Greg said:Wear and tear on a MG from shooting it..OK.I kind of see what you are getting at,but seriously,I don't think you have much experience with MG's to realize just how much any parts that MAY need to be replaced cost.The differance between a M16 and a regular semi auto is a $20 in parts.The cost associated with MG's lies in getting one,not replacing parts.Parts for UZI's and MAC10's,M16's etc are dirt cheap.MG's are made to throw thousands of rounds downrange.
If the MG owners want to make some cash,I have no problem with that.The thing is MG shoots at clubs are usually to introduce prospective members to the club, and shooting MG's.
I believe the only money donated to the Shriners was the admission fee charged by the club.Now if the club bought the ammo and sold tickets to the shooters and donated the proceeds to the Shriners,that would be a good idea.
Charging people to fire a weapon is insane.When I'm at the club,people want to try out my Bushy,I never thought about charging them for it though..Maybe I have been going about this the wrong way...
Greg- if somebody came up and wanted to try your Bushmaster, and use 50 rounds of your ammo, and then a line of 45 people came up behind that person and they all wanted to try your rifle, and also use 50 rounds of your ammo... Well then I'm going to be the first one in that line.
I'm not sure why you're so defensive about the topic. Perhaps I should not have generalized by saying that ALL machine guns are expensive to maintain, and of course I know that the majority of the cost is in the buying, not the maintaining, but there is a huge difference between letting somebody take your Hyundai for a spin vs. your Ferrari.
And having volunteered at a MG shoot and having seen exactly how often guns got pulled off the line and how much time the gun owners spent working to get these guns fixed and back on the line I think they deserve to make some money.
And I might add- there was no fee for using the guns. The only charge was for entrance and then cost of ammo.