Never Yet Melted » Nepal http://neveryetmelted.com The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted. -- D.H. Lawrence Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:32:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Last of the Hand-Operated Machine Guns http://neveryetmelted.com/2009/03/21/last-of-the-hand-operated-machine-guns/ http://neveryetmelted.com/2009/03/21/last-of-the-hand-operated-machine-guns/#comments Sat, 21 Mar 2009 12:51:40 +0000 JDZ http://neveryetmelted.com/?p=5295

Perhaps the most interesting find within the great arms cache released in 2003 from the Royal Nepalese Arsenal and imported to the US arms collecting market were a few ultra-rare examples of the Bira gun, a two-barreled hand-crank .577/450 Martini-Henry calibre machine gun designed and manufactured in Nepal 1896-1897. The Bira was an improved design based upon the American Gardner gun of 1874.

Guns and Ammo profiled and tested the Bira in its on-line edition finding a number of positive features in its design.

The Bira gun was never actually used in combat.

A small number of Biras are still being listed for sale by Atlanta Cutlery and IMA for only $27,500!

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