M1918A2 MOR: How to Make a Non-NFA BAR (Ad-free)
Added 2025-09-24 12:00:03 +0000 UTCCheck out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent firearms books:
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Prior to 1986, Group Industries imported BAR parts kits and then manufactured and registered full-auto receivers for them. This produced transferrable guns which were subject to NFA registration and the $200 transfer tax - which was a much more significant sum at that time than it is today. Some of the potential customers were people (like reenactors) who wanted guns that looked and handled like real BARs but were not regulated by the NFA. To satisfy this subgroup of customers, Group designed a receiver which neither had nor could be adapted to have a gas piston, rendering the gun manually operated. It would fire from an open bolt, but had to be manually recocked after each shot. This was not legally a machine gun, and he made 68 of them.
When the Hughes Amendment to the FOPA passed in 1986, manufacture of new transferrable machine guns ceased, and Group Industries went out of business. Its assets were sold off, including a number of parts kits and unbuilt M.O.R. receivers. One of the buyers was Ohio Ordnance Works (then called Collector's Corner). They got ten receivers and after selling them, decided to develop a semiautomatic BAR for that same non-NFA BAR market. That gun ended up being the M1918A3, which is still available from them today.
Comments
The BAR forever remains unexplainably attractive to me. (Despite its Project Lightening performance)
Squid556
2025-09-28 12:02:40 +0000 UTCAbout 40-ish years ago, mid 1980s, while visiting with competitor gunsmith (but he was class 3) I was handed a BAR s/n 1. I forget how many zeros preceded the "1", but thought this was one of those thrills that one never imagines could happen. Now, after seeing your video, I'm wondering about its authenticity and believe it probably was one of those you demonstrated. I must say it did look aged and had a Colt-type deep blue finish. But then, who knows what he had done to "antique" it. As always, thanks for another edification.
Gun Doctor Bob
2025-09-26 01:31:20 +0000 UTCThat looked so heavy.
Old n Grey Gunner
2025-09-24 22:52:35 +0000 UTCwould LOVE to get behind an ohio ordonance moderniced bar! so basily those are straight pull repeaters. real clumsy for that. from the bipod ok... from the shoulder? -- ak in x39 use to be prohibited for sportive use in germany. think those were imported like that: there are straight pulls that go on a "easier" license (yellow for sportive shooters) gas tube on them but balls cut of to a repeater. easy to get compared to a semi. but who would want a straight pull ak....
Guido Schriewer
2025-09-24 19:30:01 +0000 UTC
