Reeder Custom Guns - Having worked on German guns, cars, motorcycles

and varied other industrial equipment I must say it has to be difficult to be German. I just spent 1 hr. on my back (sort of) removing the underside of a dash to replace a brake switch (literally a 30 second job) and get my wife's car to shift from park without a screwdriver in this secret little hole.

I still examine German semi-auto anything with complete awe. Wondering how they made those parts and what was the logic. It all works fantastic until it don't. Then, a German sure would be handy.

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I ask myself that sometimes. Alas, GM is just as perplexing on many things (starter under the intake manifolds on some Cadillac engines - no I don't have one). The front wheel removal to replace some vehicle batteries is another wonderment. Ditto for some guns, try to take apart a Colt 1903 semi-auto sometime! It's amazing that it works, more like a Swiss watch movement. The English stuff is at least serviceable, they seem to build things knowing it's going to break and require service. I think they have a bit of fun with it too. Italian....they do try awfully hard to make things look good, so you can admire them even if they don't work. I can figure out most things on their designs, not that I like it.

The mechanical aspects of our engineering reveal our social character. America was pretty good until Lawyers and politics got into our designs (later 1960's?). We still have it, it's just a struggle to get it past the nuts in legal and marketing.

I'm trying to forget the German car for the moment. I already know way more than I ever wanted to.

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joints. In Germany they are rifle/bayonet joints.

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English engineering seems to be an afterthought on the TR6 automobiles, yet a BMW motorcycle of the same era is quite easy.
Changing the oil on a 74 TR6, the oil filter cover can barely be moved into the frame rails, then you have to get the filter element out, and new filter in, new gasket. Now try to slide the filter cover back over. Want another? To change the clutch, the radio must be removed (same on the Spitfire) and the seats have to come out. Don’t get me started on Lucas electrics either.
I’ve never worked on a Range Rover and do the English make small arms anymore?
I like the way United States stuff was made and designed, but German stuff is usually pretty good.

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my keeper is a '72 R75/5. It is a lot more serviceable than it's stablemate, a 2000 R1100RT. I never liked working on cars, of any type, period. For contrast I also have Triumph and Ducati street machines. (Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki's too)

I remember getting a good course on Lugers and toggle top actions. Broomhandles too, fascinating. Roman wants a Webley but I'm not really excited about that. I don't trust the integrity of the lock-work, getting parts easily. I've worked on LEE Enfields, pretty easy. I'm struggling a bit with a semi-auto Browning M1919. The former bit is likely causing the most issue.

I have a LEE Enfield MKV Carbine, a couple Martini cadets, and a custom P14 Enfield. All English military rifles gone sporter or semi-so. Simple, straightforward, with less consideration for style, more function.

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Rovers have great principles idea concepts. And horrible execution of the engineering. It appears to me there is poor coordination in overlapping systems.
To just scratch the surface. If two or three different systems are integrated, each system engineer will have a different acronym for the same system. And it goes down hill from there.

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Having worked on German guns, cars, motorcycles

SO WHY BUY A GERMAN CAR??

..or gun, motorcycle....

Different cultures. In the US, we have male/female

That's a new one for me. I like it,

WHY I LIKE CLASSICS

I’ve come to the opposite conclusion

I keep an old BMW Airhead twin around

Speaking from 24 years experience with Rovers

Good to know English engineering process is still intact