# Machinegun Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 2, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403 "2001-09-02T14:13:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/1 "2001-09-02T14:13:55Z")
Anyone else find it interesting that we have Dopers registered as **Gene Stoner** , inventor of the AR-15/M-16 and the Stoner assault rifles, and **Kalashnikov** , inventor of the AK-47/AKM? ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/2 "2001-09-02T15:52:15Z")
Seems like **Gene Stoner** just started posting a few days ago, and hasn’t posted to any of the gun threads. hmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/3 "2001-09-02T16:08:06Z")
Don’t forget JillGat. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2001, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/4 "2001-09-02T17:18:27Z")
And her two gittens? ---
**Author:** ![GENE\_STONER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@GENE\_STONER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GENE_STONER)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/5 "2001-09-03T00:46:30Z")
Hey kalishnikov, I’ve never posted in any of the gun forums because I’ve yet to see one in the short time I’ve been on the boards. Also, the M16 is not a machine gun. It’s an assault weapon. The AR15, which I invented, is merely a semiautomatic rifle, in it’s current configuration. By the way, I always wanted to own an AK variant or two, however, I live in the PRK, and its just not possible at this time. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/6 "2001-09-03T00:58:42Z")
PRK? People’s Republic of Korea? Kiribati? Kalifornia? Inquiring minds want to know… ---
**Author:** ![GENE\_STONER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@GENE\_STONER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GENE_STONER)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/7 "2001-09-03T01:03:12Z")
I live in the state formerly known as California, Which has become the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia. Also known to to many people as North Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/8 "2001-09-03T01:40:43Z")
The original AR-15 was a selective-fire rifle. The AR-15 (by name) was discontinued years ago, but still exists as the Sporter (my 1979 version was the “AR-15 Sporter”). I used to have an AKM (_Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizerovanyi_) by Maadi a while ago. I sold it and my FN-FAL and my HK-91. I figured I could always replace them when I had more money. Oops! Too bad I didn’t get that Uzi, AR-180 and HK-94 I was looking at. I did replace the HK-91 with the SAR-8 Springfield copy. I suppose I can get the Uzi and AR-180 (the ugliest firearm I’ve ever seen) when I move out of the PRK. And yes, I did register them with the DoJ so I have them legally. ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/9 "2001-09-03T02:01:38Z")
It’s Kal **A** shnikov, thank you very much. 🙂 Personally, I’d like to design a rifle that has some of the better features of both. It would have the basic action of an AK, but with better sights, mag release, and safety like an AR, and a bolt hold open. I’d offer it in a variety of calibers. As a matter of fact, the gun I shoot most (and the one I take to my “defensive carbine” 😉 classes, is a SAR3 - a Romanian AK in 5.56. I think I’ve figured out how to do the mag release, safety, and rear sight (and an optics rail where the rear sight is now) but an automatic bolt hold open that works with the existing mags is a bit harder. ---
**Author:** ![GENE\_STONER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@GENE\_STONER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GENE_STONER)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/10 "2001-09-03T02:48:17Z")
I purchased my first AR back in 99, just when I thought Kali was going to outlaw them. Sure enough, they passed the law, so I went out and bought 2 more before the law took affect. I only wish I had bought a couple AK clones while I could. I’m not one to engage in AK vs. AR debates. Both weapons are great, just for different reasons. I too, registered my rifles, but only because I work for the Federal Gov. A weapons violation, no matter how small, could get me terminated. By the way, if either of you visited the old [AR15.com](http://AR15.com), I was known as “cutlass”. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/11 "2001-09-05T00:40:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GENE STONER \* > [BBy the way, if either of you visited the old [AR15.com](http://AR15.com), I was known as “cutlass”. \*\* You bought a sword to a gun site? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/12 "2001-09-05T02:54:20Z")
Booo!!! Hiss!!! (Ok, it _was_ funny) ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/13 "2001-09-08T06:06:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Nostradamus \* > \*\*Don’t forget JillGat. \*\* What about me?? ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/14 "2001-09-08T17:31:59Z")
Jill–Gat as in gun? or even Gatlin gun? That’s what I assumed he meant. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/15 "2001-09-08T20:28:02Z")
I think “gat” is a stretch for a machine gun name. I don’t own any NFA toys myself but have a pre-ban “Semi automatic assault weapon” AR-15. I bought it as a Colt sporter heavy barrel but converted to a pseudo M4A2 as it has the detachable carry handle. I installed a Bushmaster M4 barre which is only 14.5" long but has a permanently installed Vortex flash suppressor which makes it a nice legal 16.1". Fortunately I have a budy who is very generous with his NFA toys. He has at least five machine guns I know of (in the legal sense, not the military sense). About every three months they have a submachine gun match in Mesa and he invited me along to shoot. He shoots his Sten and Uzi while I take his H&K MP5K. It’s actually a converted SP-89 with a registered auto sear but functionally identical. I’ve had enough practice I can get off single shots with the selector in burt mode. Pretty difficult actually with the high rate of fire. Yikes, I just realized I’m scheduled to shoot four matched by the end of this month. Cowboy shooting tomorrow and the 15th, rimfire benchrest the following saturday and submachinegun the saturday after that. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2001, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinegun-dopers/79403/16 "2001-09-08T20:49:33Z")
**Padeye** : I too modified my 1979 Colt AR-15 Sporter. In its life it’s had a heavy barrel, short barrel, collapsing stock and A2 stock. But now it’s back in its original configuration (I saved the parts). Since I still wanted an A2, I built one using all Bushmaster parts with a heavy barrel. I also have a CAR-15 that I built using a Bushmaster upper and an Olympic Arms lower. (The Olympic lower rec. was at the gun shop just before the ban, so I picked it up.) No full-auto parts (even though they would not make an automatic-capable rifle without the auto sear and selector) because the laws are such that it’s not worth the risk.