Swebb22 Posted April 19, 2020 Report Share Posted April 19, 2020 Howdy All, I'm looking to take my first dive into the world of machine guns and was hoping anyone here could give me some pointers on what to look for/ what questions to ask to potential sellers? I've been thinking about a 1919A4 for a while and think that its the first mg I'd like to buy. Any tips are greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riflejunky Posted April 19, 2020 Report Share Posted April 19, 2020 Good choice for a shooter as they are readily available as are parts and accessories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirk in wisc Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 I have 2 full auto 1919s. Both are in 308 which i recommend as the ammo is way more available than 06. Both run and run and run. I have a 8 inch barrel on obe of them. Boy does that throw flames and bark! I havent had to replace anything on them. Like they say, the only thing that will stop a browning is a bad primer or a empty ammo can. The only advice i can give is to not let the linked ammo hang down. It puts more wear on the trunion and is harder on the components. You can easily go through 1000rds in less than half hr, so keep that in mind. They are very low maintnance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swebb22 Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 13 hours ago, kirk in wisc said: I have 2 full auto 1919s. Both are in 308 which i recommend as the ammo is way more available than 06. Both run and run and run. I have a 8 inch barrel on obe of them. Boy does that throw flames and bark! I havent had to replace anything on them. Like they say, the only thing that will stop a browning is a bad primer or a empty ammo can. The only advice i can give is to not let the linked ammo hang down. It puts more wear on the trunion and is harder on the components. You can easily go through 1000rds in less than half hr, so keep that in mind. They are very low maintnance. Thats good to hear! and like you said, the low maintenance is what is attracting me to them mainly. If you have any leads on a semi 1919, Id be very appreciative Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swebb22 Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 21 hours ago, riflejunky said: Good choice for a shooter as they are readily available as are parts and accessories. thats what my research has told me too, and why I am attracted to them as my first mg. plus, the price on them only goes up, seems like a decent investment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike todd Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 A good choice and always on my recommended list for the above reasons. easy to convert to other calibers which was a BIG asset when one could take advantage of new arrivals. for most folks, reloading will be part of the package. due to quality and availability .308 is the first choice, BUT I find 30/06 much easier to reload in quantity without rejects than the .308 . parts ARE getting expensive and many tough to find. # 1 priority is an extractor all others easy enough to find. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE GUN YOU PICK IS IMPORTANT! many were "cobbled" together in "group" builds , or by others with no care and little knowledge. make sure the receiver is SQUARE and the top cover fits right. INLAND from TEXAS was the pioneer builder of non govt builds and are TOP NOTCH! but many others like DLO, OHIO ORD, GROUP IND. make the grade just as well. WELCOME TO THE FOLD AND HAVE FUN ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riflejunky Posted April 20, 2020 Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 2 hours ago, Swebb22 said: thats what my research has told me too, and why I am attracted to them as my first mg. plus, the price on them only goes up, seems like a decent investment. If you are thinking of the purchase as an investment then I would look far and wide for the the best deal you can find. To me it seems like these guns have been flat on the pricing for a while now. Water cooled seem to have retreated somewhat on prices. Also don't discount the extra parts and accessories as they can add significantly to the value of a package deal and most guys seem to collect odds and ends along with their guns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swebb22 Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 40 minutes ago, riflejunky said: If you are thinking of the purchase as an investment then I would look far and wide for the the best deal you can find. To me it seems like these guns have been flat on the pricing for a while now. Water cooled seem to have retreated somewhat on prices. Also don't discount the extra parts and accessories as they can add significantly to the value of a package deal and most guys seem to collect odds and ends along with their guns. are there many water cooled A4s available? everything ive seen has always been air cooled. what spare parts are good to keep stock of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swebb22 Posted April 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 20, 2020 1 hour ago, mike todd said: A good choice and always on my recommended list for the above reasons. easy to convert to other calibers which was a BIG asset when one could take advantage of new arrivals. for most folks, reloading will be part of the package. due to quality and availability .308 is the first choice, BUT I find 30/06 much easier to reload in quantity without rejects than the .308 . parts ARE getting expensive and many tough to find. # 1 priority is an extractor all others easy enough to find. THE MANUFACTURER OF THE GUN YOU PICK IS IMPORTANT! many were "cobbled" together in "group" builds , or by others with no care and little knowledge. make sure the receiver is SQUARE and the top cover fits right. INLAND from TEXAS was the pioneer builder of non govt builds and are TOP NOTCH! but many others like DLO, OHIO ORD, GROUP IND. make the grade just as well. WELCOME TO THE FOLD AND HAVE FUN ! thanks for the tips! I will look into those manufacturers. do the extractors wear out easily? or just hard to find if they do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike todd Posted April 24, 2020 Report Share Posted April 24, 2020 actually the extractors don't seem to wear, they break. in most cases because the top cover pops open when running. few people pay attention to the proper specs for the latch and that results in a poor engagement. I keep mine at .004 and make sure the latch engages completely. a word of warning when looking at both the NFA and semi examples, as I said many were built by just clamping the parts and drilling holes with little attention to keeping them square which is a total disaster. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to anything marked "OHIO RAPID FIRE". sometime after 2002/03 they unloaded more than 75 completed semi's at one time during a SAR show with no internals for as little as $85.00 towards the end. I don't know who built them but the right side was more than .250 (1/4") forward ! they just ground the right front side of the rear top piece so a top cover would fit. no way would they work and I helped owners fix more than 30 of them. when looking at any non C+R , carry a 6" square and check the side plates too the trunnion and rear top plate. almost all can be fixed, but if done b-4 the welding requirement was dropped , it can be tough. by the way I pioneered the caliber conversions starting in 1975 and did them in .22 rf / .38-.357 / .223 / 762 x 39 / 556x39 /.223 all the way and including .410 shotgun. the only snag was links. converting them one at a time is tedious but many would work in the cloth belts by shrinking or stitching. good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swebb22 Posted April 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2020 7 hours ago, mike todd said: actually the extractors don't seem to wear, they break. in most cases because the top cover pops open when running. few people pay attention to the proper specs for the latch and that results in a poor engagement. I keep mine at .004 and make sure the latch engages completely. a word of warning when looking at both the NFA and semi examples, as I said many were built by just clamping the parts and drilling holes with little attention to keeping them square which is a total disaster. PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to anything marked "OHIO RAPID FIRE". sometime after 2002/03 they unloaded more than 75 completed semi's at one time during a SAR show with no internals for as little as $85.00 towards the end. I don't know who built them but the right side was more than .250 (1/4") forward ! they just ground the right front side of the rear top piece so a top cover would fit. no way would they work and I helped owners fix more than 30 of them. when looking at any non C+R , carry a 6" square and check the side plates too the trunnion and rear top plate. almost all can be fixed, but if done b-4 the welding requirement was dropped , it can be tough. by the way I pioneered the caliber conversions starting in 1975 and did them in .22 rf / .38-.357 / .223 / 762 x 39 / 556x39 /.223 all the way and including .410 shotgun. the only snag was links. converting them one at a time is tedious but many would work in the cloth belts by shrinking or stitching. good luck! do you have any of the other conversions? the 223 or 762x39? seems like those would be a lot cheaper to shoot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swebb22 Posted June 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2020 update - I bought one in early May. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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