Open bolt uzi mystery

castile · Aug 1, 2020

I have been arguing with people on Uzi forums. In 1985 I bought an open bolt uzi semi auto only from a gun dealer. The trigger group had no setting for full auto and it was designed for open bolt only fire. It was not cobbled together and I knew at the time several from the gun club who had one or had had one. Mine came with a 16 inch barrel and a fake short barrel. I remember it would not be that easy for a person to convert. Not any more than an AR15. At the time I bought it I also at a gun show picked up a video VHS of SWD doing a video on how easy it was to convert everything from a Grand to Ruger 1022 to full auto. They did this for court when they fought and lost to ATF on the open bolt issue. I still have the VHS original tape and have since converted it to digital. Never downloaded it because I did not need any attention on me about videos on how to convert guns. They converted AR15s in several way to full auto.

Tommygunn · Aug 1, 2020

I'm not sure of what your purpose is ....Question or ....? It's my understanding that the BATFE boys really truly hate despise and disdain open bolt guns and won't allow them made. I have a Kahr M1A1 style semi Thompson and it fires closed bolt in spite of the original WW2 SMG being open bolt.

But I don't know what the legal status of semiauto open bolt guns that remain in civilian ownership is. If you need to know that then you need a lawyer familiar with firearms laws to advise you.

jmorris · Aug 1, 2020

I have been arguing with people on Uzi forums.

About what? Open bolt semiautos were made, now they are not. 1982 was the year that they were considered “readily converted” prior ones were grandfathered.

A lightning link (two simple, small parts) will make a semi AR full auto.

Not a lot to argue about, on that subject.

That said, I don’t know of any open bolt Uzi’s imported to the USA, although there are other open bolt semis that exist.

If you had one, in the US, it would be quite rare and valuable.

castile · Aug 1, 2020

They are telling me it was not an open bolt. This is not my first rodeo. The firing pin was a nub on the face of the bolt, to fire it you pulled the bolt back and it locked open and when you pulled the trigger the bolt slammed forward picking up a round and slamming the primer. There was a disconnect in the trigger group that would disconnect the trigger until you reset it to fire it again. There was only F and S on the trigger housing. I highly doubt it was modified.

CapnMac · Aug 1, 2020

People on fora can be as dense as any other group of people.

People who were not alive in 1982 will not remember when ATF slammed the door shut on every semi open bolt firearm in the US.
One of the importers had been bringing semi-only open bolt Uzis into the US for years, only to have all those become nothing better than parts kits.

One of the key parts of recognizing the "pre ban" Uzi is that they had both 16" barrels and the stubby dummy barrel, too.

People on fora can be wrong.

Tommygunn · Aug 1, 2020

castile said:
They are telling me it was not an open bolt. This is not my first rodeo. The firing pin was a nub on the face of the bolt, to fire it you pulled the bolt back and it locked open and when you pulled the trigger the bolt slammed forward picking up a round and slamming the primer. There was a disconnect in the trigger group that would disconnect the trigger until you reset it to fire it again. There was only F and S on the trigger housing. I highly doubt it was modified.

If the firing pin was a nub on the face of the bolt, it was an open bolt firearm. It was a particular type called "slam-fire" which the action of the bolt chambering a round and igniting it fires the round rather than a firing pin moving within the bolt and firing it.
The 1921, 1928, and M1 Thompsons were open bolt with hammers and firing pins. The M1A1 removed the hammer and firing pin and used a raised nub as you describe the gun in question, thus the last design of the Tommygun was slamfire. Several other subguns worked the same way.

Gordon · Aug 8, 2020

I too had one of the original early 80s open bolt Uzis with the short fake barrel and the 16" barrel. One day on a ranch I pulled out the magazine in a Toyota landcruiser with the rifle pointing down and bolt open (no my finger was no where near the trigger ) and got a nice 9mm drain hole in the floor! I had used open bolt guns a decade before in Vietnam and was somewhat familiar with their odd safety characteristics . But that experience soured me on open bolt guns . Except the Sterling SMG ! I like those too much

So yes there were open Bolt Uzi's, and MAC 10, and 11s ect. I do have an open bolt .22 Semi auto around somewhere. I haven't seen it it years it is a 1950s Winchester I believe.

Odd Job · Aug 8, 2020

Here's a nice video about another open bolt .22 from Forgotten Weapons. He does mention semi-auto open bolt rimfires in the "machine pistol" family:

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...502FABC7F7B7B0442896502&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

jmorris · Aug 8, 2020

http://www.c3junkie.com/?page_id=402

Open bolt uzi mystery

castile

Member

Tommygunn

Member

jmorris

Member

castile

Member

CapnMac

Member

Tommygunn

Member

Gordon

Member

Odd Job

Moderator

jmorris

Member

Similar threads