Brussel Sprouts - some people claim to like them.
Hard to believe!
Hard to believe!
A lot of people say they "don't like" something or other when reality is that they are not used to it or haven't studied up on it or tried it out. This is as true of guns as it is of motorcycles or vegetables or redheads. There's nothing wrong with having preferences, we all do, but "don't likes" should be based on rational, articulable considerations. Unfortunately for those who don't observe this distinction, many of their preferences for one thing blind them to the utility of another, especially when that utility is a changeable factor; just because you don't like something now doesn't mean that's set in stone.
For example, for years I "didn't like" the nine-millimeter Luger cartridge (and by extension, that meant 9mm pistols) for what I considered good and sufficient reasons and I wouldn't own one. I thought they were underpowered and at the time there was a paucity of good-performing self-defense ammunition - I was a hard-core .45ACP guy (but I would blow a kiss at a .357 Magnum,) end of story. But over the years I read articles and gunfight reports that reflected a changing situation regarding the 9mm Luger. New ammunition and new guns were changing the self-defense landscape. Making a long story short, I am now persuaded that, properly shot (as all guns ought to be,) with modern high-performance loads, the 9mm Luger cartridge is perfectly acceptable for self-defense purposes, which means it's good for fun shooting, too.
I've used that personal glimpse just as an example, not trying to make the case for the 9mm, (but the case is there to be made.) The point is this: when you say you "don't like" something you probably need to think it over and be sure that's what you mean. I spent a lot of years not owning a Browning Hi-Power 'cause it's a 9mm, but now it's a favorite and I carry one a lot and don't feel under-armed with it.
Everyone has an idealized picture in his head of what one thing or another ought to look like, and that is particularly true of firearms. For me, it's a matter of preference; some might even call it a prejudice. I suppose it is largely a product of one's age - what guns looked like when he first began to think about them, and also of environment - what were those around him lusting after or using when he was young.
I am fairly old now and hard as it is for me to believe, I know young people (that's anyone under 50) who have a lot of handgun experience but who have never, or seldom, fired a revolver. Certainly some think of some of my favorites as outdated - for example, I recently read an article that dissed the .45 Government Model because it's over a century old, is made completely of steel, and holds "only " eight rounds. I would not expect such folks to share my opinions on that subject or others, like bourbon whiskey or the boxers vs briefs dispute. That's okay; Kentucky flintlocks were long before my time and I never gave them much thought, either. There's room for differences of opinion in this country, at least for the time being.
Nevertheless, this is my site, so here are the things I like and use to this day. Some are "modern;" others are not - and I still think Brussel sprouts are icky!
I've used that personal glimpse just as an example, not trying to make the case for the 9mm, (but the case is there to be made.) The point is this: when you say you "don't like" something you probably need to think it over and be sure that's what you mean. I spent a lot of years not owning a Browning Hi-Power 'cause it's a 9mm, but now it's a favorite and I carry one a lot and don't feel under-armed with it.
Everyone has an idealized picture in his head of what one thing or another ought to look like, and that is particularly true of firearms. For me, it's a matter of preference; some might even call it a prejudice. I suppose it is largely a product of one's age - what guns looked like when he first began to think about them, and also of environment - what were those around him lusting after or using when he was young.
I am fairly old now and hard as it is for me to believe, I know young people (that's anyone under 50) who have a lot of handgun experience but who have never, or seldom, fired a revolver. Certainly some think of some of my favorites as outdated - for example, I recently read an article that dissed the .45 Government Model because it's over a century old, is made completely of steel, and holds "only " eight rounds. I would not expect such folks to share my opinions on that subject or others, like bourbon whiskey or the boxers vs briefs dispute. That's okay; Kentucky flintlocks were long before my time and I never gave them much thought, either. There's room for differences of opinion in this country, at least for the time being.
Nevertheless, this is my site, so here are the things I like and use to this day. Some are "modern;" others are not - and I still think Brussel sprouts are icky!
Likes
The One That Started It All - Colt Government Model of 1911
Old Slabsides
Colt, Model 1911, .45ACP
Original, plain-Jane version
A pistol as they ought to be
Colt, Model 1911, .45ACP
Original, plain-Jane version
A pistol as they ought to be
This is the one. Yeah, the Luger P08 and Broomhandle Mauser and few others predate it as semi-automatic pistols, but not a one of them still survives, not even in production, much less widespread use. The 1911, as it is often called, is still in production by Colt and it is the most imitated pistol in the world. A dozen firearms companies, including the world's leaders, such as S&W, Sig, and Glock (and others) make clones of it in .45ACP, 9mm Parabellum, .38 Super, .22 and maybe others.
It is neither elegant nor beautiful except that simplicity is elegant of itself and pure functionality has a beauty of its own. You can add fancy sights and accessory rails. You can tart it up with chrome or gold and engraving and fancy grips. You can shorten it or lengthen it or lighten it and do all sorts of things that John Moses Browning never anticipated but there is one thing you can't do: improve it as an efficient, reliable means of self-defense.
It is now over 100 years old and is still in common law enforcement use and some military service. There are good reasons for that; there must be. People stake their lives on it. I carried one for several years in the Border Patrol, back when you could mostly carry what you could shoot. Now I often tuck one in my belt, cocked and locked, when I leave the house.
