Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Our past election and firearm investment

No shixt. Better yet, ditch the gun made at the turn of the last century and get an AR.

Very well said

The Clinton ban still leaves a bad taste though

Its apparent it can happen, but don't think it will

Even better idea!

And then there is my approach,

1911 (Delta Elite in my case <g> ) and a VERY high cap PMR30, Wifey's 9mm, 38 special and 380, And in the long guns for emergency's we have the ubiqutous AR-15 with a box full of magazines, SMLE, Mosin Nagant with all the fixin's, and sealed cans full of ammo for each one.

I may not have any gold, or truly enough food with so far only two cases of MRE's and only a modest supply of canned goods at current, but the second best plan is to have enough guns and ammo to get OTHER peoples food and gold! Just kidding about that last point, of course.

I have to more than agree with Kevin here...I took a 490.00 out of the box Rock Island gun out for its first day of shooting...never cleaned or oiled it....then fired over 1000 rds thru it in a day....I used everything from crappy TripleK mags to USGI mags to wilson mags the gun just kept running. I am now over 18K thru the gun and the only thing I have done to it is change the recoil spring....So Doc...I have to disagree.....I have also seen Sig 220's do well out of the box and seem them fail...saw one crack the frame within 250 rds....I am sure Kevin will agree to this...but 90% or more of the time when an autoloading pistol fails...its either ammo or shooter based....but more to fact...a mud covered USGI 1911 saved my life...it cycled all 7 rounds right into that Lebonese SOB's gut and chest and gave me time to get the hell out of there.....I have carried a 1911 to war, carried most of my adult life and I am still here breathing when by god I should not of been.....Just Ask Kevin


One other thing...Price NEVERS equals reliability and or quality....it may equal pretty but chrome dont get you home

Never?

It most certainly can, but I agree there are no guarantees.

I never said it cant...Sure it can....but just because it cost alot never means its a good gun, a quality gun or a reliable gun...it just means it cost you a lot of money..that simple..out of the all the 1911's I have...the cheapest one of all is the one I count on for my survival day in day out...it is well built and reliable enough I trust it....the most expensive 1911 I have is a finiky, ammo sensitive pain in the butt hanger queen...but wow it looks good....but while its quality of finish and workmanship are fantastic....its reliability SUCKS....so while sexy as all hell its no good in a fight....cost is not what makes a good gun....

Wow, great post.

I never knew before that you served and were in a real honest to life or death firefight.

THANK YOU for your SERVICE and I am VERY glad that it is YOU still above room temperature!

Long live the 1911, finest fighting gun ever, still...

and likely always.

Interesting to me is the only couple of people I personally know who have BTDT in real firefights still like or love the 1911 or (far fewer) the Glock. I cannot at the moment think of an exception to that but I AM limiting this to people I have shared a meal, gun show table, deer camp or duck blind with. Minimal sample, I know.

James will never admit it, but he's a decorated war hero; straight up...I read the citation, and then Jay told me what REALLY happened; great story.

Oh, and that 1911 that saved his bacon? Built by Armand Swenson who personally GAVE it to him before he shipped out to bad lands. I believe it was found decades later in some Marine storage, pitted horribly from the blood that sat on it for many years. I think James declined to have it back and they have plans to put it in a museum.

The reasoning for this post and the title is clearly lost on a few. I wish I could articulate the thoughts more clearly.

It seems that to respond would open the thread to off topic content, so let me just say this so we can get back to the original intent.

If some feel that the next four years will bring minimal or no change to the firearm laws in America....... consider this:

The greatest tax increase in the history of America was passed without a single Republican vote, and without a single person reading the content of the law before anyone voted. It was not even available to see before the vote was held, yet it is the law in America today.............. worry.............. get serious and get worried........... this is their dream situation, the only thing providing a roadblock is congress and that did not stop them with Obamacare.

Okay enough of that, lets get back to pros and cons of .45 packable carry guns

James, in my original post I mentioned some of the professionals that have hunted with me, and that they all have a very strong set of opinions. Also that they don't all agree with each other, yet have the experience and careers to give them all astonishing credibility in this conversation.

I did not expound on their opinions because that would taint this thread with opinions. However with that said, you were talking about an old worn out but reliable 1911. I'll tell you this is a more common statement then I think you realize. Maybe not from the collectors, or the race gun crowd, but from the folks that use these a lot.

