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This looks like fun!

By The Armorer on May 17, 2007 | | Comments (10)

If I'm in town, and not hanging around the Jersey Barrens, I'll be visiting! But first, Gun Pr0n! In support of the D-Day Commemoration at Forbes Field (see below) - I give you a never-before-seen Artifact in the Arsenal Holdings. A WWII, German-marked MG42, sitting in a postwar German MG3 lafette (or tripod in English). Yes, this *is* legal where I live, being a non-shootable dummy. It's a high-quality dummy, but is only dangerous if you drop it on your foot - it's way too clumsy to be a club. It might not be legal where *you* live - but, well, that's your problem.

Here's a left side view - with the added bonus of a shot of Sergeant of the Guard Kiki.

A look up the kilt - showing the fire control arrangements..

Hee! I see some of you turning green already. Whether from envy or the sick-to-your-stomach feeling a GFW from the Brady Campaign might suffer at the knowledge that private citizens would possess such horrible stuff, deact or no.



D-Day Commemoration at Forbes Field June 2

World War II will come to life in Topeka on June 1 and 2 during the 7th Annual Heartland Military Day at the Kansas National Guard Museum, at the main entrance of Forbes Field. “German” and “Allied” troops will show what life was like during World War II through dramatic reenactments and encampments. All events are free and open to the public. The event will commemorate the D-Day invasion and the men and women who paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

Preparation for Heartland Military Days begins Friday evening, June 1, with camps being constructed and participants wearing WWII uniforms. All re-enactors are invited to participate. A locally owned WWII Sherman Tank and Tank Retriever will be on display along with tank crew veterans of the Normandy Invasion, who will reminisce about their time inside a Sherman Tank and their personal insight into the battle. Vehicle owners, re-enactors, gun and uniform collectors should contact Gary Nicholson at 785-242-7839 to enter their display.

Beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 2, re-enactors will be living the life of World War II troops in the encampments on the museum grounds. There will also be an extensive display of World War II and Korean War era vehicles and equipment, which have been meticulously restored by their owners. Mock battles will be staged at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the museum grounds featuring German and American soldiers. Between battles, visitors may view the equipment and visit with the individuals who do the restoration work and study the history of the war. In addition, there will be a Civil War display, World War I display, World War II display and a uniform display spanning from the Mexican War to present.

The museum features Kansas National Guard history displays and weapons. Other displays inside the museum focus on Kansas Army and Air National Guard participation in conflicts including the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosovo. Weapons are also on display for those engagements, which have been assigned to the museum from the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama . Outside displays include 1/4 ton Jeep, 2 1/2 ton and 5 ton trucks, M-60 Main Battle Tank, M-109A5 155mm Self Propelled Howitzer, M-110A2 8 Self Propelled Howitzer, M-113 Personnel Carrier, M-42A1 Duster Twin 40 mm Anti-Aircraft gun, UH-1 Huey helicopter, OH-6 Cayuse, AH-1 Cobra helicopter, OH-58 Kiowa helicopter, CH-54 Skycrane helicopter and a recently restored F-4D Phantom II jet fighter.

Museum board members and volunteers will operate a food stand Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Kansas National Guard Museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is always free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Jack Elliott at the Kansas National Guard Museum (785) 862-1020.

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10 Comments

By Karla (threadbndr) on May 17, 2007 9:53 AM
Darn, that's the same weekend as the 150th anniversary of my church. I'm booked. But I will be at Military Days this weekend - Saturday - also at Forbes.
 
By WereKitten on May 17, 2007 10:58 AM
DOH! Your "look under the kilt" has NOTHING to do with *MY* idea of looking under a kilt. dang it.
 
By Pogue on May 17, 2007 12:29 PM
Very nice... Given the views I've seen of the Arsenal I assume everything is original except for a dummy receiver. That looking like a complete rig I'm sure it's pricey! I like the periscope so the gunner can keep his head down. Of course, AG's must have been easy to come by since with the MG42's rate of fire he's going to be feeding a lot of belts in up there in the field of fire... Could you link those German belts together like we do now or did they have to feed the starter tab through every time? They do have an awesome sound, there's nothing like it till you get to the minigun.
 
