The very last time I saw one of these puppy’s, I was a ten on the pucker meter, I’m talking wired tight and this single phrase from the Wizard of Oz “There’s no place like home” kept running through my head. I broke out in a cold sweat and continued to unwrap the latest treasure from the master of oddball ordnance, Mr. Bob Landies of Ohio Ordnance, Chardon, OH. All you reasonably knowledgeable individuals out there are scratching your heads, saying wait a minute, isn’t Hawaii the land of socialist anti-gun fruits and nuts? But absolutely no Class Three firearms? You’re partially right. The people’s state of Hawaii did allow locally registered USAS-12s, StreetSweepers and Striker 12 shotguns to be papered on a Form One. (More on this subject in a later issue).

The mortar that I have is officially rendered unserviceable according to BATF specifications. However, these are still considered Title One firearms and transferred on a standard FFL license. What is “unserviceable”? It appears the Treasury Secretary is very clear on this one. There shall be a hole in the sidewall of the tube equal to the bore size of the tube, a steel bar hard welded across the inside of the bore obstructing the tube, the end cap (which is considered the receiver) hard welded to the tube and the firing pin hole welded up as well. With all of the above you may own one of these magnificent Model 1937 82mm Russian mortars rich with military history. Gentlemen, please beware, if you plan to add any demilled ordnance to your collection make very sure it is in compliance.

My wife and I were attending the 1997 Soldier of Fortune Convention in LOST WAGES NEVADA with some good friends from the great state of Maine. We got to the show a day early, so I had a unique opportunity to scan all the tables before the public did. I was like a shark trolling through a sea of gourmet pupu’s and then I spotted it and started to tighten my circle around this U.S. M2 60mm mortar. By the second day I was nipping at the salesmen’s feet, how much? Where is it from, and can I take a closer look at it? To my surprise, no bar across the top, and another look revealed the firing pin hole was wide open (there was a bore size hole drilled in the tube). Then I put the million dollar question to the sales guy, “Do I have to fill out a 4473”? No he said, “I picked it up just like you see it, no paper.” My brain froze. The scene from National Lampoon’s Animal House where the young girl is passed out drunk and this little devil in a red outfit pops up on one of the kid’s shoulders, then the angel on the other, one saying, “Go ahead, do it”, the other saying “Don’t you dare”! I wanted this to round out my collection so bad I could taste it.

There was only one thing I could do, go to my friend from Maine (and in my opinion the Don Corleone of RKI’s) and have him give me the straight skinny. We got within ten feet of the weapon and my friend did a 360, figuratively grabbed the short hairs of my sideburns, lifted up smartly and uttered these words “You should know better”. What it boils down to are those age old proverbial words of wisdom, that everyone has heard but fails to remember “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is”. Out one 60mm dream.

The good news is, I still had the 82mm Russian waiting back on Maui in desperate need of a refinish. When I got the piece it was painted with some sort of desert camouflage pattern and I wanted to keep it that way. Looked like a “Crew level” job. First and foremost I had to find a sand blaster who wouldn’t have a coronary and call the police at the sight of yours truly dropping off the mortar.

Then from an old tee-shirt I made some stencils, several cans of spray paint in different shades of tan, a lot of time and presto-chango, my 82mm display piece was ready. It turned out real nice, and everything works as far as the shock absorber, traversing and elevating mechanism and of course the NSB/3 sight unit. The only thing missing was a few display rounds. It seems like there are no Russian 82mm inert projectile out there. Had to settle for U.S. 81mm and they had four one inch holes drilled right through them. I got around that by wrapping tape to the outside and then filling each unit with fiberglass resin and sanding back to original, topped them off with an original two piece inert training fuze. They’re not Russian, bit it will have to do until the right ones turn up. I will keep cruising the ads and shows. All and all it looks like a completely restored museum quality show piece.

Last year, I had the opportunity to refinish two M/20, 3.5 inch rocket launchers, one early manufacture and one late. Being made of aluminum and heavily painted several times, I used a chemical paint remover instead of sand blasting because of the soft metal. With two AT/4 launchers and a complete law M/72, 66mm with inert rocket that pretty much fills up the wall in the gun room. While they are not live, they do make one hell of an impressive display. Even in the places where we can’t own live Class 3 items, it is still possible to have an interesting historical collection.

Aloha Nui Loa from up country Maui, make sure you get out vote, and join the NRA today.

Mark is known to many in the class 3 community, not only for his frequent calls from the island, (apparently due to Rock Fever and a combination of too many Macadamia nuts and somewhat over-ripe mangos), but because he has been carrying the torch for military-type firearm shooters in Hawaii for quite a few years. We thought this essay on his journey in search of fulfillment might kindle a spark in the minds of those who live in similarly restrictive states, and perhaps give a glimpse into what living under onerous firearms laws is like. – Dan

Living in the Peoples Republic of Hawaii kept me from my dream of belt/fed full automatic ownership for many years. I’ve always had an eye for the exotic, and have been shooting semi-automatic military style small arms on Maui since the 1970’s. AK’s, Uzi’s, AR-15’s, Mac’s, Valmets, M14, AR18, Galils, FAL’s, the list goes on. But they just weren’t belt fed, and I felt a void in my life.

