by I like to look over the firearms auctions on Proxibid.com on a regular basis. This week I came across an estate auction that would set the heart aflutter of most any collector.
It is from the collection of Richard Wray of Cincinnati, Ohio. I don’t know who Mr. Wray is or was other than he owned Wray Electric Company. I do know he had more Class III NFA firearms than most museums!
In addition to the more common items like a M-16, a Browning M-2, and the M-60 machine gun, the collection has stuff like a Carl Gustafs Model 1921/1924 Browning Automatic Rifle in 6.5 Swedish Mauser with Finnish Army proofs.
OK, that is a bit too pedestrian for your tastes, how about a Vickers Mark I Water-Cooled Machine Gun in .303 and retaining most of its original finish?
Nah, you say, Vickers made a lot of machine guns. Then try a U.S. Model 1909 Benet Mercie Light Machine Gun made by Springfield Armory.
You need to check this auction out if only to see all the unusual US and foreign machine guns Mr. Wray had.
As for me, what I’d really want to bid on is the Smith and Wesson Model 76 Submachine gun which is the US copy of the Swedish K-gun. I got to shoot one a couple of years ago at the LuckyGunner Blogshoot and really liked it. It was easy to shoot and you might even still be able to get spare parts for it from Numrichs. It is also expected to sell in the 4-digit range and not the 5-digit range. Now all I would have to do is clear the NFA background check and wait…and wait.
Suppose one would have to already have a Class 3 before they could enter the Auction, right?
@Les: That is the part I don't know. I'm tempted to contact the auction company to ask this question just for giggles.
From their website:
Cowan's Auctions Class III License Policy in Accordance with Federal Policy:
NFA rules apply on all purchases of Class III weapons.
Cowan’s Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio is a recognized dealer in Class III items and is recognized as a (63) NRA Firearms Dealer and will comply with all regulations.
Buyers are expected to know their states laws and regulations on machine guns prior to bidding. The following states do not allow individuals to own machine guns: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. For more details please visit the website for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at http://www.atf.gov.
The three forms necessary to fill out upon purchase of these machine guns will be supplied by Cowan’s Auctions. These forms are: 1) ATF Form #4 (and possibly ATF Form #5) 2) Fingerprint Card, and 3) ATF form 5330.20 Certificate of Compliance.
1 Cowan’s Auction policy is that the buyer will assume all transfer fees relating to the purchase of Class III weapons.
2 All buyers are expected to promptly fill out paperwork and comply with all related laws and regulations.
3 Please allow up to three months, if necessary, for paperwork to be completed to transfer a machine gun.
Saw a Model 76 up here last year… $7k and in damn good shape!
incidentally, the m76 s&w gun starred in charlton heston's "omega man" flick, but when they wanted the gun to jam in his last scene they switched to an mp40 instead of the smith.