“The mechanical engineers have given us in various forms the means of enabling two or three men to deliver a fire equivalent to that of fifty or sixty rifles with deadly effect. The use of such an enormous power as this should not be the mere temporary occupation to which a few men and officers are assigned for a while. Rather it should be the life work of a machine gunner…” Maj. F.V. Longstaff -The book of the Machine Gun 1917

Once again, from eighty years ago, the words of the founders of machine gunnery speak clear and true. Men at arms have always known that training hard and the scholarly study of their art has yielded victory on the battlefield. Raffica would once again like to urge the powers that be in the military to allow ample ammunition for training, as well as encouraging marksmanship and excellence in the ranks of the machine gunners. When you need the skills, you really need the skills. If you have allowed them to atrophy, or to slip away forgotten, you may not be able to gain them back in time to meet a threat such as was encountered in World War II.

Civilian owners of the weapons should likewise train; not so much for war duty, but so that the skills are not rusty if they need to be called upon. It happened in 1950 for Korea. Besides, it’s a wonderful past time, and competitions can include who can pile up the most brass along with who actually is best at hitting the target areas…

On a “Support our advertisers” note; numerous people have asked me for sources for original transit chests for Vickers and Brens. Lots of times these boxes have been forgotten in the back corner of a warehouse, or unknowingly used for other purposes. I recently spoke with Don Bell from Omega Weapons Systems, and he has both Bren and Vickers / Lewis transit chests in stock at some pretty reasonable prices. Don has been one of SAR’s supporting advertisers from the start, and owns a good company to deal with. If you are one of the people who have been asking me where these can be purchased, give Don a call at (520) 889-8895 (Omega’s ad is on page 52)

Q1- I recently bought and took possession of an MP5. According to the paperwork this is a “Registered receiver” MP5. A friend of mine told me that registered receivers are supposed to have the swing down lowers. Mine has a clip on lower. It is an HK94 converted to an MP5 by Bill Fleming. I am wondering if I could be in any trouble, the paperwork is marked in section b as a machinegun and the serial number is the one stamped on the receiver. It was approved by the BATF. Secondly, since it is a registered receiver can I buy full auto components, like a trigger pack or another sear if this one should break? I understand that I can’t have it converted to a swing down lower, but can I put other types of lowers on it? Last of all, I am having some minor problems with it. When firing the trigger seems to have two positions. If you fire a short burst and let go of the trigger, the trigger repositions to its normal position full forward, however if your fire a burst and then release some tension in the trigger, the trigger seems to position itself somewhere in between. If you pull the trigger at this point the weapon will discharge most of the time, occasionally it won’t fire and looking at the round, it has a light primer hit as if the hammer follows the bolt. Most of the time the gun works fine but I would like to get it to work perfectly.

Stephen G.

A1- I’ll try and hit these in the order you gave them to us. Several manufacturers registered HK semi automatic weapons as fully automatic receivers before the May 19th 1986 deadline. Some were made into factory “Clones” by removing the front block and drilling a hole so that a factory HK machine gun trigger housing is used on the gun. These guns you can interchange all factory machine gun parts on. Others were made into “Clip-on” lower registered receivers. These are identical to registered HK Sear guns. The receiver has not been modified to accept the factory swing down lower; it has a machine gun style trigger housing that has been altered to fit on the semi automatic guns. The sear that is used in these guns is basically identical to a registered HK sear, but it is not the registered part. This sear, away from the registered receiver, is considered a machine gun by itself. Do not remove the sear from the proximity of the registered receiver. You are not allowed to finish the alteration of the registered receiver clip on lower guns to fit the swing down, so you can not use the factory parts. You can not make a replacement sear either. SAR will cover this more in depth in future issues.

You can use other lowers if the trigger grip housing is converted to use the original pack and sear that is on your gun. This generally precludes using the 3 shot burst type lowers.

On to your “Trigger” problem. This is really a “Hammer” problem, and it has more insidious ramifications than you might be thinking. Many of the hammers in these converted HK guns were converted themselves from semi automatic hammers. The notch on the hammer is an add on for the full automatic HK’s. Some of these were incorrectly placed. This can be a very dangerous situation. Not only will you experience the problem you have, but you may very well have an Accidental Discharge (AD) when chambering the first round.

Let’s keep it simple here. As SAR readers are aware, AD’s are considered “Bad”. People get hurt and killed. With any firearm, you should always chamber a round in a safe direction to begin with. Safety and proper handling are considered “Good”. The solution here is to get this fixed. You do this by getting a new hammer that is properly cut for the sear. Fred Volmer at F. J. Volmer (309-663-9494) has these in stock for about $40. If you have either a registered receiver clip on lower gun, or a registered sear conversion, you need to check this and see if you have a correct hammer. The problem ones will usually be obvious weld ups on the notch / axle end of the hammer. You can talk to the people at Volmer’s and they will help you ID the problem hammers.

Q2- I recently purchased some fifty-caliber ammunition that was kind of odd. It was on stripper clips, had a silverish tipped bullet, and the base has a large rim around it. Is this the spotter ammunition I hear talked about?

George K.

A2- First, the denizens of Raffica should be aware that I immediately bought this ammunition, after explaining what it was to George. I intend to shoot it, so there is not much point in either trying to bribe, wheedle, or mug me for this ammunition. What George had was .55 Boys ammunition. These are armor piercing rounds, designed for the 1937 model anti-tank bolt action rifle made by the British. The Mark I and Mark II models had short lived military lives, not being particularly useful against WWII armor. Boys Rifles are Destructive Devices under the NFA rules, and require registration as such. Many were converted to .50 BMG, which is somewhat less brutal on the shooter- and makes the Boys a regular Title I firearm as well. The first and most significant identifying feature of the cartridge is the heavy “Belt” around the base, noted at the arrow in the photo at the left.

Q3 I am considering the purchase of a Stoner 63 machine gun. Can I use the M249 linked ammunition that is available today?

Chris

A3- Stoner links are different from the M249 links. Even though they look the same, they are somewhat smaller- making the pitch different. Pitch is very important to the feeding process in machine guns.

The first production Stoner links were marked “S-63”, later ones were marked “XM27”. Links for the M249 or Minimi machine gun, are marked “M27” (See Above Photos) A new feed can can be made to utilize M27 links.
Questions to: Dan Shea C/O SAR

By Dan Shea

“….. it is clear that war should never be thought of as something autonomous but always as an instrument of policy; otherwise the entire history of war would contradict us. Only this approach will enable us to penetrate the problem intelligently. Second, this way of looking at it will show us how wars must vary with the nature of their motives and of the situations which give rise to them.

The first, the supreme, the most farreaching act of judgment that the statesman and commander have to make is to establish by that test the kind of war on which they are embarking; neither mistaking it for, nor trying to turn it into, something that is alien to its nature. This is the first of all strategic questions and the most comprehensive.” – Carl von Clausewitz, ON WAR published 1832 (From English Translation 1976)

I simply wanted to bring a little of von Clausewitz’s Vom Kreig to the table for our military and political readers. Some of Master Sun Tzu’s thoughts as well:

“So it is said that if you know others and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know others but know yourself, you win one and lose one: if you do not know others and do not know yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle. – Master Sun Tzu, The Art of War

My simple thought on what I am seeing out there, is that it would seem our media and the liberal base in general are running the fog machine 24/7, with the purpose of obscuring the focus and clarity of thought of our leaders and soldiers. I spend a lot of time with our armed forces personnel, and for the most part that fogging isn’t working. They have a clear vision of who they are, and what they are doing. It’s the mixed messages coming from the rear that undercut them and that is what we need to guard against. Thousands of years of military history define that self knowledge is a requisite to victory. All I want to say is “Thank you” to the men and women of the armed forces of the United States and our allies, who put on the uniform, and are out doing it every day. Please remember the vast majority of us know why you’re there, and honor your commitment.

Off the soapbox, and onto some gun stuff. We have a couple of antique machine gun questions this month:

Q- I need some advice about disassembling the trigger housing of the Polish PPS-43 submachine gun. I want to remove a cracked part that is located behind the sear. There is only one pin in the entire trigger housing that seems like it can be removed to start the disassembly process. There is a spring and a short bushing over this pin. The little bushing butts up against an inside wall of the trigger housing. Is this pin designed to be removed without cutting it? Can you also print a photo of the individual trigger housing parts with identification of each part?

A- Disassembly of the fire control system is not quite as simple as it would seem at first and the pin/spring combination you are looking at is actually part two of disassembly. If the cracked part behind the sear is part of the assembly riveted into the bottom, this is a more complex “fix” than can be addressed here.

The Polish Model 1943/52 is a copy of the famous Soviet PPS-43, which was made in the ’50s for Polish forces. Originally, these had a wooden stock, but some of the military units had a folding metal stock. The folding stock model is what I have seen imported to the US. Model makers should note that the receiver is slightly longer than Soviet PPS-43. I obtained a Soviet PPS- 43 parts set from Don Bell at Omega Weaponry (www.omega-weaponssystems. com/catalog.htm) and a Polish kit like you have, from Inter Ordnance (http://www.interordnance.com) while at the SAR Show, so that we could do a good pictorial on this for you. Remember to wear safety goggles while working on this, the springs tend to “launch” and can be quite hazardous. The fire control system was designed for a cheap, fast, stamped metal manufacturing process like the rest of the weapon, and it was basically a “throw-away” if it broke. Taking out the FC parts is a royal pain, until you get the hang of it.I have never seen an original manual that covered this; they keep operator disassembly very simple for reasons that will become apparent. (Photos by Dan Shea, courtesy LMO Working Reference Collection)

Q- I have just purchased an MG13 parts set and am making a dummy MG13 for display. I don’t have a problem making the dummy, but I want to make my display as accurate as possible. Do you have any pictures of the accessories?

