Guns of Professional Gunmen/Gunwomen

[Stephanie B]

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.

Things were a little limited back then. A lot of the ammo choices and cartridges didn't exist back when I was born.

1. Colt Agent with hammer shroud.
2. S&W Model 1950 Military in .44 Special, 4", with SWC gas-checked loads ~ 1,000 FPS. There was a young cop in Texas back in the day who might have had some recommendations.
3. Browning Auto-5 in either 12 gauge or 16 gauge.
4. Sporterized 1903A3 with Williams peepsight. I'd unscrew the aperture for shorter ranges to make it more of a ghost-ring.
5. S&W .357 Magnum 5".
6. Suomi KP-31.
7. Dunno. 20mm antitank rifle?

[FNFAN]

Fun thread!

1- The Everywhere: Without doubt the S&W 642 .38 Spl
2- The Primary: Wilson EDC X9 standard size
3- The Gauge: Remington 870P
4- The Rifle: Steyr full stock in .243
5- The Adventurer: S&W 629 Carry Comp .44 Magnum
6- The NFA: Carl Gustaf M/45 is my favorite subgun
7- The Wildcard: Wilson EDC X9s

[theJanitor]

70's baby here, and what's crazy(?) is that I'm currently using exactly what would be on the list. I only own one revolver, one, shotgun, and one bolt action. So I'm pretty true to the list.

J frame
Custom Colt 1911 (birth year)
Custom HiPower (birth year)
M70 - 30-06
Remington 1100
AR15

[fatdog]

'58

1.“Always Guns”/Non-Permissive Environment Guns: Colt Agent
2. Primary Defensive Handgun: Colt 1911, Kings sights and their standard work up
3. Defensive Shotgun: Auto 5 or Remington 11 (same gun different makers)
4. Rifle: Full length stock, Steyr Manlicher, .30-06
5. Adventuring Gun: S&W M27 3.5"" with factory grip adapter
6. National Firearms Act Weapons: Colt Monitor
7. “Other”: the new S&W M19 custom cut down to 3" barrel by Kings

[Lon]

Pictures people, pictures. Yom Kippur War baby here.

1. Always Gun: Colt Agent w Bobbed hammer.


2. Primary Defensive Gun: Swenson BHP like this, but with a gold bead front sight


3. Defensive Shotgun: Browning A5 Police Special


4. Rifle: HK G3 w/ collapsable stock


5. Adventuring gun: H&H Royal double rifle


6. NFA: Colt Monitor.


7. Other: HK VP-70

[SeriousStudent]

!950's era here.

Bruce, I have your Number 4 in my possession now. It's a pre-1964 Winchester Super Grade in 30-06. I snagged a old "period-correct" set of gear for it. A Weaver K-4 scope made in El Paso, Bucheimer hand-tools leather case and a matching cobra sling.

I will have to send you some pics.

Please say hello to your son for me. It was great to meet both of you at Revolver Roundup. I hope you and yours have a safe and Merry Christmas!

[Wondering Beard]

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.

I'm in Bruce's age bracket and my choices would be similar with the difference that my outlook, now and then, would be towards light, handy and fast into action.

1) Same. The Centenial 442 (pre-lock) is the only revolver I own and I will never sell it.
2) 1911 customized by someone like Swenson (and flat mainspring housing); preference for a Lightweight Commander but a Gov't Model would work just fine.
3) I don't know what shotguns were available back then but whatever the equivalent of the Remington 870 existed; I am familiar with the use of pumps but not semi autos.
4) Light and Handy is the name of the game here for me, so a Winchester 94 in 30-30. It's very common and I also love (then and now) westerns.
5) Three possibilities. A Hi Power as 9mm ammo is available everywhere and 13rds on board is nice to have; a S&W 27 as 357 Magnum power is good to have in those "faraway places", probably in 3 1/2"; a S&W 19 (called the Combat Magnum back then right?) a 4 inch or cut to three inches, because again 357 magnum plus light and handy.
6) If it's time to go cyclic then my life would have taken an extremely strange and bad turn. Let's go for high destruction in spite of the weight: Colt Monitor.
7) I have a hard time imagining what shooting needs would be filled by "other". So let's go with "things are really bad" and choose at minimum a bag full of grenades or, better, claymores.

[Elwin]

Very cool idea, especially since the wide range of ages in membership builds in variety.

Second millennial to reply - I was born in the early '90s.

1. Always Gun - The SW 642 was just hitting the market and would be the new hotness for this role.
2. Primary Defensive Handgun - A customized 1911 in .45. The works for a custom gun, with a buried Bomar rear paired with as narrow a gold bead front as possible.
3. Defensive Shotgun - Gunsite style 870. Ghost ring sights, mag extension, shortened stock, sidesaddle, and whatever the least bad option of the time was for a light (probably a jerry rigged Surefire/pressure pad combo).
4. Rifle - This was the easiest one. A take on the state-of-the-art Delta carbines of the time. Civilian M4 with an Aimpoint Comp M3, a Surefire, a two-point sling, and lots of tape and improvised hardware.
5. Adventuring Gun - The Steyr Scout wasn't quite available yet. Since I can't have that, it'll have to be a custom scout rifle, probably built on a surplus Mauser action. Chambered in .308 with a synthetic stock.
6. National Firearms Act Weapons - I think the MP5 is still king of subguns at this point in history. We'll add an improvised Surefire rig to that too.
7. Other - Ruger Mk. II with a suppressor, because I can.

[Lon]

You guys are lame. All these cool guns you’re talking about and no pictures. Thats what threads like this are about (or should be).

[oregon45]

Third millennial to reply; I was born in '81.

1. Always Gun -S&W Centennial
2. Primary Defensive Handgun - Swenson tuned Colt Combat Commander, 45 ACP, full hard chrome with ambi-safety, texture on the top of the slide, S&W rear sight--just drag that Colt through the Swenson catalog and call it good. I handled a Swenson Colt just like that back in 2010. It wasn't for sale.
3. Defensive Shotgun - Ithaca 37 riot gun; 18" barrel, parkerized.
4. Rifle - Colt XM177E2 (Model 629), iron sights.
5. Adventuring Gun - Winchester Model 1886 extra light weight, 45-70, with a Lyman receiver sight and gold-faced sourdough front blade.
6. National Firearms Act Weapons - Colt Monitor, as an investment
7. Other - In 1981 IHMSA was pretty popular, and I would have loved to have had all of the old school silhouette guns from Wichita, Merrill, Sako, Weatherby, Remington, Thompson/Center, Ruger, etc.