When M14 Meets M16: The Fort Ellis XR-86 Frankenrifle
Vložit
- čas přidán 21. 11. 2018
- www.forgottenweapons.com/when...
/ forgottenweapons
Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! shop.bbtv.com/collections/forg...
This rifle is the home shop creation of one Wilfred Ellis, a talented gunsmith form Pennsylvania. It is basically a combination of an M14 gas system with an AR15 bolt and locking system, plus an in-line tubular receiver, M60 flash hider, and side-mounted magazine. Not exactly the sort of thing that will replace the M4 in military service, but an example of the sort of fun gunsmithing projects that you can put together just because it seems interesting to try. Neat!
Contact:
Forgotten Weapons
PO Box 87647
Tucson, AZ 85754
Actually, Frankenrifle was the name of the gunsmith, you're thinking of Frankenrifle's monster.
I see you are a man of culture as well.
Hey Mason
Well played, Sir, well played.
The Rifle's name is Adam
I aplaud you my good man
This is probably the cleanest looking improvised firearm ever.
The side mounted magazine keeps itself out of the dirt a little better also. Easier to fire over the side of a trench or parapet. Could use extra long magazines as well. I like the simplicity. Although the but stock is a bit lame.
@@garywheeler7039 also easier to shoot when you prone.
Isaac Newston not so much. It’s nice to monopod when prone by resting on the magazine
@@Fireclaws10 Did not know that.
@@Fireclaws10 What about malfunctions?
With that tour, Ian just doubled the value of that gun.
Touched by gun Jesus
@@johnmitchell923 *Blessed by
"With that tour, Ian just doubled the value of that gun."
2 times $0 is still $0. Can't for the life of me understand why someone would buy this. I get why it is cool, but why it's worth actual money today eludes me. Maybe as inspiration for your own project as Ian said.
"Cool" is clearly worth big money to many. Myself, every gun I have must fulfill a purpose, and "cool" isn't enough. I often despair that I am that way, but it does save me a ton of money. I predict that someone will pay north of $3k for that rifle, but it won't be me (or you, who apparently suffers from the same malady I do :-) .)
Candice Juliano Shooting quite possibly for the parts.
Will Ellis was my mentor of sorts. I was much younger, getting into shooting and hunting. A father figure who mad my reloads for my 30-06 and .223. I was, as well as many others including my father-in-law, mesmerized by the stories of his time as an Abington, PA policeman. Captivating man. A man who had tragedy strike his family with the death of one daughter rehabbing from her car accident injuries. Threw a clot, I believe. Another daughter, Jeanie, died from complications from diabetes. I was in "Fort Ellis" a few times where he kept his vast collection of firearms, etc. More relics in his house basement where he did his reloading. To the best of my knowledge, he died from a fall from the roof of his Fort installing a vent for a bathroom he was putting in. I reload my own ammo and think of him often. His wife, Phyllis, who is now remarried, is as sweet a lady as you'll ever meet. Ate wild game dinners at their house in Abington with friends and family. I keep his hand-written loads recipes and have a priceless picture of him. RIP Will. You were a genius.
Thank you for sharing this lovely story!!
Don't show this to Bethesda...
Imagine the result if Bethesda got into gun manufacturing. The Rogak P18 would look like a Holland & Holland product in comparison.
Well, now it all makes sence... Bethesda is Brazil of gaming!
@@sternencolonel7328 76 is actually quite enjoyable both solo and with friends. No, it's not the same as the other games, but it was never intended to be the same. It was always supposed to be different. People really need to get over their petty issues with it and learn to just enjoy it for what it is. And what is it? It's an incredibly enjoyable gaming experience that very much so feels like Fallout.
Honestly this would be a better assault rifle then the one they chose for Fallout 4. Because you know, it's NOT a chunky .308 Machine gun.
Although they would place the Magazine well, ejection port and charging handle all on the left side of the gun just for annoyance.
Thats exactly what he needs to do
This rifle deserves to be used on the range
@@stanleyjedrzejczyk2966 Good play on words👏👏
Its not THAT ugly....Is it🙂
It's a really clever design. I'm surprised this didn't influence the design of more guns.
@@coleoshtamebaghe3606
Actually the FG-42 is a German machine gun that certainly inspired this.
@@facelesscovers763
Not necessarily FG42.
There were also other weapons of similar design like Johnson LMG which interestingly looks very similar to FG42,was made a bit earlier i think,but the reason for similar design was that both guns were created in an attempt to solve similar problems.
