My 1918 Colt USGI 1911... WORKS!

[Mick_In_Texas]

The old gal, even with the somewhat battered original mag, was 100 PERCENT reliable this weekend!!! Didn't much like whacko handloads that hadn't been sized... but, with factory ammo in FMJ, even LEAD bullets... ??? Dead on. It does what it was made to do, 80 plus years ago: SHOOT, and hit a dang target out to at least 25 yards. Feed, PERFECT; ejection, PERFECT; hold open on empty mag, PERFECT; safeties as designed, PERFECT; function, PERFECT; reliability, PERFECT.

Ol' gal will get a thorough cleaning, detail strip, and lubrication this weekend... and by whatever, will have a PLACE in my FUNCTIONAL firearms. She won't get shot much, but, WILL get shot; and it is SOOOO good to know, she ain't a thousand-dollar paperweight. She works, and works better, BETTER, than some of my buddies's hand-made modern 1911A1s. Period. They were somewhat embarrassed by the ol' gal. Amen. Give her a clean, new, unbattered mag; and you better lay it down or stand aside. Look out.

John Moses Browning got it right in 1906. My danged "girl", is a honey. She ain't ready to quit even after almost 100 years. She'll get some TLC this weekend... and then, a place of respect in my stable.

Y'all all take care and be safe.
Mick

[OD*]

Why are you surprised? ;)


Congrats Mick.

[Mick_In_Texas]

...because she was so old! Man, I'm telling you... had two gunsmiths check her out; the second on the range, Saturday. He said, "Here's some rounds, load 'er and fire 'er." He didn't size the reloads, she didn't like those. He said he'd had probs with his modern ones on those. He gave me some factories... Hot dang, OD, she ATE them up and wanted MORE! That was with the ol' OEM magazine... didn't even try her with a modern one. She did fine, with that ol' battered thing. 230 grain, FMJ, you better watch out with this ol' beauty! She LIKES them.

Thank you for your comment... needed a laugh, and a smile, Bro... I was just afraid, the age of her... but, she was made to go to war, in the trenches of WWI... and lives riding on her. So, maybe not so surprising. She is worn, but, well-kept; dirty, but, she'll get her a cleaning this weekend. I am just beside myself. She opened some eyes, this weekend... some folks, found out what a 1911, NOT a 1911A1, looks like... and how it works. Which is basically... don't mess with her.

YOU and yours take care and be safe.
Mick

[OD*]

She was built as intended. ;)

I know what you're saying, I have one from 1913, it has never failed yet (although she's not getting alot of range time anymore).

Who's the manufacturer of your magazine?

[Mick_In_Texas]

She was built as intended. ;)

I know what you're saying, I have one from 1913, it has never failed yet (although she's not getting alot of range time anymore).

Who's the manufacturer of your magazine?

Colt's FA Mfg, probably, OD: It appears to be OEM. I know the hammer was replaced with a Model 2, in the Augusta Armory refurbish; but, the mag--like everything else, I'm checking the guide rod this weekend--seems to be original. The lips are pretty battered, and it's dirty; but, worked fine this weekend. No failures to feed, no stovepipes, no baddies, period. Fed the last round, just like the first, so, mag spring ain't too bad. Locks open when mag is empty, just fine. I've cycled rounds through it, but, this weekend, they were FIRED through it. No prob, at all. But, I do know that my Springers, Wilsons, and Novaks, from 1911A1 pistols, will feed well with my ol' Colt 1911. Just GREAT to know that that issue/factory mag, works.

You're also lucky, Bro!!! Thank our Gods/gods for the original.

You be safe and take care.
Mick

[Hawkmoon]

Congrats, Mick ... but, like OD, I am surprised that you were surprised. Haven't you been reading all Tuner's posts? JMB did indeed get it right, and all the so-called "improvements" touted by various manufacturers in recent years mostly amount to empty claims, or "changes" (not "improvements") that actually detract from the basic functionality of the pistol.

