M 60 Gun - A gun geek who is truly dedicated to his craft approaches his eccentric little impulse like a great hunter. We fix our eyes on the glamorous black, steel, greasy trinket, then relentlessly pursue it until it claims a hallowed place in the gun safe. Gun collectors tend to be as diverse as trendy or classic cars.
The extremely rare Springfield Armory SA1 is a semi-automatic version of the classic 7.62x51mm NATO belt-fed M60 machine gun.
M 60 Gun
However, there is one pistol in particular that will serve as the absolute centerpiece of your experienced firearms collection. It is the very rare and no longer produced Springfield Armory SA1, a semi-automatic version of the M60 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun).
No. 1 Gun': An M60 Machine Gunner In Vietnam Tells His Story
The SA1 was a limited production semi-automatic version of the classic M60 belt-fed machine gun, produced shortly after the "machine gun ban" in 1986. Using a preponderance of GI-issued parts along with cleverly tuned mechanisms to meet the meeting BATF, the SA1 traveled like any other semi-automatic rifle but fed 7.62x51mm ammunition and weighed 23 pounds. emptied
Around 200 copies were sold in the 1980s, so owning one of these classic pigs today would be like landing a vintage 1967 Corvette, a pre-'74 Porsche 911 or a sexy Jaguar E-Type.
Prior to 1986, the manufacture of fully automatic firearms for sale to civilians was entirely legal under the requirements of the National Firearms Act (NFA), with a $200 transfer tax. As a result, firearms like these were plentiful and relatively cheap. In some cases, the cheapest subguns can be cheaper than the transfer tax.
Although it shares many features and parts with the M60 submachine gun, the Springfield SA1 is a semi-automatic firearm that fires from a closed bolt.
The M60 Machine Gun Has Withstood The Test Of Time, Here's Why
At the time, a niche market for newly manufactured transferable machine guns was thriving. Back then, people didn't have as much disposable income as they do today, which contributed to the shrinking of the market. Also, since these weapons were still available for free, there didn't seem to be any undue pressure to acquire them. In short, it was a very different world.
In 1974, a major ammunition dealer named Robert Reese and his son Dennis Reese decided to start a firearms business. Along with Dennis' brothers Dave and Tom, the Reese family created Geneseo, Springfield Armory in Illinois. A modern gunslinger born from a very small town foundation.
Let's say the arms giants started out in paneled conference rooms and sprawling manufacturing complexes. Dave Reese said the first Springfield Armory board meetings were held over the dinner table.
Springfield Armory's catalog was pretty sparse at the time. The M1A semi-automatic version of the US Army M14, the M1 Garand and the M1911 pistol led the way. As Springfield Armory grew, Dave Reese expanded the business into a separate company within a few years of Springfield's creation. A company called Rock Island Armory manufactured and sold transferable machine guns.
M60 Machine Gun
Prior to 1986, Dave Reese's Rock Island Armory carried M60 GPMGs, M14 rifles, M2 carbines, BM 59 rifles, and fully automatic M2 .50 caliber machine guns. The $200 transfer tax required would be equivalent to about $500 today, but there aren't many suppliers of this lean iron. Thanks to this, the business went well. Life was good until the passage of the Gun Owners Protection Act (FOPA), which went into effect on May 19, 1986.
A report by a Senate subcommittee studying the Second Amendment to the US Constitution argued that most prosecutions under gun laws have been brought against ordinary citizens who have no criminal intent and commit unknown technical violations. FOPA will help make these and many other things right for American gun owners.
As the FOPA debate drew to a close, Congressman William J. Hughes of New Jersey introduced the famous Hughes Amendment in an informal voice vote. Esmena Hughes ordered additional production of fully automatic weapons illegally sold to civilians, effectively limiting the number of machine guns in the registry.
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Us 7.62mm M60 Machine Gun And The Mg42
It is generally accepted that the chairman of this proceeding ignored the request for a recorded vote to pass the amendment despite the lack of official support. However, FOPA passed both houses of Congress and was signed by the president. This event made a big difference in the neat little world of American machine gun collecting.
Manufacturers of such firearms had about three months between the date the bill was passed and the date it actually went into effect. Meanwhile, they were busy making machine guns. Anything made before the deadline and capable of being printed on paper was accepted. Anything built after the server is essentially useless to private clients as it is only available to law enforcement. The receiver had to be completed mechanically with a cut.
SA1 with the top cover open, revealing the interior of the gun. Dave Reese and company converted the design to a closed bolt firing system.
Producing something as complex as the M60 receiver takes time and specialized equipment. Instead, the Sten submachine gun receiver could be mass-produced. Many livelihoods depended on details. Manufacturers were making machine guns like crazy. However, on May 19, 1986, when the clock struck midnight, the era of new civilian machine guns in the United States came to an irreversible end.
M 60 Machine Gun Hi Res Stock Photography And Images
Therefore, Uncle Sam forced Dave Reese to stockpile expensive M60 parts, leaving him without a receiver he could manufacture and sell to civilians. Things looked bleak.
So what was the solution? What could I do with these pieces and not have the means to sell them? With the help of his brothers Denny and Tom and brilliant Class II fabricator Doug Oefinger, they set out to redesign the M60 mechanism for semi-automatic fire. A former John Deere engineer named Bob Kuehl also helped. Robert Reese met Bob at a gun show and they hit it off. Running on a very tight budget, the weapon has evolved over time and the end result is undeniably inspiring.
G.I. fully automatic. The M60 is fired from an open bolt with a floating firing pin, and the rotating bolt locks into place the moment it is fired. This is not a system that would lend itself easily to the hammer firing mechanism found in the AR Pattern SAINT or M1A. So Dave Reese and company went for the striker.
As the action cycles in this system, the mill holds the striker in a "cocked" position. Pulling the trigger releases the striker to fire a shot and resets the cycle for the next round. A redesigned activation mechanism allows the cutter to cycle semi-automatically. The theory was sound, but predictably the devil was in the details.
Why America's M60 Machine Gun Has Stood The Test Of Time
After some back-and-forth, the head of the BATF technical department approved the closed-bolt semi-automatic design for sale as an unrestricted Title 1 firearm. The final design featured G.I. A bolt assembly that facilitates the striker's new firing action. Dave Reese used his remaining stock of M60 parts, producing about 200 copies a year sold under the Springfield Armory and Rock Island Arsenal brands.
If you want your own Springfield Armory SA1 M60, you better have deep pockets. Not in stock at your local Sportsman's Warehouse or Cabela's. I found it in 2014 for just under $10,000. Another copy with a spare M60E3 barrel sold for $14,000 at auction two years ago. I found an example currently selling online for $18,000.
Note the long steel guard attached to the side of the receiver. This protective guard protects the lever from below that allows the modified mechanism of the gun to work.
The price of such a rare piece of iron is clearly something the market can afford. But, conversely, when I wrote this article, Rock Island Armory's original, fully automatic, transferable, unfired M60 was listed on GunBroker.com for $70,000. come on
Best M60 Loadout In Warzone
Dave is still active in the Springfield Armory organization today, committed to providing us all with cool, cutting-edge defensive firearms. The history of Springfield Armory is a quintessential expression of the classic American dream. A family of entrepreneurs has taken what they love and turned it into a successful empire. Through perseverance and dedication, they have stayed in business through thick and thin. Today we all benefit. More power to them.
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