Also MG13 was a thing before FG42.
@@coleoshtamebaghe3606 I was thinking of L2A3
This is the master gunsmith version of me cooking dinner from whatever I have leftover in the fridge. The fact that it actually worked is testament to his skill.
Yea
most popular weapons of the Vietnam era smashed together.
*cough cough*
AK47
@@iamstewpit6740 most popular US weapons of the Vietnam era*
The M60 and M1911 would still probably replace the M14.
@@iamstewpit6740 excuse me, for the better part of the war the M14 was the primary battle rifle of the marines due to budget cuts and it was also the weapon of choice for most marksmen in all branches and it was the navy service rifle, I reckon its more popular than the M60 which is a machine gun and the 1911 even tho its used to this day I don't even count as famous simply because its been the favourite sidearm since WW1 so its more of a standard than a famous weapon.
@@alexion2001 I meant the M60 and M1911 would replace the M14 in terms of popularity.
One real mark of the builder's craftsmanship is in how easily it disassembled for Ian. We've all seen "legit" arsenal built prototypes on this channel that did not come apart nearly as smoothly, or that he was afraid to attempt to take apart.
I laughed my ass off when he said “the spring lives in here.”
Loved it
So a "what if" scenario in which the Khyber Pass is located in Pennsylvania ;)
American mystery rifle.
Western PA is already basically white Afghanistan
@@uraniumrock8381 Not Western Pa, this is about 5 minutes outside Philadelphia. I kind of want to track down the builder for an interview.
@@ronaldcolman6211 I live in North Philly, I pray to God we don't start making our own workshop assault weapons. But yeah, id love to see an interview with the builder, the weapon is really cool.
Stanley Jedrzejczyk 😭 they are so mean 😢 wahh!
"Hold my beer." - Wilfred Ellis, 1986
@@texasrox2010 um wtf
So, more or less a twisted AR15 with short-stroke instead of direct impingement. I can actually see why someone would want that. This thing is genuinely pretty cool.
The project is neat for being something made for fun, but, since he was at it, it's weird that he simply didn't rotate the M14 gas system 180° so to have the gas piston at hour 12. That way he could have mantained the entire AR15 lower as it was.
@@neutronalchemist3241 I don't think he had a complete AR15 lower when he started that.
It was long stroke not short stroke
@@joshualance6005 the M14 gas system is short stroke.
@@jic1 It seems he had at least an handle and a trigger group.
In 1986 nobody knew what a Picatinny rail was. That's probably a Weaver rail.
Weaver produced rails have rounded bottoms in the cross slots, so while this isn’t a weaver produced rail itself, it also isn’t a pic rail obviously due to the vintage, but it looks like pic mounts would work if they only have one cross bar.
_Suburban_ how old its picatinny btw?
Daniel Guenel design was started in 1992 and standardized on 03Feb95 as Mil-STD-1913.
jimhans1 thks
Weaver rail only came in 2nd because it came 2fast2quick and nobody saw the need for customization for optics till the 90s. Amd they remade that into Pikatinny rail.
Also for compatibility reasons the Weaber and the Pikatinny do have simillar structure thus accessories are compatible exepect for some modifications.
And gun jesus did look upon the platypus gun and did wonder wtf...but gun jesus looked closer and saw that, whilst weird, it was indeed good.... Praise be
Praise be!
And lo, there was praise!
AAAAAAMMMMEEEENNN!!!!
Daus vault
Gun Jesus... where are you from?
Korea, Canada or maybe Tiawan?
This is actually a really cool rifle, imo. Looks like a modernized FG42 :D
Would be cool to modify to belt feed.
Exactly!
Modern in the 80s
Exactly what I thought when I saw it
It's like Stoner Let stoners into the boardroom lmao, this thing is hideous but I bet it's efficient.
When gunsmiths are bored, this is what you get.
Its fashion, look it up
1986 in Pennsylvania:
Mayor: You can't go through with this, this is madness.
Ellis: Yeah, what ever
2 days later
Ellis: IT'S ALIVE, IT'S ALIIIVE
*pop pop pop*
m14's gas block + FAL's handguard & charging handle + M16's Receiver + unidentified carrying handle(with sights) = what you seeing now. holy...
Carrying handle looks very similar to the Russian A-91 or the Ash-12.7
and m60 flash hider
= sort of an FG-42
I just wonder why his optics rail is 3" above the barrel....