Can you imagine an army issuing a weapon to a soldier who is about to head off to a shooting war, and telling him/her, "By the way, you should expect some failures to function. Don't call the armorer until you've run at least 1,000 rounds through it for break-in."

Didn't think so.

[Johnny Peppers]

Love those paperweights. Here is a heavy duty paperweight and a light duty paperweight.

http://i3.tinypic.com/11gk488.jpg

[OD*]

Very nice Johnny, a real Springer! ;)

[Hunter]

Wow very nice Springfield you got. Very nice.

[1911Tuner]

VERY nice! You may be surprised to see that she'll also run like a Timex watch on Winchester and Golden Saber hollowpoints. Go light on the +p stuff though...please. She's an old lady, you see...and not very tolerant of a lot of the rough stuff.

[Johnny Peppers]

How do you look at a gun and tell which ammo shoots good in them?
Besides, as identified earlier, it is classified as a paperweight.

[Tom]

No pictures, Mick? I'm disappointed in you. I thought you knew better.

[1911Tuner]

How do you look at a gun and tell which ammo shoots good in them?
Besides, as identified earlier, it is classified as a paperweight.

About 90% of the stock WW1 era Colts that I've tried feed hollowpoints and some even do well with H&G #68.

Paperweight? Speak for yourself, mah fren. I've been known to carry a Black Army Colt on occasion... ;)

But no...I don't reck-o-mend shootin' it a lot...but I do believe in function testing and verification that the gun is serviceable. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside just to know that if I have to call on it, the old girl stands ready and able to do her duty.

[Mick_In_Texas]

Tom... Johnny Peppers... Hunter... Johnny (1911Tuner)... OD...

Well, here you go: the "grey" ones are from the seller on the auction website, the "black" ones are my own photos of her:
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d54/Mick_In_Texas/Colt1911L.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d54/Mick_In_Texas/Colt1911R.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d54/Mick_In_Texas/497861_LMagCutsWMag.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d54/Mick_In_Texas/497861_RInside.jpg
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d54/Mick_In_Texas/497861_LMagCutsWGrip.jpg
She is a beauty, and she's going to get a thorough cleaning this weekend! She ate those factory leads like the champ she is... That ol' magazine, worked fine. It feeds, and she locked back when she was empty. No misfeeds, no misfires.

I agree with Tom: JMB got it right in 1906. I love my two, and soon to be three, A1s; but, having an original 1911 that works, a Colt's, just... well, it was and is a dream come true. JohnnyP, that is a fine ol' original Springer, as Hunter says; I'm fixing to have another modern Springer, to add to Ol' Faithful. But, my ol' Colt USGI, sure impressed some folks, including my dear dad... he and I went over the function and safeties of the JMB 1911/A1, one night, last weekend. He learned a lot about the one I gave him for Christmas.

The originals, as well as the basic moderns, are unbeatable. I love them. LOVE them. I carry NOTHING else, other than the 1911 or 1911A1. I KNOW this pistol. I KNOW the caliber, and I KNOW the variations on bullet types. JohnnyP, that is a FINE example you have, and I know you from our discussions here in the USGI forums. Hunter has a FINE original 1911A1. He is my Bro. Tom is too. I am just so thankful that my own 1911, is solid and functional; yes, she was made to FIRE; but, you can't ever tell. Ol' Black Army that she is, you can't ever tell. I lucked out. Thank my God, I lucked out.

Thanks to Tuner1911 (Johnny), I'm going to learn to detail strip them. Even my gunsmith retired police armorer, forgot how to field strip a 1911 this weekend; I had my Springer and my Colt apart before he could get that ol' thing he had, stripped down. And, I had both of mine back "together" before he got his stripped. Thanks to you guys and gals here, and my own dilligence to learn about these beauties, this beautiful design. If I live to be a hundred, and I won't, THIS is the handgun for me. I'll keep my GP100 and my Taurus 9mm, but, carrying? Travelling? Targets? CHL? Give me a 1911/A1.

