What is, in your opinion, the coolest gun youve handled

[Chubbo]

While in the original Hawken shop in the 1970s, one of the owners working the counter, saw that I was very much interested in the original Hawken rifles, as I was buying copies of the original prints, and some parts still made by them to build a complete rifle. Well, asked if I had ever saw or handled an original Hawken rifle, I replied no, and he said, I can take care of that, and proceeded to take out of a safe, at least six, or eight, Hawken rifles, one at a time, and let me thoroughly examine them, until I had all that I could stand of it. Knowing the hands that had held, and built them was a great thrill to me.
Chubbo

 

[K Frame Keith]

Most rare: ASP model 39. Most historical: Thompson SMG and our Department relic Reising Model 50. Most fun: my issue MP5-A3 with a supply of government supplied ammo. Fun thread, keep it going.

 

[K Frame Keith]

P.S. Forgot the M-79 grenade launcher, courtesy of the FBI Chemical Weapons Instructor Course.

 

[koz5614]

My coolest:
9mm & 32ACP Welrods
UD42 SMG
M3 with original Bell Labs suppressor
.30-06 Lewis Gun
FNA-B 43 SMG
1904 Colt Maxim .30-06

I've shot everything but the Colt; we didn't have any ammo belts or condenser for it.

 

[robvious]

similar story..

I had a late friend who was a FFL dealer and a class 3 collector...
I had the honor of being invited to a private shoot with his class 3 friends... what a day...
Thompson... WW2 version
Johnson Rifle...
1919 belt fed converted to 7.62 nato
Belt fed 50bmg... Ma Deuce... incredible.
American 180... full auto 22lr flat drum...
but my favorite...
BAR WW2 set up...
he had about 500 rnds that did not work in his Garand...
told me he just wanted the empty brass back...
land owner told me to cut a tree down if I could...
and I did... like I said.. what a day.

 

[JJEH]

UZI SMG. That was a cool gun...

 

[Drm50]

My great great grandad's 36 Navy Colt from civil war. Dad loaded it one time and we shot it 2 shots apiece. Me, brother & Dad.
Cleaned, and put back in chest with other family war trophies.
That was back in 60s. Gun has not been shot since.

 

[unobrownsfan]

The coolest gun I've touched and discussed with the user was an A-10 GAU-8 30mm cannon. He didn't own it though, it was on loan from the American taxpayer.

 

[wheelyfun66]

M203 grenade launcher
M16a1 and A2
M4
M60
M249 SAW

.50 cal mounted on various vehicles
Various LAW and other light shoulder fired weapons....

Served 3 years in Airborne Infantry and 3 years as a UH-60 Crew Chief, so got to play with lots of fun weapons!

 

[gwpercle]

44 Auto Mag ! I actually got to shoot it and wished I had a photo of me and the gun.
It belonged to my now ex son in law ( I liked him ). It was an AMT , Arcadia Machine and Tool , made and fed, fired and functioned just fine.
It is a beast of a handgun (50 cal. guns hadn't shown up at that time ).
I still have an AMT Hardballer, but a stainless 1911 isn't in the same league as that 44 Auto Mag .
Dirty Harry ( Clint Eastwood )did use a 44 Auto Mag in the film Sudden Impact, I guess it was the only way to top "the most powerful handgun in the world "....or at least try to top it !
Gary

 

[CO_Kid]

All the talk of Thompson's reminds me, we have a full auto, us army issued Thompson in my departments armory. How we got it was lost to history, but it was re-discovered in the 70s. When we asked Ft Carson if they wanted it back, because they weren't using them anymore, they let us keep it. Being a range instructor, I get to shoot it whenever I want. Too much fun to describe.

Another one is a Remington cap and ball pistol owned by a local gun store. When I moved here in 08, they had it on display and theyd let people hold it. The owner has singed taken it off display unfortunately. It was found in a collapsed barn and has, if I remember the number correctly, 3 or 5 notches cut on the barrel.

 

[fkienast]

A Newton rifle.

 

[Donn]

Three rifles I own. The history I'm holding always makes me stop and think where they were and what they've been thru.
Springfield Model 1898 in 30-40 Krag.
Lee-Enfield SMLE.
M1 Garand.

One of my handguns, S&W Model 29. Every time I pick it up I say, "Feel lucky, punk?" Juvenile? Yeah, but nobody can hear me.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

I'll have to second Loeman's (post #10) vote for the H&K P-7 PSP. I never thought I'd be able to find, or afford one, and I was lucky enough to find one of the West German Police turn-ins a few years ago. The piece is an engineering marvel - I think there only about 4 moving parts in the entire pistol.

I also shot a Coonan Arms .357 Magnum semi-auto pistol once. It was fun, but it was also LOUD!

Probably the coolest gun I ever shot was a an old Sharp's .50 caliber. I was shooting my 30.06 Winchester Model 70 on the silhouette range at Ft. Bliss, El Paso, TX, and an old timer was shooting the Sharp's. I kept trying to work up the nerve to ask the gentleman if I could shoot it when he finally said: "Boy, come over here and shoot this rifle before you stare a hole through me." He loaded the piece and gave me a brief tutorial including how much holdover was needed. When I pulled the trigger, I immediately said "Dang it" as I thought I had missed the target. The old gent said "Just wait a second now", and about that time we heard the "thunk" of the bullet hitting the steel target. The old timer looked at me and said "that old .50 ain't as fast as your '06". Uh, yep, that old guy sure schooled me that day.

Regards,

Dave

 

[amazingflapjack]

BMG
Sweedish K
Sawed off Stevens pump (SEA)
the marvelous M-14

 

[Pete from Perth]

I was invited for a shoot at the Western Australia Police range and took a AK47, UZI,M16 and a SLR (308) converted to full auto from the armory and spent an hour shooting them all whilst Recruits picked up my empty brass!

 

[Cyrano]

The coolest gun I've ever handled, and I've seen, handled and shot many of the guns mentioned in this string, has to be a Collier flintlock revolver. I was in college, visiting my college roomate and he took me to see the collection of a friend of his father's. The old man left a gun with us while he went to get some more. I took one look: "Scott, that's a COLLIER!!". I did NOT try to cock it or work the mechanism. He heard us, realized I knew something about guns, so he was more than generous showing us what he had. That was a long time ago, and I still remember it. I've never seen another Collier flintlock revolver.

 

[rwsmith]

Luger

I've always had it for the Luger. It looked and still looks futuristic. You can recognize one from a mile away.

 

[Rick_A]

Before being shipped off to boot I got to check out some weaponry at the local National Guard armory. The only thing that stands out was checking out an original M16A1. It was holding an awesome piece of history.

Just before my enlistment was up I got to handle a former Russian issue Dragunov SVD. Some folks with fancier jobs than me were using it for familiarity training. I convinced the man in charge that I knew what I was doing and proceeded to diss./***. the gun and fondle it for as long as I could. It felt so good to me that years later I purchased a Romanian PSL for my self. It's not nearly as sexy, but has similar ergos, balance, weight, and performance.

 

[Leonard]

Definitely the most historic got to handle the two Thompson's used in the Saint Valentines day massacre and years earlier one of Fredrick Courtney Selous's rifles owned by an African friend and the other Ruby gun owned by a local friend.