Originally Posted by Peddler

With my Dad is was a must to know how to handle a gun and to respect it. Thats half the problem with the kids today, no respect for a weapon and what it can do.

+1!!!

My dad taught my bro and I the same thing. First thing either of us ever do when we pick up a gun is check to make sure it's not loaded. (And even after that you don't point it at someone and go ha-ha --- BOOM --- yeah, smart).

Kids these days have no respect for firearms. I always follow the rules of gun safety, but no one else I know does. That's why they don't get to touch my SKS or Mosin anymore.

Never owned my own. But shot plenty at the rifle range (mostly .22 long). Like Senorjekips government regulation prohibits me from owning anything other than a hunting rifle (I don't like hunting), however if I ever return to the USA I might pickup a piece...

I am thinking of an M1 carbine for the range and maybe a Glock 40.


*I support the right to arm bears.

Army days I used the Lee Enfield 303, which they tried to persuade us was as fast as an automatic when used properly! My usual weapon was the sten , probably the cheapest and worst weapon in the world ; cost us half a dollar to make and cost us a lot of our own lives. I fired the bren light m/c gun, which was excellent used by two guys. Used .22 for indoor practice, and carried an Energa rocket launcher in my bayonet frog.

The only weapon I ever owned was a five shot automatic skeet gun, but these were made illegal here some years ago and I passed it onto a returning US Colonel, who took it back to Wisconsin for stopping bear in their tracks - he said it was the only weapon which could stop a charging bear - others might kill, but could not stop.

Weapons I have fired

No 4 Mk 1 Enfield rifle
No 1 Mk 111 Enfield Rifle
No 5 Enfiled Jungle Rifle
Bren gun
Stirling
Sten Gun Mks 1/2/3/4
L86 light Support Weapon
SA80 mks 1/2
2inch mortar
3 inch mortar
3.5 rocket launcher [anti tank]
105 mm recoiless rifle [Anti Tank]
L96 Snipers Rifle
The Lewis machine gun
The Vickers machine gun
9mm Browning Pistol
9mm H&K pistol USP
AK 47
H&K 9mm Sub Machine Gun
Energa
Webly 45 pistol
German Luger
this does not include a range of shot guns and target shooting Rifles and pistols whose names I have long forgotten, also a range of muskets and other assorted weapons that I have had the privilege to be let lose on.

You sound like a soldier to me, Lee, especially with those wings and Pegasus. I remember coming across some of your Arnheim veterans in the early 1950's.

True Del Boy I was 1 Para but after war, and on those nasty little wars that have been going on ever since the end of WW2

Originally Posted by 5.56X45mm

Of course I voted Yes, I own firearms

Like that was ever in question

Originally Posted by LeEnfield

True Del Boy I was 1 Para but after war, and on those nasty little wars that have been going on ever since the end of WW2

Respect Le - in my time The Parachute Regiment was beloved in England, and put on a pedestal by the troops. We always checked uniforms for the symbols and especially those with Arnheim were considered legends. One of my training corporals was one of those veterans, Cpl MacDonald, grizzled battered fella, like a big middleweight fighter, but one hell of a nice guy. When he introduced us to the .303 he said - I know you've all heard of the kick from a .303 - but take it from me - the .303 definitely does NOT kick. Just get a grip on it - like this. And he got down and fired off a few ( we fired from 100 yards to 600 yards in training). Then he jumped up, lively as hell, and passed the rifle back. As he did, none of us
missed the trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth! He got just a bit unlucky there! But we were fine that the .303 didn't bother us, although I found firing off ten rapid at the end of the assault course a bit tiring in those days. My father in law, by the way, CSM in Wilts (30 years) was a Bisley shot. It was he who told me that the wild west gunfighters were right as far as the hand-gun is concerned, in normal use. That if you draw and point your fingers at your target, hold and check your aim you find it is very true. On the other hand, I always found my sten wanted to fire into the ground! That is, except when it slipped off someones shoulder, butt hit the ground and it fired off all around you! Never happenned to me, Thank God, but we lost one or two on train escorts that way.

Del boy we had a fair number of Arnhem vets in my Battalion which i served. All of them had been decorated and had MM or MC depending on their rank. Our armourer had the MM which had earned by knocking out three German Tanks with a Sten Gun. The tanks had pulled up about 30 yards in front of their postions as they had run out of Piat Rounds and where shelling them to bits. His mate was blown to bits next to him and he lost it and he charged the tanks just with his sten gun when he got to them he climbed up on them and empty the magazine threw an observation slit and he repeated that three time killing all the tank crews, While this was going on the German infantry where blasting away at him with every thing they had and not a bullet touched him. As an Officer was not present he could not get VC and was happy to get the MM. That soldier was a Joe Millward.