Jump to content

Looking to get my first beltfed, any advice is welcome…


Recommended Posts

Buy a Vickers or 1917A1.  They run good, parts are still available on line.You  can run a 250 round belt thru these with no problems if they are set up right.  Buy a gun that comes with as many accessories as possible, you will need them.  Buy from some one who actually shoots the weapon.   Do not buy the cheapest ammo like Pakistan ammo, no good.  Buy all of the spare parts you can afford now, prices only go up.  Lots of history to these guns also.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

JAMES< where did you come from?  GREAT ADVICE and after my own heart.  god only know's why the Vickers guns are selling at the prices they have been lately. ic an think of nothing that compares for reliability and LOOKS. remember the 7 million continuous rounds fired at one sitting and not a single part failure. NOTHING has ever come close, my god I wish I had that ammo in my shed.  one of the great things she offer's her caretaker is a varied diet. forget the .303. first would be 7,62x54 Russian. it is the cheapest round, uses low cost maxim belts and being rimmed is right at home. after that, you go for a 8x57 kit. with that in hand all you need are different barrels for .308 , 30/06. 7x57 etc. the 8 mm feed block has a spacer that can be changed and one made with a file for the different cals. all mine run with out a booster so no need to worry with that unless it makes you feel good since 65 all I have ran maybe a million rounds myself and the only failure was fire pin and extractor and both of those had been altered for the russ cal  so might have had issue's of their own. I have seen a fusee broken at a shoot and that's it. if you are afraid of the water, the other choice would be a 1919 browning, its  the fat girl of the line, cant get any respect but does a GREAT JOB taking care of business at the best price. it offers the same caliber choices, reasonably priced parts easy enough to find and can be reliable if tuned properly but NOTHING COMPARED TO THE "GRAND OLD LADY" in any aspect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

My first belt fed was a browning 1917a1 water cooled. Its a great gun. I have it configured to 8mm also have 308 barrel. It runs like a top, lots of spare parts available There is a cd by I  think its by Alabama arms that shows a person how to maintain and field strip the 1919 and 1917a1. The 1917a1 barrel glands are some what tricky at first to get right but with practice not a problem. People love the classic look of the water cooled. Once again the gun is very reliable and goes bang every time I pull the trigger. Remember lots of cleaning on a belt fed weapon that is why they call belt feds crew served weapons. Takes a crew to maintain them. Good luck in your choice. Ps. The 1917a1 is the weapon Gunnery Sgt. Basilone  USMC. used to blast a couple hundred Japanese soldiers on Guadalcanal and won the congressional medal of honor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is what I would consider when looking to buy a belt fed

1. Budget. A belt fed is not only expensive to acquire, but also expensive to operate. Parts are expensive and ammo is very expensive, especially, if you want to shoot it to your hearts content. 308 or any medium caliber linked gun consumes ammo much faster than a magazine fed gun. 

2. Ease of liquidation. If #1 above becomes a problem, your gun is just a unsatisfying paperweight or safe queen, or you juts need the money, certain belt feds are easier to liquidate than others. An MM HK belt fed will lose some value, although the sear may appreciate in value. The FN 249 semi will tank in value and will be hard to sell. A 1919 and M60 will be very easy to sell, as long as you don’t ask rediculously inflated prices, like some of the jokers who sell for 20% above market because they’re hoping to find a stupid buyer.

If you have the budget, hunt and acquire an M60. The M60 has many things going for it, nowadays. 308 ball is cheap, especially if you reload or find the Malaysian or SA surplus stuff. Parts nowadays are plentiful because D.O/USOrd churn out parts; at one time, M60 parts were rare. Upgrades are available. The gun still looks modern and cool, thanks to the E6 evolution (can’t say that about a 1917). The M60 is very versatile because it can be both a GPMG and it can be a light machine gun. You’ll have a much easier time transporting an M60 to the range than a beefier gun.

Belt feds are just awesome.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would suggest you go out and try various belt feds.  Some may appear very appealing until you actually try them.  Only you can say what is fun to shoot and what is wanting.  As one gets older, other issues come into play.  You may enjoy laying in the dirt playing with your toys.  I, for one, do not find any enjoyment in doing that.  If I want to traipse around while shooting full auto, I'll play with a magazine fed weapon.  I'm not about to walk around hauling a heavy weapon trailing a belt of ammo.  When the shooting session is finished, I'm not about to scour all over creation policing my belts/links and brass.  I just want to rest my fat a$$ on a seat and saturate the beaten zone with lead.  Plus, all the spent brass and belts/links are in a nice pile ready to be picked up.

