National firearms Centre visit
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 12:39 am
Today i was afforded the rare privilege of a visit into the secretive world of the National firearms centre in Leeds. Now to even get a look at this place one has to be a proper researcher or historian and me and my group were only permitted in because we were all education department volunteers at the local regiment museum and this qualified us as "historians". i will now briefly describe my visit to this cave of wonders. Firstly i must point out every firearm i describe is very much active (they don't do de-acts) and that everything i describe i was able to touch and operate the mechanism of.
When you find the actual place security is tight, very tight. There is less security on government strike hardened nuclear facilities. ID is carried at all times and a declaration is signed to say you are not a prohibited person under the firearms act. After passing through security you enter the main storage room. Imagine a medium sized warehouse filled from floor to ceiling with firearms any firearm you can think of. It was like that scene form the 70's "charlie and the chocolate factory" when the kids first see the chocolate room, for a few moments i was honestly speechless. Now i apologize in advance if this description seems cluttered but it was a very fast paced visit with a lot to see and touch.
The one closest to the door is Hiram maxims 577-450 patent maxim gun. there is a area for manual machine guns like the gardener guns used in the Sudan, several Gatling used by the victorian army, one wall is devoted to SMG'S the middle of the room is devoted to machine guns of all descriptions from brass barrel maxims, Vickers, lewis, brens, FN MAGs m60s dshks, all on infantry and anti air mounts. Past them are the pistol storage areas. Most production handguns and a lot of custom stuff is stored here, i looked at a few glocks, brownings colts, desert eagles, webleys both revolver and semi auto, fn 57s.
Then we looked at the rifle racks we started looking alphabetically with the AK, i was able to inspect and handle the following firearms of interest: AK47 AKM AK74 AK100 One of saddams son's Gold plated AK47s, Several AK based carbines, we then looked at the south african VEKTOR series of rifles we then moved on to the Armalite rack where i was able to handle a 1959 pre production AR15, M16 M16A1 M16A2 with M203 grenade launcher, M4, DIEMCO C7 & C8, H&K 416. Then we looked at the FN rack there they had some very early semi auto trials rifles, the usual FN FALs both wood and plastic L1A1 SLRs and the new FN SCAR rifle with integral grenade launcher. We then looked at the ww2 German rack, where there were too many mausers to count, ghwer 41s a rack of both falsamjeager and mp44 stunghwer rifles. Quickly passing through this we then looked at the British gallery, where i was able to hold and inspect the following: nock volley gun, Baker rifle marked to the 95th, the P51 minie rifle, the sealed pattern P53, jacob sniders competition submission piece, Martini Henry trials rifle, Martini Henry Mk1 serial number 1, 402 calibre enfield martini, Magazine Martini henry, Martini Henry grenade launcher. I then inspected a magazine Lee Metford MK1 Serial number 1.
I then looked at some victorian trials rifles like the Mauser-Metford and a recoil operated Semi-auto rifle from Maxims workshop built in 1883 (we had a viable working SLR design in the 1880s) a gas operated SMLE. Moving on we looked at and inspected all variations of SMLE's no4s P13, P14, weird P14/SMLE hybrids.
I then saw something i never thought still existed, a rack of EM2 rifles, very nice indeed. i then looked at trials sa80s and a L85A1 serial number A0000001. I then passed by a rack with more experimental stuff on it like a MP44 With the curved barrel and reflector sights (its the one used by Steven Fry on that episode of QI) A Walther 2000 rifle loaned by the armouries to United artists for Timothy Dalton to use in the opening scene of "the Living Daylights" heading towards the exit we glanced at the sub machine gun rack, lanchesters, sterling's, MP5s, P90s. On the other wall were presentation pistol cases, i was able to look at a pair of colt navy 1863 revolvers in a presentation case that was presented by Samual Colt himself to a Sheffield steel magnet. The last item we looked at was a blue and silver and diamond encrusted 357 snub-nosed revolver formerly owned by a member of the royal family.
This visit took over 2 hours and i barely scratched the surface. You could spend 2 years there and not examine everything. It was certainly a unforgettable experience.
When you find the actual place security is tight, very tight. There is less security on government strike hardened nuclear facilities. ID is carried at all times and a declaration is signed to say you are not a prohibited person under the firearms act. After passing through security you enter the main storage room. Imagine a medium sized warehouse filled from floor to ceiling with firearms any firearm you can think of. It was like that scene form the 70's "charlie and the chocolate factory" when the kids first see the chocolate room, for a few moments i was honestly speechless. Now i apologize in advance if this description seems cluttered but it was a very fast paced visit with a lot to see and touch.
The one closest to the door is Hiram maxims 577-450 patent maxim gun. there is a area for manual machine guns like the gardener guns used in the Sudan, several Gatling used by the victorian army, one wall is devoted to SMG'S the middle of the room is devoted to machine guns of all descriptions from brass barrel maxims, Vickers, lewis, brens, FN MAGs m60s dshks, all on infantry and anti air mounts. Past them are the pistol storage areas. Most production handguns and a lot of custom stuff is stored here, i looked at a few glocks, brownings colts, desert eagles, webleys both revolver and semi auto, fn 57s.
Then we looked at the rifle racks we started looking alphabetically with the AK, i was able to inspect and handle the following firearms of interest: AK47 AKM AK74 AK100 One of saddams son's Gold plated AK47s, Several AK based carbines, we then looked at the south african VEKTOR series of rifles we then moved on to the Armalite rack where i was able to handle a 1959 pre production AR15, M16 M16A1 M16A2 with M203 grenade launcher, M4, DIEMCO C7 & C8, H&K 416. Then we looked at the FN rack there they had some very early semi auto trials rifles, the usual FN FALs both wood and plastic L1A1 SLRs and the new FN SCAR rifle with integral grenade launcher. We then looked at the ww2 German rack, where there were too many mausers to count, ghwer 41s a rack of both falsamjeager and mp44 stunghwer rifles. Quickly passing through this we then looked at the British gallery, where i was able to hold and inspect the following: nock volley gun, Baker rifle marked to the 95th, the P51 minie rifle, the sealed pattern P53, jacob sniders competition submission piece, Martini Henry trials rifle, Martini Henry Mk1 serial number 1, 402 calibre enfield martini, Magazine Martini henry, Martini Henry grenade launcher. I then inspected a magazine Lee Metford MK1 Serial number 1.
I then looked at some victorian trials rifles like the Mauser-Metford and a recoil operated Semi-auto rifle from Maxims workshop built in 1883 (we had a viable working SLR design in the 1880s) a gas operated SMLE. Moving on we looked at and inspected all variations of SMLE's no4s P13, P14, weird P14/SMLE hybrids.
I then saw something i never thought still existed, a rack of EM2 rifles, very nice indeed. i then looked at trials sa80s and a L85A1 serial number A0000001. I then passed by a rack with more experimental stuff on it like a MP44 With the curved barrel and reflector sights (its the one used by Steven Fry on that episode of QI) A Walther 2000 rifle loaned by the armouries to United artists for Timothy Dalton to use in the opening scene of "the Living Daylights" heading towards the exit we glanced at the sub machine gun rack, lanchesters, sterling's, MP5s, P90s. On the other wall were presentation pistol cases, i was able to look at a pair of colt navy 1863 revolvers in a presentation case that was presented by Samual Colt himself to a Sheffield steel magnet. The last item we looked at was a blue and silver and diamond encrusted 357 snub-nosed revolver formerly owned by a member of the royal family.
This visit took over 2 hours and i barely scratched the surface. You could spend 2 years there and not examine everything. It was certainly a unforgettable experience.
.any way its a lot to take in in two hours. 