A- It is a very interesting German machine gun, under-rated and left as a bit of a footnote today. This is mostly because of it being magazine fed and not generally considered up to the job like the belt fed guns. The German Army adopted it in 1931, but the “13” designation was rooted in the interwar secrecy of German weapons manufacturing, which was restricted on machine guns. This was the first machine gun the Germans designated other than the year of manufacture. The MG13 uses 25-round magazines feeding 7.92x57mm ammunition from a side position, perhaps predicting the later FG42 series. We will be covering the MG13 in more depth later, but here is a good start on your accessories search. In addition to the pictured items, the MG13 gunner usually had spare recoil boosters, a blank booster called a 13P and a lidded container that was used for soaking the boosters for cleaning. Obviously, the famous 75-round saddle drum with two drum boxes and drum loading tool is needed for your display, as well as the various mounts. This should get you started. (Photo pre- WWII German original, Daniel Musgrave Collection, courtesy LMO Reference Library)

Send questions to:

Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review
Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

Q– I am a private contractor in Iraq and we have the Glock 19 9mm pistols. We have obtained the rear slide cover to convert them to full auto. Some of the guys say we can take them home and register them with ATF and I am in disagreement saying you can not do this because of the 1986, or whatever, gun bill; only what was there was legal and none thereafter. Am I correct on this?

A– You are basically correct. The short answer to your question is “no, they cannot bring them back into the US.” There are a number of the Glock full auto conversion designs out on the market. John Ramun was probably one of the first US designers on this with his design in the early 1990s. In the United States, these conversion parts require registration with ATF and this can only be done by a law enforcement agency or a Class 2 Special Occupational Taxpayer. In May of 1986, the laws changed in the US so that no more machine guns can be made for private ownership. SAR has covered this law change extensively in the past. In the case of these Glock conversion plates that you are using in Iraq, it would be a felony to bring them into the US unless properly imported on a Form 6 for law enforcement use, and it is a felony to make them in the US unless you are a Class 2 SOT or law enforcement agency. Note the “agency” part: individual officers cannot make machine guns for themselves. The agency may acquire or make machine guns and issue them to the officers.

Truthfully, fully automatic machine pistols are a very specialized item, and most officers do not receive the training necessary to field them. Not to be judgmental about a choice as personal as a sidearm, but unless you are on exec protect detail, I can’t see much use for them in Iraq. You might want to consider a Glock or SIG in .45 ACP for carry; just a thought. To address the eternal question of, “Are there any fully transferable Glock machine pistols in the US?” the answer is “no”, because there weren’t really any Glocks to use as host guns in the US at the time of the May 19, 1986 Ban. Glock serial number pre-fixes with “AF” were imported in January 1986. The second shipment with a pre-fix of “AS” was in June of 1986, after the May 19, 1986 machine gun registration cut-off.

Q– I have seen a number of ads lately for an M60 that is C&R registered, called a T161E1. I saw a picture and it looked like a standard M60. What’s the difference and are all M60s now on the C&R list?

A– No, all M60s are not on the ATF’s Curios & Relics list, although in my opinion they should be due to their increased value as transferable machine guns. It was the first production run of T161E1 machine guns, the very early M60s, which were added to the C&R list in 2002 due to their manufacturing date in 1951. That put them over 50 years old. Thus, the T161E1 original registration variations of the M60 are C&R guns now. The ones that I have seen were built up into modern style M60s. The receiver is completely original, and the parts are simple interchanges. Adding modern features to the original receiver would not affect C&R status in this case. The accompanying photos should provide a pretty good idea of what an original T161E1 would look like. Note the 1941 Johnson LMG style sights.

Q– I have an original Pederson Device. I have the scabbard. I have the right rifle. I have the magazine carrying pouch. I have literature. I have a little ammunition. However, I do NOT have a magazine. I have been searching for years. Can you help?

A– You are a lucky guy to have gotten as much of the Pederson paraphernalia that you have, and you are now on a Grail Quest; which is always excruciatingly painful and a load of fun. It is almost anti-climactic when the object of the quest is found.

My understanding is that of the 65,000 Pederson Devices made by Remington, less than 100 were spared from post World War I destruction. The whereabouts of only a handful are known. Supposedly, there is a live fire test being done on a Pederson Device for another firearms magazine, so maybe this is a good time to do an SAR Magazine ID for these. For the uninitiated, the Pederson Device was a drop-in bolt replacement that made the 1903 Springfield Rifle, or the 1917 Enfield Rifle (depending on the kit as very few were made for the 1917) into a 40-round semi automatic rifle in a reduced caliber. This was at the end of World War I, and in the post-war era, the military decided the cartridge and concept wouldn’t meet up to the new armored threats and would be a step down on the battlefield. Thus, they destroyed all stocks resulting in the lack of magazines. Hopefully, in the back room of one of our readers lies an unidentified magazine, and a light will go on in that astute reader’s head as he ID’s this magazine and realizes that not only should he NOT convert it to feed in his Sten, but that he could sell it and make some money. Or, place it on his mantle and show it off to his friends, thereby causing another unknown number of years torment to our fortunate friend who has “almost” all of a Pederson Device.

Send questions to:
Raffica@smallarmsreview.com
Or mail to
Small Arms Review,
Attn: Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St., #562
Henderson, NV 89014

Q– I need some information about the Argentine FMK-3 9mm SMG. I have read that Uzi magazines can be used in this gun if the magazine catch is modified. If so, please show how this is done. Is it possible to modify the Uzi magazines and leave the mag catch of the FMK-3 unaltered?

A– The FMK-3 submachine gun is a standard tube gun, very reliable and robust. It is open bolt, and uses a 40 round magazine that is very similar to the standard Uzi submachine gun magazine which is generally 25 or 32-rounds capacity. Obviously the 40-round magazine has interested Uzi owners in the US.

The FMK-3 magazine is similar enough to convert over, and the accompanying pictures should help with understanding what is involved.

Q– In your Raffica column (June 2006) you mentioned having had a pair of VZ58’s from the Vietnam War. I was a crew chief/door gunner on a Huey during ’67-’68 and saw a number of interesting weapons floating around. There was a guy who had, what I now believe, was possibly a VZ26. I remember the Swedish K’s, “Greaseguns” and Thompsons, but this particular gun was new to me. Could it have been a VZ26? What was the production period of the VZ26’s?

A– The East Bloc supplied a lot of aid to the North Vietnamese through their affiliation with the USSR. I have had some very interesting conversations in formerly communist countries where men in my age group discuss how they gave blood or donated goods to help their communist brothers in North Vietnam. The same is true of the weaponry. Since that was the war that was in progress, different countries tried their weapons in combat from Uncle Ho’s side just as much as the West tried out their various weapons from the South’s side.

The VZ-58s that I had were brought back by a US soldier. I have never seen a bring back VZ23, 24, 25, or 26. It would be difficult to pin down the exact model you might have seen. The Model 23 and 25 were made from 1948 to 1952, when they were upgraded in production to the Model 24 and 26 respectively. Hard to tell the difference in the production runs, except the 23 and 25 had a folding stock, and the 24 and 26 had a fixed stock. The 23 and 25 were in 9mm Parabellum, and the 24 and 26 were in 7.62 TT. There are differences of course, but going back over 35 years in memory it is going to be tough for you to ID those mostly internal differences. In any event, it is quite possible from the hodgepodge of weapons in South East Asia that you saw one of the Czech subguns.

Q– Is the 14.5mm PTRG cartridge a Class3 round?

A– If you mean “does it require registration as a Destructive Device,” the simple answer is no. Even the rare “HEI” versions of 14.5mm ammo do not have enough explosive in them to qualify as a Destructive Device. Transportation and storage of the HE type rounds might bring in explosive regulatory issues if the quantity was large enough, but these rounds are generally restricted to single pieces in collections in the US. They are hoarded by those with the guns, since they can not be imported since the diameter of the projectile is over 1/2 inch.

There are two basic cartridges referred to as 14.5mm in the US. The 14.5x51R (or “14.5mm Spotter”) is a much shorter cartridge used in artillery training subcaliber devices. Frequently these projectiles are sold as pulled marking projectiles. They are definitely not compatible with the other type of ammunition which is the subject at hand, 14.5x114mm.

Remember that there are two basic weapon systems that use this cartridge; the PTRS41 and other 14.5mm anti tank rifles from the World War II era, and the modern 14.5mm KPV-T anti-aircraft systems (frequently used for anti-ground as well). Users of the early anti-tank rifles should note that while the cartridge case is the same, the KPV-T ammunition is significantly more powerful and will damage the early anti-tank rifles to the point of dangerous catastrophic failures. Just a word to the wise: pay attention to what you are putting in these old guns.

