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Posted: 5/3/2005 4:43:24 AM EDT
| The local gun shop has a Open Bolt Mac 10 semiauto for sale, its around $800. I see others in SOG and other catalogs for around $300 I even handled one of SOG's lately and its fires closed bolt and the quality was fair. I was wondering if open Bolt mac 10 are rare and if its worth the price? |
| They were banned in the early 80's. They were to easy to convert to full auto. (as per the atf). If in good shape. I have seen them for $1000 or so.h.gif |
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Open bolts were not banned, and the one for sale is legal. BATF decided that converting the Open bolts to MG's were too easy, and deamed that semi's needed to be closed bolt systems. Open bolt semi automatic Firearms that were produced before the cut off date were grandfathered as being legal to own. |
Where there any produced after the cutoff date and ifso what is the status of these guns. Thx Fast |
Dano covered it pretty well. The issue is not MAC 10s, it is "open bolt vs closed bolt" semi autos. Open bolt weapons are cocked with the bolt back and a sear holding them open. The firing pin is permanently fixed to fire whenever the bolt closes. The trigger simply releases the sear releasing the bolt. There is all kinds of ADDED complexity to make them fire semi-auto. Removing that complexity is very easy. Hence, the BATF decided to ban the manufacture and sale of open bolt semiautos. When they did, they allowed those weapons ALREADY made to remain legal to own and sell as semi-auto weapons not under the restrictions placed on machineguns and the like. All NEW semi-autos must fire from a CLOSED bolt. So manufactuers of MACs and the like re-engineered them to meet this requirement. Any open-bolt semi-auto weapons made after the BATF decision are ILLEGAL. End of story. This is why the pre-ban open bolt Macs are somewhat rare. So yes Macs are produced afterr the date in a closed bolt configuration. For myself, I see no real use for one. I like the full auto Macs. Lots of fun for the money. But a semi-auto MAC is simply a clumsy poorly built handgun IMO. And the only advantage to an open bolt versus newer semi-auto is the ease of conversion to full auto. But then - doing that conversion is a ticket to Club Fed and an introduction to a new roommate named Bubba. Real stupid. Soooo, no real point to them IMO. And the short answer is no new ones are made to open bolt spec. Now, if you live in a machinegun friendly state you can still buy an open bolt full auto MAC for a (sort of) reasonable sum. Something in the $2500 to $3000 range will get you up and running. But don't do it the illegal way. The FEDs do stuff like ruin your life over that kind of stuff. |
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For info from a RKI : The Ingram Military Armament Corp. / RPB open bolt semis were ajudicated ellegal and the ATF issued a stop order for MANUFACTURE in about '76. They ARE legal to buy or sell. They ARE NOT NFA registered firearms. U.S. made Submachine Guns were made ellegal for manufacture by the Firearms Act of 1986. The importation of foreign made Machine Guns (including SMGs) was made ellegal by executive order in 1989. Guns marked Ingram M10 Powder Springs, MAC 10 Powder Springs, RPB Powder Springs, RPB Atlanta, are the ONLY genuine open bolt semi MACs. There are some Stephensville, TX "MACs" that say Ingram M10A1 that look the same, but do not fire from an open bolt. I have seen these guns sell for up to 1200.00 to fools. They are NOT, I repeat, NOT Ingrams and they are NOT MACs...no matter what they say on the side of 'em! Parts are NOT available and NOT interchangeble with REAL MACs. These guns, in fact, are WORTHLESS. I have seen Powder Springs open bolt semi MACs sell for as low as 800.00, and as high as 2000.00 in recent years. RPBs marked Powder Springs or Atlanta, sell for a little less. Unless new in the box, they all will have the barrel shot out of them. Most show signs of tampering. Many have almost no original "parkerized" finish left. This is pretty normal for a P.S. gun that is not N.I.B. The original finish was VERY poor. The .45ACP brings a premium over the 9mm Fat MAC. And there are more open bolt 9mms out there. Be advised, the 9mm uses an almost unobtainable Walther MPK double stack DOUBLE FEED mag. Do not buy a 9mm that doesn't have at least 2, prefferably 4, operational mags. The .45 uses a slightly modified Grease Gun mag...10.00 new in the wrapper. If it's a 9mm and uses the Zitel® double stack SINGLE FEED mag, it's a TX MAC, and worthless. Bob |
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Thanks guys for all your help and information. Here is a little more info about it. Its made by RPB Industries Atlanta. The cal is 45 Auto. Its saft is the slide safty under the frame next to the trigger guard not the rotating safty on the newer closed bolt M10s. It also has the Holes for a wire stock but with some little welds to keep the stock from fitting. It also has the bracket around the barrel for the strap. The barrel looks to be in great shape and the finish is excelent. I didn't ask if they refinished it or not but they are a Class 2/3 shop and do any kind of refinishing. Another Question, would adding the nylon strap count as a front grip making it a AOW or would the strap be considerad a sling? |
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For all you POS Mac lovers here is the Ultimate "Mac"h.gif http://home.att.net/~fast996/DSC00939.jpg |
What ever happened with those? |
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