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Vintage Heat?

plain old dave

A-List Customer
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474
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East TN
What firearms best work for The Golden Age? My Nominees:

Colt New Service
Colt Government Model (either .45 or .38 Super)
Smith and Wesson Military and Police
Smith and Wesson Model 1926 .44
Colt Police Positive
Remington Model 81
Remington Model 51
M1928 Thompson with vertical fore-end and drum magazine

Additions?
 
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11,579
Location
Covina, Califonia 91722
(M1917?) The large Colt and also S&W revolvers in 45ACP with moon clips as used by the US Army are quite nice, and if you get a good gunsmith to give them the once over the can be exceptional hand guns.

However, many people prefered pocket pistols of some type, so the multitude of small Browning design autos such as produced by FN are common to the time.

I like the design of the broomhandle Mausers in 9mm. Those Astra Auto pistols that look kinda like bicycle pumps (600-700?) but the calibers are hard to get ammo in today.
 

Viola

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NSW, AUS
My grandpop had a teeny .32 semi-automatic (don't know the kind; my dad described it as a "Saturday night special") given to him when he was 18 by his dad who wanted him to work repo back in the day. Grandpop was really big but the pocket pistol was "just in case"

Great-grandmom was NOT amused.

On the other side of the family, my uncle who was in WWII stuck with a regular Colt 1911 all his life, and stood off a mugger when he was past seventy with it.

-Viola
 
Jovan said:
To most people, a "Colt 45" is a pretty fearsome sight. Though any gun is pretty intimidating, really.
Not so intimidating, though, when you know some countermeasures. Rule of thumb is if shooter and knifer/other hand-to-hand fighter are inside 21', pistolero's got problems. Google 'Tueller Principle'.

Some of us are licensed to carry deadly weapons, and I know of more than a few who like their weapons of the day to match their wardrobe of the day. If dressed 'vintage,' it is only appropriate to 'pack vintage'.
 

Viola

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NSW, AUS
And the Python in .38 certainly shows up in enough of my noir reading to have an impression on me as a period gun.
 

Viola

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Jovan said:
You probably mean Pythons just loaded with .38 Special. You can do that with .357 revolvers, if I'm correct.

I know you can put .38 in .357s (I'm planning on buying one in a couple months, not a Colt though) but I was just musing over the myriad pulp stories and mysteries I've read, which are a guilty pleasure of mine, which specify Python in .38 for your stock semi-alcoholic divorced PI with a hard past and harder fists.

Whether such a model was actually popular, I have no idea.

-Viola
 

Viola

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Diamondback said:
IIRC, the Python barely qualifies, entering production in '55. But far be it from me to discriminate on basis of such tastes...

I guess I think of cars and fashion from '55 as period, too. Mileage varies? Sorry if I'm just thinking too Atomic Age of Spiffy Modernity!
;)
-Viola
 
Viola said:
I guess I think of cars and fashion from '55 as period, too. Mileage varies? Sorry if I'm just thinking too Atomic Age of Spiffy Modernity!

Miss Viola, no argument intended. They're still Golden Age, and if they work for you, that's all that really counts, right? Besides, I make it a point never to pick fights with young ladies who shoot, I like breathing!;) lol

I still think we need a new room for the Weapons Locker here... anybody else?
 

Jovan

Suspended
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4,095
Location
Gainesville, Florida
Viola said:
I guess I think of cars and fashion from '55 as period, too. Mileage varies? Sorry if I'm just thinking too Atomic Age of Spiffy Modernity!
;)
-Viola
I tend to feel a bit of an outcast at times here too. Half of my vintage interests lie in the '50s and '60s. Oh, and I tried to send a PM but your inbox is apparently full.
 

Dan G

One of the Regulars
Messages
287
Location
Pensacola, FL
Diamondback said:
Not so intimidating, though, when you know some countermeasures. Rule of thumb is if shooter and knifer/other hand-to-hand fighter are inside 21', pistolero's got problems. Google 'Tueller Principle'.

Tueller's got some pretty interesting stuff to say, but I'll be no volunteer. 21' or not.;)
 

Dan G

One of the Regulars
Messages
287
Location
Pensacola, FL
Diamondback said:
Nor will I, but I'm certainly willing to practice with a sparring-partner and a "dead-metal" dummy gun.

Just 'cause I know a few things doesn't mean I wanna have to use 'em--remember, I like breathing too much?

My point exactly.;)
 

Story

I'll Lock Up
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Home
plain old dave said:
What firearms best work for The Golden Age? My Nominees:

Colt New Service
Colt Government Model (either .45 or .38 Super)
Smith and Wesson Military and Police
Smith and Wesson Model 1926 .44
Colt Police Positive
Remington Model 81
Remington Model 51
M1928 Thompson with vertical fore-end and drum magazine

Additions?

You may have missed these threads:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?p=265658#post265658
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?p=281391#post281391
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=3427

Remember that there were some pre-war social prejudices, where automatics were considered 'gangster guns' and law enforcement mostly stuck with issued revolvers.

The .357 was developed in 1935 and offered in Smith & Wesson's large frame revolvers. As far as the pulp/noir writers were concerned, "Python" sounded better than a S&W model number.
 

happyfilmluvguy

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2,541
Diamondback said:
Miss Viola, no argument intended. They're still Golden Age, and if they work for you, that's all that really counts, right? Besides, I make it a point never to pick fights with young ladies who shoot, I like breathing!;) lol

I still think we need a new room for the Weapons Locker here... anybody else?

I don't know...for the non-vintage, non-lethal person, if they were to walk in on a discussion like this, they'd have nightmares of guys and dolls in suits, dresses and fedoras shooting at them. Pepper spray anyone?
 

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