Q– I picked up a minty Colt M16A1 ser# 937xxxx that I think is in the 621 configuration. It is all ‘A1’ with the exception of a round hand guard and square front sight post. Barrel is 20” heavy with C MP B and a lug double pinned right behind the flash cage that looks to be for an M14 bipod. Is this really a 621 and what was it designed/intended for? What is the rarity? Anything else unique or significant?

A– The 9 million serial number range would be correct for the Colt Model 621, which is the true “H-Bar” most people think of. If it was, then the bipod would be for M60 legs as in the photo. The M14 bipod was first used on the Colt Model 606B (Referred to as the “06B”). To be correct as the Model 621, you would have forward assist, chromed bolt carrier, triangular fore end (not the round fore end), and the barrel would be heavy over the full contour. The Model 606B, which used the M14 bipod, would be marked Model 606B. I have seen what were supposedly original Model 621 H-Bars with an M14 bipod, but could not check the pedigree. I pulled the pictures here from the Colt M16 ID Guide we published early in Small Arms Review magazine’s first year, and the complete Guide is also in the Machine Gun Dealers Bible, 4th Edition.

Q– I picked up some 6.5 Italian ammunition in a brass stripper that has a handle on one end. There are twenty cartridges in the stripper, which has a brass sheath on each end. The guy who sold it said it was for the Breda 37 machine gun.

A– Close, but no cigar to your friend. This “charger” is for the Fucile Mitriagliatori Breda Modello 30, or the Breda Model 30 for short. This was a light machine gun that weighed about 23 pounds and it was basically the second model of LMG in the Italian arsenal in the Pre-World War II period. The Modello 1924 gave birth to the Modello 1930. The 1930 is an intriguing design, and it is much misaligned like the French Chauchat Mle 1915. Taken in context of a time when machine guns were all tripod mounted and frequently were water cooled, lightening a portable rifle caliber machine gun was a leap forward. Successful models like the 1918 BARs, the 1903 and 1914 Madsen LMGs, and the Hotchkiss guns of 1922 and 1926, were almost oddities themselves when compared to many of the attempts that were seen.

The Breda suffered from a number of deficiencies that should be pointed out to prospective owners. First is the very nice addition of a quick change barrel that somehow left out the idea of a carrying handle, leaving the A-gunner with a hot barrel to pull off of the bipod mounted gun. That was still easier than pulling off a standard M60 barrel with bipod on the barrel, though. The real issues arise around the magazine and the unlocking system. When the Breda unlocks, the barrel and bolt travel rearward together and unlock quite violently through a cam action. This puts undue stress on the spent cartridge, which means a lot of broken and stuck cartridge cases. To lessen the strain on this, the Breda has an oiler that squirts a shot of oil on each and every cartridge that feeds into the chamber. Thus, the bolt is lubricated as well. Hard experience taught the Italians that this system also quickly led to making either a slow down gunk or nice jewelers paste that either gummed up the system or wore down the parts depending on the size and composition of sand or particles that mixed with the oil. That is a “Bad” thing for a combat machine gunner.

The magazine appears to be either a sophisticated, modern designed piece of machinery, or a true Rube Goldberg invention; depending on your point of view. To load the magazine, a lever is pushed and the side mounted magazine flips forward. The operator then charges the magazine from the rear, using the pictured 20 round charger, and withdraws the empty charger. Since the actual feed guide lips are on the receiver, leaving the magazine forward is considered “Safing” the machine gun. Damage the magazine, and you are out of action. I have always liked them because they are so interesting, but really wouldn’t want my life to depend on a Breda Modello 30 functioning. –Dan

Send questions to: Raffica sareview@aol.com
Or mail to
Small Arms Review
Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

Short and sweet this month, fellow Rafficarians. I broke my thumb firing a rifle grenade at too low an angle. Not that I haven’t fired a lot of these in the past, or because I don’t know how – simply the lower I aimed, the harder to keep sling tension. Just before touching the HEAT round off, I subconsciously noted the slack condition of the sling. Nice satisfying explosion followed by a big “Ouch.” Makes typing with this cast on a total pain, so, a shorter Raffica this month. Back in force next month.

So, kids, don’t be like your old Uncle Dan and wind up being humiliated by the constant email arrival of Mpeg loops from “friends” showing how dumb you were, or the constant questioning of, “So, how’d you break your thumb? Someone kick you in the axx?” Make sure the sling is tight.

Q– While attending a recent gun show, something in a class 3 dealer’s display caught my eye. It was an unusual “tube gun” that I had never seen before. The dealer was very busy but I did get from him that it was the only sub-gun designed and fielded in Luxembourg. Can you shed any more light on this interesting little gun?

A– It is called the Sola and was manufactured by Société Luxembourgeoise d’Arms S.A. They produced two distinct models with some slight sub-variants. The two variations of the unusual and very rare Sola Super are the standard Sola Super and the very different Sola Light. Both are “tube” guns as you noted. There are many design similarities with the Belgian Vigneron submachine gun, but the Solas are indeed their own unique designs. This was in the post World War II era and many of the submachine gun designs in the 1950s were destined for economic failure mostly due to the huge piles of surplus submachine guns that could be had for about 25 cents each in quantity.

Supposedly, there were five of the Sola Supers that were brought into the United States in 1955 for trials. I have never seen a transferable, original gun, although there are some examples in museums in the U.S. The Sola Supers were sold into North Africa, particularly Morocco, and some have been seen in South America, but there aren’t any contract records. The Sola Light was only sold to the FLN in Algeria, as far as records show. The parts kits for these were brought in by LMO in the late 1980s-early 1990. We purchased them from another contractor who was working in Morocco. There were 134 of the Sola Super kits brought in and sold, and 5 of the Sola Lights. One live Sola Super was imported. Class 2 Gunsmith Stan Andrewski built several of the Sola Lights for study and evaluation and LMO built one. It is a very interesting post-war design. The guns were inherently very accurate, and with the long receiver tubes the bolt tended to “run out” on the recoil spring, which made for a very smooth shooting cycle. Examples of this concept pre-dated the Sola of course, but the same principle can be seen on modern machine guns such as the Negev and the Ultimax. (Both of which have entirely different recoil/return systems, but still take advantage of a long spring controlled recoil stroke to achieve their smooth firing.) At some point SAR will cover these unusual Luxembourg submachine guns in depth, but at this point they are generally considered a footnote to post World War II development. Soldiers serving in North Africa should note these weapons in case they see them, like any other oddity.

Q– I have seen an odd drum in a private collection. It was very old and rusty and reminded me of the Luger snail drums, but it was rifle caliber and offset to feed from the side. It had a fold out lever for charging. Any ideas?

A– Markings would help, if you could get them. It does sound a lot like the Mondragon drum. If it is, surely the collector should know that. If it is unidentified, then let’s nail it down. I was doing a study on the Mondragons at the MOD Pattern Room and gathered some ID guide photos of both the Mondragon drum and the standard box magazine.

Soon to become General, Manuel Mondragon was an amateur firearms designer in Mexico, and when he was a younger officer he tackled the self loading rifle problem. This was in the 1890s, so you can imagine he was ahead of his time. Mexico wanted to move ahead in the arms race, but they didn’t have the industrial capacity, so Mondragon’s design went to SIG in Switzerland. We’ll get into this all deeper at another time, but the General had nailed down a basic gas port take off with a piston that had copper gas rings reminiscent of the M16 gas rings on the bolt. The bolt had seven locking lugs, which again sounds spookily familiar, but in the Mondragon there were three lugs in the front of the bolt and four lugs in the rear: the idea being to make a super tight gas seal. This is all at the beginning of gas operated self loading rifle designs, and it is still quite exciting to study in a historical sense.

The Mexicans ordered 4,000 rifles from SIG, took about ten percent and canceled the rest of the order. SIG took the hit financially on the Self Loading rifle of 1908, but during the mid World War I era, they sold the remaining stocks (re-worked into 7x57mm) of about 1,000 rifles to the German Air Force as the Self Loading Rifle 15. This is the point where the 30 round drums were added. Obviously, there is much more to the story but that is for a longer article.

Send questions to:

Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to
Small Arms Review Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

“Take saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur, and you can make thunder and lightning, if you know how.” – Roger Bacon, De Nullitate Magiae, 13th Century.

“If you know how” is the operative phrase in so much that we do. One of the prime motivators for Small Arms Review magazine is to dig into the depths of history and technology and bring the answers to our readers. I have had to field a number of questions lately about why we don’t put in conversion information to convert semi automatic weapons into fully automatic weapons. The answers should be obvious: legal and responsible behavior for one thing. It is not our mandate to show people how to build guns that would be illegal under today’s laws in the U.S. If you are a licensed Class 2, then you will find the answers you need as part of your research.

We can analyze the registered pieces that were made before 1986, we can show you how weapons are made, we can show you improvised weapons from around the world, and this is all in our legitimate study. If you are looking for a “how-to” manual, that won’t be in SAR. The magazines back in the 1980s were in a time frame where an individual could file a Form 1 and manufacture a machine gun. That is no longer true.

