State of the "UZI"

[singsing]

Dear Colleague:

Apologies in advance for sounding ignorant or pompous, however, I would like to know about the state of collecting UZIs. Since they were originally manufactured before the rage of attachments and are no longer imported, what do you believe is the future of our beloved UZIs?

Do we eventually die away and are forgotten?
Do we become snobbish and elitist like the H&K fanatics?
Do we continue modifying our beloved UZIs to accommodate the myriad of gimmicks available?
Do we retain the integrity of its design and just live with its shortcomings?
Do we fight for its acceptance and push for a revival?

In short, what would you advise future or current collector of this weapon. Again, apologies if I have offended your sensibilities.

Respectfully,
singsing

[JIMBO]

singsing-

The State of the UZI Address, In Short:


The UZI HAS owned and DOES own a large and prestigious chunk of the history of small arms. There are, to this day, countries, companies, police forces, individuals and more who rely on this fine weapon for the very safety and protection of their every day lives. IMHO the weapon was years before it's time. Uziel Gal was a genious and was responsable for the design of the fine weapons in the UZI and Galil family. There are many other individuals involved in this forum who are far more knowledgeable regarding the details of this firearms history and it's effect on history in general. Yet every one of us is passionate regarding the ownership, collecting, shooting and sharing aspects of this family of weapons. The UZI is responsable for molding the shape of whole countries. Were I a President of a country or CEO of a major corporation, my nerves would be put at ease just knowing each member of my security staff was armed with an UZI.

The fact that political legislation has limited the importation of the UZI here in the U.S. has not squelched the interest in the weapon. Quite the contrary. There is passionate interest in the Israeli Military Industries original version of each different model in the UZI product line. Each model has devoted fans who appreciate the value that particular model offers. The MICRO/PISTOL is especially popular because individuals are amazed at the firepower contained in such a small concealable package. The MINI with it's collapseable stock offers the shooter a compact short barreled rifle with serious firepower. The Model A and B rifles in various configurations in addition to SEMI and FULL AUTO selective fire modes offer larger accurate fire at a distance or up close.

Various companies have manufactured the UZI design here in the U.S. such as Vector and the serious interest individuals have in assembling their own weapon from parts kits obtained from various sources. The interest in the UZI is as alive as ever, another indication of the interest in the UZI is UZITalk itself!!! The interest in this forum shows you there is a fan base for the weapon, a place for collectors, enthusiasts, history buffs and shooters alike to get together and exchange information and find answers to questions they have. I think the interest shown here for the UZI and the forum itself in less than 2 months is evidence of the desire and interest people have in the topic.

The value and cost of the UZI's has been increasing. This is an example of of demand overtaking availability. The cost of full auto Vectors has been jumping out of site in the last number of months. Negative legislation will only make these items more valuable and costly. The state of the political climate is a guess at best.

There will always be those individuals working to ban non-PC weapons. We must rally to fight those politicians...we must support our 2nd Amend. Organizations, NRA, GOA, CCRKBA, 2nd Amend. Foundation etc. The NRA and others works tirelessly, 24 hrs. daily to protect our gun rights and we must support them with our dollars. Our forum is fighting the gun-grabbers by sharing information regarding our interest. Let me take a moment to challenge each one of us to give a few dollars to support the gun club or group of your choice. GIVE TO THIS FORUM. It is not fair for the burden to fall upon a select few. If EVERY gun owner gave $5.00 to his or her pro-gun group of choice, the pro-gun movement would be formidable. The ANTI-gun side is WELL funded by much of Hollywood's elite, billionaires and other left wing supporters and they are COMMITTED to their cause !!! Many gun owners love their guns but TAKE THEIR RIGHTS FOR GRANTED, expecting someone else to pay the price. NOW is the time to wake up and keep the rights that haven't been taken away yet.

I for one am proud to be an UZI enthusiast. I am proud to be a member of this forum and have talked to only fine helpful members who have made my interest in the UZI richer and more enjoyable. It is our duty and responsability to fight for what is right, to ensure that our children have the chance to enjoy the UZI the way we have. After all, UZI's are a heck of a lot more fun than video games. Lets make sure our kids have a choice.:D :D

[jt325i]

They will always have their place. I think the Uzi is one of the first sub-guns to come to mind, even for people not very knowledgeable about firearms. I'd also consider it to be the "AK" of the sub-gun world, being able to function under very harsh conditions & very simple in operation.

[RoverDave]

If you look around at what machinegun enthuasists are doing these days, I think it's clear that pretty much any machinegun, no matter how new or old, no matter how revered or reviled, no matter what strengths or weakness it has, they will all live on and be enjoyed in one way or another. And so it's true for the Uzi. Especially so because of it's stature in history - as others here have pointed out.

Some people will store them in the safe as an investment, others will shoot them, others modify and update. It really boils down to what the future holds for price and availability. And that is largely a matter of legislation and therefore unpredictable. The fact that the Uzi was "manufactured before the rage of attachments" won't hurt it. There are a lot of people out there enjoying their BAR's, Sten's, Thompson's, MP40's,... The same will be true for Uzi's for as long as we're allowed to own them.

[osprey21]

IIRC...

The Uzi was one of, if not the first "3rd Generation" (guns utilizing a wrap-around bolt and blowback action) sub machine guns on the market.

Uzi Lore (http://www.vectorarms.com/history.html)

[singsing]

Dear Colleagues:


I am humbled by your responses. I have to admit I had my reservations in my decision to buy an UZI. I was leaning towards an H&K or one of its clones. However, after being a member of their board, their sheer arrogance and unwarranted fanaticism turned me off from acquiring such a firearm. At about the same time that I acquired my UZI I noticed this forum being discussed at other several forums. After being a ghost reader, I decided to become a member due to the extremely learned responses and excellent moderators.

I hope that our mutual interest continues to grow in popularity and I wish someday, I can own one of those coveted full auto weapons. Rest assured that I relish reading this forum and learned quite a bit about this stalwart weapon.

My sincerest thanks for your responses and thank you for enlightening a novice such as myself.

Respectfully,
singsing

[JIMBO]

singsing-

In my initial post I alluded to a certain "passion". That is probably what you picked up on when you read through the posts left in response to your question. It is one of the things I noticed when I came to this forum for the first time. One of the other things I noticed was comradrie. A comradship that exists between members of a group with common interests. To illustrate it, over the years I have been interested in motorcycle riding and hot rodding, to name 2 of my many hobbies. Just riding or driving down the street you just have to wave to the other guys on bikes or in a high performance cars and NOT ONCE has the other failed to wave back. In a fraction of a second you exchange an unspoken appreciation for each others machine. I have been to many car and motorcycle shows and you can stand around for hours and days admiring each others restoration projects or high performance machines, and I have found the same comradrie in this forum and other gun clubs/groups I belong to. I am sorry you found the guys at the HK forum to be less than receptive to you. I would guess there are 5 nice guys for every jerk you met in that forum but you can see how a few can affect many. HK makes fine weapons and I would want a nice forum to visit if I had one of them. Like I said in my post, I am proud to be a member of this forum and now you know a little more why.:D :uzi