Black River Militaria CII

Tab on inside of the cover is a safety. It fits into the cocking hole when cover is closed to prevent the bolt from backing up sufficiently to chamber and fire a round if the gun is dropped with a loaded mag inserted. Many smg's have been outfitted with such devices due to accidental discharges from dropped weapons with loaded mags. There is no door "lock" but there is a flat spring riveted on the offside of the door hinge that exerts friction pressure against the door hinge to resist its opening and closing. FWIW

I have offered, and still do, an excellent plus example of Numrich military model with all correct features including fluted magwell, for $5000 and had only one response. Guns were built on commercial registered receivers, look great and run perfectly. These guns can just as easily be returned to commercial spec with some effort in finding the parts. FWIW

A friend has a Villar Perosa and over the years we have been amused by speculating about market value. He will be mighty upset by the hammer price of this recent one!! Our values were always in the low six digits. I remember the first example of a1st model FG42 offered at $14k and regret not making a more serious effort to raise the remaining half that I would need to buy it. Of course they became iconic and expensive. The VP's are just not on people's radar but maybe now they will be and values might rise. Not holding my breath.......FWIW

Keep in mind that sinc ethe gun has been refinished, swapping magwells will require appropriately rebluing the replacement magwell so hopefully it looks all of a piece with the receiver.

Final bid $6150 plus premium........

Colt looks refinished to me......

Post war grips.....

In my opinion the gun is an MP30 with an MP34 topcover. Topcovers are not serialized so give no indication of provenance. The receiver serial number indicates it to be a late manufacture gun, therefore close to the end of the years of MP30 production and it would have the Austrian stamp and the '34 date. The factory caliber would be 9S. The stock and trigger frame with the trigger guard safety are MP30. An MP30 topcover would be correct to fit to this gun. Intermixing MP30 and 34 parts was very evident amongst the kits imported into the US years ago, and clearly was common during and after the war. The longer mags used with 9S, 9M, .30M will function with the shorter 9P so swapping barrels for use of different calibers was very simple and clearly practiced. Putting an MP34 topcover onto an MP30 receiver was equally simple. I had a couple MP34s in the shop years ago with MP30 topcovers installed on them and the owners bought MP34 topcovers to replace them. While much harder to locate these days parts for these guns are still able to be found. FWIW

Quite a few Thompson receivers were made, registered and built into complete guns by shops and individuals between '68 and '86. Not a thing wrong with that in the least and it looks to be quality work. Consider that since it was made and was worth a few hundred dollars or more, it has appreciated and is now worth $13k, a price that looks really cheap compared to the collector gun. A bargain it is for a shooter. FWIW

No, not really, but it is possible to come close, in my opinion. I assume you are concerned about the color, in order to make the appearance blend with the surrounding color. The mag release will always look restored due to the flat surfaces which are relentless tattletales, and once disturbed there is no going back. The actuator has knurling on rounded surfaces which breaks up the light and will reduce the color and texture differences and the flat part is mostly under the receiver top. Matching aged Colt bluing is tough to do for many reasons mixed especially between metal prep and it's response to the bluing solution and the bluing solution itself. Metal prep is always a giveaway that a part has been restored. Starting with a pristine completely unmarred part gives an advantage to bringing the part close to original appearance but if it is in such good condition it won't need the reblue..... any slight deterioration of the metal for any reason will always reveal the work done to alleviate the disturbance. Colt blued surfaces are like surface of a still pond; the slightest disturbance shows up. Turnbull Restorations in Bloomfield, NY is an exceptional resource specifically for early Colt 1911s and seems be able to reproduce that type of early blue. Might be worth talking to his shop. But, maybe you already know all this. You are agreeable to a close match which can be done so that makes it somewhat simpler and you won't be disappointed. Worth doing at any rate. Good luck! FWIW

Not MP38/40. Portuguese F.B.P. M48 smg bolt. FBP internals, bolt and spring housing, are a direct copy of the MP40 except the FBP bolt has a fixed firing pin in the bolt face. FBP magazines also are copies of the MP40 types. FBP parts are commonly used by MP40 owners to replace their vintage bolt and spiring housing to preserve the originals. FWIW