Q– The picture on pages 60-61 of the March issue of SAR is very interesting. The original Russian tripod and cradle for the DShK 12.7mm Heavy MG has the cocking handle built into the cradle and NOT on the gun. Since the pictured mount is an improvised one, it is interesting how they solved the problem of having no cocking mechanism. An empty cartridge case was attached (welded?) to the large knob on the side of the gun. This now offers a very workable solution to the problem of no cocking handle. I enjoy the publication and keep up the good work.

A– Actually, this charging method is an original design that is common to the DShK 12.7mm series as well as the KPVT 14.5mm series. While the charging handles are actually built into the mounts, there is an auxiliary charging handle position made into the side charger. See the accompanying photos for how this operates.

Q– In attempting to research for an article, I made the mistake of trying to pry information out of the ATF web site. A pot of coffee later, I was none the wiser. A simple question, really, and one that might be good for the magazine as well: what is the status of the M1A1 original carbine paratrooper stock? Does it make an M1 carbine too short? Just long enough?

A– The ATF website is growing and getting more precise on a weekly basis, and hopefully there will be a time when it truly answers most questions. They have some funding issues that hold them back from the great things they could be doing – like electronic Form 2, 3 and 5 filings, and a procedure manual online. However, on things like this, it is more likely that they will be answered when the NFATCA finishes with the National Firearms Act Procedures Manual (www.nfatca.org).

The M1 Carbine (M1A1) with side folding stock has brought this question to the front many times. When folded, the overall length is 25.5 inches, which is one-half inch under the minimum length for a rifle. A rifle with a barrel under 16 inches in length or under 26 inches in overall length requires registration in the NFRTR as a Short Barreled Rifle.

The best way to answer your question is to quote from the ATF Technology Branch’s letters on this question regarding how they measure rifles. Here is a typical quote: “For purposes of examination and classification under Federal firearms laws, the measurement of a rifle is always taken with a folding or collapsible stock extended. The overall length measurement is made parallel to the line of the barrel, measuring from the furthest end of the barrel to the furthest end of the buttstock.”

The M1A1 overall length when open is 35.5 inches and the barrel is over 16 inches, thus it is not a Short Barreled Rifle requiring registration. It doesn’t matter if it is an original stock or a reproduction, as this is not a Curio & Relic list function, but rather a determination of SBR status.

Q– I have a triangular shaped tool I found in a box of US weapon parts that my father had in an old ammo can. There are no markings on it. Can you identify this tool?

A– The fact that you say it has no markings, along with your description, tells me it is probably a first model BAR tool. A picture of your tool would help, but without that, from the circumstances where you found it, I have taken a picture of both main variants of the BAR tool for your comparison. These are fairly common.

Q– I found an M249 bolt in .30 caliber. Is this one of the original 7.62 caliber M249 bolts?

A– No, that would be an FN MK48 7.62x51mm bolt head. There were only two of the prototype 7.62 caliber Minimis made. FN Manufacturing started this project for the Navy back in the 1990s, and it has been a successful one. The lightweight M249 variant in 7.62mm provides a much better cartridge for the operator of a “Squad Automatic Weapon” than the 5.56mm cartridge.

SAR covered the MK48 in depth in Volume 6, Number 10 and Volume 7, Number 10, and the prototype 7.62mm Minimis in Volume 6, Number 10.

Send questions to:

Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to:
Small Arms Review
Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

“The supply of weapons and ammunition is most difficult, particularly at the time the unit is established, but this problem can always be solved eventually. Guerilla bands that originate in the people are furnished with revolvers, pistols, bird guns, spears, big swords, and land mines and mortars of local manufacture. Other elementary weapons are added and as many new type rifles as are available are distributed. After a period of resistance, it is possible to increase the supply of equipment by capturing it from the enemy.– Mao Tse-Tung, Yu Chi Chan (Guerilla Warfare)

I was reading Mao’s old handbook on guerilla warfare, written in 1937 and translated by Brigadier General Samuel B. Griffith (who also performed the best translation I have seen on Master Sun Tzu’s The Art of War), and was struck by the agelessness of the above passage. It was interesting to note how in other passages, Mao quotes such diverse Western luminaries as Von Clausewitz and Lenin in his book. A significant part of the book is devoted to the tedious details of operating and supplying a hidden army, and that has much in common with the minutiae of the supply chain in modern armies that are far from home. It also has much in common with the guerilla tactics that our soldiers are facing in Iraq and Afghanistan today. Uncle Ho followed The Chairman’s recipes in Vietnam, and perhaps every rebel group has followed it as well. Combining these teachings with the violent capabilities of modern terrorist doctrine makes for a potent threat. Identifying the resources of the insurgents goes beyond simply finding their weapons caches; without food or other supplies, the terrorists and insurgents lose effectiveness.

It is to the great benefit of the modern soldier to have a thorough understanding of the weapons and tactics used by his enemy, and the archives of SAR are certainly a good place to start that education.

Q-I am a subscriber to Small Arms Review and recently received an interesting request from a friend in the UK for some information about the replacement of .50 BMG barrels during combat operations in WWII. My friend is the curator of a small museum at an RAF station, an enthusiastic shooter (when he can be, under current UK law), and an avid collector of militaria. When I read his question I thought you might be able to provide some references or anecdotal information to send to him.

Now for his technical question. “Last week I visited what was the MOD Pattern Room, which you will remember as a truly fantastic collection of firearms. I was shown two sectioned barrels of Browning 0.5″ M3 machine guns which had been seriously eroded and damaged by prolonged sustained automatic fire. I was informed that the root problem was such that barrels had to be changed after 180 rounds continuous automatic fire on the ground gun and after 150 rounds on the aircraft version.” What my friend wishes to know is: How did the USAAF cope with this problem in WW II when each B17 carried 10 or more of these guns? Did they change all barrels automatically after each sortie? Or, did the armorers have a quick check method to ensure that a barrel was sound?”

A- The short answer is that armorers could tell what needed to be changed out by the ammunition expended on return or with periodic checks of keyholing. The rule of thumb was that if more than 4% of the rounds keyholed at short range, the barrel was shot out. The bases you refer to in the UK had firing pits off the sides of the runways where the armorers could have the gunners test their weapons into large dirt piles. Some of these are still in use today in the UK as firing ranges.

There is more to the story though. All of the guns in the U.S. Army Air Force aircraft early on during the war were the M2 AC variant (AC stands for Air Craft), which was a relatively high speed gun with a rate of fire around 850 rpm. The later guns in 1945 were of the M3 AC-Basic configuration, which had a much higher rate of fire at 1,150 to 1,200 rpm. One of the prime differences from M2 to M3 was in the lining of the barrel. Both guns had lighter barrels than the venerable M2HB whose rate of fire was in the 500 rpm range. As you have noted in your question, there is a difference in the recommended barrel change frequency related to use.

First, let’s look at the mid-war (1943) manual recommendations:

TM 9-225 Browning Machine Gun, Cal. .50, M2, Aircraft, Basic Section 9-d Permissible bursts of automatic fire.

Aircraft machine guns are air-cooled. As guns are mounted at present, there is little difference in the rate of cooling whether the gun is fired on the ground or in the air. Because of the absence of an efficient cooling medium, the temperature of the barrel of a caliber .50 aircraft machine gun rises rapidly during firing. The longer the burst, the higher the temperature attained. The progressive heating of the barrel gives rise to several effects: (Lists four different ones)…

(2) For firing during training, a maximum burst of 75 rounds may be fired from a cool gun. Approximately 1 minute after firing a 75-round burst, firing may be resumed and a 20-round burst may be fired and repeated each minute thereafter.

(3) Combat firing is unrestricted, but bursts of longer duration than 75-rounds (5 second bursts) decrease accuracy and may lead to a stoppage due to overheating. Furthermore, the barrel will probably have to be scrapped, since a brand new barrel can be ruined by a prolonged burst of one half minute duration. (The manual continues with description of problems in synchronized guns and propellers.)

From this description in the manual, it is clear that the early barrels were considered trashed at about 450 rounds continuous fire. The armorers could tell how much firing was done by the rounds expended and asking the gunners what the burst ratio was – was it all at once in a furious fight, or more stretched out over several engagements. Ground testing was also done to function check the guns, and the armorer could tell about keyholing at this point.

Obviously, the barrels couldn’t be changed during the flight, and as noted in section 3, combat firing was unrestricted. There was no Pollyanna wishful thinking that anyone in combat would do other than put the hammer down in a fight. Barrels were changed out as needed, indicated by the type of fire they went through. Spare barrel supply was a big issue on the M2 AC guns.

The M3 AC-Basic .50 caliber machine gun had a much higher rate of fire, but the barrels were stellite lined and had a much longer life. Chromium plating was also introduced. The incidence of barrel destruction due to prolonged bursts went down, but armorers still had to watch carefully for keyholing and a degradation of accuracy. There was no point in sending out a plane where the gunners couldn’t hit their targets.

