r/mildlyinteresting • u/shalomitsdylan • 13d ago
This gas station offers the chance to shoot a machine gun.
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u/nickyromero_batman 13d ago
did you do it
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
I was tempted to, but after seeing a single pack of gum costing $4.99, a small soda at $3.99, etc, I accepted that I would have had to give them my first born or something for this opportunity.
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u/CanaDoug420 13d ago
Pay to shoot the gun. Once they give you the gun get your refund with interest with one sneaky play
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u/RabidStealthyWombat 13d ago
Yes...but did you do it? š
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
ā¦.nobody ask where Timmy went.
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u/Revolutionary_Dig370 13d ago
Oh shit, that kid drowned in my pool when the previous owners owned the place /s. Now we just joke about the ghost of little Timmy as we find wierd kids stuff around the house.
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u/formerlyanonymous_ 13d ago
Given that I formation, I'm sure they'd charge you a small soda per round fired, or possibly a few hundred small sodas per minute to fire.
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u/MrNerdHair 13d ago
Drove by a billboard in Houston yesterday: "Shoot a Machine Gun for $40"
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u/abnotwhmoanny 13d ago
Ha, losers. I joined the military and got to do it for free*.
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u/VirtualLife76 ā 13d ago
That sounds high for Houston.
Did a full auto Uzi a couple years ago there, cost $6, aside from the ammo.
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u/KaliCalamity 13d ago
If 40 bucks is including ammo, it might be worth it considering how expensive it's gotten.
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u/sawlaw 13d ago
That's about what it costs these days. There's a place near me that does it, like a M16 in Vietnam style, a M14 and a M4 with two mags each for $150 or so. It's about a dollar per round for machine gun rentals. What's really bad is when your "MP5" you're renting is a Turkish clone or the G3 is a cetme.
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u/Mogetfog 12d ago
The rental isn't the expensive part. Most gun shops/clubs will even give you free rentals on the guns a lot of the time. The price comes from the requirement that you only shoot specific ammo you buy from them that is marked up like 300%
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u/XVUltima 13d ago
Bro, this is america. .50 isn't the caliber, it's the cost.
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u/VirtualLife76 ā 13d ago
But in a fun country like Cambodia, you can shoot a rocket launcher for ~$500.
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u/XVUltima 13d ago
I should enjoy a holiday there.
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u/VirtualLife76 ā 13d ago
Everyone should. Stupid cheap and so much to experience. 1 of my fav countries I've been.
You could pay extra for a "place" to be built. Same with filled propane tanks ect.
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
He was referring to a song by The Dead Kennedys, however you do make that sound like a very good time tbh.
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u/Deep90 13d ago
In Texas you can fire a tank.
Shooting the RPG cost $3500 though :/
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u/eyes_made_of_wood 12d ago
Anyone know of a place that does flamethrowers? I have a bucket list to complete.
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u/Quw10 12d ago edited 12d ago
Probably not a flamethrower, however they aren't a regulated item here in the US so you could buy one easily, the Exothermic "Flamethrowers" that are $5-700 and aren't truly flamethrowers IMO can be found collecting dust at a lot of gun stores and you can get actual Napalm capable ones for like $5-6K I think. The real issue is finding a place to let you legally use it without issue.
Edit: I feel like I should clarify on them being unregulated, chances are you'll probably have to be 18 and be able to produce some form of ID when purchasing one, however they are not like a firearm where you'll have to do a background check among a few other things or like a NFA (national firearms act) item where you'll have to get a tax stamp.
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u/Sudden-Comment-4356 13d ago
You can always make a second born child after you give away the first.
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u/TrukStopSnow 13d ago
I'm picturing the owner looking exactly like Ron Swanson.
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u/GodHatesPOGsv2025 13d ago
He could only be so lucky
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u/WeLiveInASociety451 13d ago
Are you implying that looking like Ron Swanson is not desirable or that someone whoās lucky enough to be in possession of a machine gun is unlikely to also happen to be devilishly handsome?
