Free 186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook:  
Get 2,000+ tool plans, full site access, and more.

User Tag List

Page 1 of 3 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 24

Thread: Can you own your own tank?

  1. #1
    Jon
    Jon is offline Jon has agreed the Seller's Terms of Service
    Administrator
    Supporting Member
    Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    25,451
    Thanks
    7,928
    Thanked 38,621 Times in 11,284 Posts

    Can you own your own tank?

    After posting the photo of the Panzer tank hull being quenched, like all reasonable people, I wondered: Can you own your own tank?

    Yes you can. It's expensive ($250,000+ purchase price), heavily regulated, and not exactly convenient (about 1 mile per gallon). But, at least in the USA, perfectly legal. So much so that an estimated 1,000 Americans are private tank owners.

    Here's a decent 2-minute Wall Street Journal video in which WWII Chaffee tank owner Bill Bauer of Port Lavaca, Texas is interviewed. Bauer rigged his tank with a modified .50 cal gun that uses propane to simulate the muzzle flash and noise of gunfire.

    Bauer presents well: he's chairman of a local bank, he's sporting a Military Vehicle Preservation Association shirt, and (until his wife dishes the truth!) he conveys his reason for tank ownership as the noble and selfless act of "preserving history" for "grandkids and great grandkids".

    As the video closes, Bauer demonstrates the simulated .50 cal in an abandoned parking lot, and the cops show up. The police officer's first words: "You know why we're here, right?"



    This video is a good example of why the Wall Street Journal largely survived The Great Fake News Wars of 2016. It's interesting, reasonably presented, and not overproduced.

    Previously:

    Panzer tank hull being quenched
    tank silencer
    steam-powered tanks
    Tankenstein rat rod
    Big Wind firefighting jet tank
    WWII Churchill tank converted into mine clearer

    186 More Best Homemade Tools eBook

  2. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Jon For This Useful Post:

    dubbby (Aug 19, 2020), KustomsbyKent (Jul 31, 2017), Miloslav (Nov 16, 2019), Seedtick (Jul 31, 2017), will52100 (Nov 22, 2018)

  3. #2
    Banned
    Supporting Member

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    69
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 14 Times in 11 Posts
    So he owns a tank. Big whoop. Wonder what he's compensating for?

    2000 Tool Plans

  4. #3
    Jon
    Jon is offline Jon has agreed the Seller's Terms of Service
    Administrator
    Supporting Member
    Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    25,451
    Thanks
    7,928
    Thanked 38,621 Times in 11,284 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Dr Stan View Post
    So he owns a tank. Big whoop. Wonder what he's compensating for?
    Lack of a tank?

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to Jon For This Useful Post:

    will52100 (Nov 22, 2018)

  6. #4
    Jon
    Jon is offline Jon has agreed the Seller's Terms of Service
    Administrator
    Supporting Member
    Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    25,451
    Thanks
    7,928
    Thanked 38,621 Times in 11,284 Posts
    Driving a tank is available as a paid recreational activity in Minnesota: DriveATank.com.


  7. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Jon For This Useful Post:

    baja (Nov 11, 2018), Seedtick (Nov 10, 2018)

  8. #5
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,434
    Thanks
    357
    Thanked 6,380 Times in 2,117 Posts

    mklotz's Tools
    Why I'm dubious about private tank ownership...

    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Home Shop Freeware
    https://www.myvirtualnetwork.com/mklotz

  9. #6
    Jon
    Jon is offline Jon has agreed the Seller's Terms of Service
    Administrator
    Supporting Member
    Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    25,451
    Thanks
    7,928
    Thanked 38,621 Times in 11,284 Posts
    But if tanks are outlawed, then only outlaws will own tanks!

    Seriously though, I think you're probably right. It isn't even the gun part of the tank that's dangerous, it's the rest of it. I do like the model of tank driving as a recreational activity. It's like the Las Vegas "Heavy Equipment Playground" where you can drive bulldozers and excavators and such: https://digthisvegas.com

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Jon For This Useful Post:

    PJs (Nov 11, 2018)

  11. #7
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,434
    Thanks
    357
    Thanked 6,380 Times in 2,117 Posts

    mklotz's Tools
    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    I do like the model of tank driving as a recreational activity. It's like the Las Vegas "Heavy Equipment Playground" where you can drive bulldozers and excavators and such: https://digthisvegas.com
    Or the full auto shooting "experiences"...

    https://machinegunsvegas.com/product...to-experience/

    I understand that they're very popular with the Japanese tourists.
    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Home Shop Freeware
    https://www.myvirtualnetwork.com/mklotz

  12. #8
    Jon
    Jon is offline Jon has agreed the Seller's Terms of Service
    Administrator
    Supporting Member
    Jon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Colorado, USA
    Posts
    25,451
    Thanks
    7,928
    Thanked 38,621 Times in 11,284 Posts
    Interesting. I do like shooting unusual guns at the range (Desert Eagle!), but I think the whole "full auto/semi-auto" dichotomy is just feature-itis, and dangerously close to a False dilemma logical fallacy. The people I know with modern-day combat experience say that they never even really use full auto on their military M4s. Plus all those YT vids with people shooting semi-autos faster than full autos anyway. Also seems like too much margin for error when catering to tourists who are probably doing "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" activities.

    It's been a while since I was in Vegas, but if I go back, I do plan on checking out that heavy equipment driving place. I want to try out some of the moves we've seen in GIFs.

  13. The Following User Says Thank You to Jon For This Useful Post:

    PJs (Nov 11, 2018)

  14. #9
    Supporting Member mklotz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    LA, CA, USA
    Posts
    3,434
    Thanks
    357
    Thanked 6,380 Times in 2,117 Posts

    mklotz's Tools
    I've been told that a lot of their customers are tourists from countries where firearms of any sort are unavailable to the public.
    ---
    Regards, Marv

    Home Shop Freeware
    https://www.myvirtualnetwork.com/mklotz

  15. #10
    Banned
    Supporting Member

    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Posts
    69
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 14 Times in 11 Posts
    When you've seen the real thing these want a be Rambo's just don't impress me much (apologizes to Shania Twain).

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •