Machine Gun Shoot

Spent the morning helping a friend run a machine gun shoot for a few folks.  After they were done we had some fun ourselves with the guns. . .

First one I tried was the historic Bren gun

This is the classic British gun from WWII.  I have to say this was probably my favorite.  It is slow but accurate and heavy enough that it has little to no kick.  The odd bit is the mag goes on the top as you see here:



So you can't sight down the barrel.  The sites are actually on the left side of the gun. .  .  . Anyway, lots of fun to shoot and with the .303 rounds it packs a punch.

Next up was the classic WWII Sten that the Brits gave their airborn troops.

Now this one takes the mag in the side, fires from open bolt, and fires the standard 9mm round.  It doesn't look like much being as they are made out of stamped parts and not finished, but fun to shoot.  It has enough weight to it that it is easy to keep on target and control.  For it's looks it shoots far better than it should.

I finished off my day with the AK-47.  I had to try it as I have a semi version so really wanted to try the full auto. . ..



Fun to shoot, but it walks a bit, and is not the most accurate thing I have ever shot. . . . To tell the truth, I have no idea how anyone can fire this thing on full auto and actually hit what they are aiming at. . .  or even get close to it. . .  seems like the safest spot was at the point of aim in full auto. . . .

Anyway, had a great day, and then helped with the cleaning of all of them.  Maybe I am just too much of a geek engineer but pulling apart the Bren and Sten to see how they work was almost as much fun as shooting them to me.  I am still amazed when I can get my hands on a piece of history like a Bren and hold it, shoot it, and think about everything that gun may have been through from WWII to now. . .  Really amazing when you think about it.

Looking forward to the next shoot whenever that happens!