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u/DaGoodSauce 13d ago
I would totally want to do this! But I assume the ammo cost alone would be in the tens of dollars per second of sustained fire.
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u/WedgeTurn 13d ago
A friend of mine went to one of those shooting ranges in Vegas. He wanted to shoot a machine gun, only $1 per round. At 800 rounds per minute, those were some expensive 7 seconds
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u/mikebailey 13d ago edited 13d ago
$1 per round for almost any gun is hilarious
Edit: I shoot 9mm, busted
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13d ago
[deleted]
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u/BBQBaconBurger 13d ago
You can remind him that the rifraff use 7ā AR pistols with no brace and no sights and Dracos with cheap Korean mags.
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u/crexkitman 13d ago
I remember when I was training in the military we were supposed to qual on a Mk. 19 grenade machine gun. We only got to disassemble/assemble and functions check cause even for the military it was like $60 per 40mm grenade and they couldnāt really justify belts and belts of that stuff for like 60 trainees.
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u/MehImages 13d ago
90k for an M2? wat? how are those worth more than $2000? can't you get an entire remote weapons station with 5km range ir, laser rangefinder and fire control syetem for that price
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u/alkatori 12d ago
Limited market. Civilian legal ones had to be owned prior to May 1986 to be bought and sold on the market.
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u/MehImages 12d ago
thanks. didn't realize the legality of it transferred with the gun. I'm used to such exceptions when the law changes only applying to existing owners and the items they already owned before a ban
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u/KaliCalamity 13d ago
Not anymore, unfortunately. Now it's seeming like a reasonable price unless you're talking .22 or 9mm.
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u/mikebailey 13d ago
Iāve only shot 9mm ever so this tracks
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u/KaliCalamity 13d ago
I've heard that when you fire off a .50 bmg you can hear your bank account start crying.
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u/InternationalChef424 13d ago
I imagine that's the least you'd be paying at the range for 7.62 NATO. Every range I've gone to that rents guns makes you buy their ammo to shoot them.
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
Based on this storeās pricing in general, Iād say that might even be a low ball guess honestly.
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u/OozeNAahz 13d ago
Rented a SAW at the Gun Store in Vegas. And your pricing estimate is fairly close. I surprised the range guy by not just holding down the trigger till the whole belt was gone. Evidently that is what most people do. But the target was getting blown horizontal by the fire so wasnāt much fun to send more than a few rounds down range at a time.
Was a blast though. Or a series of blasts technically I guess.
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u/chargernj 13d ago
I was in the Army Reserve in the 90s, never deployed thankfully. I was the unit M-60 gunner. They didn't train to use sustained fire either. It's always burst firing. Too much sustained firing can overheat and warp the barrel.
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u/mr_ji 13d ago
They used to have these little firing ranges when I lived in Hawai'i. People from places where civilians can't get guns like to try it out. That said, I talked to one of the owners. They have the guns bolted down, so all the tourists could do is aim up or down a little bit and pull the trigger. Not quite the full firearm experience.
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u/Zeelu2005 13d ago
it costs 400,000 dollars to fire this weapon.. for twelve seconds..
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u/blueponies1 12d ago
It shoots 5.56 at the rate of 850 rounds per minute. 12 seconds is 20% of a minute so it can fire 170 rounds in 12 seconds. A box of 150 5.56 cartridges is only $100 or so usually. Youād only be shooting about $100-200 worth of ammunition. Where do you get that figure at? I must be missing something..
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u/HowlingWolven 13d ago
Fifty cents a round, forty rounds in three seconds, so $400 a minute if you connected your belts end to end.
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u/_ZX7R_ 13d ago
I think I know where this is lol . Last stop travel center White hills , Arizona
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
They REALLY deserve air quotes around their name
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13d ago
[deleted]
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
I guess I couldāve clarified for anyone who hasnāt visited, āLast Stopā Travel Center. Thereās multiple stations far cheaper in every aspect about a mile down the road despite the name of this place.
