Favored firearms.

[Barbas]

You'd think this would have been done before, but our agents found nothing. Anyway, tell us about your favourite real-world firearms - their history, any unique characteristics, where you first came across them and what made you particularly interested in them.

Spoiler: The Bren light machine gun.

[HEADING=3]History:[/HEADING]

The "Bren" series of light machine guns was used in increasing numbers by the Commonwealth forces in World War II, the Korean War, the Falklands War and the Gulf War. It was a modified version of the existing ZB vz. 26 [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/CSR_soldiers_ZB_vz_26.PNG] and took its name from Brno, the Czeh weapoin's city of origin; and Enfield, the site of the British Royal Small Arms Factory. It featured a top-mounted curved magazine, requiring the firer to look down the side of the weapon and reload more frequently than with belt-fed machine guns. The Bren's slower rate of fire, however, coupled with the simplicity of barrel replacement, made it less prone to overheating. It was considerably lighter than machine guns like the Vickers and its magazines kept bullets free of dirt that might jam the weapon. The simple and reliable Bren could be also be fitted on to the pintle mounts of tanks and Universal Carriers [http://someinterestingfacts.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Bren-Carrier.jpg], endearing it to the infantry.

[HEADING=3]Interest:[/HEADING]

I became unhealthily interested in the Bren after watching Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. That's about it, really. This clip will probably explain everything:

 

[Rose and Thorn]

I've never shot a "real" gun in real life. I've shot bb guns, airsoft and paintball guns. So I am going mainly by films and video games from what my favourite would be.

If I were to own a gun, I would just want a nice little glock or something, but I have always had a soft spot for M14 rifles and all its variants. I like the look of them, the feel of them being shot, the accuracy, the ease of use and how customizable they are. Also how they can be used for almost any range.

Again, going by what I have seen of them, from real worlds videos, to films, to video games. I am more of a knife person.

Spoiler: M14

 

[Colour Scientist]

Spoiler: The Best Firearm

Eh? Eh?

Seriously though, I know shag all about guns.

 

[madwarper]

The only weapon I had any training with was the M16A2. I would have liked to try out the bells and whistles on the A4, but that didn't come out until just before I was discharged. It might have been for the best, because I heard that the A4 was a ***** to clean.

 

[Post Tenebrae Morte]

Can't beat a good classic, the Magnum Revolver. Specifically, the .44 variant.
.500 S&W is awesome as well, though it can rip a mans arm out of the socket.

 

[Nickolai77]

I can see more threads like this taking off soon....

[HEADING=3]The Lee-Enfield Rifle[/HEADING]

Spoiler

[HEADING=3]History and Trivia[/HEADING]

The Lee-Enfield family of rifles has an incredibly long history (1895-present) and has seen action in a surprising amount of wars and conflicts such as the Sino-Indian War, the Arab-Israeli war and even the current war in Afghanistan. It was the main service rifle of British, Commonwealth and Empire forces during the first half of the 20th century, and still in use as a police rifle in some former territories of the British Empire such as India.

The Lee-Enfield rifle's were accurate and reliable, with a respectable ten round magazine, but what these rifles excelled at was rapid, accurate shooting. It was said in WW1 the Germans at first mistook groups of riflemen for machine-gun positions due to the sheer volume of fire these rifles could lay down on the enemy. This was perhaps a design feature from the colonial-era, when there was a need for massed lines of infantry to be able to quickly fire rapid volleys of fire into charging African warriors as famously depicted in Zulu. In WW2 the Lee-Enfield designs were developed further, with sniper-rifle and jungle carbine variants being put in production. Today it remains a popular sports and hunting rifle, and is arguably one of the best bolt action rifles ever made.


"The mad minute" was a pre-ww1 training exercise which refers to scoring a minimum of 15 hits onto a 12" round target at 300 yards (270 m) within one minute using the rifle in training. Experienced war veterans however were known to surpass this.

This is also an interesting video of a WW2 vetran talking about the Lee-Enfield


As for why I like this firearm? Well I like bolt action rifles in general, and I think aesthetically it's well designed and it's a rifle that's very much apart of my country's history and heritage.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Firearms are overrated. I'm more of a bomb person.

I mean how many people can you really kill with a gun anyway? You can get away with what, a few dozen kills? Hundreds if you're a Finnish sniper, and THAT's a record? Drop bombs! They're quicker and way more elegant than trudging through mud trying to score a headshot. You're gonna hit whatever you're aiming at, and you can also kill way more people with them. You're probably thinking you need nuclear armaments to do anything impressive these days, but did you know that regular US bombs killed roughly the same amount of, if not more, people in Dresden than in the combined nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? So it goes.

I respect the preference for guns (eye of the beholder etc., etc.) but personally prefer bombs. My favorite is the blockbuster bomb, which Wikipedia tells me has "enough explosive power to destroy an entire street or large building through the effects of blast in conjunction with incendiary bombs".

Look at that beauty.
Second place would go to gun-type fission weapons such as Hiroshima's "Little Boy". Not exactly a firearm but the design is certainly gun-like, hence the name.

 

[momijirabbit]

Spoiler: Gun

It's so pretty.
Those russians and their guns...

 

[Cowabungaa]

I have a weird thing for the cold, precise look of the H&K .45 USP.