By MajMike on May 17, 2007 12:29 PM
from the left side view, it would appear that Kiki has target fixation on a squirrel on some such critter out of our view.
 
By AFSister on May 17, 2007 12:41 PM
"it would appear that Kiki has target fixation on a squirrel" MajMike... let's hope it's trained on some DC Surrender Monkeys. Their population is getting out of control.
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 17, 2007 1:02 PM
Pogue - it's actually a BATFE-approved receiver reweld design. There are some provisions of that visible to the naked, but calibrated, eyeball. All of those parts are waffenamted, to create a word. Not as pricey as you'd think, given that it's been accumulated over time - tripod, scope, gun, and the other bits and pieces of related paraphernalia. Not that it isn't worth some serious geld as-is, but having a good rep in the community causes people to let you have things cheaper, because they want it to go to a good home, so to speak. It's also nice to live in a neighborhood/town where hauling it out into the backyard for the picture didn't generate a visit from law enforcement because of a GFW neighbor.
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 17, 2007 1:37 PM
Oh, and yes, the belts could be linked together. Clearing jams was where the risk really came in.
 
By Pogue on May 17, 2007 3:20 PM
An approved reweld, very nice... So does that mean it's a DEWAT, or is it like the semi auto M1919's and M2' you see every once in while? Either way I'm drooling big time...
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 17, 2007 3:47 PM
It differs from a DEWAT in that a DEWAT (under the GCA 34) only requires the barrel be fusion welded shut at the breech and fusion (not tack) welded to the trunnion. On many weapons, this preserves the ability to "REWAT" them, i.e., convert them back to shootable status, legally, as long as they will still be legal under local laws, as they are already registered weapons controlled under the GCA (though IIRC, the transfer tax for a DEWAT is $5, vice $200 for a shootable weapon) - the paperwork is the same. Registered DEWATs are legal in Kansas, shootable weapons are not. Dummy's are legal, too - though I might possibly have to mark the muzzle with blaze orange paint were I to sell the gun to someone else. I'll have to look. I know it's a requirement for new-made dummies offered for commercial sale to have blaze orange markings (intended to protect you from concerned cops, caused by a number of shootings and near shootings of kids with Airsoft plastic BB guns that can be very realistic in appearance) I'd have to look to see if it applies to me selling it. That said, my intent is for that (selling of stuff from the collection) is to be a problem for my estate, not me. This is *not* a registered DEWAT. This is a rewelded receiver done in such a fashion that the bolt, while somewhat moveable, can not go forward far enough to cycle rounds from the belt, nor is the bolt removeable (and it has no firing pin, nor is the return spring installed or installable). Nor will the charging handle engage the bolt. There are some other changes, some obvious to a calibrated eye, some not, that also ensure that to even think about returning this pile of parts back to service would require doing as much damage to the receiver (which, on this weapon, includes the cooling jacket holding the barrel) and the internal rails, as were done in the original demil process, else the BATFE would not have approved the design. This design was intended to preserve as much function and look at legally possible while still basically being a lump of parts that resembled the original. A design by re-enactors for display purposes.
 
By John of Argghhh! on May 17, 2007 3:51 PM
This is the relevant law, and dummies are considered "imitation weapons" as I understand it. The Castle's dummy was manufactured prior to the implementation of the law.
§ 1150.2 Prohibitions. No person shall manufacture, enter into commerce, ship, transport, or receive any toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm (‘‘device’’) covered by this part as set forth in § 1150.1 of this part unless such device contains, or has affixed to it, one of the markings set forth in § 1150.3 of this part. § 1150.3 Approved markings. The following markings are approved by the Secretary of Commerce: (a) A blaze orange (Federal Standard 595a, February, 1987, color number 12199, issued by the General Services Administration) or orange color brighter than that specified by the federal standard color number, solid plug permanently affixed to the muzzle end of the barrel as an integral part of the entire device and recessed no more than 6 millimeters from the muzzle end of the barrel. (b) A blaze orange (Federal Standard 595a, February, 1987, color number 12199, issued by the General Services Administration) or orange color brighter than that specified by the Federal Standard color number, marking permanently affixed to the exterior surface of the barrel, covering the circumference of the barrel from the muzzle end for a depth of at least 6 millimeters.