@Lassi Kinnunen Reminds me of that ljeutic (sp?) space gun
it looks like an m16 and fg42 had a baby
IVF baby gone wrong.
that was first thing that came to **my** mind...
One cromosome too much
When 1940's Germany gets an m4 from the future
@@taimermega6447 lol
Wolfenstein?
IT awfully looks like the fg42. Imagine a paratrooper gun for 1940s America.
But it doesnt fire open bolt on full auto...
Could larger caliber uppers run .308 if you rotate it 90° and dump brass out of the mag well on a standard ar?
Mechanicly it's genius,
For practical reasons it's basicly licking windows.
This is the kind of gun you would make in MGSV after finding the Master Gunsmith
My thoughts exactly!
To bad peace walker had real gun and parts like 357 had a 4x lol
"Your gunsmiths were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should."
Naw.... I love all shooty things.
Ian, please show more guns like this that are made/designed by amateur/competant people. Its odd and/or interesting guns like this is where others can see very experimental designs tried out very interesting.
He did the Barret 50 cal a while ago. That's a good one if you haven't watched it yet.
"It is of course a semi-auto..." Yeah but it's a full semi-auto.
With the bit that goes up.
You say "of course", but if I were home-building a rifle in early 1986 I'd be all over that last-minute NFA registration.
I was quoting Ian but you make a good point.
And it has this flash hiding flashhider thingy that makes the shooter invisible and it can has big bullet box and one deathbullet per trigger pull and itsn ASSAULT RIFLE omffffffffg
Anything is anything. -metal file and elbow grease
Hmm that would be cooler if it was 9mm with a suppressor . Then you could call it a frankensten .
*ba dum tish*
hehehehehe, okay, ya got me
Perry Martin *ba dum phsss*
Grrrroooooan
😂
That's nothing......you should see my Kalashnizooka.
Ian Macfarlane
Kalashniluger.
KalashniColt
Kalashenfield
Milkalashnikov/ Kalashnikor- mgl
Krag-Bazørjkanson
If it we're $500 at a show I would pull out the cash... Between an estimated $3750-$5000 it is too rich for my blood...
However, I would love a copy of the design to try and build my own...
Absolutely love the weird and wonderful creations of firearm designs like this. makes me wonder what other strange home-brew weapons designs are lurking out in the world.
And just how many fingers and eyes were sacrificed during development.
@@jonathanstancil8544 Evidently enough to appease the powers that be to gift him one functional rifle that didn't immediately detonate upon firing the first round.
Sort of reminds me of the scene in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, when Tuco (Eli Wallach) goes into the gun shop and starts putting a revolver together.
That gun is genius, definitely a point of pride for the maker.
Maybe important to explain to younger viewers that in 1986 there were maybe 20 or 30 something cable channels, definitely no internet, and video games were really just in the early stages of infancy. To buy an AR-15 meant buying a Colt for what in today's dollar would probably be something like $1200+ for a plain vanilla model. Imported AKs were cheap, and we still had Chinese ammo for them which was cheap as dirt, but few people wanted anything to do with those.
Adjust for inflation $400 dollars in 1986 is $900 dollars today.
Yes so 1200$ then wild be like 2700$ in 1986
FALs and HK rifles had been in the country for quite some time and were reasonably priced. But hardly anybody outside of the hardcore gun nuts were buying them.
@@shawnr771 Where are you getting that a Colt AR was $400 in 1986?
@@TheSuburban15 I could have bought one in 1989 for 400 dollars plus a 50 dollar assembly near Ft Polk LA. I did not buy one then.
I actually worked on the PD with Will. Fort Ellis was a cool firearms collection, some of which Will had made himself, like tanker garands. I actually still have 2 PPC guns he rebarreled and tuned for me.
I bet the guy who made this spends hours on Pimp My Gun every day
That's a blast from the past.
I used to spend ages on that game haha
Has there ever been another game like it since? As in, something that's had active support?
@@thatguy1080 sadly no.
@@thatguy1080 Sadly not, and even if someone did make one, I bet Apple would take it down within hours and not even allow something like that on the app store.
It's like someone wanted an FG42, but couldn't get one.
You see when an AR-15 and M-14 love each other very much....
It's a "Because I can/ To see if I can" gun.
I once saw a, albeit grainy video of a guy who made an auto ejecting 9 mm Ruger vaquero I think it was. It was still single action but as soon as you fired a round the last case got ejected out of the cylinder. It had a mechanism that would Rube Goldberg blush.