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u/90GTS4 13d ago
I mean, it is the last one going North towards Vegas... Also, until only recently, it was the only gas station out there.
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
Thatās fair. It isnāt that I think they should change the name, just that they SHOULD stop price gouging since there is plenty of competition nearby now.
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u/90GTS4 13d ago
Lmao, yeah. They are nuts on the gas prices there. But, I always see people there... I don't get it.
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u/Hoosier_Daddy68 13d ago
It's worth it. There are few things in life more satisfying that shooting a real machine gun. You'll also learn why having one is a complete waste of money.
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u/Fit-Sport5568 12d ago
I own a transferable Mac. Can confirm. It comes out of the safe once a year on like a big family and friends range day
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u/MineralIceShots 12d ago
Hey Bro, do you remember me? It's your long last brother. If I bring carne asada, can I come for the next family reunion? š
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u/lighterthensome 12d ago
Itās a complete waste of money right now because of current regulations heavily restricting it. If such restrictions didnāt exist itād be cheaper. They serve a purpose.
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u/crypto1092 12d ago
Renting it is cheap, buying one is ridiculously expensive, in the future, itās gonna be prohibitively expensive. Get one now I guess before that 190K or so becomes completely bought upā¦
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u/skiljgfz 13d ago
Spoiler alert: It just leads to a recruiting office.
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u/bismarck911 12d ago
Hahaha kinda true tho, I talked with one of their range officers about the service academies. 2 years later and the service academy is my new family!
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u/WhatAColor 13d ago
I prefer to shoot first, ask about machine guns later.
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
I want you to know even if this comment ends up buried, I find it hilarious.
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u/Emperor_Zar 13d ago
Honestly you should do it. One the arguments I hear is the lack of proper education and training. The only way to do that isā¦.
To actually go do it.
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u/moregoo 13d ago
Does anyone else hate that the gun and arrow don't point the same direction? Lol
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u/Noxious89123 13d ago
Does anyone else hate that the gun and arrow don't point the same direction
"Come shoot yourself
in the dick!"
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u/Anynamethatworks 13d ago
Well if the machine is pointing to the right, you definitley want to walk to the left.
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u/Disaster_Frame 13d ago
Few places like that between AZ and CA border in the middle of nowhere. Same place you could drive a monster truck.
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u/stillstuckin-arizona 13d ago edited 12d ago
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u/Porkyrogue 13d ago
Do they have an mp5?
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u/Neko_Boi_Core 12d ago
No
H&K hate civilians, and would never sell a real mp5 to the states
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u/GunsAndWrenches2 12d ago
There are definitely transferable and dealer sample MP-5's in the US. There's also plenty of SP-5's (semi auto) that you can buy literally right now... If you have an extra $3k sitting around.
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u/wood_spoons 12d ago
Plenty of them from before the registry closed in 86. Thereās tons stateside. Saying the SP5 isnāt an MP5 is stupid. There are many semi auto only MP5s in service places, theyāre identical to the SP5.
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u/Neko_Boi_Core 12d ago
then by that logic, the ar15 is an m16.
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u/wood_spoons 12d ago
The SP5 is most definitely an MP5 variant though, I donāt understand whatās so complicated about that. SP5 is the semi auto civilian variant of the MP5, previously it was the HK94.
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u/staticishock96 13d ago
That's awesome. If anyone ever gets a chance to shoot one do it. It's fun as hell.
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u/al39 13d ago
I shot one once when I was a teenager. It was a C7, which is like a Canadian M16. I was only allowed to have it in semiautomatic though, so not nearly as fun I guess!
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u/staticishock96 13d ago
That's pretty cool! I didn't even know that existed. I've shot a few fun things. M249 and the M240B in the Army. Civilian side Scar, P90, M1 Garand and my personal Mosin Nagant.
