Front fire problems in the US - Maxsell in danger

You guys see this?

http://fightdesigner.wordpress.com/2014/07/17/front-fire-fracas/

Looks like he could use some help, if anyone has ideas or connections.

Geez................

This might be just the beginning...................or maybe the beginning of the end for model gun (or blank gun) enthusiasts and indie prop guys here in the US.   

A similar thing happened to me (San Francisco customs) - I did get the items but, you have to move quickly and efficiently - I found the guy in charge and only talked to him and made a personal contact - it was very frustrating.

It sounds like he has incurred the wrath of someone there.

They simply don't care.

It's a shame as I bought all of my first full auto BFers' from Maxsell -
Now, I pretty much only buy from from Indianaoplis Ordnance -
But, Maxsell were always the best in my book for what they sold.

So do you just rent from someone like ISS for modern stuff, PitFighter?


I've thought about trying to import stuff, looking at some of the models available in Europe and getting drooly over the front-fire Umarex models, and others... but there's just so much potential for things to go wrong, with no real recompense...

If I do not have it - I rent it from Mike Tristano - he has many of my inventory on his books, too.
http://moviegunguy.com

I don't think front firing blank guns are facing extinction in the US. I called maxsell last month after ordering one of them and asked them why the stock kept running out with no new products and they said the guns were stuck at customs. And just a week or two ago some started to be restocked but with orange tips. They said they can remove those tips if proof is shown that they will only be used for theatrical purposes. For the black models, I would just buy a spray paint can in flat black and problem solved. For silver/chrome models it might be a tough one...but hey maybe those tips aren't too hard to remove, like some airsoft guns from overseas.

Hey Guys

Just been following your conversation on here - I find it so bizarre that you guys have problems with blank firers similar to what we have in the UK .

The USA being such a gun friendly country and all - whereas here in the UK - we are constantly looking over our shoulder waiting for the next ridiculous restriction .

For instance at the moment we cannot own plastic airsoft guns unless they are painted bright colours like orange ! Thats for a plastic bb gun by the way !!!

Blank firers comes under the VCRA and are subject to similar as above - we can get the Umarex models but they are becoming scarcer now . I have seen the HK P30 for instance but we are not allowed front ventors - even if you have a legal compliance .

The HK would therefore be converted to top vent which sometimes means the slides are slotted to allow function .

Could I ask , how come real steel is not used more often - with blank rounds obviously ? I realise the risk would be much higher plus you do get a dangerous discharge even from blank rounds ?

I did read somewhere that the Walther P99 for instance does not cycle well with blank rounds so whenever you see the gun used in , say , the Bond films it is the Umarex blank gun which is used rather than real steel . Does that sound right to you guys ?

Carl.

Real steel certainly has it's place on some movie sets, but it's far from perfect.

It costs more (usually).
It can't just be bought, it has to be professionally modified by a qualified specialist (assuming autoloaders).
There are more restrictions (certain people can't use them, certain places it can't go, has to be shipped through a licensed dealer, etc.)
There are restricted types (full auto, use of silencers, barrel length, and other features).

so generally that's just for people with both big budget and the desire for authenticity. There's plenty of people who either aren't there yet, or don't want to go there, or will never come within range of either of those two factors.

Talking of US gun restrictions one of the daftest I know of is that you can't fit an Artillery Luger board stock onto the smaller Navy Luger without getting into deep doo-doo. Why?? Go figure as they say over there.

Restrictions on short-barreled two-handed weapons... means you can't cut down a rifle, have an uzi or AR or whatever with the shorter military-style CQB barrel, or even put a folding front grip on the tac rail of a modern pistol sometimes, since it would arguably make it no longer designed to be held in one hand. Some shoulder stocks do the same thing.

You know, because adding extra control and time it takes to draw on something makes your pistol more of a public safety issue...   

lampwick wrote:

Talking of US gun restrictions one of the daftest I know of is that you can't fit an Artillery Luger board stock onto the smaller Navy Luger without getting into deep doo-doo.  Why??  Go figure as they say over there.

Adding a shoulder stock to a pistol creates a short barreled rifle - and as a whole a short barreled rifle is an NFA weapon -
We actually have highly regulated firearms laws - and the country is not gun friendly at all - it is impartial - and certain classes of weapon are easier for an unlicensed individual than others.
In a nutshell NFA weapons are:
Machineguns.
Assault weapons - certain states do not make much of a distinction, but others take it VERY seriously.
Anything shooting a projectile over .50"
Destructive devices - grenade launchers, rocket launchers, etc/
Short barreled shotguns or rifles.
AOW (all other weapons) wallet guns, pen guns, ballistic knife.

However certain exceptions were voted for by collectors and made exceptions to that rule.
They do this by lobbying the BATF -
Those exceptions the NFA that are deemed collectable and rare, or Curio and Relic status so NFA exempt - are defined by date of manufacture model type, manufacturer and often serial number range (certainly in the case of Winchester Trappers with barrels of less than 16 inches.)

The Luger artillery is not just any Luger artillery, but a Luger artillery of a certain manufacture date in correct collector status - then you are allowed to affix the "correct" shoulder stock, same with certain Browning P35's, Radom's, Stars and Mauser C96's - (and some others listed on the C&R BATF list)

However...

State law trumps federal law - so in certain states even though the shoulder stock on those rare collectables is legal federally, it is still breaking the law to affix it - California for one.
However, you are allowed to own both the stock and handgun with slot, just don't put them together.

Hope this makes more sense