any marked on the stock that I can remember. Sarge

Prices are anywhere from a low of about $12K to a high of around $18K Depends on the gun. You have on to sell? What is it? Sarge