Volunteer
Enterprises Mark45
Semi-auto Rifle
Caliber .45ACP
Magazine Capacity of 5/15/30/90
1976 to aprox. 1990
The Mark 45 is quite interesting to shoot.
Dry firing, the trigger pull is off the scale to the
point that you'll probably check to see that the crossbolt safety isn't
engaged. Load the piece
with a full magazine and start firing and you'll see how well that trigger
actually works.
A 30 round magazine will empty out in a flash and keep them all in a
silhouette target at 50 yards.
Aimed fire at a paper plate will get you hit after hit at a hundred yards,
although you can almost
smoke a cigerette waiting for that big .45FMJ bullet to get down range.
The Mark45 doesn't require a lot of
maintenance. The tolerances in the stamped square
steel receiver and the slightly modified Thompson SMG magazines make for a
very realiable
firearm. The stamped steel peep sight is adjustable for
windage by a large screw and
elevation by bending it up or down. The fins are somewhat
functional, but the muzzle brake
is strictly ornamental. It's removeable by loosening the two set
screws, but looks very
odd without it and you loose your front sight. This weapon was also
manufactured
under the name Commando Arms Mark45.
The buttstock comes off easily after removing the two large
phillips head mounting screws from underneath and is still
fully functional and legal. This makes for a very compact
and effective short range weapon.
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There was also a pistol version with the
buttstock absent. With the short barrel adding
the stock would violate Federal law, so the back
of the pistols receiver has been modified accordingly.
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My thanks to Bryon at the Delmarva
Sporting Clays
in Mardela Springs Maryland for the use of his excellent
Mark 45 with verticle grip for inclusion on this
page.
You can find out all about them at thier website here:
http://www.dscfff.com/
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An exciting find was this very early Volunteer Enterprises "45 Cal.
Semi-Auto"
made in Knoxville Tennessee prior to any of the Mark 45 series.
It utilized M4 "Greese Gun" magazines and as best as I can tell had
no
specific model designation. It also fired from an open bolt like the
original
Thomspson sub-machineguns. This carbine was being offered for sale
at
Gunbroker.com
by user "Ken 4570" who was kind enough to give me
permission to post these photo's. You may still be able to catch his
auction
if it hasn't concluded yet.
Below is the only example I've seen of a Commando Arms MK I
Conversion Kit for use with the US M1 Carbine. Many thanks to
Tommy Gilbert for emailing this.
A couple of links for some YouTube videos for better for worse.
Commando Arms Inc.
2515 Sutherland Ave.
Knoxville TN 37919
(Address is obsolete.)