Of perhaps more interest to civilian shooters is the danger from long bursts. I have included a picture of a barrel that came from a civilian shoot where the shooter stood on the trigger so long that the barrel heated up to the point of reaching an elastic state. On a scale of good and bad, this is a “Bad” thing. As the metal reaches super high temperatures, the pressure of the expanding gases behind the projectile make the barrel appear to “pulse” white hot with each projectile moving down the bore. While this may make for the colorful combat stories frequently told of Ma Deuce in the fighting against the attacking Chinese human waves during the Korean War, it is a sign of the system reaching critical failure. This particular barrel failed at a shoot, and the projectile split the barrel and exited the side of the barrel jacket. Fortunately, no one was injured and the owner of the gun gave me the barrel to keep at LMO’s classroom as an example of what can go wrong. I am hoping this picture is a wake up call for recreational shooters as to what the real problems are with long bursts out of these air-cooled machine guns. Slow down a bit, and be safer, or buy a water-cooled machine gun for your prolonged bursts. You want one anyway, so here’s your excuse to get one. “Honey, I have to buy a 1917A1 because Raffica says that it isn’t safe or smart to shoot long bursts out of my air-cooled guns anymore. It’s about more safety for the children.” That should work.

Q-Do you have a cut off number for pre ban Mini-14 rifles? I want to make a side folder out of my Mini-14.

A- This isn’t really a relevant concern anymore. The so-called Clinton Assault Weapons Ban “sunsetted” in 2004 and went away after ten uneventful and inconsequential years. Like most feel-good legislation, it accomplished nothing other than annoying legitimate firearms owners and giving the regulatory agencies more incomprehensible, technical law to have to deal with. For historical purposes, here are the Ruger manufacturing dates, but today you can take any Mini-14 and put any stock on it as long as you keep it within Title I regulations with a barrel over 16 inches and an overall length over 26 inches. Remember that you may have state or local laws to contend with as well. Anything under that and you have to file a Form 1 to make a Short Barreled Rifle before you make it. This shouldn’t have any effect on your desire to put a folder on a standard Mini-14. This list also doesn’t address which model of Mini-14 was made, rifle, folder, or GB. I have also never been able to determine if there is a misprint in this list as the 1993 serial number range is the same on the Mini-14 and the Ranch Rifle, but this is the best info we have ever had on these dates.

Ruger Manufacture Dates

Q-I have an original low serial number AR-15 that is full auto with ArmaLite markings and I want to make sure I have the right magazine for it for my display. Which one would be correct?

A- This is a tough one, because you didn’t give me the serial number range on the rifle or tell me if it said “Colt” on it as well. Since it is marked ArmaLite AR-15 and is an original gun, then it has to be earlier than the Model 602. Most of the later guns would be correct with any aluminum bodied 20 or 30-round magazine, or the steel bodied 20-rounders. I suspect from your comment that it is a “low serial number” that you have one of the very early guns. This would be worth taking a look at the first two magazines that were made. The Colt Model 601, referred to as an “01”, was marked both Colt and ArmaLite. After the Model 601, the magazine wells only had “Colt” on them and up until the Model 614, they had “AR-15” as a model designation with other markings to indicate “O1” or “614” etc. The first guns were only marked with “ArmaLite”. If, in fact, you have a very early gun that is only marked Armalite, you have a truly special gun. See me after class, we need to talk.

Q-I am in Iraq and have found an AK magazine that looks different. It has a grey color paint and a large rib on the back, and it won’t fit into any of the AKs we have found. It is definitely 7.62×39 caliber. Is this for some odd Iraqi weapon?

A- You didn’t state where you were serving, so I can’t give you any feedback on other groups in your area, but from your description this is for the Czech VZ58 select fire rifle. There are three ways this magazine could have gotten to Iraq and into your hands. There is a contingent of soldiers from the Czech Republic on duty with the Multi National Force, and they have a hospital operation in Basra among other presence. Czech soldiers may be armed with the VZ58, as well as other more modern weapons like their homegrown AK74 variant. The Iraq government had procured some VZ58s at one time, not a primary weapon, but in testing. One of these that had been pimped up with a chrome finish was captured in the Battle of Fallujah. Astute reader, Iraq War vet and long time Rafficarian Andrew Clyde wrote in to us, and the picture of that little chromed out gem appeared in Raffica SAR Volume 8 Number 11. To further complicate the tracking on this magazine, there are a lot of VZ58s floating around on the world market, very inexpensively. We never were able to final track where that chromed example found in Fallujah came from, but our conjecture is that it was a palace guard model. So the exact source of your oddball magazine is ambiguous at best, but it does belong in-country.

I once had a set of VZ58s that were bring-backs from the Vietnam War purportedly taken from an NVA officer, and these were Amnesty registered so they were fully transferable. VZ58s have shown up in numerous places, and will continue to do so. SAR has covered these rifles in the past, as well as the American made semi-automatic VZ2000 from Ohio Ordnance Works, and the Czech offered VZ58S.

Q-I have been told the correct tripod for my M60 is the M122 and that it looks exactly like the tripod for the 1919A4. Is there a difference?

A- The one for the 1919 is marked M2, and the one for the M60 is marked M122. They are essentially the same and are interchangeable, but for technical and historical accuracy, your M60 should be mounted on an M122 marked tripod. There were many of the old 1919A4 tripods designated the “M2” that were remarked as “M122” and no further work was done to them. The primary differences in the shooting platforms are in the pintle and Traverse & Elevation mechanisms (T&E). Some of the later M122s had a smoother transition from the legs to the feet, appearing to be made from one piece and not welded. The best ID is from the photos accompanying this answer.

Send questions to:
Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

“A Navy F6F Hellcat that ditched in 3,400 feet of water off of San Diego, California, on January 12, 1944, was recovered by Lockheed’s “Deep Quest” last October 10, 1970. All of the plane’s magnesium parts had corroded away, but they apparently served as sacrificial cathodes to protect the steel parts. An M2 .50 caliber machine gun from the plane was sent to the Naval Weapons Laboratory in Dahlgren, Virginia for checking. It was cleaned, lubricated, and test fired without a stoppage or mechanical failure. Oceanographers point out that 3,400 feet deep off the coast of California is very close to the zone of minimum oxygen concentration in sea water, and that the same result should not be expected from water layers containing more dissolved oxygen .- “Under Sea Technology“, the industry’s recognized authority for oceanography, marine sciences, and undersea defense. January 1971, Vol. 12, No. 1.

One could surmise from the above that if one needed to store Ma Deuce underwater for long term, then 3,400 feet deep in sea water is an appropriate place. This illustrates once again the truly amazing resilience of Browning’s system. The Browning M2 machine gun has been in service for around eighty years and stories abound on the Browning’s reliability. Seeing that twenty-five years underwater didn’t stop Ma Deuce is an eye opener. Deep Quest was a program of forty foot long research submersibles that had a crew of five, starting in the mid 1960s and ending in 1980. They could stay deep underwater for 18 hours and were designed to reach 8,000 feet in depth, with their record being a dive to 8,310 feet when they planted an American flag on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Recovering this F6F was one of many highlights of the program, and I thought that readers of Raffica would be interested in it, although I suspect that this M2 was not registered with the NFRTR.

Q- Is there any quick way to tell whether you are looking at a Stoner 63 or a Stoner 63A?

A- Aside from all the plug and play variations of the Stoner 63/63A system that outwardly may appear the same but are not compatible, the fastest way to tell the difference is in the gas tube appearance. All of the Stoner 63A guns have a gas tube that is silver in appearance and is made from matte stainless steel, whereas the Stoner 63 gas tubes are carbon steel and finished in matte black. Another telltale sign is the location of the charging handle. The Stoner 63A handles are either on top of the handguard area or underneath it depending on the configuration, while the Stoner 63 charging handles are on the side of the weapon. Each part or piece has a different way of being ID’d (too much information for Raffica), but a few more clues are as follows. The 63A has a dust cover, 63 does not. The selector on the 63A has two positions with a separate sliding safety, the 63 has a three position safety; Safe, Semi, Full Auto. Internally, the rollers on a 63 are dual rollers and fixed, with an up or down position, while the 63A has a single roller that is spring mounted to allow the top cover to close with bolt forward or to the rear, and also has the up or down position. More on Stoner 63, 63A and 63A1 later in SAR.

Q- I have a magazine that was ID’d to me as an FG42 mag and I would like to sell it. I don’t know which model it is for. Can you help on this?

A- While there is one rifle style that is called an FG42, there are numerous variants within the group. Those variations fall into one of two categories for the purposes of this answer: First Model FG42, or Second Model FG42. Since the magazines are distinct between those two groups, I would like to keep it simple to this sub-grouping. If you do indeed have an FG42 magazine, then you have a rare item. You should have no trouble at all selling it. Bring it to Knob Creek or put a classified in SAR after you identify the model.

Ten round magazines (Not shown) have the characteristics of the First Model FG42 magazines.

Magazine: FG42 First Model
Manufacturer: WWII German
Notes: Floorplate spring on this example was broken

Category: RDS2B (Rifle caliber, Dual column, Straight, presents from 2 columns, Box style)

Caliber: 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser)
Capacity: 20 Rounds
OA Length: 5 7/8 inches
Backstrap: 5 7/8 inches
Max. Width: 3.710 inches
Body Width: 3.340 inches
Max. Depth: 1.000 inches
Body Depth: 1.000 inches
Construction: Steel

Magazine: FG42 Second Model
Manufacturer: WWII German
Notes: This example has a small threaded hole drilled on the left side.

