Colt R80 Monitor

buffalowinter

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  • Mar 17, 2014
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    Llano, TX
    Work has begun. Here is the muzzle brake. I made the threaded section a little longer.

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    After doing research for the R80 monitor I came across the experimental m1918 "Jungle Carbine". I might go in this direction. Anyone want to buy a 5/8x24 threaded Monitor muzzle brake?


    No, this isn’t the same as the Clyde Barrow cut-down BAR, this bad boy was modified for jungle warfare by the USMC in 1932. Modified by a Major H. L. Smith, the weapon’s barrel was chopped down to 15 inches, brought down the weight of the original M1918 BAR from 16lbs to 13lbs, and it sounded as if a 37mm gun was going off. The flash hider of the original BAR would solve the horrific muzzle flash problems, but would also add 3 inches to the gun as well. The loud detonation of the weapon going off and the muzzle flash resulted in this version being only suitable in the jungles of Nicaragua, as in those scenarios, the USMC reports that it deteriorates the enemy’s morale. Taken from “Rock in a Hard Place” by Jim Ballou; amazing book on the BAR.
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    Or maybe a Clyde Barrow cut down M1918. Even with the cut down stock it will still be NFA Legal with a 16" barrel.

    Below, are photos of the "authentic" scattergun that Clyde Barrow had fashioned
    by cutting down the barrel from his Browning Automatic Rifle. Now displayed in the
    Missouri Highway Patrol's Museum in Jefferson City, are the scattergun and license
    plate recovered immediately after the Joplin shootout, along with photos of the gang.
    This weapon, along with it's armored piercing bullets, had sliced through an armored
    police vehicle, like a hot knife through butter, and would splinter a tree like kindling.

    One photo, shows Clyde posing at a roadside sign that he had used for target practice,
    his hand is resting through a fist sized hole which he likely made with this weapon.

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    Clyde’s Cut-Down RifleClyde’s go-to firearm was a modified M1918 BAR. In 1932, a fellow criminal gave Clyde two BARs stolen from a Missouri National Guard armory. He instantly saw the advantages of the automatic rifle’s powerful cartridge, high rate of fire, and the ability to reload quickly with spare magazines. This kind of firepower was way beyond what local and state police, or even the FBI, had at the time.
    A year later, the gang conducted two National Guard armory robberies, one in Oklahoma and another in Illinois, scoring several BARs, M1911 pistols, Model 11 shotguns, and a bunch of M1917 revolvers. Plus, they scored a whole lot of ammo and magazines.
    When Clyde talked about his “scattergun,” he was referring to the BAR, not a shotgun, because when he started shooting, everyone scattered. He shortened the barrel and gas tube on his BARs and preferred custom magazines made from two BAR mag bodies welded together with a 40-round capacity.
    The resulting firearm was similar to a variant of the BAR produced after WWI, the Colt Monitor. It was an M1918 with a shortened barrel and gas tube, no bipod, a pistol grip, and a Cutts Compensator on the muzzle. About 130 were produced, and all were sold to law enforcement entities.
    Dallas County Deputy Sheriff Ted Hinton was armed with a Colt Monitor when he helped ambush Bonnie and Clyde in 1934. He was on Frank Hamer’s team because he could identify the outlaw couple by sight. He knew Bonnie from when she worked as a waitress in Dallas and he had grown up with the Barrow brothers. He even worked with Clyde for a stint at Western Union.
    The Monitor Hinton used was on loan from the Texas National Guard. He previously survived a shootout with the gang in Sowers, Texas, where he learned that there was no such thing as too much firepower when it came to Bonnie and Clyde.
    Bonnie’s Sawed-Off ShotgunThe gun most associated with Bonnie is the cut-down, semi-auto Remington Model 11 shotgun she is seen holding in photographs. The sawed-off Model 11 was a gang favorite, but Bonnie’s personal shotgun was chambered in 20-gauge with a barrel that ended just in front of the magazine tube and a stock abbreviated a couple inches behind the grip. She had this shotgun with her when she was killed.
    Remington produced a riot gun version of the Model 11 with a 20-inch barrel, which the U.S. Army purchased in large numbers. That’s why the gang was able to swipe them during their National Guard robberies.
    When the situation called for it, Clyde also liked to use the shotgun. Bonnie reportedly created a special pair of trousers for him with a hidden, tear-away zipper running down one pantleg. This allowed him to keep the Model 11 next to his leg, holding the pistol grip through a hole in the pocket. He could then raise the gun and fire from the hip in one swift motion before anyone even knew he was holding a shotgun. The baggy pants were in style, yet practical.
    The Guns that Killed Bonnie and ClydeBonnie and Clyde’s story ended as violently as they lived—perhaps more so. Six well-armed men, including Frank Hamer, ambushed their car on Highway 154 between Gibsland and Sailes in Louisiana.
    Hamer was carrying a semi-auto Remington Model 8 rifle. He fired the first shot, which went through the windshield of the couple’s car and hit Clyde in the head. The posse opened up with various rifles, including Hinton’s Colt Monitor. When the rifles were empty, they picked up loaded shotguns. When those ran dry, they shot their pistols until the car rolled into a ditch.
    The vehicle was swiss-cheesed with bullet holes. The bodies of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, dead on the bench seat of their stolen Ford, had been hit 43 times. Bonnie was 23. Clyde was 24.
     
    In an effort to increase firepower, Dillinger had two magazines welded together.

    When Clyde talked about his “scattergun,” he was referring to the BAR, not a shotgun, because when he started shooting, everyone scattered. He shortened the barrel and gas tube on his BARs and preferred custom magazines made from two BAR mag bodies welded together with a 40-round capacity

    I modified two mags by brazing re-enforcing plates, this is much sturdier than trying to weld/braze the thin magazine walls together.
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    But people seem to like to weld the walls together even though it's a lot more work.
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    Getting rid of the HCAR picatinny rail and installing original WWII rear BAR sight. The screws holding it in were smothered in red loctite and peened over. I had to drill them out. The muzzle brake was on so tight I was flexing the barrel trying to remove it. I had to cut that off too. I can't get the stock extension off and will have to wait till Monday to talk to their tech guys to find out how that's held on.
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    Front sight and muzzle brake
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