Does anyone have any info on a L-39 Lahti?

http://www.obscure-reference.com/guns/lahti20mm/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L-39_20_mm_Lahti

Sounds cool. I've never seen one in .50 BMG. Does it use different mags, or are they altered?

I know someone selling one in 20mm who describes it as the "worst NFA gun ever." It's a huge rifle that fires one round at a time and requires two people to carry it. Rechambered to .50, I believe you would find the weight almost obscene. It's over 7 feet long and weighs over 100 lbs. If you want a .50 rifle, I think any of the contemporary manufacturers would build you a much more user-friendly and usable version. Just my opinion.

100 lbs! atleast recoil shouldnt be a problem.

If you want a non-DD, WWII, oddball .50BMG, I think there are much better choices out there than a converted Lahti. A converted Boys antitank rifle, for example.

100 lbs! atleast recoil shouldnt be a problem

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I shot one once at a machine gun shoot in South Texas back in around 1984.

I weighed maybe 150 at the time ( I was a junior in high school).

I fired from prone of course with my feet dug in and the Lahti and I slid backwards about 3 inches.

It hurt

As for the title of "Most Worthless NFA Item", I think it would win.

No, I can think of so many other NFA items that are far more worthless (less worthy?) than that thing. So many...

No, I can think of so many other NFA items that are far more worthless (less worthy?) than that thing. So many...

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Okay, other than the old Ares Mag-light .380, what else?

Chauchat.

And, on second thought, the HK MK19 GMG. Any full-auto weapon ($200 transfer) that uses ammo that requires a transfer fee of $200 per shot (on top of finding a source) cannot possibly be worth it.

That one appears to have its skis removed. You have to get new ones for it if you get the rifle. That way you can tow it through the snow with your bicycle.

Is it practical? No. But it's a good way to make a point.

Chauchat.

And, on second thought, the HK MK19 GMG. Any full-auto weapon ($200 transfer) that uses ammo that requires a transfer fee of $200 per shot (on top of finding a source) cannot possibly be worth it.

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Unlike what the History Channel shows, I have seen two Chauchauts at shoots that worked quite well. I think the Chauchaut's biggest problem back in WWI was our attempt to convert it to shoot .30-06. Guys I've spoken to who have owned them and/or worked on them say that in the original Lebel chambering, they work pretty well. Strange looking, certainly, but much more fun than a 100-lb rifle.

Also, the MK19 grenade launcher isn't made by HK, but by Saco Defense:

http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/mk19.htm

The $200 per round tax is only if you're shooting the operational ammo like HEDP. Most people with grenade launchers shoot the practice rounds which don't have any tax or paperwork associated with them. While that seems kind of silly to me, I still have to think it would also be more fun than a 100-lb rifle.

Useless? How about the Colt Port Firing Weapon? Open-bolt M16 with a trigger weight measured in metric tons, and an obscenely high firing rate. Interesting, but seems like a waste of money considering its limitations, and your trigger finger will hate you forever.

Or what about the post-86 Glocks, both converted and the G18?

Or the StG-44/MP44? Another interesting weapon, really neat collector's item, but ammo and the collector's value makes it (to the best of my knowledge) a bit useless. Same thing for many of the WWII bring-backs chambered in exotic cartridges that can't be found anymore.

Not to say that this one's bad, but I don't really see the point in this:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976755082.htm
$5,000 is pretty steep considering what the rifle really is. At least a 10/22 trigger pack gives you plenty of options.


It's not that any NFA item is completely and totally useless, it's just that some seem inherently less likely to provide fun for the shooter because they limit your options more than most things would, in the same price range. Obviously, some people out there don't care, because those limited number of uses are enough to make them happy. It just seems that for the money, something like a registered M16 lower provides for so many more possibilities. But hey, that's just my opinion.

Off topic but since some guy seem to know about the mk-19...would it be feasible to mount one on a UAV, and have it fly extended air coverage missions during military operations? How about a chain gun?
I know some carry hellfires currently.

Also, the MK19 grenade launcher isn't made by HK, but by Saco Defense:

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HK does produce a grenade launcher much like the MK19, that can be easily confused for a MK19.

http://www.hkpro.com/gmg.htm

HK does produce a grenade launcher much like the MK19

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True, but while there is at least one transferable Mk19, there are no transferable HK GMGs. That would exclude the HK from the realm of the hobbiest shooter. Some would say the price tag of the Mk19 excludes it from hobbiest shooting also, but at least there is a registered example that a hobbiest COULD buy.

would it be feasible to mount one on a UAV, and have it fly extended air coverage missions during military operations?

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Technically this might be feasible, but I think that UAV pilots and troops on the ground would both prefer that there be a live pilot on the scene to decide where he wants to shoot and how close. What might be best in the future would be for the actual troops on the ground to have their own UAVs that they themselves could fly for CAS.