I have been thinking lately that it might be a fun box to check in my life... owning a FA. I am assuming 9mm seems to be a lot of small full autos. Whats a good weapon that is full auto, reliable, and cheap compared to MP5's M16's, etc... Thanks guys...
Cheapest way to get into Full Auto
- Thread starter mopar92
- Start date
- Status
LiquidTension
Member
TexasRifleman
Moderator Emeritus
Cheapest would be something like a Mac. Uzi's up a little from there. Can do those for under $10k, maybe under $5 for a Mac. At the top end of under $10k you can get into an AC556 Ruger if you shop around. Not much else below 10. Might find a Registered Lightning Link for under 10 if you shop around, but not many of those out there.
The Uzi and Mac are fun but you will hear varying stories on reliability. Personally I think the AC556 is the best deal going. There isn't another MG out there you can send back to the manufacturer and get fixed.
The Uzi and Mac are fun but you will hear varying stories on reliability. Personally I think the AC556 is the best deal going. There isn't another MG out there you can send back to the manufacturer and get fixed.
Mike OTDP
Member
Walking down the list...
Mac 11/9s are the cheapest at about $3K. However, you are likely to need to put another $1000 into them to buy either a Lage upper or a suppressor...just to give you something to hold on to.
Above that are the Sten tube guns, M2 carbines, and Reisings. These are running in the $4K-$5K range. Stens are reliable but crude. M2s are expensive to feed. Reisings are reportedly OK once debugged, but you'll need aftermarket mags to get anything more than a 20-round magazine.
Then you get to the $7K range. Uzis and Sterlings. Both are pretty good. I think the Sterling has better ergonomics, but the Uzi has a wider range of accessories.
Any way you go, be sure to have a place to shoot lined up. And I strongly suggest a suppressor. You can avoid a lot of problems with a bit of discretion...and a can is discretion embodied.
Mac 11/9s are the cheapest at about $3K. However, you are likely to need to put another $1000 into them to buy either a Lage upper or a suppressor...just to give you something to hold on to.
Above that are the Sten tube guns, M2 carbines, and Reisings. These are running in the $4K-$5K range. Stens are reliable but crude. M2s are expensive to feed. Reisings are reportedly OK once debugged, but you'll need aftermarket mags to get anything more than a 20-round magazine.
Then you get to the $7K range. Uzis and Sterlings. Both are pretty good. I think the Sterling has better ergonomics, but the Uzi has a wider range of accessories.
Any way you go, be sure to have a place to shoot lined up. And I strongly suggest a suppressor. You can avoid a lot of problems with a bit of discretion...and a can is discretion embodied.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Yup, but you don't have to worry too much about that. The guns your SOT 03 dealer has to sell to you -- or that he can transfer in to sell to you -- are all going to be pre-86 "Transferable."
If I was looking to make this jump, I'd probably go for the Mac series as well, and save up for whatever Lage bits and pieces tickled my fancy.
There are some issues with a large number of those guns, but if you do some research on what you're getting and what it might need to be made durable/reliable, you could do all right.
The Lage parts are really what sell the idea to me. (As a stand-alone item... not so much.) The ability to make it almost any flavor of 9mm sub-gun you want is pretty appealing. 'Course, those aren't cheap parts, either.
For a bit more money Uzis are solid guns with an extensive community of fans and suppliers to help you keep the good times rollin'.
I don't think of any assault rifle as "cheap" to play with, considering the ammo is going to be something near $0.50 a shot. The ACC556s are probably the most ... responsible(?) ... choice as TR said.
About 5 years back a dealer pal of mine had a pair of FNCs that made me drool a lot. REALLY wanted one, but $9,000 was more than I could find in the couch cushions. And then he got nailed for "creatively repairing" MACs into more expensive MGs so I'm kind of glad I didn't buy anything from him.
Bubbles
Member
You also need to live in a state that permits residents to own full-auto firearms. Some states do not.
jmorris
Member
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2005
- Messages
- 24,198
There are many over there now starting at $2900.
Here is one post with 42 different MACs listed.
http://www.subguns.com/classifieds/...sults_format=long&db_id=17906&query=retrieval
Here is one post with 42 different MACs listed.
http://www.subguns.com/classifieds/...sults_format=long&db_id=17906&query=retrieval
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
ghitch75
Member
CleverNickname
Member
The cheapest way is to inherit it. You don't pay for the gun, and it transfers tax-free, even interstate, so you don't have to pay an SOT for their services either.