Category: RDS2B (Rifle caliber, Dual column, Straight, presents from 2 columns, Box style)

Caliber: 7.92x57mm (8mm Mauser)
Capacity: 20 Rounds
OA Length: 6 1/8 inches
Backstrap: 6 1/8 inches
Max. Width: 3.940 inches
Body Width: 3.360 inches
Max. Depth: 1.177 inches
Body Depth: 1.037 inches
Construction: Steel

Q- I have been having a lot of trouble loading my Suomi 50 round mags for my Swedish K. I was told that there is a Madsen 9mm loader that works. Do you know a source?

A- The Suomi 50 round “Coffin” magazines are a bit unusual in that they are a four column stack as opposed to the more common two column, and they also present from one position so there is a radical transition at the top where all four columns must come to the center. The rounds can get stuck against each other and not move all the way to the top. This has led a number of people to observe live rounds stuck in magazine when they had visually inspected it for clear. I once found a Suomi M31 with magazine in it on the rack, took it down, and opened the bolt to see that all was clear. It was, and when I set it back on the rack, I heard a snap and metal on metal. On further inspection, there were eight rounds in the magazine, now ready to fire. I tried loading that magazine several times and had the incident occur again. A good reason to store firearms without magazines in them; but a definite cautionary tale regarding these four column magazines. Always check them so that you see the follower.

The Madsen M50 loader is the wrong loader and will not fit on the Suomi magazine. Your friend who told you about it was mistaken. The Suomi loader is very similar in appearance, however, and the wedge shape to the base should be a dead giveaway. If you use Suomi “Coffin” magazines in your Suomi, Swedish K, or other adapted SMG, the loader is a handy tool to have.

Q- I have an old AR-15 with a serial number in the 15,000 range. After hundreds of inquiries and chasing worthless leads, I was told that you may know something about my gun. I suspect that it is a tool room “Shorty” as I saw another in a book years ago with a number only 62 digits off of mine. I cannot remember what book it was though. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

A- This is a very common question: “What model did my Colt M16 start out as?” I chose this particular question to answer because of the early serial number, and the chart should answer most of the other questions people have on these earlier guns. However, this will not answer the questions regarding specific odd models that were simply taken from the production line and made into test or prototype guns. Those serial numbers are pretty well restricted to someone keeping record of the model as it came from Colt, or who has had it since it came from Colt. There are 1,600 listed as “Other” for model designation. The “03” or “04” stand for “Model 603” or “Model 604”.

This letter is dated February 2, 1973, and was an internal Colt memorandum from B. Northrop to W. H. Craven. I corrected some spelling, but it is accurately reproduced below. Note that for the first time we have documentation of the set aside serial numbers for H&R as well as the Hydromatic Division of GM. This listing also gives the production for each type.

Prototypes, one-offs, and special runs were frequently made on receivers taken directly from the line or from NOS receivers (New-Old Stock). This list will tell you what the correct model should be, but if you have an odd model it may well be original. Many of the Colt owners have this problem because people have “upgraded” their Colt’s to M4 or whatever, and if you want to bring it back to original, this should help. If you want to know the specifics of the model, such as the type of flash suppressor, bolt carrier, etc., the models are listed with examples in the Machine Gun Dealers Bible, Fourth Edition, available from SAR.

“In December of 1960 we started roll marking AR15 rifles. The following is a general breakdown by serial number of major types: Model 03, 04, SMG, Model 613 and Lebanon rifles.

Starting S/N 101 through 14,484. For General Curtis LeMay (AR15)
14,500 through 14,916 for S.A.W.S. Contract (AR15)
15,000 through 99,999 for Air Force – Model 04
100,000 through 199,999 for Army – Model 03
200,000 through 202,426 for British Contract
202,447 through 379,353 for Air Force – Model 03
400,000 through 407,297 for Air Force – Model 03
500,001 through 701,100 for Army – Model 04
703,278 through 749,999 for Army – Model 04
750,000 through 752,443 for Heavy Barrel Assault
760,001 through 899,999 for Army – Model 03
900,000 through 909,999 for Commando SMG
910,000 through 1,999,999 for Army – Model 03
4,000,001 through 4,060,000 for Air Force – Model 04
4,060,001 through 4,221,800 for Army – Model 03
4,221,801 through 4,285,400 for Air Force – Model 04
4,285,401 through 4,521,000 for Army – Model 03
4,521,001 through 4,521,850 for Air Force – Model 04
4,521,851 through 4,638,400 for Army – Model 03
4,638,401 through 4,643,400 Model 613 for Malaysia (5000)
4,643,401 through 4,701,400 for Army – Model 03
4,701,401 through 4,701,900 for Model 613 Commando (500)
4,781,001 through 4,844,400 for Army – Model 03
4,844,401 through 4,849,400 Model 613 for Taiwan (5000)
4,849,401 through 4,926,000 for Army – Model 03
4,926,001 through 4,928,000 Model 613 for Philippines (2000)
4,928,000 through 4,936,400 Model 03 Army

Serial numbers 2,000,000 – 2,999,999 were set aside for Harrington & Richardson. This company produced approximately 240,000 guns, serial numbers 2,000,000 – 2,240,000.

Serial numbers 3,000,000 – 3,999,999 were reserved for General Motors, Hydromatic Division. They produced approximately 480,000 rifles, serial numbers 3,000,000 – 3,480,000.

Colt Summary:

Model 03 Army 2,300,171
Model 04 Air Force 394,855
British 2,427
AR15 (Early) 14,801
Model 613 12,500
Commando SMG 10,000
Lebanon 14,014
Others 1,600 (Approx.)
Heavy Barrel 2,444
Total
2,752,812 Military
25,774 Sporters

Send questions to: Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014

“The gun is a heat engine, used to convert the heat of exploding powder into mechanical energy, and as such is amenable to the fundamental concepts of thermodynamics. It takes propellant powder, rich in stored-up energy, and causes it to explode and produce gases at high temperature and pressure. These hot, highly compressed gases, confined in the powder chamber, expand, pushing the projectile in one direction and the gun in the other, the energy present in the gases being convert by this process into kinetic energy of the moving parts and into friction .- “The Thermodynamics of firearms” by Clark Shove Robinson, 1943

Notwithstanding the probable argument surrounding the use of the word “exploding” in regard to rapidly deflagrating powder, it would be hard to come up with a more concise paragraph clearly outlining the process of interior ballistics. I particularly like the concept of a firearm as a “heat engine,” which it is, but that phrase doesn’t come into most conversations down at the range or when preparing for a mission.

I recently had the honor of working to train another group of US Army armorers as they were preparing to deploy to Iraq. I consider it an honor every time. My goal is that they come away from training with a more thorough understanding of how the weapons work, an understanding that far exceeds the basic line item by line item, check them off as you read them, type of training that is seen in many technical classrooms. It has to go beyond, “You have reached this proficiency level because you read this item in the order it is in the manual.” There is more to it than that.

The SAR mantra that readers have heard from us so many times, that training for the combat zone requires live firing ammunition by all members of every unit whether they be infantry, SF, or support, and doing so frequently, extends over into the armorers’ groups as well. They need hands on with all of the variations of the weapons they will see, and they need to see them in all conditions from shiny brand new to worn out, beaten on, and malfunctioning. Mission accomplished.

I only hope that the SAR method of writing about firearms can contribute to helping everyone involved with military small arms gain a much better understanding of the fundamentals of how things work. Whether active duty military, law enforcement, industry professional, advanced collector or just plain firearms enthusiast, I hope we have helped you in your understanding of firearms, and helped you enjoy your interest more. On with Raffica…

Q-I was reading the Feb. 2006 issue and something caught my eye that puzzles me. In an article on the “Anthony Smith” upper receiver for the M11/9 SMG, it states that the ATF determined that a semi-auto variant of a full-auto gun with a fixed firing pin that fires from an open bolt is a machine gun. Since when? On what do they base this finding? 20 years ago those semi-auto guns were all over the place. What about current owners of those guns? What’s the deal?

A- Since when? Since about twenty years ago when those open bolt pistols were all over the place. The Technology Branch of ATF is responsible for determining the status of various firearms and parts. One of these categories is for a firearm that is readily convertible to a machine gun. Most of these open bolt, fixed firing pin semiautomatic pistols were very easy to convert to full automatic with simple tools and a couple of minutes of time. This was undeniably the case, so the government simply made a determination of their status and restricted further manufacture of them. Some were converted by individuals and registered as machine guns on Form 1s before 19 May, 1986, so you will occasionally see a registered MAC-10 or a KG-9 that is not an original, factory made machine gun.

The relevant information is contained in two rulings from 1982: ATF Ruling 82-2 that rules the open bolt KG-9 semiautomatic pistol is a machine gun, and ATF Ruling 82-8 that rules the various open bolt MACs, the SM10, the SM11A1, and the SAC (carbine) are all machine guns. Both of these rulings hold that these firearms, if manufactured before a date specified in the ruling (19 January 1982 for the KG-9, 21 June 1982 for the MACs) are not subject to the NFA restrictions. These guns are not considered to be machine guns. For the most part, the manufacturing dates were simple guidelines for the original manufacturers. There really isn’t a special way to tell the exact date of manufacture on these without access to the factory records, and both companies ceased any manufacture of the open bolt guns immediately on the ruling.