Y'all take care and be safe. Have a great weekend. I'm kinda sick this weekend. I'll be okay.
Mick

[Hunter]

Still envious of your nice Colt 1911 Mick but it helps to know she went to a good home. Take care my friend.

[Johnny Peppers]

Some would recommend a steady diet of 1917 dated military ammo (thats what it was made for) for this one, but I believe it will remain a paper weight also. The bore is mirror bright with not a trace of copper wash. No need to put any wear on this one.

http://i6.tinypic.com/11jchac.jpg

[OD*]

Johnny,

You are one mean son of a gun. ;)




That is a true beauty!

[Hoss Fly]

Ya'll killin me :( :D

[1911Tuner]

Johnny P...VERY nice! Me like!

On not shootin' the old ones...I used to draw back in horror at the mere thought...but the older I get, the more that changes. Save it...for what?
For whom? I ain't gonna shoot a steady diet of anything through one, but
I often do take'em for a father-son outing on occasion, just to hear'em bark
a few times. I fire a "21 Gun Salute through a '43 Ithaca on the anniversary of my father's death every year. It was the first one that I rebuilt under his watchful eye.

A couple of the ones in a little lesser overall condition sometimes ride on my hip. I mean...why not? Save'em so I can leave'em to somebody else? So they can go sell'em for a fourth of their value or shoot'em apart? Easy come, easy go y'know. I have an heir apparent picked out for the really nice/rarely seen specimens...and he understands completely...but he's also a shooter, and once they're his...who knows how he'll treat'em.

So...why NOT take'em out to stretch their legs once in a blue moon? Why NOT carry a Black Army Colt or a Rand if I want to? I ain't gonna live forever.

[Johnny Peppers]

I probably have a dozen or more pistols that I either shoot or carry on a regular basis, so there is no reason to shoot the ones that don't appear to have been shot since issue some 90 years ago. Shooting the unfired ones is like taking money out drawing 7.5% and either spending it or put it in passbook drawing 1.75% so that you can enjoy it. None of my pistols were bought as an investment, but some have just turned out that way. I can have just as much fun shooting a Gold Cup that I paid $450 for as I could a $7500 Transition that I could take $2500 off the value by using it as an occasional shooter and carry gun. I have a very late Colt 1911 that was suppose to have gone to Nicaragua with a Marine, according to the family, but there is no documented proof. It is probably no more that 40%, and it wouldn't hurt to shoot it, but it just wouldn't be as much fun as the Gold Cup, and if I cracked the frame, I might cry.

http://i5.tinypic.com/11kz33p.jpg

[1911Tuner]

I understand Johnny. I really do. I used to be the same way...and still carry a little of that same feeling...but to me, touchin' off a few rounds in a pistol
that saw action at Belleau Wood or Iwo Jima is like the time that I played
Merle Travis' Gibson 400. That's what it was built for. Layin'em up for all time...silenced...is a little like castrating a Spanish fighting bull.

Shoot'em a lot? Lord no! They're old. I've got 8 beaters designated for that role.

[Johnny Peppers]

The pistols are completely inanimate, so whether they are shot or not matters only to the owner. If you feel that your pistols are happier being shot, you are satisfying yourself and not the pistol. I am much happier keeping my pistols in the pristine condition that the previous owners saw fit to maintain. I would be breaking a trust to use them as a common beater pistol. If the next owner wants to trick them out and shoot them, he can have the warm feeling that he has the most expensive shooter on the line.



http://i5.tinypic.com/11lsepi.jpg

[1911Tuner]

Now, Johnny...I never said that I'd use one as a "common beater." Neither do I ascribe any pistol as having feelings about being shot. I do take satisfaction in puttin' a few rounds downrange through'em though. Does my heart good to know that they're still up to the job, and...in many cases...they do a better job of it than some of the newer ones.