Interesting rifle, thanks for showing it!
I am currently working on a .22lr with an AKM wood stock and an M16 grip, I need to save time for rather unimportant parts, because my free time is very limited. Maybe that was also his reason to build it with so many existing parts, beside his normal job.
Why wasn't this in Star Wars?
1986. Jedi was 1983 so it wasn't around in time.
also there was only one of them made, the prop guns in star wars were all common guns
Because metal guns are too menacing for mouse eared millennials
@dar'man beskar Ordo To me it died with the old EU I'll take the Yuuzhan Vong invasion over Darth Danzig and Supreme cancer patient Snoke anyday
It does look like a gun straight from Star Wars
Oh I remember this. I saw it at Poulin Auctions a few months back. I have a feeling that it's back for sale so soon because it doesn't work all that well...
“Get that rod at full extension”
Kinda looks like someone challenged him and said "bet you can't make a functioning gun from the junk in this parts bin"
And sir ellis responded "hold my beer watch this."
Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Good to see an Ellis gun!
It's things like this rifle and the story that excite and inspire me. Thanks for sharing Ian, appreciate all the effort.
At this point i've seen enough watermelons blow up or "what if we shoot this thing with a random gun" videos.
When a master gunsmith tells you to, "Hold my beer and watch this!" you need to death grip that can with both hands and try not to cry at what you're about to witness.
....m15?
There is an m15
The m 15 is the general officers varient of the m1911A1
Was just a joke bud
@@derekhenschel3191 US Army numbering system is seperated for each category of weapon. Just because there is a pistol designated M15 doesn't exclude a rifle being designated M15.
eg. M1 tank ("Abrams"), M1 smg ("Thompson"), M1 rifle ("Garand") M1 carbine, M1 flamethrower, etc
calypsis there was an m15 rifle, though. The M15 was the automatic rifle/support weapon variant of the M14. But it was even more trash than the M14, so they never fielded it in significant numbers
JESUS I want that sooo freaking bad.
@@stanleyjedrzejczyk2966 .223 Is my fav size.. Always has been, not just since its been trendy.. i had a mini 14 in the 80s lol
I now know what project I'm doing 2019...
Looks like an alternate history FG-42
I think the guy deserves some praise, this thing is pretty well made.
The glorious craftsmanship of the Elbonian small arms industry. Looks like a fun piece
I wonder what's the weight of that, it sure looks lighter than a regular AR-15.
Great video and looks like an AR Sten Gun. Just needs a Beta Mag and you're ready to rock and roll!
looks like a teaching moment for his apprentice, take a bunch of parts you've got laying around and make them work together.
I am in a country where we can't even own guns, but I just can't stop watching these.
I wonder what a modernized version of this gun would look like, name it something like XR-86A1 or something.
There's a ton of holes and exposed operating bits that would need filled in and covered to make it a practical everyday use rifle.
It was definitely made by a stoner
Like Eugene stoner. If you needed me to specify
Lol
*extremely Hickok45 voice* LET'S SMOKE SOME POT!
Lol this is forgotten weapons. Nobody needed you to specify. :) Gun geeks abound.....
nick fletcher; the guy was a veteran police officer in addition to being a master gunsmith.
I have both M62 &m63 stoner weapons systems real nice guns they are kept on military base
Your videos on home made or craft made firearms are always my favorite.
This is so freaking cool. I love the way he handled the trigger situation.
So it's just a plasticky cheap version of an FG-42.
Nah, its been corrupted by cthulhu.
@@LazyLifeIFreak Do not speak of the Old Ones in jest lest you are willing to sacrifice your putrid flesh.😨
Hey, happy Thanksgiving!
It has the same obnoxious butt stock😂
It’s not a copy but I’d say he might have got the idea of a side magazine from the FG42 or another historic gun with the same set up.
Or it was just a “hey I like ARs and M14s so why don’t I combine the two, better yet I’ll do something different and make it feed from the side and eject down
It looks like the 80s yay cocaine version of an FG42
It looks like Star Wars rifle ))))
Very nice. Glad you showed this. Mabe show us a few more examples of this sort of thing in the future. Thanks again.
I can just imagine the gunsmith in a castle somewhere putting it together then having to run lightning bolts through it to get it to work. "Look! It's moving. It's alive.... It's alive!!!"
