NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Pretty simple, fun thread here. What's the most bizarre or rarest gun you've had a chance to lay hands on? Just seeing it behind glass doesn't count. 
My handgun submissions would probably be a documented 7th US Cav. Colt SAA. Got to play with it at local gunshop a couple years back. I didn't ask to see it, but the fella behind the counter handed it to me anyway, so that was pretty cool. IIRC, they got $14G for it a few days later.
The rarest handgun Ive ever actually owned and shot was probably an H&R USRA Model .22 Single shot-
They only produced a couple thousand, and each one was so heavily customized, they were practically unique.
For rifles, some of the rarest were a Japanese Navy Type 1 rifle made by Beretta and an Egyptian Rashid. I handled both at a local shop and shoulda bought em- especially the Rashid as that was before the internet was a really a thing and no one at the time realized just how few of those were actually made. The Rashid combined features of the SKS and Hakim and was chambered in 7.62X39. Since that example, I've not seen another in the flesh and prices have gone stratospheric.
The Type 1 was a Carcano action set in in a stock and furniture to resemble a Type 38 Arisaka, and chambered for 6.5 Jap. To obfuscate the weapon's origin, they were stamped with only the serial number and a "B" for Beretta or "T" for Terni- there were no other markings on the whole gun. Legend has it that some were smuggled out of Italy in submarines! A few saw combat in the lattter stages of the war, but many remained unissued and were captured by the Allies in new condition. The one (and only) I played with was immaculate and the price was reasonable......sigh.
At the same shop some years later, I got to fondle a G43. Though not exactly rare, they don't pop up every day (except in video games), and it was certainly cool- although that one was a late-war example and it showed- the quality was shockingly bad. Honestly, I don't know if I would have wanted to shoot it and $2500 was a lot of money for a wall hanger back then- though a pittance compared to what they go for now.
One of the most bizarre long-guns Ive owned and shot would be a Norinco Model 320 Uzi clone with a 16" barrel and ridiculous thumbhole stock. Supposedly they were only imported for one year. Mine looked cool, but was terribly unbalanced with the long barrel and would jam constantly since I suspect it was sprung for much hotter ammo than the commercial 115gr ball I was trying to feed it.
Equally strange, it came with a fake 9-inch "display" barrel, but the barrel nut was tack-welded in place!
Then there's the Ma Duece. Military versions of the M2 .50 cal machine gune aren't rare, certainly, but a guy brought one to the local outdoor range that had been built on an Israeli semi-auto receiver. He let me shoot a couple rounds at the 100yd berm. Oh man, that was awesome!
How about it, what was your brush with the strange side of the gun world?
My handgun submissions would probably be a documented 7th US Cav. Colt SAA. Got to play with it at local gunshop a couple years back. I didn't ask to see it, but the fella behind the counter handed it to me anyway, so that was pretty cool. IIRC, they got $14G for it a few days later.
The rarest handgun Ive ever actually owned and shot was probably an H&R USRA Model .22 Single shot-
They only produced a couple thousand, and each one was so heavily customized, they were practically unique.
For rifles, some of the rarest were a Japanese Navy Type 1 rifle made by Beretta and an Egyptian Rashid. I handled both at a local shop and shoulda bought em- especially the Rashid as that was before the internet was a really a thing and no one at the time realized just how few of those were actually made. The Rashid combined features of the SKS and Hakim and was chambered in 7.62X39. Since that example, I've not seen another in the flesh and prices have gone stratospheric.
The Type 1 was a Carcano action set in in a stock and furniture to resemble a Type 38 Arisaka, and chambered for 6.5 Jap. To obfuscate the weapon's origin, they were stamped with only the serial number and a "B" for Beretta or "T" for Terni- there were no other markings on the whole gun. Legend has it that some were smuggled out of Italy in submarines! A few saw combat in the lattter stages of the war, but many remained unissued and were captured by the Allies in new condition. The one (and only) I played with was immaculate and the price was reasonable......sigh.
At the same shop some years later, I got to fondle a G43. Though not exactly rare, they don't pop up every day (except in video games), and it was certainly cool- although that one was a late-war example and it showed- the quality was shockingly bad. Honestly, I don't know if I would have wanted to shoot it and $2500 was a lot of money for a wall hanger back then- though a pittance compared to what they go for now.
One of the most bizarre long-guns Ive owned and shot would be a Norinco Model 320 Uzi clone with a 16" barrel and ridiculous thumbhole stock. Supposedly they were only imported for one year. Mine looked cool, but was terribly unbalanced with the long barrel and would jam constantly since I suspect it was sprung for much hotter ammo than the commercial 115gr ball I was trying to feed it.
Equally strange, it came with a fake 9-inch "display" barrel, but the barrel nut was tack-welded in place!
Then there's the Ma Duece. Military versions of the M2 .50 cal machine gune aren't rare, certainly, but a guy brought one to the local outdoor range that had been built on an Israeli semi-auto receiver. He let me shoot a couple rounds at the 100yd berm. Oh man, that was awesome!
How about it, what was your brush with the strange side of the gun world?
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