Question re: M2 Carbine

[BrianQ]

If the ATF says "once a machine gun, Always a machine gun" how come you see Browning 1919A1's in semi-auto at gun shows all the time? Or do you need them registered to?.....Frank

They have a different (semi only) right side plate. The right side plate is the receiver.

[frankderrico]

Thanks Brian, got it.....Frank

[kikokat]

Thanks for all the interesting comments gentlemen. Should one ever run across one of these, it seems the smartest route to go is to properly dispose of the receiver, and at least one of the "bad" parts, and salvage everything else.

[emmagee1917]

...because I have a registered M2 and I'm friends with the local sheriff. I would strip it and keep all the parts ( in this case I can have all the spares I want , If I sell my gun and have no M2 , then I can't have all the spares ) and turn the reciever over to the sheriff. He will do the fed contacts and see if it belongs to someone . If it's been stolen , then I would turn over the rest of the parts and the guy would get his property back. I've taken two M-16s and a 1928A1 Thompson off the streets so far. The M16s were stolen govt. property from the '60s , but they never wanted the rest of them , so I sold them to fund my hobby. The Thompson was supposed to be a cut-up import , but it never saw a torch. The feds tried to go after the importor and the dealers who sold it , but they had long sence died or closed up.
I know if one of my babies were stolen and one of you found it , I would like to have it returned , not cut up.
Chris

[sniper188]

Get your handy dandy Dremal tool and grind off the 2. Then buy a medal stamp with a "1" on it and restamp the receiver. Then you have a M1. No one ever kept track of the M2 s/n's anyway. I have a late Inland that has a hand stamped M1. They ran the M1 & M2's on the same line and stamped a 1 or 2
depending what they were making. The receivers are exactly the same. What makes a M2 is the disconnecter and a few other parts.

[painter777]

Sniper,
The M2 in question is being offered on a public auction site.... possible set up/sting ?? Who knows.
What I do know is I'd be worried if it had been previously registered as a M2.
My luck I'd do the transfer and the serial number would hit.
But then I'm the nervous type.
I wouldn't want to get that knock on the door and chance a collection over one M2 receiver and misc parts. Let alone the fines, possible jail time, lawyer fees...etc.

A fellow member here told me a few years ago about a 'Misunderstanding' where the BATF hit a collectors door. He later found out that someone with a grudge reported he had fully auto weapons along with illegal ammo. His collection was piled up in the yard in the rain over a course of a few days. Crime scene tape circled his property, he even made the local news. After the matter was cleared up he received an apology, leaving his collection and reputation in shambles.

FWIW,
Charlie-painter777

[Tired Retired]

Get your handy dandy Dremal tool ...

No one ever kept track of the M2 s/n's anyway. ...

There are a couple of very successful methods used to reconstruct "destroyed" serial numbers on crime scene weapons - grinding won't do it unless you go WAY down into the metal and then its obvious what you have done....

I wouldn't be so sure about the s/n records. Just because 99.9% of us don't have them handy, don't assume they don't exist, especially in some places like the national archieves or, say, certain collector's records.... if the "ole' farts" got a list, I am sure ATF could get a list...

Oh, and speaking of hiding crimes, I can never seem to get all that ink from the dye packs off the bills in the bank bags full of money, either... anyone got any suggestions???

[Jet Fixer]

Get your handy dandy Dremal tool and grind off the 2. Then buy a medal stamp with a "1" on it and restamp the receiver. Then you have a M1. No one ever kept track of the M2 s/n's anyway. I have a late Inland that has a hand stamped M1. They ran the M1 & M2's on the same line and stamped a 1 or 2
depending what they were making. The receivers are exactly the same. What makes a M2 is the disconnecter and a few other parts.

Can't do that. Altered receiver markings are just as bad.

[Mikey51]

Don't get me wrong guys, not everyone here is allowed to run around with an M2. It took me 40 years of "responsible" firearm ownership to be allowed the privilage of being in possession of even a part of one. Even with that authority, I have to report every single transaction to the Police. In other words, I can collect M2 stuff for "preservation or historical purposes", but if I tried to make an operational, or use, an M2, all I would need from that day on, and for the next 10 years, would be a toothbrush and a heap of good books. Here's a pic of an overstamp for those that havn't seen one. Cheers, Mike.

[ADifferentDan]

The best way to check if a weapon is NFA-registered or not is hire an experienced attorney. This way, the attorney can find out its status, and you're protected by client/attorney privilege.