replica 50 cal gun

[Bill Greenwood]

When I went to Flightsafety, Vero Beach I made friends with a man who hd been in a foreign military in a recent war. A few years later when I was flying the Spitfire he asked if I wanted some genuine like new 30 cal machine guns for my plane, readily available at $1000 each. No cannons were mentioned. It was one of those ideas that initially had some appeal, then that old killjoy, common sense, took over and it went no farther. He was not the kind of guy to make false promises. We played tennis one day, he had been wounded in the war and could barely walk. After I did all the running, I found out his dad was a coach and his sister an All American college player with Chris Evert's sister.

[astixjr]

As far as I know, there is no actual BATF or FAA rule that prohibits the installation of a fully automatic weapon in an aircraft. I think you can still do it if the gun or guns are properly registered and the state you operate in, allows for ownership. Unless you have a Class III Dealers license, crossing state lines can become an issue. I assumed that shortly after 911, there would be a new rule to prohibit re-arming a plane but if a new reg is out there, I have not seen it yet. I have a small amount of experience with this exact issue and I can advise anyone considering it to skip it.

[Taigh Ramey]

Quite a while ago I did a report for a customer who asked the question about what the options are for 50 cal guns. I have copied the text below as it may be of some help. The graphics are also available if you would like. I can send you the full original report as a Microsoft Publisher document; just send me your e-mail address.

Keep in mind that the prices quoted below are real old and do not reflect current market values. The availability of real parts kits has changed dramatically and 50 cal kits are quite spendy.

Some of the laws and regulations have changed in individual states since this was written.

Here is the text from the report:

There are several options when it comes to .50 caliber AN-M2 machine guns. The least expensive is using aluminum cast replicas. These normally range in price from $500 to $1000. There are several drawbacks to using these types of replicas. First is the finish. Since they are aluminum instead of steel they can’t be Parkerized (a finish used by the military). The guns have to be painted. It is possible to mix a paint that closely resembles the original finish. The next problem is that of accessories that mount to the gun. The cast guns are all made the same and are not easily configured to for many different types of installation. Thus the guns usually require additional machining and rework. Up close the appearance and mass of the guns is quite different.

The next option is that of using real gun parts kits. These kits are made from surplus WW II and Korean war era parts. Since these guns are about as original as you can get, the problem of having to re work the guns to fit the application is eliminated. There are a couple of concerns that arise with real parts kits.

First, the right side of the gun’s main body (called the receiver right side plate) is the part of the gun which has to be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Second, if you assemble enough parts to make a firing gun you are in violation of federal firearms laws. If you assemble the Browning .30 or .50 cal. aircraft gun without the right side plate installed, it will fire. Any vehicle, vessel or aircraft that transports such an illegal weapon is subject to seizure. State laws also vary as to the legality of possession of certain machinegun parts.

There are several grades of real parts kits available:

Demilled (short for de-militarized) kits use parts that have been cut with an oxy-acetylene torch so as to render the parts unserviceable. These parts require re welding, grinding and refinishing. These kits contain only the parts that show externally. These basic kits cost around $700 without the right side plate.

Serviceable external kits use uncut parts. These kits will need: a right side plate of some sort, assembly and refinishing. These kits cost about $750.

Guns that have been built up from external Demilled kits that have a thick right side plate (real internal parts will not fit thus rendering the gun inoperative) are re welded and re Parkerized cost around $1750. A sliding mass can be added to the inside of the gun to simulate the feel of charging or cocking for $100.

An externally complete gun assembled from serviceable uncut parts which has a thick right side plate and has been re finished will cost $2750.

A full kit (internal and external parts excluding right side plate) of serviceable parts in original finish will cost $2795. The vendor will not assemble this kit for above mentioned reasons. The parts can be re Parkerized for $300. A thick right side plate will cost approximately $300.

The last option is a semi-automatic version of the .50 cal gun which was manufactured from original gun parts. The parts have been altered so they are not interchangeable with a fully automatic gun. This gun is a functioning weapon that will only fire one shot per trigger pull. As such, the gun is not considered a machine gun by the A.T.F. and is a legal in all 50 states. This gun can also be easily converted to a blank firing weapon. The cost of this gun is $5300.

AN-M2 .30 caliber aircraft machine guns are quite hard to find. As of this writing I haven’t come across any available parts kits. I believe I will find the required kits eventually. The price for the .30 cal guns will be comparable to if not greater than the .50 cal guns.

Please keep in mind that these prices are for the basic gun. Accessories such as mounts, cradles, sights etc. can at times more than double the cost of the gun itself.

I hope this helps,
Taigh

[peter]

Thanks Steve might be worth asking..

[bdk]

Keep in mind that the prices quoted below are real old and do not reflect current market values. The availability of real parts kits has changed dramatically and 50 cal kits are quite spendy.

$4K-$6K for a parts kit less sideplate. People are rewelding some demil'ed parts (like trunnions) back together for operational guns now.