machine gun in a pickup.

[darksidearmorer]

i know its a crazy idea but leagaly can i mount a machinegun in the bed of a pickup ? im not talking about driving down public street with it but for private use on private property and a leagly owned beltfed. i want to do this small scale with an ohio ordnace semi auto browning .30cal and then eventualy move up to a real full auto when or if my income ever makes it possble. is there anything in the nfa that prevents this ? i know in my state on public land its illeagle to fire any firearm from a moving vehicle however on private property your fine. im thinking about this because i spent a lot of time in a turret of an mrap while i was in the service and in a weird way i miss it, i just want to be able to shoot off a truck again without goin to jail. again before people freak , Im talking private property a leagly owned machine gun and safe weapon handiling practices.

[Willie Lowman]

That would be up to the laws of your state.

I've seen such things done in Ohio and Kentucky. Heck, in Arizona there is a gun range where you can fire a M2 from a Humvee for the right money.

[RamItOne]

http://www.r8pl8z.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/beltfed-funny-license-plate.jpg

Guy was on a truck forum I was on. Iirc he's a dealer in Oklahoma.

[MrDontPlay]

I've seen that truck on another gun forum. If you'll notice it says "class III dealer" on the back window.

[James K]

No, there is nothing in the NFA to prohibit doing what you propose.

But if the "private property" isn't pretty big, with several miles of impact area, you might have some problems with your neighbors. It isn't like a range, where you can build a backstop and keep the guns pointed in one direction. If the gunner is firing when the driver hits a bump, the bullets could go about anywhere.

Jim

[darksidearmorer]

yes i understand the need of a backstop, i do have fair amount of experience when it comes of machineguns mounted on mraps and other military vics, this is going to be very small scale and with the right set up will be plenty safe, i was just curious of the leagl aspect. the land im looking at has a rather large hill that will be the backstop for the range. with the road graded for smoothness it will be safe as long as i build an elevation stop into the mount. there are many traning ranges setup exactly like this on several military bases all over the country and i have particpated in this type of training several times so its not as complicated or unsafe as it apprears to be on the surface. im not to picky about the type of machinegun eventually used its just the ability to do so that im interested in does any one here have an opinon on an inexpensive belt fed? just cheap ammo and reliable is my only real concern im not to interested in spending 40,000 on a m2 just for kicks , what does a pkm run or mabey and rpd?

[armoredman]

That truck is what a "technical" wishes it could be...nice.

[Willie Lowman]

Darkside, you will find M2s to be much cheaper and easier to find than a transferable PKM or RPD. The M2 is much more common and therefore going to be cheaper. I saw one recently for roughly $25,000.

A 1919 or perhaps and old Maxim would be the cheapest belt feds you will find. Between $15,000 to $20,000 depending on what accessories come with the gun. Those prices may be a little off, I haven't seen one of those guns for sale for a while.

Oh, those prices will be higher next year, and the year after that, and the year after...

[mboylan]

The problem with the M2 is ammo cost. 7.62x54 can be had much cheaper. A 1919 is easily converted. The other option is a Maxim. Common beltfeds have taken a big hit in price. It is a good time to buy.

[darksidearmorer]

what about mg42s ? im okay on spending the money for a beltfed its the ammo cost that im concerned about. shooting 8mm mauser or any of the .30 somethings would be a bit cheaper that .50bmg, but a m2 in the back of a truck would be beyond cool

[Willie Lowman]

OOW has some MG08/15s for sale for just under 10000.

I haven't seen a transferable MG42 for sale for a while.

[Beretta686]

I know a guy here in Texas who mounted his M2 on the back of a jeep and would blast down into a river gorge which ran through his Hill Country property, turning big rocks into small rocks. He'd also hunt pigs with it....

Belt-feds are bad-ass, but they're a bit pricey to feed for a private citizen. And unfortunately the Army has a way of taking something totally awesome, like a drive-by shooting with belt-fed weapons and turning it into something epically lame, called a "Convoy live-fire exercise".

[darksidearmorer]

good for me that the marine corps live fire convoy ranges are so so much better.