http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2011/05/start-em-young.html MP40
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=10309 Kriss semi
http://tractioncontrol.well-regulatedmilitia.org/?p=10314 Kriss auto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4SWdL7s5NQ BAR 30-06
http://mytumultuousadventure.blogspot.com/2011/05/oleg-volk-at-work.html Taking photos
Had the opportunity to shoot several interesting weapons:
MP40 — as always, very pleasant to fire but feels entirely too toy-like.
M3A1 “grease gun” — love it, my favorite. Primitive but reliable and controllable.
Stg44 (current semi-auto version) — comfortable to fire, ergonomics are completely awkward. No place for the forward support hand that’s not hot metal.
BAR — uncontrollable hand-held, nice from a bipod.
SW76 — more controllable than I remembered it from a decade ago, but still awkward
Scorpion in 7.65 — the big surprise of the day! Very controllable and comfortable to fire. Can be operated with one hand.
DP27 — my favorite in light machine guns. Fixed barrel doesn’t work as well for sustained fire, but it’s far more controllable and comfortable that MG42, for example. Not sure how it would compare to the Bren. Certainly more friendly to left-handed users.
Suomi K31 — after the PPSh, not very impressive. Ergonomics and controllability inferior to the stamped Russian version.
Romak — nice trigger, low recoil…but theEast-Euro optic on it was wretched.
RPD — the other surprise of the day. After ten rounds, I passed that rattling contraption to the next shooter. Very unpleasant to fire.
All that was improved by the presence of American and German WW2 reenactors, helpful Lucky Gunner staff and many friends.
Sure you don’t have the DP-28 and RPD reversed? At least the RPD ran…
I tried more than one DP28. When it ran, it was great. RPD ran…and I wished it didn’t.
Ah.
What was the RPD’s worst fault?
Jarring, unpleasant recoil. I just didn’t want to shoot it at all. Considering the relatively mild cartridge it shoots, I was surprised.
I’m surprised you didn’t like the RPD…I really enjoyed the one I got to shoot a while back.
Pingback: Lucky Gunner Blogger Shoot link roundup | Pithy Title Goes Here
Glad you enjoyed the M-3 greaser, amigo. Spent a couple years in the Central Highlands around Pleiku with one in the cab of my deuce-and-a-half. Fired well on the sill w/o the wire stock while I was di-di-ing out of trouble….
I helped run a machine gun shoot here in NH a few years ago. I only shot two firearms there. I liked the M3A1. I did well with the BAR but I was prone with a bi-pod.
I did learn one important thing concerning the BAR. Do NOT shoot it prone in a short sleeve shirt while laying on gravel. It took a while to grown the skin back on my elbows. 🙂
I had not planned shooting prone and it was a hot day.