In 1982 I was travelling to the great free state of Arizona, and J. Curtis Earl came immediately to mind. He was one of the first Class 3 Dealers. I had seen his machine gun and cannon ads in everything from Boy’s Life to Popular Science back when I was a kid, and still clearly remembered the thrill of looking at his ads over and over again. Better than the Sears Lingerie section! I called Mr. Earl when I got to Phoenix, and asked if I could stop by and take some photographs of his collection. To make a long story short, I got bitten by the belt fed bug. This was an amazing experience, one that I could never forget. Unfortunately, while I had seen an extremely interesting collection, I still couldn’t own belt-feds on Maui.

There then appeared a light at the end of the tunnel. Rock Island Armory under the watchful hand of Dave Reese, was marketing a semi-auto belt fed M-60. After several phone conversations and a timely refinance of my home mortgage, I placed my order- to include all the extras I thought I would need; starting with five thousand links, of course. There was a pause on the other end of the phone, then came a disturbing question. “Uh, Sir, Do you plan to shoot this a lot?”

Right then and there I knew I was in deep kim chee.

After months of trying to address the design shortcomings, the 60 was regulated to the spot in my vault called “This here’s the Only Game In Town”.

By this time, I had belt fed fever real bad, and my next project just had to be water-cooled. I rapidly came to the conclusion there are not many companies out there building water cooled guns, let alone semi-auto ones. I put my money down on a 1917A1 Browning, manufactured by DLO in Arcadia, Florida. Eleven months later I got to shoot a lot of rounds through it- these custom semi-autos took as long as their full auto cousins.

I bought everything I could find for it, my special 1917, but there was still something missing; it was too slow.

I was reborn when I received my first issue of the now defunct Machine Gun News and was brought into the light through one of the ads I found. Valkyrie Arms, LTD in Olympia, Washington, made a 1919A6 with some special trigger work. After much conversation with Valerie Johnson (the gun’s designer) I gave the coveted Visa number for a 1919A6 Browning and settled down to wait the customary six months to a year for delivery. What attracted me to this design is the use of AR15 parts incorporated into the 1919 trigger lock group. This made for real smooth, real fast semi-automatic shooting, with only one minor problem in the twelve thousand rounds I have personally fired through this gun. The fact is, I was so impressed with the trigger I had one installed on my 1917A1 gun. It now has about seven thousand rounds through it.

There was still something missing. I needed a really “light” belt-fed gun. All these other ones got really heavy and with my back and all, I knew that getting a lighter gun was a medical necessity. I am sure that many of the physicians out there have filled out prescriptions for lighter belt-feds, in the course of caring for their patients who happen to be “Firearms enthusiasts”.

So, I fired up the old fax machine to everyone who counted for H&K 21’s. One year later Volmer Mfg. of Bloomington, Illinois shipped one to me. This was about to become my second experience with German engineering. The first was my 1965 356 Porsche super coupe (where is the number one cylinder when one is facing the rear of the car? And more importantly, why does a German starter cost eight hundred and fifty bucks, when a Ford starter is sixty-six and change?)

Allow me to pass on this knowledge from painful experience; H&K 21’s do not readily digest MG/34/42 belts, they like M/60 belts upside down. Do not break the belt feeding insertion unit, you will have to give up your first born child, then increase your limit on all your credit cards and apply for new ones. Watch for the skin that used to be on your elbow looking like a Harley road rash, and that huge yellowish greenish purplish bruise on your shoulder- you will get used to it. One other major side effect is that your left biceps will benefit from the cocking spring.

Where does a guy go from here?

He sets his sights on the Mecca and endures the pilgrimage and the pain to be among the holiest gathering of the tribes that this planet has ever seen or heard. Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot, in Bullet County, Kentucky where the gurus of the class three world come to interpret the tea leaves, read the ashes and above all commune profusely with their like minded brethren.

After having watched “Creek” video tapes from 1988 to the present, I thought I was well prepared for my first trip to the Creek. NOT! I was totally overwhelmed by the second day. The blue fog of cordite, the heart stopping short barreled 50’s and 30’s, the constant roar of the dynamite wanting to suck the very air from your lungs, the good company. (Then there was the splitting headache, the mud, the rain, the cold, this was definitely not Maui). I loved every second of it. Knob Creek was a magical experience- after being there, you feel renewed with faith in America and the people who live here.

Today, here I am, back on Maui, the island paradise… I have my Knob Creek videos, my belt feds, and the Small Arms Review. All is right with the universe and I just wanted to pass that on…