After Hudak passed, his estate was handled by a close friend, Bill Bassett, who was very protective of the value of the 100 or so MGs that he had to sell and a few years passed with few of the guns sold. Bill was a gun parts manufacturer and called me one day looking for some MG08 parts and one thing led to another. I visited him for a week or so and went through the guns, accessories and parts and we arranged for me to broker them. The MGs that Hudak built were first class quality with exceptional attention to detail. Inland Arms is not well known so "brand name" buyers will overlook his products. His work was far superior to other builders of the day with many of whom I was acquainted. He was an early manufacturer of plates and various various remanufactured BMGs, but not the first. He also remanufactured quite a few other types of MGs. FWIW

>If the parts doesnt fix it Id just accept it vs spending $400 and 1 year of your life waiting for a gunsmith to fix it. Semi auto is only for someone new to get a feel for it. Not a function you will ever really use.< That's comforting to hear, aside from being about the worst advice I have heard in years. And aside from the advice to "accept" a malfunctioning MG, if it wasn't for guys like me and the few others who graciously, patiently and with years of hard earned knowledge and experience who do the MG gun smithing for the multitude of incapable MG owners who insist on having their MGs function perfectly, you all would be s--t out of luck. You'll happily pay the exorbitant going rate to have a local mechanic plug in cookie cutter parts on your vehicle pulled from a box off a shelf after a digital diagnostic but you begrudge the MG gunsmith who has incredibly unique skills not taught in any school in the planet. I've done my share of vehicle wrenching for pay, BTW, so I certainly am not knocking them but they exist by the tens of thousands. Good MG smiths? Not hardly. Damn, some people's kids!!!!

The BAR is a remarkable firearm which dramatically filled a small arms niche for so many applications. I have great admiration and respect for it. I have owned only one BAR, an A1, which I shot a fair amount, and have repaired, restored, and brokered quite a few in the course of running my MG gunsmithing business. As the last iteration of the BAR, in my view, the FND is a successful distillation of the original BAR design into a much "handier" package. Unfortunately, the new capabilites of the FND compared to the BAR came along too late for it to be widely adopted and some were a bit too clever to be really useful. For instance, the "quick" release and removal of the bolt is one of the "too clever" additions which is not efficient and offers high potential for lost parts. The much lighter weight, shorter overall length, pistol agrip, easily assembled multiple caliber options on one receiver, quick change barrel and lightweight folding tripod all appeal to me compared to the original BAR design. FWIW

Gun is marked by PAWS, Police Automatic Weapons Services, a CII and import business started towards the end of the 1970s. The PAWS ID leads me to the opinion that the gun is a pre-May sales sample. Live MGs, imported post '68 Amnesty, were required to be marked under the new rules of the GCA '68, and were no longer eligible for private possession. This would be the case for PAWS at the time. I don't see any evidence of "re-manufacture" on the receiver, for which it would be marked by PAWS, and which would be very evident by refinish bluing and welding traces and it is clearly not a new manufacture receiver. During PAWS years of business, such a BAR would be of interest but as a variation anomaly rather than hyped as the rarest of the rare, as it is today. The marking might have been applied to a reactivation of a registered DEWAT as required by GCA '68 regs. Not possible from the pics to determine if the gun was DEWATed. Bidders might want to know if there is any evidence of a reactivation. Given the value assigned to this gun, in my opinion, a prospective buyer would be wise to request that the current registrant provide the name of the manufacturer/importer on the registration and confirmation from ATF the type of form used for original registration and especially the DATE of original registration. Without valid confirmation that it was registered prior to the end of the '68 Amnesty, and thus fully transferable, in my view the value is far lower as a pre-May sample. In my opinion, an original FN 30 BAR might be worth close to $30k if fully transferable and the Monitor parts $15k possibly. There are a rising number of registered BARs being fitted with available Monitor and R75 parts to replicate the originals. I know of at least two currently under construction. Gun appears to be original which is appropriate since Colt and FN were longtime business partners in the manufacture of BARS and sales distribution in US and internationally. The FND BARs are my favorite of the BARs. I have an example that is great to handle and to shoot. FWIW

