Originally Posted by
Bruce Cartwright
Folks:
As we approach Christmas and the end of 2023, many of us are blessed with some quiet time sometimes shared with family and friends. If that happens to describe you, may I suggest the following thought experiment: In the year of your birth, you are a professional gunman/gunwoman. You are of significant means, both financially and otherwise. You have the legal authority to carry and deploy firearms. You are keenly aware of the firearms that are available in the year of your birth. You have all of your present knowledge. You have access to the best gunsmiths of the day. You want a battery of capable firearms and have elected to find guns that fit into each of the following categories:
1. “Always Guns”/Non-Permissive Environment Guns: These are usually typified by J frame S&W revolvers and small frame autos like the Walther PPK etc.
2. Primary Defensive Handgun-Essentially a service size handgun that you will typically carry on a daily basis. It should be suitable for both concealed and open carry.
3. Defensive Shotgun: Everybody needs a dose of rompin’, stompin’ death and destruction. What’s your choice?
4. Rifle: Your top pick for what Col. Cooper called the “Queen” of Weapons.
5. Adventuring Gun: This is a gun you might pack on a hunt, an Amazon cruise or when excavating a Pharoh’s tomb in Egypt.
6. National Firearms Act Weapons: When the going gets tough, the tough go cyclic. What is your choice?
7. “Other”: This is a category that I haven’t figured out by that might be lots of fun.
To preserve our personal security, use a date range when listing your birth year. For me that would be between 1960 and 1965. What follows are my choices:
1. “Always Gun”: For me this would be a custom Smith and Wesson Model 42 Airweight Centennial revolver chambered in 38 Special. Since S&W was still doing custom work at the time, I would ask them to build a Model 42 with a wider front sight with corresponding rear sight notch and have the gun zeroed for 148 grain lead full charge wadcutters at 25 yards. I would ask for a smooth faced trigger and a dehorned cylinder latch. S&W’s best action job would be on my list. I would ask to have the charge holes chamfered. The gun would be finished in a brushed nickel. I would ask for an orange front sight insert. I would seek to obtain a set of stocks from a young LAPD officer named John Hurst. I would then ask S&W to build me two additional revolvers, one being an identical Airweight and the other being a steel framed model 40 (for practice purposes).
2. Primary Defensive Handgun: Having spent some time with a young marine Colonel at Big Bear Lake California, I would ask Colt to build me a custom 1911 in 45 ACP. The gun would be throated for semi wadcutter ammunition. It would have large, fixed high visibility sights and the gun would be zeroed for 230 grain full metal jacket ammunition. The action would be tuned and the gun dehorned. I would ask Colt to equip the gun with a Commander ring hammer and use a relieved Government style grip safety to reduce hammer bite. I would specify a flat mainspring housing along with a beveled magazine well. I would specify that the thumb safety be built up a bit with some welding. The front and back straps would be stippled. I would probably have the gun parkerized. I would use Colt double diamond stocks. While Colt was doing this, I would ask them to build an identical gun on a lightweight Commander frame, preferably with a full-size slide.
3. Defensive Shotgun: My choice would be Texas Ranger/British Special Air Service favorite: A Browning Auto 5 in 12 gauge. The barrel would be 18.5 inches long with a set of rifle sights. My Auto 5 would feature the later safety rather than the earlier version that was housed within the trigger guard. I would ensure that the gun was equipped with a free floating shell lifter so it could be easily topped off. The choke would be cylinder bore. I might throw in a spare 26-inch-long barrel with a ventilated rib and modified choke because sometimes you need to relax from more deadly pursuits by hunting pheasants over a great English setter. I would ask Browning to ensure that the gun had been gone over by an FN gunsmith to insure a great trigger and flawless feeding of buckshot and slugs. I would break with tradition and have a sling mounted to the gun so I could carry it cross chest.
4. Rifle: Easy. Winchester Model 70 Super Grade in 30-06 Government with a 24 inch barrel. Sights would be a combination of iron Sourdough front sight with a gold insert and a barrel mounted sight with a square notch. I would also find the latest/greatest optical sight from Germany and have that mounted. Custom action and trigger job by Winchester. Finish would be factory bet grade bluing just because.
5. Adventuring Gun: Smith and Wesson Model 29 with a custom 5-inch barrel. Stocks would also be provided by John Hurst. I would specify a best grade action, with a service size hammer and narrow, smooth service style trigger. The front sight would incorporate Elmer Keith’s elevation bars of inlaid gold. I may as well and just order a pair. One might even be engraved in case I need to attend a barbecue in Texas.
6. National Firearms Act Weapons:
a. First Pick: My first pick would be one of the relatively new Armalite AR-15s. I would ask for the standard rifle and a pile of magazines. My connections would alert me to a short-barreled version and I would look for an extra upper with a shorty barrel.
b. Second Pick: My sources told me of a fabulous new development from H&K called the Project 64. As much as I love a Thompson submachinegun, the ergonomics of the MP5 are way better. I would acquire one of those with both a fixed and collapsing stock and a pile of magazines. The MP5 which has set the bar for submachinegun design ever since.
7. Other: Here I would specify my European Defensive Handgun. While I may be an Ugly American, I do appreciate some of the things offered in Europe (Driven pheasant hunting, FN firearms, German Christmas stollen, Belgium beer as well Scottish whiskey and haggis). I would probably want a gun I could defend myself with when not in the Colonies. My pick would be a Browning Hi Power in 9mm. This would also be a custom gun with a built-up manual safety, high visibility fixed sights zeroed for 124 grain NATO ball, ramped and throated to feed flat nose bullets (in case I can find any or handload any), along with a feather hammer (to prevent hammer bite), a trigger job (with the abominable magazine disconnect removed), stippled front and back strap and beveled magazine well. Again, the gun would probably be parkerized. I would locate a bunch of 13 round magazines along with some of the rare FN 20 rounders. Since 38 Special would be difficult to source overseas, I would probably acquire a Walther PPK in7.65 as a pocket gun.
Those are my choices. Grab a tasty beverage, throw a log on the fire and tell us about your picks. Merry Christmas to all!
Bruce
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