The smile on my buddy's face says it all.100_2319.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

There is another issue that you should be aware of.  And that is your eyesight.  If you are near sighted, you may be prone to retinal detachment.  I should know as the retina in my right eye became detached and I needed emergency surgery to reattach it.  After speaking with my surgeon, who is an avid gun guy, I was told to avoid heavy recoiling shoulder fired weapons at all costs.  Even shoulder fired high cyclic rate .223 machine guns are to be avoided.  Any weapon that causes your head to move fore and aft can contribute to a detached retina.  I know of others who have also been told to avoid heavy recoil shooting due to eye issues.  This problem hasn't been addressed enough, but it is real.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Maschinenpistole MP5 said:

Well Heck.... I sure don't want to cause myself any eye damage, that's for sure! Thanks for the tip!

Any HK 21E fans in this forum? 

Keep the comments coming guys! Good or Bad.  

A 21E is what I was shooting just prior to my detached retina.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I bought a 1919 in the early 90's and I still have it. A good friend of mine wanted his brother to shoot it last April when he was in town. I have a shooting pit beside my shop. If you are in town your welcome to shoot it.

Dwight

 

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

How about a .22LR belt fed? Lakeside Armory made uppers for the M-16 and they are a blast to shoot! LM-7 and Razorback I think were the models. I recall you needed to lighten the hammer spring on the M-16 lower for reliability, but once done correctly, they were totally reliable until you accumulated enough powder residue to affect the action.

No retinal detachment for sure!

Watch the shooter's head in YouTube videos when firing M60's from prone position. Not something I would recommend doing! Same for PKM. Best shot from a tripod or butt stock under the arm,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I would wait and go transferable.  On the lower cost side in today's market the 1919 is very solid and parts are reasonable - take Dwight up on his offer...  If you can save for an M60, even better.  HK 23e RR (i.e Terry Dyer build) is excellent and super reliable, but german parts are out of $ight, if you can find them.  I really enjoy shooting the M60 and 23e.  Looking forward to running my HK21/23eK build from TSC (below) that I hope is approved within a month or two...

6Ud148D428bqTYLkPkRNDzJRvy7ND4p84taE-Rat

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first belted was an M60.  Converted it to the E6, and it is awesome.  Now I have the M60E6, MG42, MG34, HK21E, and RPD, and I have to say the M60E6 is the best out of all of them.  The MG42 is pure badass, but it's hard to beat the M60E6 for just about everything.  Good luck, and enjoy the hunt!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Classical period (pre WW2) Vickers.   Symphony of sights and sounds when firing. M1917 in close second. Young man's game though unless you have a crew or a jeep with which to tote them. 

WW2  Either MG34 or MG42. Tripod is nice, but bipod makes them lighter. 

Post War. M60. E3 or E4 :)

There are others (and if you can get them super cheap,  do so), but these have always done it for me. Parts still available. I didnt mention the Stoner, even though it's in my top 5 (silly expensive and parts are hensteeth....do a search for barrels , trigger housings, or top covers fot sale....do it).

It wouldn't surprise me if someone didnt make a 7.62 NATO conversion for those top two. 

Edited by Waffen Und Bier
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Waffen Und Bier said:

Classical period (pre WW2) Vickers.   Symphony of sights and sounds when firing. M1917 in close second. Young man's game though unless you have a crew or a jeep with which to tote them. 

...

It wouldn't surprise me if someone didnt make a 7.62 NATO conversion for those top two. 

I have a 7.62 NATO/.308 Winchester setup for my Vickers.  It works great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I have a Lakeside Machine upper on my M-16 that is so much fun it should be illegal. I use a suppressor so it's almost silent, and fire it from a table with a blood so so crawling in the dirt. Even at inflated prices of a couple of years ago it is cheaper than anything else. No longer made, but they are available.  The Lakeside website is still active so you can search the archives for lots of useful info on running it. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first belt fed was a Frigidaire M-2 50cal from the Stembridge collection that LMO brokered about 20 years ago. It's been a fantastic gun. I load for it, and my cost per round is still hovering around a buck each. I can go out a couple times a year and shoot up a car, and have a blast. If you can jump into the deep end of the pond, not much beats a 50. Although, an MG-34 is a pretty nice gun as well. But those are just my preferences.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...