It would be prudent for owners, and especially prospective buyers, to function test these guns to ensure they are not capable of full auto fire, and to examine them for internal filing or modifications. To function check for full auto, simply point in safe direction, remove the magazine, retract the bolt to the rear and examine the chamber to see that it is clear. (If it isn’t, it would have fired any cartridge in the chamber unless there was a cartridge malfunction or a bad firing pin.) The bolt should be held to the rear by the sear, ready to fire in the open bolt mode. Holding the charging handle firmly, pull the trigger to allow the bolt to go forward into battery. Do not let off the trigger, keep holding it to the rear firing position. Retract the bolt to the rear while continuing to hold the trigger down. If the bolt is not caught and held by the sear, and the bolt will go forward, you have an altered gun that the ATF will consider a contraband machine gun. If the bolt stays to the rear, you should hear a click as you allow the trigger forward, as the disconnector resets. Repeating the cycle should show this is an unaltered semi-automatic open bolt pistol if the bolt continues to stay to the rear even if the trigger is still depressed.

If the weapon turns out to be contraband, you are required to turn it over to ATF or a law enforcement agency. If the offending altered parts were removed from the gun and destroyed, the unaltered pistol receiver and bolt would simply be for a semiautomatic. No one would be the wiser and that is the common “street” answer regarding this situation. However, that can get you in trouble as well. It is the stance of the agencies involved that an altered weapon like this must be turned in, and having the untaxed, unregistered machine gun in your possession even for the brief period before destroying the offending parts is a felony.

Q-When I was at Knob Creek in the fall of last year, there was a table that had four very rare BARs on it. One of them had a curved magazine and they called it the “303 BAR.” Was this magazine made from a converted Bren gun magazine?

A- I saw that collection as well – very nice. The two that really caught my eye were the top ejecting BAR and the .303 BAR. I don’t know if anyone bought the four guns at the show, but it sure would fill out someone’s collection of BARs. Bob Landies had a beautiful R75 for sale there at his tables, so it was possible for someone with the right bank account balance to really hit a home run on BARs at the show.

To your question; the .303 BAR magazine would more properly be referred to as the magazine for the Browning Light Machine Gun. That was the British name for the BAR in their trials. However, for the sake of uniform discussion, I will stick with the .303 BAR. The Browning Light Machine Gun trials pre-date the Bren gun by about ten years, so the idea of a .303 BAR magazine having been adapted from a Bren magazine is not really a possibility and the manufacturing processes were very different on the two. The most commonly seen variation of a .303 BAR magazine is the twenty-rounder that was on the gun you saw.

The first guns came from the US and were either Colts or Marlin-Rockwells. There were a lot of minor modifications done to the guns to accept the British cartridge. The most outwardly obvious is the radically curved magazine to accept the heavily tapered rimmed .303 cartridge. The magazine example in the ID photo is a British made one from BSA. There were magazines made in the US in small quantity, and eventually there were snail drums as well as thirty and forty-round magazines on the drawing boards. By 1930, the project was dead, and the bastard child of the ZB26, the incredibly reliable Bren gun, was the staple of the British military. In the ID photos, I did not have a file copy of the left hand view, but it is essentially a mirror image of the right hand view.

Q-I am a new Type 07 manufacturer who pays the Class 2 SOT and I have been working on making a DP machine gun from a parts set. I keep hearing about belt fed DPs, but have never seen one for sale. Is this an interchangeable add on, or does more work have to be done?

A- It is an add on part. But before we touch on that, I would really like to address your first statement to clarify an issue that will undoubtedly come up in the minds of many readers. The Type 07 FFL is a manufacturer’s license to make Title I firearms. These are your basic handguns, rifles, shotguns, etc. In order to manufacture a Title II firearm, that is firearms restricted under the National Firearms Act (NFA), a Special Occupational Tax is paid every year. This tax allows the taxpayer to manufacture and register silencers, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, and firearms like pen guns that fall into the category of Any Other Weapon, for his own business purposes and for resale. The Class 2 SOT also allows the manufacturer to make new machine guns for sale to law enforcement and government agencies. It also allows the manufacture of machine guns for research and development. These items become “post 86 dealer samples” and they can never be sold to individuals and they can not be kept by the dealer on ending SOT status. Making a DP machine gun by a Class 2 manufacturer may sound unusual, but if it is in the process of that Class 2’s research and development, for understanding function as part of design, this is not generally questioned by the ATF. If it is simply to enhance a private collection, then there may be violations.

What am I saying? The Class 2 license isn’t a quickie way around the 1986 ban on further manufacture of machine guns for private ownership. If you are an aspiring designer trying to break into the field, and are doing legitimate and proper study of historical machine gun designs and the mechanical function, there historically hasn’t been an issue with ATF. If, on the other hand, you are making toys and putting videos of yourself firing your new “postie” antique on the Internet collector boards, then you aren’t comporting yourself in a business-like manner and you may have some future “issues.” Yes, please read between the lines here. More plainly put, if you are seriously in the business, the post samples you manufacture that are part of your legitimate work are fine. If you are only licensed for playing around, you might end up with personal legal problems and you may eventually be causing more restrictions and problems for the Class 3 community.

The Soviet era Degtyarev designed machine gun is fed from the top via a large flat pan magazine that lies horizontally on the receiver. Empty cases are ejected downwards. Several attempts to make this weapon a belt fed were tried during World War II – none were adopted. In the post war period, there were a number of trials for new machine guns, one of which resulted in the RPD in 7.62x39mm. Several Soviet designers worked on the standard 7.62x54R caliber idea for a light weight belt fed, and the base weapon of a DPM was chosen. This was not too complicated an idea, to make a drop on unit that was activated by transferring the energy of the DP charging handle to a lever that captured the handle in forward and rearward motion. The 1938 designed DShK is another machine gun that comes to mind that utilizes a lever that traps a knob attached to the bolt as a means of transferring that energy. While it may appear the idea is not too complicated, there are in fact a number of daunting challenges to this design. The DP machine gun bolt is a push forward system. It is very simple in that on its forward travel, it strips a round from the magazine and chambers, then fires the round. The cycle repeats on extraction and ejection. Russian belts, however, require that the round be pulled to the rear, out of the belt, due to the rimmed case. The 7.62x54R cartridge does not lend itself to links such as the M13 (M60 or M240) link that allows the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge to strip forward.

When the rimmed cartridge is pulled to the rear, it must then be presented to the DP bolt for forward travel. Since the DP pan covers a large, flat area of the receiver, there was enough room to feed the belts into a forward part of the device, activate all of the mechanism with a lever, and capture and move the cartridge to a rearward position for presentation to the bolt’s forward motion. Note the toggle underneath the rear of the top cover in the photo. This is a spring-pressured lever that guides the cartridge downward into the path of the bolt, and holds it in place as well. This lever is also evident on the PK series of machine guns and, in my mind, is one of the primary reasons the PK is so reliable. No matter what the orientation of the PK, the cartridges are positively presented to the bolt. Designs that rely on gravity for that presentation have more reliability problems.

The Rotniy Pulemet Obrazsta 1946 or RP46 was manufactured in small quantities and adopted in service. Since there is no other modification needed to the DPM, the upgrade to belt feed could be readily accomplished in the field on existing guns with the unit pictured here. One issue that had a large impact was that the DP series guns do not have a quick change barrel and with belt fed firing, the barrels could overheat quickly.

These RP-46 belt fed units are exceedingly rare in the United States. I have only seen a few for sale and they are snatched up quickly. Like any add on part, there may be a bit of adjustment needed to make it functional, especially on a re-welded receiver. Proper alignment of every part is imperative to get the mechanism to work. The RP-46 uses the Russian standard 1910 Maxim style non-disintegrating metallic links, still used in the PKM today.

Q-What are Dater Holes?

A- I have to assume you are referring to the Gemtech product line. In some of Gemtech’s suppressor baffles, there are mysterious holes that Dr. Philip Dater refuses to discuss. He says they are proprietary to his designs, and will not reveal the technology involved, stating that this is simply the result of his many years experience in suppressor design. After I got your question, I went to my reference collection of silencers and started taking apart some of his designs from the 1970s and these “Dater Holes” were not there. I didn’t bother going any further on this to find at what point in his designs these appear, and would not like to speculate as to the real purpose. If you are not referring to the suppressors, and, heaven forbid, you are referring to something anatomical, then the only other reference I could imagine for “Dater Holes” would be the inexplicable wormholes in the time-space continuum that it is rumored that Dr. Dater uses for international as well as intergalactic travel. It is probable that he learned of these when he worked at Roswell during his military career back in the early 1950s, but I would be speculating. Explaining any of THAT is far above my pay grade.

Send questions to:
Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review
Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
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SAR Magazine ID Guide:

Magazine: .303 caliber Browning Automatic Rifle
Manufacturer: British BSA (Birmingham Small Arms factory)
Notes: Magazine is made of two stamped halves welded together. This example has “15” painted on the
floorplate.

Category: RDC2B (Rifle caliber, Dual column, Curved, presents from two columns, Box style)

Caliber: .303 British
Capacity: 20 rounds
OA Length: 6 1/4 inches
Backstrap: 6 3/8 inches
Max. Width: 3.590 inches
Body Width: 3.160 inches
Max. Depth: 1.140 inches
Body Depth: 1.000 inches
Construction: Steel

“Filling the magazine, and loading the cartridges into the chamber, should be done with quickness, ease, and certainty. The sights should be simple and not liable to shift during firing; they should be capable of being quickly set, easily seen and accurately aligned. – On Rapidity of Fire; The Text Book of Small Arms, 1904, Captain W. B. Wallace, 2nd Bn. Suffolk Regiment, Inspector of Small Arms.