Like a vintage big-block Corvette...('63-'67)...What good is havin' the dang thing if ya don't put it through its paces on a nice Sunday afternoon once in a while?

Vrooooom! ;)

[Johnny Peppers]

That's what it was built for. Layin'em up for all time...silenced...is a little like castrating a Spanish fighting bull.



That's the problem. I'm not understanding your metaphor between the bull and the requirement to fire an original and mint pistol.

[1911Tuner]

That's the problem. I'm not understanding your metaphor between the bull and the requirement to fire an original and mint pistol.

Well...A Spanish fighting bull was bred, born, and raised for a purpose. To fight. Castrating him...turning him into a eunuch would be a travesty.
Same goes for a weapon designed, built, and intended for a purpose is much the same....but refer back to this metaphor to see if it makes more sense.

>Like a vintage big-block Corvette...('63-'67)...What good is havin' the dang thing if ya don't put it through its paces on a nice Sunday afternoon once in a while?<

And...I never said it was required. That's your assumption. It's a desire...but one with a practical purpose. I want to make sure that the gun is at least capable of proper, reliable function. A non-functional display-only museum piece isn't a gun. It's a wall-hanger...A castrated bull...An L-88 Corvette with a spun rod bearing. Simply put...Not worth a tinker's damn except for lookin' at.

I may shoot a nice Union Switch 15 or 20 times...clean it, and put it up forever more. Have done so, in fact...twice. But if I buy the gun, rest assured that it will be fired, unless there's a specific reason not to. Bad headspace or slap-seated lugs, for example.

Lastly...If I lay out my long green for a pristine pre-A1 Colt, or a LNIB Rand,
and I want to carry it, well...it was my money, and now it's my gun. Never have been a museum curator. Exacting a promise from me to never shoot it as a condition of the sale can be arranged...but it brings my offering price down accordingly.

[Mick_In_Texas]

JohnnyP, Tuner, All...

WOW, Johnny Peppers, those two are BEAUTIFUL!!! You are, sir, blessed to have those in your possession, whether you chose to shoot them or not. They are in EXCELLENT condition, congratulations and I like it!

Like Tuner, though... I am happy and elated that my ol' black Army Colt is fireable. She did GREAT. I was sick most of the rest of this week, so, didn't get to clean her and lube her, but, it was amazing to find that she shot like a champ. She helped me maintain my reputation as the ONLY guy who brings 100% reliable weapons to my buddy's range: old as she is, she was amazing to see in her performance. The firing didn't hurt her a bit: if she saw service, she was fired way, way more than the 7 rounds I put through her...

I understand folks who have pristine functional 1911s and 1911A1s, original USGI, who don't want to fire them. That is their choice, and there's nothing wrong with that thinking. Like Tuner, though, I really didn't by my ol' 1911 as an investment: I bought it 'cause I love JMB's original design, and I love the 1911, as compared to my two current 1911A1s and another one coming, and my dad's 1911A1 that I gave him. I doubt I'd carry ol' Black Beauty (yep, I named her, the SECOND gun I've named), and I won't fire her much... but, I lean more toward Tuner: Black Beauty is the LAST one I'd ever sell off, and hopefully won't have to sell ANY of my other current guns; I bought her to have an original 1911, NOT a 1911A1. While I may occasionally fire her, I still love and respect her, for her age and her history. Factory ammo should be safe in her. There is NOTHING like having an original USGI 1911, that is functional and useable... but, there is also nothing like having one you can clean up, lube up, and and store to keep. Like Tuner, I'm not getting any younger. Black Beauty certainly won't be one of my "beater" pistols or revolvers: my ss Springer, my RIA, my Taurus, my future USGI Springer, my GP100, my shotgun, especially my 1911A1s, are the beaters.

