Hello, I am interested in firing different WW2 rifles/handguns/machine guns. Do you know if it is possible to do this at certain gun ranges or other places? The ranges in my area don't have any weapons this old; I'm sure it's an unusual request, but I would really love to do this at some point. Thanks for reading!
Rifles: Garands, Carbines and Spingfield '03s shouldn't be a problem; neither should finding a 1911A1 ( All are still available, try CMP.com for the rifles) Depending on where you live there might be a range that even has a M1 Thompson or Reising Machinegun (available to rent at the range). As far as cranking off ammo in one of the larger M1919 or M2 Browning Machineguns you might have to do a little digging.
Thank you for the info. cmp.com sent me here: UBM plc. Is there another URL for it? Thanks. I assume finding British, French, German weapons at ranges would be more difficult; what would you recommend for that? Are their veteran groups that may have access to such weapons that I could get in touch with?
Sorry this is the address I meant to post: Rifle Sales Another venue you might pursue is contacting a WW2 re-enactment group.
Well, for rifles and pistols, they should be easy enough to come by. M-1s, Lee-Enfields, Mosin Nagants and German Kar98s can still be purchased for a reasonable price. Unless you want a weapon that actually was made during WW2 and all the parts match. IIRC, Mosin Nagants can be had for a few hundred dollars, but the quality varies greatly. Something more exotic like the Japanese Arisaka rifle will be a lot harder to find, unless you know the owner. Likely the best bet is to get your own weapon and frequent a range or two and start talking to other shooters and making friends. They might know of an owner of World War 2 weaponry who is willing to let you shoot it. As to machine guns, Google is your friend! Bring cash and lots of it! MG Shooters Full Auto Rentals RMMGS >> Dealers Texas Machine Gun Shoot Of course, if you have the cash and the space, hire John Ross Machine Gun Rentals
Manchester NH is home to Manchester Firing Line, a full service range where you can rent. The last I heard they have a Garand, Thompson, 1919, and a Ma Duece that can be rented.