chrisward3
Regular
- Location
- Ottawa, ON
Well, I have been to heaven!
Im down in Florida for the last bit of my summer leave and had a rare opportunity to check out the Knights Armament factory, and Mr. Knight's private collection of firearms, armoured vehicles, and even exotic cars.
All I have to say is WOW!!!
PREFACE!
Cameras/Pictures were not allowed in the museum, so I have no pictures to post...SORRY!
First off, there are well over a thousand firearms on display, and was told that there are many many more in the back because there wasnt enough room to display them all! There was everything from just KAC weapons new and old, prototypes of everything and anything, the whole gammit of M16 rifles with every attachment and goofy idea you could think of. There were foreign weapons from China, Japan, Russia, and all over Europe....machine guns galore, old flint-lock and percussion cap rifles that spanned the war of 1812 and civil war, through the world wars and into today...I cant even remember half of the ultra-rare stuff we saw.
Next was the armoured vehicle room, with numerous tanks, APC, anti-aircraft, and self-propelled howitzers...all of which were packed so tight because there wasnt enough room for everything that Mr. Knights had acquired.
Then there was his personal garage, which im told is a lot bigger than what was parked there today. Nevertheless, the Ferrari 360 and Lamborghini Gallardo that were on display certainly added to the experience.
Lastly, we took a walk through the Knights factory to see everything from the RAS, to the M110 SASS getting made and assembled. Ill never get over seeing 40+ M110s sitting in front of just waiting for me to snatch them and run!
Highlights included:
Colt M16 serial #'s: 0, 1, 4, 1000000 and 1000000X (which was the first millionth M16 produced)
The prototype Thompson, made my Thompson himself
The 1,000,000th RAS produced (which was made in gold)
The first SR-25 serial #00001
..and many many more things that I just cant remember (it was A LOT to take in!)
The biggest point to note is that all of the weapons and vehicles in Mr. Knight's collection are 100% functional and are used on occasion for R&D...including the howitzers and tanks!
Many thanks to Kevin at Knights Armament for taking time out of his day to show us around. It was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and another item checked off my Bucket List.
Cheers!
Im down in Florida for the last bit of my summer leave and had a rare opportunity to check out the Knights Armament factory, and Mr. Knight's private collection of firearms, armoured vehicles, and even exotic cars.
All I have to say is WOW!!!
PREFACE!
Cameras/Pictures were not allowed in the museum, so I have no pictures to post...SORRY!
First off, there are well over a thousand firearms on display, and was told that there are many many more in the back because there wasnt enough room to display them all! There was everything from just KAC weapons new and old, prototypes of everything and anything, the whole gammit of M16 rifles with every attachment and goofy idea you could think of. There were foreign weapons from China, Japan, Russia, and all over Europe....machine guns galore, old flint-lock and percussion cap rifles that spanned the war of 1812 and civil war, through the world wars and into today...I cant even remember half of the ultra-rare stuff we saw.
Next was the armoured vehicle room, with numerous tanks, APC, anti-aircraft, and self-propelled howitzers...all of which were packed so tight because there wasnt enough room for everything that Mr. Knights had acquired.
Then there was his personal garage, which im told is a lot bigger than what was parked there today. Nevertheless, the Ferrari 360 and Lamborghini Gallardo that were on display certainly added to the experience.
Lastly, we took a walk through the Knights factory to see everything from the RAS, to the M110 SASS getting made and assembled. Ill never get over seeing 40+ M110s sitting in front of just waiting for me to snatch them and run!
Highlights included:
Colt M16 serial #'s: 0, 1, 4, 1000000 and 1000000X (which was the first millionth M16 produced)
The prototype Thompson, made my Thompson himself
The 1,000,000th RAS produced (which was made in gold)
The first SR-25 serial #00001
..and many many more things that I just cant remember (it was A LOT to take in!)
The biggest point to note is that all of the weapons and vehicles in Mr. Knight's collection are 100% functional and are used on occasion for R&D...including the howitzers and tanks!
Many thanks to Kevin at Knights Armament for taking time out of his day to show us around. It was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity, and another item checked off my Bucket List.
Cheers!
