Cost to manufacture WWII weapons

[Colonel Enfield]

Exact same rules down here Beerhunter for what it's worth.

I'm not sure that's correct, Beerhunter... as far as I know, anything that replicates a semi-auto centrefire in design, function or appearance is a Category D/Category R and miles out of reach of the average shooter. Doesn't matter if it's straight pull, pump action or actually a semi-auto. Surely if it were otherwise half the shooters in Australia would own a "straight pull" L1A1, AR-15 or Kalashnikov-type rifle?

[Peter Laidler]

Disagree totally with your comment ; 'In practice the only new part tends to be a barrel that has been manufactured with no gas port. (A barrel with a gas port is clearly "part of a prohibited Weapon" and therefore may not itself be owned in the normal course of events in the UK.)' in thread 9 Beery.

Case law is against you in the case of the 5.56mm bolt action CAM rifles. These were made using standard and various gas ported versions of the M-16 barrel and standard M-16 breech blocks. In this case, the gas ported section was merely covered by a shrunk-on (?) steel sleeve.

Same applied to certain 'ported' versions of the SA80 barrel as used in other ways where the process (the 'blocking' process ?) '..... was deemed to be irreversible and a final decision regarding its status would be a matter for the Courts to decide' A get-out clause I know, but.....'

[Beerhunter]

I'll go along with that Peter because the law specifically prohibits the conversion of the guns - not the parts. (I reckon that the Drafters missed that. )

However my point about unconverted barrels stands. The law is clear; they are part of section 5 firearm and so can only be owned on a Section 5 Authority.

[Peter Laidler]

I realise exactly what you were referring to Beery. Just making the point that you CAN use a ported barrel - as has been done on several occasions - just so long as it is deemed irreversible. The SA80 single shot target LSW's had a ported barrel BUT an unported gas block and no facility for gas. I know, because I owned one and queried it on the basis of earlier 'sort-of related' case law. My friend has a suitable machined down and sleeved 7.62mm Bren barrel on his No5.

BUT, I wonder how you'd go about using a Vickers MMG barrel suitably machined in a rifle in the UK............

[browningautorifle]

Just making the point that you CAN use a ported barrel - as has been done on several occasions - just so long as it is deemed irreversible.

Understand, I'm not stirring here...just trying to grasp. That's why I was wondering about a spot weld over a gas port. At one point I was able to de-register an M1 carbine when I changed it to a pump rifle...did two of them actually. That time is past. They've changed all that here. Doesn't matter, we can only use a 5 rd mag on that sort of thing. Takes the fun out of it.