I have been fortunate enough to be able to fire Garands, M1 Carbines, 98Ks and a slew of handguns from WWII (alas, a few of the latter that were in my care slipped through my hands... never to return), but the "exotica" eluded me. In the last few years, I have been able to scratch the itch occasionally.
The M1A1 Thompson was one gun I particularly wanted to try, being that three different uncles used them- two carried the Thompson as their primary combat weapon and a third would grab one to herd German POWs or when he thought he might need to spray the bushes one-handed while clinging to a 6x6.
(The latter is part of a long story that cast its shadow for many years. When I was about five or six, I asked him if he had "shot" anyone in the war. He just deadpanned, "No, but I got shot AT a lot." )
The first M1A1 "Tommy Gun" I finally fired was pretty ratty, but it worked flawlessly and I could see someone liking it for close work in a tight spot.
Since then, I have also had the chance to fire a BAR, and concluded that a person would need to practice some to be a really good BAR man (one of my uncles qualified as an expert on the BAR... and subsequently did his best to never let anyone know about it). Ugly as sin and twice as heavy, it remains the most "entertaining" firearm I have ever shot.
Thompson
Luger
M14/M1A
Any Ruger No. 1’s and pre 1982 S&W revolvers I can get my hands on
Any pre 64 Model 70’s and lever actions.
That’s my modest list and I’m good.