National Firearms Museum

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I'm down in VA for the holiday and this morning hit the National Firearms Museum at NRA Headquarters with my Dad. Thought I'd share some pics to whet everyone else's appetite.

The place is absolutely stuffed with guns and is done up beautifully. In many of the displays, the guns are just numbered and you have to pop over to one of the computers and type in the case & gun number to get info on what you're looking at. Not a bad system, but it slows you down if there's not a computer right by the display you're looking at.

The Mayflower gun. Found in the house of one of the Mayflower passengers.
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Beautiful antique inlay
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I love a pepperbox.
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Not a pepperbox, but that same multi-barrel aesthetic
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Not a gun, but I'm that kind of nerd so here ya go anyway
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MB Associates Gyrojet from the late 60s - crazy rocket projectile gun allegedly built for a James Bond movie. The serial number is of course 0007
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Bennett & Haviland "Many Chambered Gun" Interesting repeating design from 1838 - you can see the 12 brass chambers - each is loaded invidually and then cranked sucessively into position using the dial on the underside of the gun.
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An early Garand prototype, a competing design, and a cutaway M1 that could be fired by an electronic mechanism to demonstrate the action.
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Bullpup
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Awesome old shooting gallery. It lights up and moves the targets every few minutes. Shame they won't leave a few gallery guns out for some real fun.
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1.25 caliber punt gun from the age of market hunting. Mount on prow of punt. Point punt at ducks. Fire. Collect 100 ducks.
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A 4-bore rifle that belonged to Henry Morton Stanley. As in "Dr. Livingstone I presume?" Stanley. There's a cartridge on display there by the rear support.
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Not a gun, but I'm that kind of nerd so here ya go anyway
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There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a Star Wars geek...LOL. You should see some of the stuff that I've got around here....lol ;-)
(Although, I'm not so sure that really looks like Luke's saber.) lol
Very nice pics though, looks like you had fun. Thank you.[grin]
 
I took my family there last summer, it was really spectacular. If you're out that way, the new air and space museum collection at the airport is very close, and a great place to visit also.
 
Nice You should put those pictures in the New Acquisitions for November Thread to see what peoples say

Afterthought: Most likely wouldn't even get passed one poster before BS was called
 
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Um, that "world war II-era bullpup design" is a Steyr AUG, which is a modern assault rifle.

Eeek! I was wrong on the internet. [shocked]

Sorry, that was in fact in the Vietnam-era display, not the WWII case. Blame it on me sorting photos on a netbook - I can't see half of what I'm trying to look at.
 
If you've made it to DC, you're not that far from Quantico. A trip to the Marine Corps Museum is definitely worth the effort.
 
If you've made it to DC, you're not that far from Quantico. A trip to the Marine Corps Museum is definitely worth the effort.

An excellent recommendation that I would second in addition to the Udvar-Hazy Center that was brought up earlier in the thread.

However, my family lives just south of Quantico - we were waiting in line when both of those opened. [wink]
 
Great post! Thanks! BTW, just beneath the bullpup is a Storm case made by Hardigg Industries in Deerfield, MA.
Everyone should also visit the Springfield Armory museum. Wonderful collection, especially of U. S. military arms, which were made there until the Robt. McNamara DOD dropped the M14 for the M16.
 
Great post! Thanks! BTW, just beneath the bullpup is a Storm case made by Hardigg Industries in Deerfield, MA.
Everyone should also visit the Springfield Armory museum. Wonderful collection, especially of U. S. military arms, which were made there until the Robt. McNamara DOD dropped the M14 for the M16.

There was an NES field trip there a little while ago.
 
Does the NRA museum have a "no concealed carry" policy? I know some of their events do.
 
Pretty nice of them to allow free admission. I thought you could only get in free if you were a NRA member. We'll pay they something when we go. Every little bit helps.

I agree on both counts. They have a giant artillery shell to stuff your donations into on the way in. [smile]
 
Nicole, I'm glad you enjoyed the NRA Nationa Firearms Museum, and really appreciate you posting those great pix! Your favorites are some of mine too.

For folks who'd like to see more, we're in the process of a MAJOR redesign of the website, www.NationalFirearmsMuseum.org

Right now, you can get some vids of some of the neatest guns in the museum by clicking on Curators Corner, or photos & text by clicking featured guns (menu is the panel in the middle of the home page).

Early next year, we'll have phase 2 of the website up, and you'll be able to call up photos, text (and sometimes vids) of ALL the 2,200 guns that we have on display.

Jim Supica, Director
NRA National Firearms Museum
 
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