Of course it does require that someone close to you have the foresight to buy the gun and then will it to you when they die...
Of course it does require that someone close to you have the foresight to buy the gun and then will it to you when they die...
I think that Mac is right down my alley... always thought it was a great Miami Vice gun, 9mm, parts seem to be around... and as some said earlier, that Lage site has some hop ups for it. I guess slowing down the ROF makes them more reliable too?
JTW Jr.
Member
under $10K?
Uzi
Mac
S&W 76
Sten
Sterling
Reising
Uzi
Mac
S&W 76
Sten
Sterling
Reising
THE MACHINIST
Member
you can totally shoot out a ruger 556 and its still factory serviced. try that with any other gun.......$7,000+
Last edited:
Poprivit
Member
Note: Ruger is no longer servicing the AC-556. They say the s/n 180xxx to 191xxx parts are non-existent. I just sold my MAC-11 .380 for $3200 and my AC-556 for $7000. Go with an AC-556 - works all the time and is a full MG, not a sub-gun.
Sam1911 - was the guy doing creative work on MACs putting their s/n on Browning
1919A4 sideplates? I almost ended up with one of those, but ATF showed up and confiscated the gun. The agent says ATF strings det cord through the barrel and action. Poof! No more 1919A4. Too bad, but I got my $13,500 back from the seller.
Sam1911 - was the guy doing creative work on MACs putting their s/n on Browning
1919A4 sideplates? I almost ended up with one of those, but ATF showed up and confiscated the gun. The agent says ATF strings det cord through the barrel and action. Poof! No more 1919A4. Too bad, but I got my $13,500 back from the seller.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Well, I don't know who did what with what, exactly, but that was the gist of the issue. There was a thread a while back that talked about it. The guy I knew is in Annapolis, MD, but there were something like 20 people involved, a lot of them out in AZ or NV, from what I remember.
THE MACHINIST
Member
Ruger is no longer providing service for the AC556. This should not be a concern as the guns are very reliable. Most parts interchange with the Mini 14 semi auto. Almost all parts for the Mini 14 are available from Brownells. They have an online schematic that shows all parts. Their parts are very inexpensive. david spiwac
pikid89
Member
will the AC556 work with a mini 14 22LR kit?
what about the mac10/11
what about the mac10/11
ghitch75
Member
look on the site i posted......AC556 for mid 5k......
Billy Shears
Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,020
You might want to think a while before opting for the MAC. I have a colleague who owns one, and I've shot it. It's virtually uncontrollable. The rate of fire is so high, the gun is so light, and there is so little to hold onto, that even firing short bursts a mere ten to fifteen yards away, three quarters of a 30 round magazine didn't hit a man sized target. The gun I fired has a suppressor, but unless you have an asbestos glove, you can't hold onto that because it quickly heats up. I shot the thing at Blackwater (now Xe) range in Moyock when my department was rebuilding our pistol range, and we had to go there to train and qualify one year. Several of us fired the MAC, and I actually had one of the better hit ratios, and I missed far more than I hit. It made the experience a lot less satisfying.
I'd save up a just little more and get a STEN or a Mk. 760 (Copy of the Swedish Carl Gustav M/45). They're not much more than a MAC, and being both larger, and having a slower rate of fire, they'll be a lot more controllable, and therefore more fun to shoot.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
That's where the Lege "uppers" come in. Using the registered receiver as a base, you can add usable buttstocks, different length barrels, better safeties, forward "K" grips, railed uppers, and kits to set the rate of fire down from 1,100+ to 600 (tweakable, I believe, to a variety of other rates depending on which parts you chose).
Of course, if you add all that stuff, the gun doesn't cost $3,000 anymore, but it might suit you just as well -- or better than a $7,000 Uzi.
Jim Watson
Member
Firearms instructor at my agency had nothing good to say about AC556.
Except the brass saved $50 a gun versus M16s.
Sounds like yours are better.
Except the brass saved $50 a gun versus M16s.
Sounds like yours are better.
TexasRifleman
Moderator Emeritus
Compared to an M16 he's probably right. For the almost 15 thousand dollar price difference I have been able to live with the shortcomings.
- Status
