Shear_stress
Member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2005
- Messages
- 2,728
File this one under "guns I never thought I would shoot if I lived to 150". Went to a pseudo-official shooting area on state land a couple of days ago. A few groups of folks were already out there when I arrived. As I was unloading the trunk, I noticed one fellow had what I thought was a SIG AMT, already a rifle you don't see everyday and worth more several times more than the guns I brought put together. I watched as he shouldered the SIG and, to my surprise, let out a full auto burst of five to ten rounds. This got my attention.
I set up my guns and ammo and watched as this fellow and his buddies let out burst after burst with this rifle. When I finished dabbing up all the blood after cutting myself on an open tin of Romanian 7.62x39, I paid the SIG guy a visit. I told him I wasn't aware that there were any transferrable full-auto SIG rifles around. He explained that he was an SOT and that this rifle was a .308 (not a 7.5), was made in 1983 and actually a post-86 dealer sample, one of four or five in the country. Amazingly, he was kind enough to let me handle his investment, which turns out to have been worth more than the nearby cars put together.
The 510 is heavy and beautifully finished. For some reason, the full-auto position for the selector switch is marked "20". Strangely, this expensive, lavishly-made rifle has no bolt-hold-open. I thanked the SIG guy profusely and went back to shooting my motley array of rifles.
After a while, curiosity got the best of me, and I went back to the SIG guy and asked if there was any chance that I could run a couple of rounds through the 510. He thought about it for a second and handed me a full magazine.
I've fired a submachine before, but I was a little weary about the recoil of a full-auto .308. I tried for short bursts. Turns out the weight of the rifle soaks up the recoil surprisingly well. There was a fair amount of muzzle climb, even at four-five rounds at a time, and the trigger was not especially easy to manipulate. I was able to keep the rounds on a refrigerator box, but that was about it. Still, I felt privileged to have somehow been in the right place at the right time.
I set up my guns and ammo and watched as this fellow and his buddies let out burst after burst with this rifle. When I finished dabbing up all the blood after cutting myself on an open tin of Romanian 7.62x39, I paid the SIG guy a visit. I told him I wasn't aware that there were any transferrable full-auto SIG rifles around. He explained that he was an SOT and that this rifle was a .308 (not a 7.5), was made in 1983 and actually a post-86 dealer sample, one of four or five in the country. Amazingly, he was kind enough to let me handle his investment, which turns out to have been worth more than the nearby cars put together.
The 510 is heavy and beautifully finished. For some reason, the full-auto position for the selector switch is marked "20". Strangely, this expensive, lavishly-made rifle has no bolt-hold-open. I thanked the SIG guy profusely and went back to shooting my motley array of rifles.
After a while, curiosity got the best of me, and I went back to the SIG guy and asked if there was any chance that I could run a couple of rounds through the 510. He thought about it for a second and handed me a full magazine.
I've fired a submachine before, but I was a little weary about the recoil of a full-auto .308. I tried for short bursts. Turns out the weight of the rifle soaks up the recoil surprisingly well. There was a fair amount of muzzle climb, even at four-five rounds at a time, and the trigger was not especially easy to manipulate. I was able to keep the rounds on a refrigerator box, but that was about it. Still, I felt privileged to have somehow been in the right place at the right time.