It is neither elegant nor beautiful except that simplicity is elegant of itself and pure functionality has a beauty of its own. You can add fancy sights and accessory rails. You can tart it up with chrome or gold and engraving and fancy grips. You can shorten it or lengthen it or lighten it and do all sorts of things that John Moses Browning never anticipated but there is one thing you can't do: improve it as an efficient, reliable means of self-defense.
It is now over 100 years old and is still in common law enforcement use and some military service. There are good reasons for that; there must be. People stake their lives on it. I carried one for several years in the Border Patrol, back when you could mostly carry what you could shoot. Now I often tuck one in my belt, cocked and locked, when I leave the house.
A Classic Cartridge in a Classic Revolver
Model 19 Smith & Wesson
aka Combat Magnum
.357 Magnum
6" barrel
How a revolver should look
aka Combat Magnum
.357 Magnum
6" barrel
How a revolver should look
The .357 Magnum Cartridge. Three people have legitimate claim to being the father of the .357 Magnum cartridge in 1934. Never mind who they were; it was a joint venture with Smith and Wesson and the claims are legitimate. The .357 Magnum was brought into being to defeat car bodies and new body armor being used by Depression-era gangsters. It was based on the .38 Special, which was being custom-loaded by some shooters to higher pressures to achieve higher velocities, and thus bullet impact energy levels, than the existing guns were designed for. That was a dangerous practice, so S&W and friends created a new, hotter cartridge: the .357 Magnum. To handle it S&W built a stronger, larger and heavier (sometimes an issue on a gun belt) revolver to manage the higher pressures. They called it the Registered Magnum. Later they called it the Model 27; you can still buy one.
The Combat Magnum Revolver. One person can legitimately claim to be the father of the Combat Magnum, later renamed Model 19: Bill Jordan, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, now deceased. Jordan was a well-known, highly-skilled revolver shooter in the 1950s and 1960s. It was his opinion that in light of improved metallurgy since 1934, when the .357 Mag was introduced, the S&W K-frame revolver was strong enough to handle the .357 Magnum cartridge. S&W had originally and only offered the cartridge in their N frame, which was larger and heavier, more so than many officers found convenient to carry. So he set about designing a cop's "dream revolver" around the K frame, and with S&W's connivance it came into being with a 4" barrel (I like the 6" shown, a later model.) The first Combat Magnum off the production line was given to Jordan in November,1955. In truth, the gun is a little underbuilt for the power of the cartridge. Over the course of thousands of full-load .357 rounds parts of the gun do wear more than if it is used with the .38 Special cartridge, which the K frame was designed to shoot. But balanced against its more convenient size, and the fact that very few shooters will expend that much Magnum ammunition, it's a non-issue for most shooters.
If you are interested in a book by Jordan about gunfighting, check out No Second Place Winner. It is long out of print but still available through Amazon.
The Combat Magnum Revolver. One person can legitimately claim to be the father of the Combat Magnum, later renamed Model 19: Bill Jordan, Assistant Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, now deceased. Jordan was a well-known, highly-skilled revolver shooter in the 1950s and 1960s. It was his opinion that in light of improved metallurgy since 1934, when the .357 Mag was introduced, the S&W K-frame revolver was strong enough to handle the .357 Magnum cartridge. S&W had originally and only offered the cartridge in their N frame, which was larger and heavier, more so than many officers found convenient to carry. So he set about designing a cop's "dream revolver" around the K frame, and with S&W's connivance it came into being with a 4" barrel (I like the 6" shown, a later model.) The first Combat Magnum off the production line was given to Jordan in November,1955. In truth, the gun is a little underbuilt for the power of the cartridge. Over the course of thousands of full-load .357 rounds parts of the gun do wear more than if it is used with the .38 Special cartridge, which the K frame was designed to shoot. But balanced against its more convenient size, and the fact that very few shooters will expend that much Magnum ammunition, it's a non-issue for most shooters.
If you are interested in a book by Jordan about gunfighting, check out No Second Place Winner. It is long out of print but still available through Amazon.
John Browning's Best - The Hi-Power
Browning Hi-Power
aka P-35
9mm Luger
13 round magazine
9mm Luger
13 round magazine
This was John Browning's last design (helped by a Frenchman) and out of the multitude of firearms he invented (including the .50 caliber heavy machine gun still used around the world) arguably his best. Certainly, it is the prettiest. As with any gun, when it comes to appearance I like sleek lines, blue steel, and walnut. The first time I ever picked one up it wiggled itself into my hand and sat there like it had been waiting for me. I bought it then and there.
Most shooters I know will admit that, of the semiautomatic pistols in the world, this one feels the most natural in the hand and points like a finger. I carry one frequently, cocked and locked, and although I have a good holster for it I often just tuck it into my belt right behind my hip bone. With 13 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber I don't feel the need for a spare magazine.
Incidentally, it was called the Hi-Power (or GP, Gran Puissance, in France) because of the high number of rounds it carried, not because the 9mm cartridge was powerful.
Most shooters I know will admit that, of the semiautomatic pistols in the world, this one feels the most natural in the hand and points like a finger. I carry one frequently, cocked and locked, and although I have a good holster for it I often just tuck it into my belt right behind my hip bone. With 13 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber I don't feel the need for a spare magazine.
Incidentally, it was called the Hi-Power (or GP, Gran Puissance, in France) because of the high number of rounds it carried, not because the 9mm cartridge was powerful.