How do people pay for machine guns?

Simple question.

Are people taking loans out? Saving long term? Selling a ton of stuff to buy one thing?

I'm not talking a $5k Mac. I mean like a Thompson, M16, belt fed stuff. The class 3 guns that get really costly.

I know some people are just wealthy so it's less of a thing but folks in that position don't constitute all NFA owners. But for guys such as myself (I do decently, pay the bills with extra and live well below my means) that much money for something full auto seems unachievable in my life time.

i didnt need that kidney anyway....

Same way they pay for Lamborghinis and Maseratis - they typically live in a much higher tax bracket.

My mom bought me mine. My brother owed her a shit ton of money and she likes to keep things fair.

Of course I'd like something historic. MP44, MP18, Thompson. But hell I'd be happy with an M16 lower so I could shoot a bunch of different calibers.

Bertfish said:

Simple question.

Are people taking loans out? Saving long term? Selling a ton of stuff to buy one thing?

I'm not talking a $5k Mac. I mean like a Thompson, M16, belt fed stuff. The class 3 guns that get really costly.

I know some people are just wealthy so it's less of a thing but folks in that position don't constitute all NFA owners. But for guys such as myself (I do decently, pay the bills with extra and live well below my means) that much money for something full auto seems unachievable in my life time.

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I’ve wondered the same thing


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*****I can't speak for others, but I do know there are a lot of very well to do people in this area, especially in MoCo and HoCo where the cost of NFA items, including belt feds, Thompsons, or whatever is just not that much money when compared to other hobbies or expenses like some country club memberships, boating costs and maintenance, private school costs for the kiddies (Holton Arms, Bullis, Sidwell, etc.), exotic cars, etc...

Folks with a successful business, or perhaps white collar professionals like lawyers, or certain specialties in medicine, finance people, etc.. tend to have significant disposable income. Go to Gibson Island, or to Congressional Country club, or Woodmont Country Club and you will see the kind of money where NFA items are just not that expensive all things considered.

Others perhaps with less money, just buy NFA stuff slowly, or have had them forever, inheritances, etc..

It is definitely an expensive hobby for most collecting and using NFA items. Some people have significant resources to purchase such things just as they may have resources to purchase nicer cars, boats, private school for the kiddies, exotic vacations, etc..

Some people are just irresponsible with money and use their home as an ATM and spend all of the equity on fine dining and live well beyond their means. I guess it depends.

Pull money out of retirement accounts, home equity... If you can afford a Porsche, you can probably afford an M16. How many people do you know who own a vacation house, even a small one?

Some people had them before 1986...many have that kind of money, one guy i ran into at a range said he put it on his credit card...also some people bought when they were cheaper. Just what I've seen/experienced

joppaj said:

Pull money out of retirement accounts, home equity... If you can afford a Porsche, you can probably afford an M16. How many people do you know who own a vacation house, even a small one?

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To go on the vacation home thing though they are often bought with a loan. I'd be shocked to find a bank who would do a loan for an M16.

Bertfish said:

To go on the vacation home thing though they are often bought with a loan. I'd be shocked to find a bank who would do a loan for an M16.

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I just signed my mortgage paperwork last night, wonder if I can add on for something with a giggle switch


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I put my toy money away until I've saved up enough to by a cool one.... not an every day purchase by any means. My last one (Thompson) I literally had a wad of cash that I saved up over several years... and it took me years to find the right one at the right price.

Bertfish said:

To go on the vacation home thing though they are often bought with a loan. I'd be shocked to find a bank who would do a loan for an M16.

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FOR an M16, no. But you could take out a $20,000 unsecured personal loan. It'll be price in the end. Some people just save up money for a long time. Some people take out a home equity loan. I mean, frankly there are a LOT of people who are just terrible with money and live way beyond their means in massive debt.

To other's points, at least in this area, there is generally a whole lot of money. I have little doubt that I'll never own a machine gun in my lifetime. I COULD afford one if you mean actually having the money to purchase one. But I can't justify it to myself. I mean, for the area I am probably only upper middle class. For the US as a whole, I think I am probably just touching upper class.

Some of that is because of the financial choices I've made in life, not just the job I have. I work on houses as a passion, so I've made major renovations to all of my homes at a very small fraction of the cost of hiring someone to do the work. I've been lucky enough to sell my houses in good markets. I rented a former house for a number of years at a modest profit and I was able to do that, again, because I worked hard, saved money and was able to have some small investments so I was able to gin up the money for a down payment on my 2nd home and keep my 1st as a rental property for years and just sold it last summer.

When I sold my 2nd home I made a fair amount of money, again, because I fixed it up a lot at a fairly low cost (relatively speaking, I still did about $80,000 of work on it over the few years we lived there, but I got that and a hell of a lot more back when I sold it).

I still drive the first car I bought out of college. Its got 176k miles on it and is 16 years old at this point. I keep it in really nice shape doing all my own repairs and maintenance. I dropped $14,500 on it back in 2005, brand new Mazda 3, only option was A/C. A small 3 year car loan (.9% APR) as I traded in the old beater I was driving and paid cash that I'd saved up my first year at my job living in a small apartment and living frugally and really only took out the loan because paying all cash would have meant liquidating pretty much all my financial assets and emptying my bank accounts.

I sure spend more on guns and hunting stuff than my wife wants me to these days, but I pour money in to retirement. Invest in my kids college accounts. I spend money on things the family will get tangible benefits out of like a vacation. I am a car guy for sure, but as much of a hard-on as I can get for some hot sports car, I can't justify to myself spending the money on it.

Will I get enough enjoyment of that Porsche that it is worth having to work another year, or two (when you factor in opportunity costs of what that money can be doing for me invested in regular accounts or retirement accounts), of my life to own it? Does a new car every 4 or 5 or even 7 or 8 years do something for me that is so much better than my old car that works just fine and is in good shape that it is worth working another 6 months of my life for every once of those new cars I buy?

The answer I always come up with is no. I can grok dropping $1k on a gun. Oh no, I'd have to work less than an extra week of my life to enjoy this thing. I am GOING to get that enjoyment back out of it over a few years.

A Machinegun though? Sure if they were only a nominal extra cost. But $10,000-20,000 for one? Nope. Too few places I could shoot one around here. Extra costs just for owning it. Heck, more time and expense by shooting it because of the extra ammo it would eat. A machine gun isn't worth months of extra work with all of the PITA things that come along with it.

$800-1500 for a suppressor and stamp, well I can enjoy it every time I go to the range AND it saves my hearing, which is every day improved quality of life.

But some people take my life approaches, but for them a Machine gun IS worth a few more months or a year of working to have one.

And for some folks around here, its a pay check.

I'm working part time as a jiggalo servicing generous cougars to save up for a Tommy.

TI-tick said:

I'm working part time as a jiggalo servicing generous cougars to save up for a Tommy.

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I'm hoping someone wants to adopt a 30 year old skinny white guy and buy it for me. I don't ask for much

i'm with lazarus , if i had the coin a thompson is first on my list but i have a hard time tossing money that will be for my retirement on it .

dannyp said:

i'm with lazarus , if i had the coin a thompson is first on my list but i have a hard time tossing money that will be for my retirement on it .

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Tommy will be my retirement present

How do you pay for a machine gun...well, the first thing you need do to is invest in a large wheelbarrow to haul that much cash to the local Class 3 gunshop...

On a semi related note, if *somehow* the NFA is repealed and we can get more MGs, do y’all think they would still carry such a hefty price tag? Or would they be more “reasonable” like $2-3k


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I think the old stuff would retain much of its value. No more MP44s being made

Modern stuff like M16s would crash though I predict.