It's a shame.

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I was at my armory this past week speaking to my supply NCO, and he showed me something neat: a whole rack of M60s. He said that we're not going to issue them, and they are only visiting our armory until our 240Bravos come in, so that our TOE (Table of Organization and Equipment) is followed. I asked what will happen to them, and he said they'll probably sit in another arms room for who knows how long until they are destroyed.

It's a shame the US military has so many firearms that have seen so much history, but they will never be appreciated by anyone because of a few silly laws. Racks and crates filled with surplus M4s, M16s, SAWs, older M60s, etc. Not to mention the even older Vietnam, Korea, and WWII weapons that are probably collecting dust in warehouses all over the country. None of which will see the light of day because they can't be transferred yet the Army can't find a use for them. Either that or they'll probably get sold to one of our third world allies to rot in the jungle or desert. It's a shame.

 

[jon_in_wv]

Agreed. I remember when Clinton was President and ordered the destruction military's surplus M14s. They showed piles of thousands of them on the news. Soldiers were running bandsaws all day long chopping them in half and then burning the piles. It was sickening.

 

[C-grunt]

I still saw a few M60s being used with the reserve and guard aviation units during my 2005 tour.

 

[danprkr]

Either that or they'll probably get sold to one of our third world allies to rot in the jungle or desert.

Or, until the political climate changes at which time they'll be used against our own guys.

Sad, but that has happened before, and will probably happen again.

 

[fireman 9731]

I'm surprised nobody snuck a provision into the Stimulus package to sell the guns back to our country's citizens. At least the Feds could make a buck for once...

 

[kwelz]

Post 86 Production.

 

[wishin]

I was at my armory this past week speaking to my supply NCO....

I asked what will happen to them.......

You asked your NCO at your armory what will happen to the guns? Doesn't that kind of direction emanate from the top and through the chain of command?

 

[M2 Carbine]

Governments, including the military, routinely do outrageously stupid things.

In 1957, for a couple months, I was at Little Creek Virgina, a Navy base, with a USMC Amtrac.

At the time they were chopping up new/unused 30 cal Browning machine guns. The reason was they didn't want to continue the cost of storing them.
What cost???

They also had a 5 year supply of frozen Sausage Patties, which of course they were going to keep frozen for who knows how long?

At the time the 30 cal Brownings we had on the Antrac looked like they were with Custer at The Little Big Horn and these idiots were cutting up new ones.


Most of the 1911 45 pistols I saw in the Marine Corps and National Guard showed a lot of wear.
In 1961 I bought a GI 1911A1 from the government for $17. It was new in the box.

 

[RP88]

they could sell them as parts guns, or sell M16 and M4 uppers as surplus and just destroy the receivers/lowers.

either way is less wasteful than burning it all into worthless scrap.

 

[hnl.flyboy]

I'm surprised nobody snuck a provision into the Stimulus package to sell the guns back to our country's citizens. At least the Feds could make a buck for once...

if they did that, the feds may be out of debt within a couple years..

 

[Walkalong]

C-mon now. Remember who did the "stimulus" package.

whoops...no polytics

 

[GIJOEL]

Ha, our unit is still using OLD colt AR-15 marked receivers that were stamped A1 and then A2 right over the old stamp. My current issue rifle has a new FN barrel, the second lower the army bought, and the most gnarly looking BCG with a gas key that looks like it got staked with an ax. I've seen some old equipment in the motor pool as well, 2 1/2 ton truck with data plates stating things like "Kaiser Jeep" and "Production date 1958".

 

[Zoidberg523]

Agreed. I remember when Clinton was President and ordered the destruction military's surplus M14s. They showed piles of thousands of them on the news. Soldiers were running bandsaws all day long chopping them in half and then burning the piles. It was sickening.

This type of behavior, in all of it's many forms, deserves a good arse kicking. :banghead:

 

[killchain]

I would pay the US Government 100% retail for my service M4. Straight up.

 

[jeepguy]

on the m14's they could have cut the reciever and sold everything else. do you think they keep these large surpluses of firearms in case we ever get invaded? or in a ww 2 senario having to arm millons of soldiers in a verry short peroid of time?

 

[Match14]

I believe that was the thinking during the cold war, but when it ended, it seems the thinking did too.

 

[XxWINxX94]

Interesting thread.
Uncle Sam could make a penny or 2 if he went and sold all the military stuff in storage. The guys who go to gun shows lookin for that kind of stuff would have a field day, and probably pay top dollar for some stuff.

 

[7.62 Nato]

Those 60s should go to National Guard and Border Patrol. Those idiots that have been making those decisions should go to........well, they should just go.

 

[fireman 9731]

Has anybody tried writing their congressman or talking to them about it? In today's political climate it might just work... almost EVERYBODY is tired of the debt, and every little bit that the feds can make helps... And besides, they are OUR guns really, I mean we did pay for them...

 

[DammitBoy]

Don't worry, they'll get sold to Mexico and then the drug cartels will get ahold of them and they'll find their way back to the border and then ABC news will say they were bought at a gunshow...

 

[caribou]

Eskimo Scouts of The Alaska Territorial Guard(ATG) were given their issued M1917 Enfields at the end of WWII.
The last great militia in this country since......

Should be that way for EVERY Serviceman (women) I belive.
End of duty, take it home.

 

[Mr. Bojangles]

I might be highlighting my own ignorance, but couldn't they change the sear to make it a semiautomatic and then sell it for fun and profit?

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Those 60s should go to National Guard and Border Patrol

I'm in the National Guard. We're the ones getting rid of the 60s in exchange for 240B machine guns. That's what I'm saying. The state owns them, but no unit in the state is going to use them. What will happen to them I don't know, but in all likelihood they'll just sit in an arms room for who knows how long.

 

[sv51macross]

Guy with the funny name wrote:

I might be highlighting my own ignorance, but couldn't they change the sear to make it a semiautomatic and then sell it for fun and profit?

Sorry. BATFE's policy; Once a Machinegun, always a Machinegun. Even if you dumped the auto sear, welded the third hole closed, and replaced the trigger set.

Though, while a full-on repeal of the Hughes Amendment might not work, it would be cool if there was a bill that put these surplus guns on the ATF MG registry. (sort of a selective amnesty).

 

[7.62 Nato]

I'm in the National Guard. We're the ones getting rid of the 60s in exchange for 240B machine guns. That's what I'm saying. The state owns them, but no unit in the state is going to use them. What will happen to them I don't know, but in all likelihood they'll just sit in an arms room for who knows how long.

More specifically, I should say those should be in the hands of the National Guard and Border Patrol. Not gathering dust in a warehouse waiting to be destroyed.