Firearms Stories

This was inspired by merlins last post in "the best assualt rifle" thread.
There are many stories in the UK, about various smallarms being handed into the police, or being found.
Such as a fair few years ago a Sterling Submachine gun was found in a rubbish bin in a town called Clevedon (a town close to Bristol).
Many of these stories are potenial urban myths that have been passed downt to me by Friends that I shoot with.
But if anyone has anymore stories like this I would be interested in hearing,
And as soon as my memory starts working I'll post some more stories.

 

Dave's page!

I'll rake you a few up Dave, all true not fantasy!
My Dad was in Fire-service during WW2, emptying a static water tank in town center (Hinckley) found a Bren at the bottom.
One of my friends Joe Flude threw a US.Colt .45 automatic in a reservoir at a local Dye-House (Hosiery) when police got more interested. Incidentally the Factory has just been demolished and the reservoir filled (there were hundreds of goldfish in there, put in by last eccentric owner) to build flats.
The 82nd. Airbourn yanks auctioned off a Spandau when they were hard up at the 'Sycamores' pub in Burbage.

 

Re: Dave's page!

A first hand account I remember now is when a friend of mine used to own a Luger that was given to him, (illegally) which he sadly had to throw into a river because he had no way of getting it onto a permit and keeping it/using it legally.

 

dave stories

You'll drool over this one Dave, I worked for the oldest hosiery company in the world, 'Atkins of Hinckley'. We had two factories in town, went by the names of 'Top Atkins' and 'Bottom Atkins'.
The general handyman, mechanic, blacksmith etc at 'Bottom Atkins' was a character who was known as 'Squib'.
Long after Squib had retired and passed on the company had a new telephone switchboard fitted.
As the engineers removed the old one from the wall they found behind it a K98 Mauser fitted with sniper sights that Squib had brought home fro Europe!
Our over efficient safety officer passed it on to local police..... I wonder who finally had it?

 

Re: dave stories

wow a Mauser K98 sniper rifle, that's something you don't see everyday of the week and something that I have yet had the pleasure of using. :cry: Please don't tell me the Police destroyed it like they did with MOST of the firearms handed in (during the handgun ban, apprently the Police would use and Glocks handed in for their own purposes)

 

Daves stories

The last one made you drool, this one will make you cry.
The father of one of my old school mates (a WW1 veteran) joined the Home Guard when it was formed.
As there was an acute shortage of weapons he took the long barreled Luger with a wooden holster he'd had since the end of the war,.............
then sawed off the barrel to a more usuable length!!!!

 

Re: Daves stories

:cry: well times of war I guess but still.

I've heard that awhile ago locally someone was looking through an old building and found a Vickers machine gun, ammo in feed tray, ready to shoot through the thatched roof onto the main road nearby.

I have a soft spot for Luger Pistols, a friend of mine used to own a Navy issue long barreled Luger, which had gold inlay and had a German admirals name engraved into it, sadly a fair few years ago he sold it on, and the last he heard was that it went for sale in the US for something like $4000.

 

Here is a true story - believe it or not :

Some years ago in Denmark a 20 mm machine-gun was put of for sale in an advertisment in a news paper.

It turned out to be a british gun recovered from a Mosquito airplane downed in WW II, It had been recovered by a civilian and kept in a barn for many years.
When the owner passed away his relatives discovered the old artifact and put it up for sale.
Luckily the police got hold of it before it was sold, it was fully functional !

 

Interesting story here allso....In Serbia there is Region name "Vojvodina".It was added to Serbia after WW I,taked from Hungary,and here lived many Germans allso.After WWII moust of that Germans was chasen away from their homes and colonisation was made. (my grandpa was one of that colonisators).newcomers get the houses from the Germans,and land allso.They was usualy poor ppl who camed from extremly rural places nad we here say "Trbuhom za kruhom" (trans. with stomach to food ,something like that). In my old house dated feom 1927,in the addic we recently found rifle in the floor,it was single shoot,smooth barel rifle,6 mm ,if i remember good,dated from 1885-1901 ,hand made gun (we found by amblem). Rifle is fully functional,we resored it,and it is in my home now.Unfortunaly law here,does not permit to use that kain of weapon,and u can register it only as trophy weapon,where they pull ur pin out,and seal the barell,what i really dont want to do :cry:

 

Sadly law in the UK prohibits alot of weapons and a few of my firearms are de-activated such as my Bren Gun and M1911A1,

Bloody handgun ban

 

You fellas are making me feel bad. :cry:

 

I envy you, you can own handguns and self-loading fullbore rifles, and Your shotguns can hold more that 3 rounds

 

And I'm not limited on how many I can own. Sorry, just had to gloat a little.

 

I heard a story where two Civil War soldiers fired at each other and the bullets hit, fused in midair, and dropped to the ground.

 

This is a little more complex, In the UK the number of shotguns you hold is not restricted by any means other than the size of your wallet and how big you gun cabinet(s) are.
Firearms, you apply to own a certain firearm and if it is accepted then you can own that type of firearm or a gun of that caliber. But if you have a good enough reason you can have as many types of firearm on you permit as you wish or as many as your gun cabinet can hold. I do know several people who have 70+ rifles and 20 odd shotguns.

Personally for firearms I'm limmited to:
2 .22 Rimfire rifles (manually operated or self-loading)
1 .357Mag/.38Spl rifle (manually operated)
1 7.62mm/.308 rifle (manually operated)
1 .303 (manually operated)

and Shotguns I am not restricted on, but due to UK law, I am not allowed to buy a gun, but I am allowed to use and own one, but I can be gifted a firearm, so any firearm or shotgun on my permits has to be gifted to me until I am 17, when i can purchase my own.

 

Firearms cert

Dave, I'm just a little confused, I know you are not allowed to hold a 'Firearms Cert' but surely you are not allowed to even own and use a 'gifted' one?

 

I have an odd firearm story to tell.

One night when I was at the army, me and few other soldiers were acting as an enemy for NCO-class. We made couple of simulated 'attacks' against their positions, shooting blanks etc.
After we were done, we were ordered to unload our weapons and our CO checked our guns as was procedure and found no ammunition. Then we un-cocked our guns and put safety on. After that we head back to our base, carrying our guns at our backs. One soldier step on a small hole on the ground and *BANG* went his gun.
After over 10 years I'm still puzzled how on earth did he managed to do that.
First, CO checked our guns so he shouldn't have any ammunition left.
Second, his gun should have been un-cocked.
Third, safety should have been on.
Fourth, his gun didn't actually drop on the ground, just bounced badly against his back and that was oddly enough to shoot that gun.

I think I was more infuriated at this soldier than our CO was because I was next to him when this happened.

 

Re: Firearms cert

From the age of 14-17 you can have a firearm certificate and own a firearm, but you cannot buy one until you are 17, but I may be gifted one by a designated person (in my case my dad, so any firearm I have on my permit has to go onto his and then be transferred onto mine)

Hence why my FAC which last for 5 years states "No firearm or ammunition can be purchased by the holder until 23/12/2007"

 

Firearms cert.

quite correct dave, didn't know that, not too old to learn something, thanks.

 

Re: Firearms cert.

No problem Merlin, I enjoy enlightening people on the subject which has remained hazy in the public eye for such a long time, (many people I have met, believed that it was illegal to own any form of firearm in the UK let alone a 16 year old being permitted to own one)