Cher-chunk as the bolt slides forward into battery
This design does make quite a lot of sense, actually. It might be actually an excellent gun.
The project is neat for being something made for fun, but, to have sense, he should have simply rotated the M14 gas system 180° so to have the gas piston at hour 12. That way he could have mantained the entire AR15 lower as it was.
@@neutronalchemist3241 I'm thinking this was meant for long range shooting from a prone position. Long barrel, good flash hider, no iron sights, and bottom ejection. Looks like a fun project.
"Property of Mandelor"
What a fun range toy. Imagine the looks you would get showing up with that rifle.
Thanks for sharing,interesting mix of various rifles,
Basically a american Fallschirmjägergewehr 42
I still can't believe "Fallschirmjägergewehr" is a real word. :\
its kinda' giving me Johnson vibes, ya know? with the ar style bolt and the right angle feed.
Very creative mix of ideas on this one
Ian is awesome and this is an excellent channel for all of your firearm entertainment and knowledge requirements!
Noah: "What the hell is this?"
M16: ...
M14: "Oh.. you didn't give any specific guidelines about mating"
When will we see the mud test for this?
Actually the whole thing looks really nice and stuff like the trigger/charging handle is fun as well.
Does it eject to the bottom?
Clever...Very ingenious. Thanks for posting this one!
Looks like a little project to have fun and get fresh inspiration!
That is something you make because you can, and it looks kind of cool!
Like some of my chainsaws.
Leif Vejby you make chainsaws-duuuude
i'd buy that. looks like a south african made it.
@@stanleyjedrzejczyk2966 But this one works...
@@stanleyjedrzejczyk2966 You mean the same Cobray who based two of its best-known guns on the South African Armsel Striker?
@@stanleyjedrzejczyk2966 Nah, nah, if this was made by Cobray, it would be fully automatic and chambered for 12 gauge... Somehow.
I love seeing people's creativity that's awesome
it looks like a corossbreed between an FG42 and an (early prototype?) AR-15 design and i love it.
I would love a sideways AR15 or AR10 like this that was dressed up to look like a real WW2 FG42 (or as close as it could get. It probably wouldn't fool most gun owners but it would still be cool to have and it would be A LOT cheaper to produce than the current reproduction FG42s)
Ok watched it twice...How does it eject? I don't see an ejection port.
The bottom. Since the bolt is rotated 90 degrees clockwise, it'll eject downwards. You can see the ejection port (faintly) at around 0:54
Robin Garrison if you look carefully when he pulls the trigger group/magwell off, as he's rotating it, you can just see an ejection port below the charging handle. Very odd placement, and I missed it the first time myself.
I think the ejection port is open when the bolts back in other words. Its a recipication bolt
You have an incredible knowledge of firearms.
Happy Thanksgiving guys! Thank you kindly for all the great work!
I need this in Fallout New Vegas!
Wow! He actually improved the action by installing a short piston and stopping all that carbon deposits and hot air getting inside the action cooking it.
This is both spectacular and inspiring i mean look at the sheet metal work on the mag well, spectacular quality for a one off
This thing looks so awesome! Definitely a cool home build
It's horrid and I want it
Looks like a fg 42
It's crazy finds like this why I love this channel
Watching this in Abington, PA. I need to track the maker down to talk shop
"Nothing historic about this"
I heartily disagree
Wilfred Ellis was clearly a very talented gunsmith. He said he made this rifle in 15 days, and it did not have to go back to any revisions and worked on the first try. Any gunsmith will tell you, that is impressive. I really like this design. It is rather easy to field strip as well.
Interesting fact. A Google search of "The Fort Ellis rifle" the first result is this video. The second result is this video on Full30. The third result is your article on this rifle on forgottenweapons.com. You have to go to the forth result to find the current auction, ha.
I seem to recall, during the early S.A.W. trials, a very similar design showing up at Ft. Knox around 1981....It sure looks familiar.
There's some beauty to be seen in this madness. I love it.
And all the ATF agents watching this video started having convulsions.
A bit crude but clever. Welding clearly was not one his strongest skills.
Actually..the welding is well done. It has no more and no less than what is needed. Very minimalistic and very stout. Not going to do well in the sand test..but all and all..its a rifle you can go prone with...very very low. The builder did quite well.
I LIKE it!! Seems to me I saw something similar in a Gun Digest some years back. It used an M-60 trigger group and only fired from an open bolt.
That thing is awesome! almost fits right in with the Stoner 63, and AR-18