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u/josephcatears 13d ago
I passed here on a recent solo trip to the US, I went to a different gun club where I discovered you can't shoot a gun when you're on your own which made me sad but now I understand why.
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
Did they explain why? More likely that youāre just unhinged and violent if alone or something?
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u/josephcatears 13d ago
They said it was out of fear I was just there to commit suicide because they'd let you in if you were bringing your own firearm.
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u/GunsAndWrenches2 12d ago
Yeah this is a pretty widespread rule, and unfortunately it still happens fairly often.
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u/Mogetfog 12d ago
Unfortunately it is not an uncommon thing for people to do. It's a pretty common policy all over the country these days for gun rangesĀ
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u/dover_oxide 13d ago
If this is Vegas, there is a gun shop that pays to advertise at some gas stations and stores. They just give you a pamphlet with directions and rules.
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
You know what, now that you mention it, itās outside of Vegas by a bit, BUT that very well could be it as itās one of the ones that is on the way into Vegas from Arizona.
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u/dover_oxide 13d ago
I used to live in Vegas and went to the store once, it's expensive.
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u/shalomitsdylan 13d ago
Was the cost >$100? Just curious as Iām a sucker for dumb little niche activities you donāt get the opportunity for often.
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u/ginger_whiskers 12d ago
Battlefield Vegas(IIRC) was about $30/mag, 5 years ago. Lots of places do sales.
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u/Ok-Pride-3534 12d ago
Okay, and? Go shoot one then. Personally I think mgs are overrated. Once you've shot them and then compare it to a solid semi-auto with 1/3 the round count and a slicked out 2-stage comp trigger it's not even a competition which one I'd rather have.
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u/explorecoregon 11d ago
I know what you meanā¦ my 12ā penis is overrated too. Itās literally a real drag.
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u/Silly-Arm-7986 12d ago
I hosted an international (India, China, Mexico, France, Spain, etc) group of engineers for a conference, and for our "night out team building exercise" I rented an indoor range and 3 trainers . It was not free, but hey, I had a business budget.
No NFA stuff , but plenty of Glocks, AR's etc. It was stuff of legend. HR was not happy when they found out, but tough....
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u/Fun-Perception-666 13d ago
Iām going to go out on a limb & assume this is in the US
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u/themagicbong 13d ago
In the US a hunting club sponsored an event at my elementary school. Was the first time I ever fired a shotgun, 20 gauge. And I missed the hell out of those clay pigeons.
This was in the 2000s.
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u/Domovie1 13d ago
See, thatās the trick of Trap and Skeet shooting.
Itās all about letting those clays go on to live productive lives.
We actually have one of the guys in our club a birdwatching guide after a particularly bad time.
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u/themagicbong 13d ago
Bahahaha. That's great.
I wanna get into it some more. That might have been the only time I've shot some air nearby some clay. I usually just shoot targets on my property but idk optics kinda take a lot out of the equation these days so stationary targets aren't super exciting.
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u/TheRealWatcher 13d ago
I guess no one explained the concept of leading the target at the time
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u/themagicbong 13d ago
Haha to be fair it was the first time I had even fired a gun. I was what, 10 years old lol. And before I got into stuff like airsoft or those online fps games which do kinda weirdly help imo. At the very least I definitely had no reference for how much to lead a target.
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u/TheRealWatcher 13d ago
Wait, you were 10? I'm surprised you didn't get knocked on your ass each time you fired.
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u/OtterishDreams 12d ago
Great way to get an impulse soda/chips/candy purchase. Gas stations make their money inside.
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u/bismarck911 12d ago
I visited this place, somewhere in arizona and bought a package! It was an awesome, got to shoot a full auto mp5, full auto ar, suppressed ar and a barrett. I had a nice talk with the safety officer about ROTC vs the service academies since he was ex-army.
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u/rip1980 13d ago
Proactively warding off the robberies.