The guns are still in the name of the uncle, correct? They can transfer directly to you on taxed F4s from the uncle IF ATF will approve the signature of the nephew on the transfer applications. Of course, the nephew, is NOT the executor of the uncles's estate so ATF will have to approve of his eligibility to sign the forms. However, if the nephew can prove that the brother was the legal beneficiary of the guns and the legal owner though not the registrant, I suspect ATF would accept the nephew's signature on F4s, as the executor for his father, for transfer from the uncle's estate. Have the son call ATF/NFA and ask for Ted Clutter who is a long time specialist and very good. It may take some time to reach him but he is your man. Ask specifically if the nephew, as executor of his father's estate can sign the F4s transferring the AOWs out of the uncle's estate and what affidavits he will need to include with the F4s confirming that he has ATF's approval. He may be required to write another letter detailing his question. FWIW

First, the current possessor is illegally in possession of the guns. They are not registered to him. I suspect he knows that it is illegal for him to have them. The executor of the uncle's estate should be located and asked if the registration paperwork exists. The uncle's living relatives can be asked also. It would be a big help to have the paperwork, but it is not essential since you say that the guns were registered. If the executor can be located and engaged to help, he/she will have the legal authority to sign the transfer paperwork for the guns out of the name of the deceased as property of the estate. The executor will know the laws for handling the property of the estate even though years have passed or an estate lawyer can be retained to help. In the absence of the executor and paperwork you have a couple positive points: you know the name of the current registrant, the uncle, and you believe with good reason that the guns are registered, and there is a direct family relationship to the deceased so a succession of legitimate inheritance can be inferred. ATF has been helpful in resolving transfer issues out of estates when there is a known line of inheritance that can justify allowing a possible benefactor signing the paperwork. This is a speculative venture though and it is up to ATF to determine if they would allow that. The single determining issue is finding a person who has the legal authority to sign the transfer application out of the uncles name. If the paperwork is not available and the executor cannot be found or will not help, then a lawyer will be needed with experience in dealing with ATF/NFA to present the son's case to ATF that the guns are registered and that a person from the family needs to be assigned to sign the transfer. The value of the guns can easily be exceeded by the cost of such a venture handled by a lawyer so that needs to be considered. Another option is to alter the guns so that they are no longer under the control of ATF. As smoothbore pistols they are AOWs. A way around that is the have the bores lightly rifled by an experienced gunsmith who has the equipment and expertise to do it. Once the bores are rifled the guns are pistols and not AOW's and are no longer controlled by NFA regulations. They can be legally possessed by anyone who is not prohibited from possessing a firearm. Another option is to remove the barrels from the receivers. When this is done, then the receivers are no longer considered a controlled firearm or a firearm at all. Here is where it gets a bit strange with the laws. The original barrels cannot be used with the receivers from which they were removed. However, a different barrel from another gun can be assembled to the receivers to manufacture a 'new" firearm, and then this new gun registered on a Form 1 as an AOW. The form 1 is submitted to ATF and when the approved copy is returned to the person filing the application, the barrels can be assembled to the receivers. Swapping out the barrels and rendering the receivers as non-guns and then "manufacturing" a "new" firearm eliminates the appearance of the person having been in possession of an illegal unregistered NFA weapon. The laws prohibit an individual from registering an existing unregistered NFA weapon, but, except for MG, individuals can register other NFA controlled weapons such as short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, various AOWs, etc. FWIW

Really, don't bother wasting your time trying to export live MGs. It's not going to happen. I have exported a number of vintage MG tripods through the help and use of a major importer/exporter and military surplus company, that we all know, which took nine months to accomplish, paperwork authorizations and affidavits required from both sides were heavy and oppressive and processing fees were high. This just for tripods!! Getting permission from US authorities is very unlikely and especially from the importing country for a non-resident individual to import a live MG just isn't going to happen unless you have plenty of money to burn and significant political pull from both ends. In eastern europe there are businesses that cater to those wanting to shoot all sorts of military weapons, small and large. Pay and play and no hassles. What more could you ask for? FWIW

