If by "The Browning of America" you are referring to the idea that every household in America should have a functioning example of a firearm designed by John Moses Browning, then I am for it.
Sign me up for an M1919. Second choice would be 4 copies of the M-1911 with MIL-Spec dimensional tolerances. Third choice would be 4 copies of the Winchester M-92 carbine chambered in .357 or .44 Magnum.
The slide bite prompted me to put a beavertail safety on all my 1911s.
ReplyDeleteThen i installed an extended slide release so my thumb could reach it without shifting my grip.
20 years of dealing with mil spec stuff knocked the shiny of that term.
But i do loves the 1911s. I just wish I was as accurate with them as my Ruger .45 pistols.
Text in post changed to "...dimensional..." specs. Some upscale 1911s are works of art and exhibitions of how closely parts can be fit together.
DeleteGuns are tools. Tools get used in all kinds of weather and under less-than-ideal conditions. Browning had it figured out. So did Kalashnikov: Clearance is good.
Minute-of-whitetail (heart/lungs) or minute-of-felon are plenty good enough for this country boy.
* knocked the shiny off of that term
ReplyDeleteWhen I'm exceptionally wealthy I'll put a BAR on my shopping list. A real sexy M1918 with all original equipment. It will probably set me back a cool $50,000-80,000 but it's an object of desire. There are other weapons I wouldn't mind collecting but I need to work on that cash flow first.
ReplyDeleteA statue of John Browning isn't out of the question if I'm well-to-do in the future.
- Arc
In -06?
DeleteTMK, Yes, 30-06 Springfield was the original cartridge for the M1918. It's probably a lot of paperwork to transfer one and not something I put much thought into until I round up the coin for it. There are modern semi-auto versions but that's not the same as an original piece of history.
Delete- Arc
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ReplyDeleteBAR please...
ReplyDeleteWIN M94 rifle was my 1st purchase when I came of age. What a beaut! Still in love after all these years.
ReplyDeleteAhh.....memories. My first firearm was a Remington bolt action .22 rifle that my father and my great uncle gave to me when I turned twelve years old. It was with with that rifle that I first learned how to be consistently accurate with iron sights. The first rifle I purchased on my own was a 6.5mm Mannlicher Carcano that I bought at age sixteen. That weapon not only had a robust kick, it would jump out of your hands if you didn't have a firm grip on it. I found it difficult to hit the broad side of a barn with it. (And there is no way in hell anyone can convince me that Oswald shot Kennedy with that rifle.)
ReplyDeleteAt 19 years of age I had the good sense to buy a lever action Winchester Model 94 carbine. (I'm with Rick - It's a beautiful rifle.) The reason I say good sense is because the price was $59.00 new in the box. Even in that era (early 70's) that was a smokin' deal - probably close to dealer cost. It was also a somewhat difficult rifle to be accurate with at a distance, but with practice I got fairly good with it. (I could consistently hit beer cans at 50-60 feet.)
The only actual Browning made firearm I ever had was a Browning 9mm Model 39. That was the sweetest handgun I have ever fired. It felt like it was custom made for the size and shape of my hands. The stupidest thing I ever did was to let that gun get away from me. To buy one in the used marketplace today is BIG money - if you can find one. One of my best friends at the time offered to sell me his WWII vintage .45 ACP Model 1911, and I passed on the deal, because at the time his asking price ($180.00) just seemed too expensive. That was the second stupidest mistake I ever made, at least where firearms are concerned.
When I was in Army ROTC in college, a small group of us on the rifle team went to the cadre XO and asked him if we could start a pistol team. Our rationale that we pitched to him was that since they already had the 1911's in the armory, there would be no cost to the unit other than ammo. He and the CO ultimately nixed our idea of using .45's, not because they didn't like the idea, but because, as they put it, "Most people can't hit themselves in the ass with a .45 ".
Anyhoo, my dream list of Browning products would be the aforementioned Model 1911 AND the Model 39, and a Browning Automatic Rifle.
Slightly off-topic, but I truly do feel sorry for young boys (and girls) who are not taught how to.handle and be proficient with firearms from an early age. If kids in their tweens or early teens were taught how to handle, shoot, and BE COMFORTABLE with firearms, they would not grow up to be adults who piss their pants at the mere sight of a gun. And they would subsequently be far less likely to buy into any of the gun control hysteria that is constantly being pushed by the Left and their wholly owned Mainstream Media.
M1911A1 with mil-spec tolerances...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was an instructor in Fort Knox's Armor Crewman (tanker) course, trainees were trained and qualified with the M1911A1. We'd pick up a rack of pistols, haul them out to the range, and that's what they shot. Rack-grade. With mil-spec (of course) ball ammo. Pistol failures were rare. Ammo failures were rare.
Fast forward to my buddy's pampered M1911A1 high-end competition pistol. Picky.
The pistol Browning specified WORKED. It would regularly knock down a silhouette at 75 meters all day.
In retrospect I remember looking at manufacturer stamps on those rack-grade pistols. Some are drool-worthy to collectors today. Back then? Just a tool, as reliable as a good hickory-handled ball peen hammer.
My favorite 1911 is a Colt 5”, a roll engraved MSP 60th anniversary model, of which 1608 were made in 1977. Most were put aside as collectors. Mine was carried in Saginaw, Detroit, on every freeway in Michigan, and on numerous details. I still take whitetails with it, and it gets used a lot around our farm. It has honest wear, and will eventually go to my son, and then to his son if things go as planned.
ReplyDeleteMy other Browning is an OH Ordnance semi auto BAR with wood stocks. I don’t find semi auto to be a problem. My uncle carried a BAR across Europe, and said that a good operator would fire the rifle “steadily, not fast”. No m60 quick change barrels, and only a 20 round mag.