Watch these guys make "illegal ghost guns" in a jungle shack in the Phillippines

[IronMonster]

Remember that the 1911 was released prior to electricity being common place in the United States. Just a couple years after the Wright brothers flew the first airplane at Kitty Hawk, using an engine they hand built in their garage.

I think it's a little silly to think that guys today even in the Philippines couldn't match what was happening over 100 years ago in the United States. modern machine tools are certainly not required.

I also suspect the bulk of the parts can either be bought surplus or manufactured else where cheaply and these guys are doing assembly work as much as manufacturing.


I'm absolutely certain the video is skewed to paint a picture thats unrealistic. I'm also fairly certain that these guys are actually building guns in the jungle that are pretty damn good

 

[Koda]

Ive worked in metal shops and manufacturing all my life and agree with IronMonster, not only can this be done with simple tools in a primitive setting like a hut but given some time to work out a production sequence can also be done more efficiently... keep in mind that the guy in the video is 53 and has been making these all his life, hes a competent gunsmith by now and he knows what hes doing. Depending on what raw material they are starting with 5 guns per month is not bad for only 3 persons working.

I also agree the OPs video makes it sound like it can be done with just a file and hacksaw, it doesn't really elaborate if they are filing the entire slide and frame from a block or if they are just finishing up some 80% builds. I doubt they are making the piece parts. Either way they may be just hand tools but they have more to work with than just files and hacksaws.

 

[Jamie6.5]

*warning* video may cause excessive eye rolling and you may detect a slight odor of media BS

So with a pile of hacksaws and files in a tiny shack in the jungle, they are making 1911's with sand blasted finishes and milled slides and receivers? Very impressive!

Gee, I wonder if they would take me on as an apprentice? LOL

In all seriousness, it's far more likely these are assembled from stolen guns and surplus parts, and all these guys are really doing is the fitting and finishing that is standard for an armorer. They may even have some equipment and/or stocks not shown in the video that was left behind by the military armorers that were there during WWII.

But for the most part, we all know it's just one more media produced, fear-driving POS designed to convince voters that Guns-R-Bad.

 

[Gene Rojas]

Being Filipino, I know the state of affairs in the native homeland of my parents- the Philippines is still a poor, third-world nation, and most of the people there live just above the poverty level. But when it comes to firearms, many Filipinos consider owning one just as important as having food to eat. It is a nation where violence and kidnapping is rampant, and having a pistol or rifle can save you and your famiy's lives. Many Filipinos have weapons brought over by US Armed forces during the Vietnam war or ever earlier- even broken or worn- out weapons are never thrown away. If it can be repaired, just as Blacksmith will heat metal to it's melting point and repair it, these Filipino ghost gun makers will do the same.

I do agree those machined frames seem too finished to have been made by hand, but as others have stated, I don't doubt that some of those parts were imported from China or Korea- there is a huge market in Asia for such copycat parts, and somewhere in Asia a foundry is making them. The lack of machine tools won't stop a ghost gun maker from replicating a popular firearm like a 1911- the one thing these guys have is time, and as mentioned they will spend 12+ hours filing, sanding and polishing a part until it matches a template. You won't see these guys using micrometers either- of course their guns will work, but not being a precision manufactured part I doubt it would match the accuracy of anything bought stateside. But in a country where even a bad copy of a pistol or rifle is better than nothing, some soldiers, bodyguards, or even regular citizens will gladly own it.

Do all soldiers, combatants, guerillas, and citizens use handmade ghost guns? It's possible, but most professional soldiers have US- made weapons- Town mayors, governors, rich and powerful people have money and the means to fund their private armies, which escort them as they travel and conduct business. It's not uncommon for government officials to be escorted by at least 20-100 armed guards, all sporting automatic weapons. Why? Because kidnapping, political rivalry, corruption and murder are a normal part of Philippine politics and life in the P.I. But some may even have their own private gunsmiths, making copies of M-16A2's, 1911's, and other popular US firearms. Ammunition in the PI also costs twice as much as it does here, but you can bet it's regarded with such importance it's made to a similar quality that the US military established in it's time in the Philippines. US surplus ammo is also in demand there- but that doesn't mean ammo from other countries isn't used either.

Geno

 

[nwslopoke]

Journalist aren't supposed to just repeat what someone says. They're supposed to verify what's true. Some call that an actual job. What we have now is paid gossip.

In both these videos what was verified? The air soft story was so blatantly untrue any reasonable adult should ask the simplest follow up questions.

 

[mrblond]

the Paks have a far better operation it looks like.