MId-80's Pre-Glock Hotness?

[JodyH]

My first 5 handguns:

S&W 66 (Christmas present from parents in 1987)
Colt Woodsman .22
Ruger P85
Beretta 92FS
Glock 17 (First handgun I bought for myself as a 21st Bday present to myself in 1991)

When I started window shopping gun stores in the late 80's, S&W revolvers were King.
I drooled over a 6" model 66 with a checkered Pau Ferro Hogue mono-grip and my parents gave me one as a Christmas present in 1987 when I was 17 years old and working in the middle of nowhere driving a tractor all day.

The rise of the DA/SA really kicked off with the military trials in the mid-80's and that influenced my P85 and 92FS purchases around 1990 (I paid, parents bought).

The first handgun I actually bought for myself in a gun store was a Glock 17. Purchased about a week after I turned 21 in 1991.
I still remember the Glock NASA Space Shuttle poster on the store wall touting it's adoption by NASA security.
That poster sealed the deal. LOL

[MK11]

I was a kid in the mid-80s and remember devouring a one-off magazine sponsored by Geco of all things (the BAT bullet was name-dropped throughout the issue). It was right after the adoption of the Beretta 92 and featured a "head-to-head" with the 92 and Sig P226 (the authors preferred the P226 but equivocated by saying the 92 was probably better for general issue). Other highlights:

--Colt 1911s were the true way but only after extensive customization to get them to run

--Bangor Punta was the devil and both S&W revolvers and second gen autos of the time were junk

--BATs brought the 9mm up almost to the level of the .45

[Kyle Reese]

44 Automag. Good enough for Dirty Harry, good enough for me.

My uncle bought one of those around 1987-1988, if memory serves. He also bought several Norinco Type-56's when they were plentiful and inexpensive, prior to the '89 import ban.

[Rosco Benson]

I was a kid in the mid-80s and remember devouring a one-off magazine sponsored by Geco of all things (the BAT bullet was name-dropped throughout the issue). It was right after the adoption of the Beretta 92 and featured a "head-to-head" with the 92 and Sig P226 (the authors preferred the P226 but equivocated by saying the 92 was probably better for general issue). Other highlights:

The magazine was probably PISTOLERO or one of the other magazines put out by Phil Engledrum. IIRC, the BAT acronym stood for "blitz action trauma".

One of the coolest things about that era was that the techniques and hardware weren't yet settled science. We devoured those magazines, looking for the new nugget of wisdom, or magical holster, or whatever that was going to be the next big leap forward. These days, we know what works. To be sure, there are advances from time to time, but they're evolutionary not revolutionary.

Rosco

[DamonL]

The '80's was the transition period from revolvers to semi-auto. Pre-Glock, it really was revolvers being popular.

From this:



To this:

[Dave T]

I was assigned to the academy as my department's chief firearms instructor during the period in question (1981-1987). My department issued either M-66 357 Magnums or Colt MKIV Series 70 Government Models in 45 ACP. Deputies could also carry personal firearms in those calibers.

A guy from my academy class back in the early '70s was still carrying the 4" Python he first qualified with. I also remember a couple M-19s and M-28s. There were also privately owned 1911s, 1911A1s, and MKIVs as well as a sprinkling of Commanders and Combat Commanders (I carried a Commander as a detective before going to the academy). There were two deputies armed with personally owned SIG 220s (45 ACP of course). To be honest one of them was a Browning BDA with the mag catch on the bottom of the grip. The split between revolvers and autos for our department was about 40/60 with the advantage going to the semi auto 45 ACPs.

The issue ammunition was the Remington 125g SJHP 357 Magnum. And yes Virginia, we started having problems with the oldest batch of M-66s because a steady diet of Magnum ammunition (we used Magnum reloads for training and qualification) took its toll on them. Because the Lieutenant in charge of such things did not believe semi-autos would function reliably with hollow point ammo, the issue round for the MKIV Series 70s (and the other 45s) was Federal Match 230g Ball.

My understanding is that about 5 years after I retired they started allowing Glocks and the Plastic Fantastic became the issue weapon some time after that.

Dave

[lwt16]

One of the coolest things about that era was that the techniques and hardware weren't yet settled science. We devoured those magazines, looking for the new nugget of wisdom, or magical holster, or whatever that was going to be the next big leap forward.

Oh yeah....that we did!

I made the mistake of opening up those links and reading all those old magazines yesterday when I should have been doing chores. Brought me back to the late 80s.......when I had a Beretta 92F and a couple of extra magazines. I had an Alabama pistol permit at age 18 and carried that thing everywhere concealed. I rocked it appendix back then......and bought what ammo I could from a small gun store in Newton, AL that was just south of the town I was in at the time.

My grandparents had a 130 acre farm so I had a little range set up at their dump/burn pile. With no real bills back then, living at home, and commuting to junior college, I would buy up 9mm at that gun store or a little gas station in a small town north of me. Two boxes a week was all I could afford but I got decent with that 92F and it's double action first shot.

I also remember when the Federal Hydra Shoks came out and I bought some of those that came in a little red plastic case that folded in half. That was high tech back then. I think I bought enough to load the pistol, one spare mag, and then some to shoot. That 92F ate everything but still......I had read somewhere to test ammo.....and that was probably related to .45 HP ammo in 1911s to ensure feeding.

I spent way too much money at that shop in Newton.......and he could get dang near anything your heart was sold on. He ran it out of the back of his house....and his wife had a beauty shop there too.

Eventually I had 1911s, Sig Ps, revolvers......a whole lot of guns I regret selling and trading off over the years.

Great times.

[JTQ]

Die Hard 2 was released in 1990, where the infamous "Glock 7" comments were made.

https://www.brownells.com/handgun-pa...%7cMake_3=1911

Dang, where did that link come from.

Here's what it should be Die Hard 2 at IMFDB

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Die_Hard_2

[Sal Picante]

A few of the gun magazines have put up their older issues as free .pdfs. Here’s a couple for grins:

https://americanhandgunner.com/1985issues/HND85.pdf

(Beretta adoption)

https://americanhandgunner.com/1980issues/HJF80.pdf

Cooper on cz75

Great find... I owe you a beer.

Funny... What is old again is new... Even back then they were discussing "kilt in the skreetz"

Going to an IPSC match won't help the old ego much, since it takes skill to win and you can't buy that. So instead we see yet another article in Shooting and Blasting in which the author breathlessly explains that the practical shooting competitions are a sham and a deception, and coyly reveals that he is a genuine, gun-toting Martial Artist.

(page 20, "Combat shooting" from HJF85.pdf)

[HCM]

Since we're doing movie connections, "Serpico" was released in 1973

http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/Serpico

I’m not talking about movie connections. I’m talking about info from the people I grew up with and early work mentors who were on the job in the 70s and 80s through the 90s.