Several of these people said the same thing you did to me. Buy a used old worn old gun made by a major manufacturer that you can get parts for. It's more likely to be the most reliable gun you will find. It does not matter if it's a little sloppy, sloppy is better then a tight new gun anytime when you're in trouble.

A gun with several thousand rounds thru it is probably as good as the new one that a gunsmith needs to smooth up to shoot 100% reliable

So another well experienced voice of reason to add to the ideas at hand here! Thanks

Close Kevin...the gun my father gave to me let Armand fit a new barrel and bushing....it was a USGI 1911a1 gun with the only real mods being a flat MSH and a Wide Hammer other than the barrel and bushing Armand put in...ohhh and it was a Barsto barrel...it was my own gun not my TO weapon so it was actually smuggled back into the country by a couple of buddies of mine after I was wounded..no museum I dont now nor ever considered myself a hero...but by god I served with some and it was honor to do so......The pistol was given back to me really pitted up from my own blood...the Swenson gun that was given to me was to replace that one....Armand was great guy and true friend of my family....that gun that Armand built went elsewhere with me and saved my bacon a time or two and never failed...the original gun I gave to a buddy as I left the USMC...he then carried it to Panama, Gulf War v1.0, then to the Yugo Republics, then Afganistan and Iraq...over the years I have sent him springs and such as the USMC no longer stocked parts for the old girl.....that gun saved his life more than once.....he is now retired and living in SoCal where I saw him early this year...I got to hold and shoot that pistol again....it was running into an old girlfriend...she still fits great in my hands and went bang just went I told her too....

Just... WOW.

James, I have to buy you a dinner on my next trip down to see my kids and grandkids still stuck down there in Sacramento. Old Spaghetti Factory perhaps? You can pick any place however.

Mark

I would enjoy that....big fan of Old Spaghetti Factory...just up the street from where Kevin and I used to work...Old Sacramento Armoury....drop an email

I'd love to come too. Heck, I will pick up the tab ! E

THAT were the magic words! I am looking at January, after Duck Season is over for another pilgramage.

See you both about then!

It's a deal. E

Dan Wesson ECO--it has a Commander slide and a Officers grip length.

No dude, I don't think you get it. Boococky and I are the ones I can think of, without reading backwards, that more or less were talking this way. Percentage-wise, no, I don't think that there will be huge changes. Then again, I would have said Romney was going to win. Some of us have been on top of the gun laws thing for years. It will take some high strangeness for gun laws to get changed significantly, but that doesn't mean it won't happen as some weird shixt has went down in the last four years. What I was saying is this...if there are changes and they are as far reaching as 1911 model 45's, there will either be war in the streets or everybody will be so cowed that the only use for guns will be to make a personal last stand and go down fighting if that be your choice. I don't see the 45 auto as on any "reasonable?" hit list. I think you're focused on the wrong thing if part of your post is about weapons laws, which is what you've said. If you just want a .45 auto, get one. If you want to rationally select a weapon that there is a...not good, but not completely remote either, chance of being banned, then you're barking up the wrong tree.

The closest thing I can come up with that is marginally threatened, would be a high-cap .45. You've got several choices now whereas in the past it would only be Para Ordnance. Without knowing your budget, but you having alluded to $850...there are several options. Nobody talks about Para's anymore, but they're a fine gun and you could probably get their base wide-body for that price or less. This would be the P-14 these days. Another thought is the aforementioned Rock Island. It is not too much higher in high capacity trim, than the base gun. Probably around $500. Unless I'm mistaken, it takes the Para Ordnance Magazines. STI makes one, but I expect it's higher.

I hope you're right Ethan. At this point, I'm having a very hard time seeing us ever returning to the country I loved.

I'm personally buying stuff right now that I've got an interest in that might be unavailable, or priced out of my reach later. Basically trying to hedge the public's fear and the resulting upset of the supply/demand balance which can make prices go crazy. I also suffered through Clinton's 10yr ban, and remember things I that took for granted like Butler Creek 25rnd mags for my 10/22 going from cheap to sky-high overnight. I think the anti's really kicked themselves for that bill sunsetting, and have learned from their mistake. I want enough gear that my children can (hopefully) enjoy shooting after I'm gone...........and I can have fun before then also.

I don't see 1911's being banned sooner than anything else, BUT they are an absolute joy to shoot, and superb at relieving stress, so given how many of us are feeling lately, a 1911 is an easily justifiable purchase IMO.