You want to get some sort of license to own them in another country if I understand your question. Export of MGs is horrendously difficult with extensive state department involvement along with equivalent official permission hurdles in the importing country. It can probably be done with the help of a licensed exporter, but the difficulties are huge and expense high. There are large quantities of WWII MGs in europe and eastern europe and it would be far, far easier and cheaper to acquire what you want wherever you go. Since you raised the issue, many years ago it wasn't difficult to export MGs and one of two examples with which I am familiar, some 25 transferable MGs were legally exported to Belgium by a US attaché or a diplomat in the late sixties or possibly early seventies. The fellow married and when he died, a friend of mine from RI reimported seven of the guns with the F4's signed by the wife who was the executor or beneficiary. I acquired two of the guns not long after they were reimported. The remaining MGs could also have been reimported but the widow claimed that she could not find the paperwork. Too bad. The other instance was a fellow with many MGs, who was very paranoid and had a very adversarial relationship with ATF. He exported many transferable MGs with him and went to Canada, but I don't recall when this was. This came to light when he died and one of his sons in the US started asking questions of MG dealers, collectors, etc about how to bring the guns back into the US. Canadian authorities had required that the MGs be stored with a movie studio for safe keeping, and apparently this agreement required that the guns be removed from Canada within a year or be destroyed or something like that. The son made the rounds of the NFA community, got into a tangle with his relatives over money, refused to believe anybody about how to deal with the import, wanted a lot more money than they were worth, and finally found out that his father had agreed and signed an affidavit with ATF that he would never be allowed to reimport the guns. Once that was known, the only option, other than import as post-May samples, that would actually generate any real money was to turn them into kits and import them. Then he found out that the movie studio wanted a large sum for storage fees, and other expenses. He refused to pay that or to agree to have them turned into kits, the year expired for removal from Canada, and the guns stayed with the movie studio. I was involved in the effort to try get them imported as kits but have no idea what happened to the guns or parts. Too bad. FWIW

Between the MG42 and Yugo 53 all parts are interchangeable including the complete M53 stock/ buffer assembly if it is used a a unit. Unfortunately, the M53 stocks are generally quite ugly so using the post-war bakelite MG1/3 or Mg74 stocks with matching buffer will work fine. The only other part that will not fit between all models of MG42 variations is the MG3 family barrel recuperator housing which is about 1 1/4" longer than the WWII parts and will not fit MG42 or M53 receivers. It is designed to fit receivers of MG3 and variants, early post-war Rheinmetal MG42s, MG42/59, MG1 variants, etc. There are a lot of these longer recuperators available in the US from import of MG3 parts and they are not useable except for internal parts. FWIW

Simple answer, and obvious: the original finish can only be done once. Think "virginity". There is no replacement that is not a "refinish". The value of a refinish is in the eye of the beholder, but an original finish is a one time proposition, and once gone, can never be replaced. FWIW

No problems here, just overwhelmed with obligations of too many sorts. Will get it back to you this coming week. Bob

There are a small number of registered pack howitzers in the NFRTR that are freely sold and transferred as DD's, destructive devices, under NFA regs. They don"t show up for sale very often in public forums due to word of mouth sales so keep asking around and contact the several various outfits that specialize in DD's such as ATs, cannons, etc. I know half a dozen owners of these guns. FWIW

There appears also to be one center of the web between the two holes. Easy to weld them, but whatever stresses caused them will still be in effect. If welded relieving the holes slightly on the ID would probably keep it from happening again. There really are no side stresses on that frame.

The term "ownership" needs some clarification when used by ATF simply because they have no authority over "ownership". That term involves the legal transfer of property, so I very am curious why ATF regards property issues as part of their jurisdiction. One can still be the registrant of an NFA item but not be the legal owner. Very odd.