One hundred and one years ago, the mantra of the small arms designer was evident. Keep it Simple. I was struck by this paragraph while reviewing the 1904 edition, and the lessons learned it represented. I would urge all of today’s designers of weapons and accessories to find a copy of this book and spend some evenings reading it. There is much to be applied on today’s battlefield. Simplicity is important in high stress, high impact situations. Anyone who has ever buttstroked an enemy with an M16, and had the stock break, will understand this – even if it was in training. You have effectively disarmed yourself. If you break an AK47 buttstock, you lose accuracy at long range but you can still fire from a two handed grip. Simple and robust are good words to remember when designing weapons. The sights? Ah, the sights. In today’s world of SOLIC, HALO, CQB and the rest of the acronyms, there are incredibly complex sights being developed. The best are extremely robust and some can even physically break and still keep operating. Again, just going back in time and seeking some wisdom from the old school.

Q-I have a ZB30 and want to get some spare parts put together for it. The bolt face was welded and I wanted to make a firing pin out of some ZB26 parts I might have access to from a friend. Any suggestions on this?

A- Actually, some comments are necessary before addressing the firing pin issue. There are three basic variations of the ZB gun parts you are apt to commonly run into today: the original ZB26, the ZB30, and the ZB30j, which is the Yugoslav variation. A lot of these guns are coming out of the Balkans as parts kits, and it is important to realize that the development of these weapons does not allow for much interchanging of parts. I am also not much of an advocate for changing original parts to fit other guns, blasphemous as that sounds. Sure, common magazines or very common barrels being converted to work in something unusual, but as we have seen, a stroke of a pen and the sources on cheap magazines, barrels, or fill-in-the-blank, are gone. I suggest that having such a rare gun, you should try to find original parts kits and buy them to stock up on original parts.

On all of these guns, the firing pins are very different in most dimensions, and should not be cut up or altered for other guns. It would be easier to start from scratch and turn and mill down what you need. Actually, it would be easier to watch for the parts sets on the market and buy them. I spoke with Bob Faris and Bill Vallerand at length on the ZBs to affirm this information. Read the picture captions for the differences in the firing pins. Also, bear in mind that the ZB26 was one of the most robust and reliable machine guns ever made – the receiver was expected to do 5,000,000 rounds. The system was designed for one type of ammunition, one loading of powder and bullet, and initially there was trouble with any heavier projectile. This Vzor 23 ammunition had a 150-grain flat-based projectile, as well as a single hole Berdan primer system. The ZB30j was expected to address this ammunition sensitivity issue. With the correct ammo, the 26 wouldn’t skip a beat. I have fired all of these in Bosnia and Serbia, as well as in US collections, and I consider these along with the FND BAR, the MAG58, and the bastard child of the ZB, the Bren, to be some of the best light machine guns in the world.

On the firing pins, it is good to remember that the oblong shape presents a stronger “neck” and is less likely to splinter than the round shape does. It also presents a larger surface area striking against the primer. In the ZB26, the bolt face has a ridge that actually crimps the brass of the cartridge seat around the primer, producing a better gas seal. With those two features, the initiating process of the combustion chain of events are much more reliable than in some other systems. The Vzor 23 ammunition did not have to have the primer pocket crimped in as it was done during firing. However, this oblong shape adds more work to production. The ZB30j firing pins could be turned on a lathe and had one mill cut for the pin, while the ZB26 and ZB30 firing pins required additional machining to make the oblong shape.

Q- I bought some of the PPSH41 drums that just came in, and one of them has the left feed lip much taller than the right. I was told this was for the PPSh-34 but I can’t find any info on that gun.

A- Probably because there wasn’t a PPSh-34. There are some model names close to that, and if you look at the accompanying photo you should see your drum right in the middle. It is for the PPD-40 submachine gun, which was the precursor to the famous “Shpagin”, the PPSh-41. The PPD-40 drum does have the left feed lip higher than the right. The first of the Soviet submachine guns we are discussing were the PPD-34 and the PPD-34/38. The “D” stands for the designer’s last name, Degtyarev. The PPD-34/38 guns fed from a stick magazine or a drum with a stick magazine top (left) which complicated feeding as well as manufacture. The same designer made the PPD-40, which introduces the open space in the feed area, allowing a drum that presents the rounds directly from the drum to the bolt. This drum (center in the picture) has one side of the feed lips machined, and the other left alone. In 1941 the PPSh-41 was adopted. The “Sh” stands for the designer’s name, Shpagin. This drum (right) is the one most commonly found, and both of the feed lips are formed down to present to the bolt. If possible, you should try and find the owner of a PPD-40 to sell or trade that drum with. These drums are not too common, and I did see a PPD-40 sell from Ohio Ordnance’s tables during the October 2005 Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot. Perhaps they can help you find a buyer for that drum so it gets re-united with an original PPD-40.

Q- I bought a small box of AR-15 magazines from a GI who was walking through a local gun show. Most of them were pretty standard looking and had the usual floorplate markings. There was one light weight magazine that had no markings and it had another mag catch square cut out on the right side. Not like the AR-18 slit, a full cut out box. I thought it might be one of the British SA-80 aluminum magazines. Any idea on where this magazine came from?

A- The square cut out on each side, combined with the lack of markings and the light weight are pretty sure indicators that this is a Type 65 magazine. This is the Taiwanese variant of the M16 series of rifles. I only know of a couple of these rifles in the US, and these were pre-1986 dealer sample guns. How most of the magazines that I have seen got into the US was from the 1989 invasion of Panama. Some of the Panamanian Defense Forces used the Taiwanese Type 65 rifle, and some US troops brought back magazines, bayonets, etc. as part of what should have been war trophies – but in actuality were contraband. I am still a firm believer that our warriors should be able to bring back the weapons of the enemies they fight, and to legally register these machine guns. Regardless of what I happen to think, the powers that be have decreed that these items are contraband.

The British SA-80 magazines would look similar but have Radway Green markings (circle RG), different welds, and not have that second cut-out. Regarding that, I have no idea why that right side cut-out is there. The rifle doesn’t have any mechanism in that area.

The rifles were manufactured at the Hsing-Ho Arsenal, Kaohsiung. Magazines were presumably made at the same arsenal, but there have been reports of various factories making these.

Q-I recently purchased a set of the Smith & Wesson 1940 rifles in 9mm. One is a Type I, the other a Type II. This is starting into a quest for me to obtain all of the accessories. I saw a picture of a special tubular stock once, and would like to know where I can get one.

A- Congrats on the score of a set of these. The original production of the 1940 went to the UK, with all tools and gages. Legend has them all being destroyed by a Nazi bomb. With a few exceptions, these all had the standard black plastic stock. Interestingly, most of these in the US were sold as sets. A S&W collector discovered the parts for the 1940 Light Rifle in the back room at S&W during the 1970s and made a deal to have all of these “in the white” parts finished with a beautiful blue, then completed. He sold them all as sets of a Type I and a Type II. Most had a warning plate on them to not fire with modern 9mm ammunition, as it was too powerful. Interesting guns, the magazine fits into what appears to be an oversized well, but in actuality the rear of the well guides the brass straight downward. Also, the barrels are under 16 inches in length making these Short Barreled Rifles, but these were removed from the NFRTR as Curio & Relics and do not require transfer or registration anymore. The buttstock you are referring to is an unusual stock that was made for the British as a “Paratrooper” or “Takedown” stock, with an aluminum base and a steel tube extension and shoulder piece that was removable for takedown. I have only seen that one in the MOD Pattern Room Collection (now at the Royal Armouries in Leeds). Accessories that are usually found are slings and magazines, with the magazines frequently being new in a cardboard box.

Q-I got a tool in a pile of parts, and need some help identifying it. (Picture enclosed)

A- The first clue is that the tool has such a weird shape that it is well known to .50 caliber shooters. This is the famous “Butterfly Wrench”, or more correctly “Wrench, Combination, M2”. This wrench design predates the World War II guns, and during the war it was a common tool for all three basic variants: the M2 Water Cooled, the M2HB, and the M2 Aircraft Basic. There are many different tools worked onto one metal piece. The best way to explain the tool is through a picture. Yes, it can be unwieldy and awkward to use and requires a good look through the manuals to see exactly how it was used, but it also combines an entire tool box in one flat piece of metal that is pretty handy to have around.

Magazine: Taiwan T65
Manufacturer: Taiwan – various factories.
Notes: Very thin aluminum shell, painted black, for Taiwanese version of M16. Mag catch hole on each side.

Category: RDC2B (Rifle caliber, Dual column, Curved, presents from 2 columns, Box style)

Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO
Capacity: 30 rounds
OA Length: 7 1/8 inches
Backstrap: 7 1/4 inches
Max. Width: 2.520 inches
Body Width: 2.380 inches
Max. Depth: 0.870 inches
Body Depth: 0.870 inches
Construction: Aluminum

Send questions to:
Raffica
sareview@aol.com
Or mail to Small Arms Review Attn Raffica
631 N. Stephanie St #562
Henderson, NV 89014