I’ve really come back to my true handgunning loves…. Hammer Fired Guns with Metal Frames. 1911’s specifically, followed by SIG’s, Beretta’s, CZ’s, and those funky 3rd Gen S&W slab-fisted automatics life the 5906 and 4506 and 1066. There is just something about them. Now, the 1911 famously being the stand out Single Action. It takes the grown for being ruggedly handsome. If it was an actor in a leading role, it’s character would have 5:00 Shadow and 6:00 AM.
The 1911 remains the pistol of choice for a great many Pistol Aficionados. It’s just so very good at so many things. I still distrust 1911’s with barrels shorter than 4″, but that’s a whole other conversation.
Revolvers also fall under the Hammer Fired, Metal Framed catagory. Interestingly, my attention has been on guns patterned on the Single Action Army, but slightly more modern. Ruger Blackhawks, and even Colt’s New Frontier. And with these guns, I’m more interested in the ones with barrels shorter than 5″. 4″ is ideal, I do believe.
I’ve been tinkering a lot on my guns as of late. Playing the Kitchen Table Gunsmith. Re-learning a great many things that I had forgotten or have not bothered with in decades. You can really screw things up doing this. Especially when, like me, you know just enough to get yourself in a mess of trouble. Luckily I’ve avoided such troubles and have really pushed the limits of my skills. The results are simply that my guns are slick and seem to be functioning better than ever. The one thing I have never forgotten. Take. Your. Time. Don’t rush anything you do when you take a gun apart. Take your time and think everything through. Every part, pin and spring.
This new Brad Pitt movie coming out has me on edge – I can’t wait to see it. It’s called “Fury”. It’s a WWII Tank movie. The only other one I can think of is Kelly’s Heroes. (Not just a weird kinda sandwich) Evidently it’s staring a real and actual German Tiger tank… the last one. That’s just too freaking awesome. The Tiger was truly full on beastly. It’s a good thing the Germans didn’t have them in the same numbers that we had our Shermans. Hmmm… I wonder if other nations think the same thing about our M1 Abrams tanks?
I heard on the news that an American was just killed in Syria, while fighting FOR the group known as ISIS. My response was “Good!” Then the report mention that the Government’s response was to issue a Travel Advisory about American’s going to Syria. Nothing about Americans fighting along side terrorist assholes… Which evidently is fine, just don’t fly into Syria to do it.
Robin Williams’ death. The thing that gets me about Robin Williams suicide – was all the good work he did for sick kids and all the good work he did for the troops. He was liberal, sure, but he was a humanitarian first and foremost. I’m just disappointed he pulled his own plug when he could have been the next Bob Hope with the USO… he could have been doing so much more with those kids. And then is struck me. What would people say about us like that? What potential do other people see in us that they never tell us? Suicide is a symptom of a very low, very negative sense of Self Worth. This is why so many of our Service men and women choose to kill themselves. And not just Veterans… look at the problems with Teenagers.
So I want to help that. This Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS… Yeah, that’s all fine and all. I did it. So if I did it, you know it’s jumped the shark. So I have a new challenge. If you know someone who you think might be feeling down… Boost them up. Tell them the potential that you see in them and help them reach that. Warm their hearts with Self Confidence and don’t throw ice water on their spirits.
I think you mentioned before that you like the Browning Hi-Power, also. Everyone seems to forget that one these days, don’t they? And the copies made by FEG are good project guns for gunsmiths.
My first handgun was a Ruger Blackhawk, and I’ve loved Ruger single-actions ever since. I wish they’d do a limited edition in Remington 1875 configuration, with the metal flange under the ejection rod. May have to buy one of those from Uberti to satisfy my jones for an 1875. Ruger has made some awesome Vaqueros lately that would be good in a CCW role; I’m thinking here of the .45 convertible with the 3″ barrel and birds-head grip. Most people are leery of using a single-action for CCW because of the slow loading, but my own belief is that if you can’t do the job with six .45LC cartridges, it’s either because you’re involved in a riot (possible these days, I admit) or you need to work on shot placement.
As much as I love my hammer fired pistols, I’m really digging my P7 PSP.
Thanks…especially for the last part.
Interesting read about Tiger 131, the last running Tiger which took 13 years to rebuild.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123736/Back-70-years-mighty-Tiger-tank-Only-surviving-example-works-restored-wartime-specification.html
+1 and then some, on your last issue. Not just for people who might be feeling down. Every now and then you may be surprised to realize something about a person you know: “Wow, now I see what he’s doing, and it’s a really good thing to do.” Tell him. Tell her. Don’t just tell someone and figure it will get around to the other person. You don’t know how much they may need to hear it and you don’t know ( I say from the perspective of an extra twenty or so years ) how much time you have in which to tell them. You see it, you realize it, you tell them. Direct action.
Now that I live in Gold Country a 3-inch Vaquero sounds great! And meawhile living in-between suburbia, I never even found time to acquire a striker pistol – so we’re still happy with the brace of model 10s, still love the Kobra Carry and the P245 – and the Big Ol’ M1909 is still King Kong…
Also: as far as I’m sad about Robin Williams I’m more sad about Louis Awerbuck.
To Louis I am incredibly grateful and indebted, just that I could take just two classes from him and learn A LOT. I learned to move and hit.
Robin never gave me that access, opportunity, or care – quite the opposite. Robin was a big figure on the local media scene and remote to me. His jokes were often directed at people like me, even though he didn’t know me or anyone like me in the slightest. Especially not missionary kids, who probably had an even broader and more intimate international exposure and perspective than he did in his Marin County Ivory Comic Tower.
At first I thought it was funny. I was brought-up, taught by teachers, and expected-to be the recipient of derogatory comments mainly just because of my skin color. I was taught to suck-up the constant belittlement – but maybe that was a part of his problem too. And Reality intervened.
None of the Tigers in Kelley’s Heroes were real PzKpfw VIs.
They are wonderfully redressed T34s
Giveaways are:
Turret is forward on hull rather than centered.
Road wheels are in-line vs. interlocking as with a Tiger.
Ya, I spent too much time building models and visiting Aberdeen Proving Grounds’ museum.
another tank movie: Sahara, with Humphrey Bogart.
Plus-One on Bogey in Sahara!!