Spoiler: This one.

Pistols in general have a certain...professional and efficient feel to them, I think, and that one in particular. They're restrained, measured, controlled. I prefer that over sheer firepower.

 

[Shock and Awe]

The best guns are those closest to you! Seriously though, as much as I love my guns I'd take a HK 416 over the AR most any day. It's a bit heavy, but more reliable thanks to the short piston system.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Chalk up another for the M14. It's a good, sturdy rifle that fires a powerful round, and it's just beautiful. Whether in old school wood furniture or the modern synthetics, I think it's a damned pretty gun. So do military parade teams. It's the weapon of choice when you've got to twirl it through the air but it still sees limited service as a designated marksman rifle, or in environments where the ranges are longer. I know the Coast Guard always has some on hand.

 

[Alexei F. Karamazov]

Firearms are overrated. You're probably thinking you need nuclear armaments to do anything impressive these days, but did you know that regular US bombs killed roughly the same amount of, if not more, people in Dresden than in the combined nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? So it goes.

Seen any plunger-like aliens around here? No? Ok, keep looking, they're here somewhere! Or rather, they were here once...

OT: There's a reason why this one has been in service for over 100 years. That, and like the AK47, it's the granddaddy of a lot of modern handguns. American ingenuity! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_M1911

And also, this one is pretty cool too. It's gotten quite a spike in popularity due to a lot of modern FPS games, but it really does look cool (excuse the airsoft picture) http://www.airsoft-squared.com/resources/review/1335822747722.jpg

And the last one for the outrageous factor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_%28nuclear_device%29

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Webley .455 revolver.

Spoiler

My dad has one which is a family heirloom. It's a custom made one bought by my great grandfather back in 1910, and I'm pretty sure it has more ornate features around the handle and breaking mechanism, and a longer barrel than the ones in pictures online.

I love it's hexagonal long barrel, with a wide hole for the bullet, and it also packs an insane punch (although the proper bullets are rare, so I've never fired it or seen it fired)

Other than that I like the old WW2 machine guns, like the Browning Automatic Rifle, or the PPSH (already pictured in post 8)

 

[Thaluikhain]

OT: There's a reason why this one has been in service for over 100 years. That, and like the AK47, it's the granddaddy of a lot of modern handguns. American ingenuity! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_M1911

I thought that was no longer in service.

OTOH, after he sold the rights to that, Browning came up with another handgun, the Browning Hi-Power (the magazine was large for it's day), sold that to the Commonwealth, and that still is in service.

...

Personally, I hate the idea of giant handguns. The 9mm NATO is the standard NATO handgun round, not some .500 thing with monster recoil. They chose it for a reason.

 

[Queen Michael]

I like the ones you've posted, but I'm gonna have to go with this little beauty. Best firearm there ever was, people. Best firearm ever.

Spoiler: Here it is.

 

[EHKOS]

Never held a real gun, but I'm a fan of the odd shape of the FN P90, the sheer power of the Taurus Raging Judge, the all around coolness of any .45 ACP handgun, and most machine pistols. No idea why I like them so much, the MAC 11, Glock 18. They just seem fun to use. Although I usually don't use them in video games due to their power being so low.

And my favorite Matt quote that he took from the Simpsons:

 

[Thaluikhain]

the sheer power of the Taurus Raging Judge

Hey? Isn't it just a .410/45LC, which can take Casull rounds?

 

[busterkeatonrules]

Mauser C 96.

Spoiler

The world's first really successful semi-automatic handgun. I mostly like it for its very distinct look, though I am also impressed by its versatility (note how the wooden holster doubles as a detachable stock, effectively turning the weapon into a short-barreled but perfectly good carbine!)

The construction is also brilliant - the weapon can be completely disassembled and reassembled without tools of any kind. It's like a deadly puzzle box!

Oh, and it came in a MULTITUDE of varieties! Highlights include a fully automatic version (dubbed 'Schnellfeuer', because German is an awesome language), and a full carbine version (extra-long barrel and non-detachable stock. These were issued to Wehrmacht motorcycle troopers...)

Spoiler: Bonus: Pimp edition!

Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh yeah.

 

[EHKOS]

the sheer power of the Taurus Raging Judge

Hey? Isn't it just a .410/45LC, which can take Casull rounds?

Ok mostly I look how it LOOKS powerful. Like I said I've never fired a gun, but that thing looks like a handcannon if I've ever seen one.

 

[Thaluikhain]

Mauser C 96.

Spoiler

The world's first really successful semi-automatic handgun. I mostly like it for its very distinct look, though I am also impressed by its versatility (note how the wooden holster doubles as a detachable stock, effectively turning the weapon into a short-barreled but perfectly good carbine!)

The construction is also brilliant - the weapon can be completely disassembled and reassembled without tools of any kind. It's like a deadly puzzle box!

Oh, and it came in a MULTITUDE of varieties! Highlights include a fully automatic version (dubbed 'Schnellfeuer', because German is an awesome language), and a full carbine version (extra-long barrel and non-detachable stock. These were issued to Wehrmacht motorcycle troopers...)

Spoiler: Bonus: Pimp edition!

Oooooooohhhhhhhhhhh yeah.

Also, fed from clips. I like the idea of clips for handguns, to annoy people upset about people getting clip and magazine mixed up.