Monster Hunting Guns Made in or Associated with the UK

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Sam Cade

That is hilarious since the grip on a G26 (and G19) is identical in circumference to a G17. By giving them a weapon with only a 2 finger grip they actually made it worse for the small handed shooter.

Possibly the actual reasons had more to do with comfort for all-day carry and/or concealability when carried by slighter persons, wearing fashionable female wear. The news articles were adamant that this had something to do with female constables, at any rate. I don't recall any official comment, though.

Originally Posted by Sam Cade

Any decent machinist can make any modern firearm with a level of quality equal to or exceeding a mass produced example of the design provided the machinist has good data,appropriate tools, fixtures materials and time.

Excellent. Data won't be a problem; tools and fixtures will be provided. The problem is materials and time.

No more than one or two armourers will be responsible for maintaining some 70-80 longarms and up to 300 pistols. Any necessary refurbishing and mounting of accessories will fall to him/them. For the first years, missions will be rare, but by 2010, there will be at least one per month, maybe more, which means that ca 80 people will go armed on missions over the year. Smallarms training will take place daily, but will not involve more than twenty people or so per day.

They'll have assistants, but not necessarily ones with any more training as armourers or machinists than just being a good soldier who is fairly apt with his hands, i.e. they'll know how to maintain weapons and check if there's any wear and tear necessiating professional attention, as well as mount accessories that are designed to fit.

Over time, some of the live-in members of the conspiracy who have sufficient interest and aptitute for gunsmithing could effectively learn the trade as apprentices. By 2010, some of them will have had the chance to do some work on the guns under the tutelege of a qualified armourer for several hours per day for maybe three or four years.

Originally Posted by Sam Cade

On the other hand, any time the armourers spend on building guns from scratch, as opposed to refurbishing and converting ones obtained (less-than-officially) from surplus military or police armouries, is time that they can't use to handload exotic monster hunting rounds.

Replacing the furniture and top cover might take 10 min.

Chopping,crowning and threading the barrel might take 30 min if done the hard way. 5 min with a fixture.

You don't have to dick with the gas port since it is already adjustable.

So if they got their hands on 20 old SLRs, it wouldn't be implausible to suppose that a month later, they had twenty 7.62mm monster hunting entry carbines?

Is there anything they'd have to buy which Parker Hale (to take an example) is obligated to report to the authorities? And/or which might be regarded as odd if a single gunsmith in the country bought a few dozen?

Is buying a folding stock something which entails much paperwork, if done locally? Does anyone know what UK law is on 'tactical-looking' after-market parts, like folding stocks? Could you use the same stock for a bolt-action hunting rifle as you could for an SLR?

Edit: Evidently, magazines, sights and furniture (like stocks) don't count as 'component parts' and thus fall outside the scope of UK gun legislation. The question that remains is whether people would think it was odd or potentially report it to someone if a single gunsmith ordered a couple of dozen stocks of a distinct paramilitary appearance.

Originally Posted by Sam Cade

Buying firearms parts from the US requires being in compliance with ITAR.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...ms_Regulations

Dunno anything about any UK import regs.

In practical terms, what does that mean for new parts for an old, tired pistol? Would it raise any eyebrows if a registered gunsmith needed a hundred or so?

In a country where only the government is allowed to own pistols? Probably.

Edit: Yep, the parts count as firearms, which makes the risk rather high. I guess that leaves us with the question of how much could you accomplish if you wanted to improve the Malf. of a pistol that in GURPS terms has a Malf. number of 16 or so because of age and hard use without having access to any new parts? How long does it take to make the new parts yourself, from scratch? How realistic is making such a weapon Fine (Reliable), without being able to buy any after-market parts?

I get the feeling that high-quality magazines are particularly important for semi-automatic weapon reliability. Are there any improvements which could be done on the Browning HP magazines to improve feeding? Are any sold* that you think would justify improving the Malf.?

*Since magazines aren't officially gun parts, they technically aren't subject to UK gun legislation. Buying a lot of them might raise eyebrows, but you are legally allowed to do so even by mail order or through the Internet, at least according to the website I checked. Of course, I could have missed some regulation which forbids it. In any event, buying a few through some fake corporation and using them as models for constructing some more might be possible.