That said, there is nothing like the feel of JMB's original 1911 on the range, in your hand, and knowing it STILL runs circles around the modern ones. Mine did. I doubt she'll be carried much, if at all; and I doubt she'll be used to qualify for my CHL next time (that's left to my Springers), but, me and Tuner, just like you, Johnny P, CHERISH our originals. I'm not going to take Black Beauty out and run a hundred rounds through her, though. But, I'm also not what you'd call a "collector". I'm a shooting enthusiast, and a person who believes in the right of law-abiding citizens to be able to defend themselves against attack, by whatever means. The fact that Black Beauty WORKS is just amazing and comforting to me. She won't have to work nearly as much as my Springers or my RIA. But, she might get to work some, now and again.

Johnny P, you've got some real beauties there! I LOVE those, and I LOVE it that a good person like you, who respects them, HAS them. Whether shot or not, they're still what they are: incredible. Just like mine, and Tuner's, and Hunter's.

Y'all all take care and be safe. I'm feeling better, finally, and hope you all have a great start on the week. Y'all are my brothers in more solid ways, than by blood...

Mick

[1911Tuner]

Good show, Mick!

While I don't shoot my collectible guns very much at all....maybe 7-10 rounds per trip...and may not shoot'em again for years...every once in a blue moon, one of the old girls calls out to me, so I take her dancin'. Does my heart good to have'em buck and roar a little. Then, it's back home for a cleanin' and oilin' and return to the dark confines of the safe.

All my pistols are weapons. I want to know that they'll function as weapons should the need ever arise. Slight chance, but it's still my requirement that they work as intended. That requires at least one test run.

Mick, be aware that those old guns are soft. The breechface on your Black Beauty will get peened and battered around the firing pin port with a lot of use. The slide or frame will crack if you shoot it a lot.

[Johnny Peppers]

I get it now. The bull is bred to fight, and the 1911/1911A1 pistol was made to kill your enemy. If I ever have the need to get that deep into my collection to be able to kill the enemy, I will use it for that purpose, but not for target shooting which it was not designed for. It would never be modified for target shooting, as that would be emasculating a warrior born to kill, would it?

As to big block Corvettes, check this one out. Almost $100,000 and the reserve wasn't met. People don't flog these things. They haul them around in enclosed trailers, and they probably have more pushed miles than driven miles. Not a good comparison. Maybe if it was an aftermarket body put together look alike it might get flogged on a regular basis.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevrolet-Corvette-Stingray-1967-Corvette-Coupe-427-435-documented-Duntov-award_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6168QQitemZ150000213130QQrdZ1

[Hawkmoon]

Tuner, the Corvette as a truly horrible analogy. Unless you let it rust in storage, remaining unfired does no harm to a 1911. The car, on the other hand ...

Some years ago my late brother-in-law had what he thought was the bees knees of collectable Chevies. He put it up on blocks in the garage and dusted it off every weekend, probably waxed it once a month or so. I don't know how long this went on, until one day he went out and found a pool of smelly liquid on the floor. Yepp ... automatic transmission fluid. Because he never drove it (never even started the engine), the seals all dried out and the tranny relieved itself all over the garage floor. He was so mad he had it repaired and sold it before you could ask if he really meant to do that.

I can't see that problem affecting a firearm that stays in pristine condition.

[wichaka]

I can see both sides of the coin.

I have a friend who has one of the last flying F6F Hellcat's. He also has a Corsair, and a P-51 Mustang.............like Hawkmonns story, he says if you leave them to sit, they will rot.

I dont believe a 1911 will, so each their own.

My other friend was the past president of the Colt Collectors Assoc., and lives a few hours from me. He has one of the most extensive collections of 1911's ever to be had. He has an actual 1911 used in the Military testing process, as well as prototypes, etc. He will fire some of them, and some of the others?????........not in this life time or the next.

He's the owner, he decides. But firing an all orginal 1913 model, or even one of the 1910 models is an experience all its own. They feel & recoil a bit different than the new ones of today.

If I had a pristine 1911 that was worth a zillion bucks, I too would find it hard to shoot. But if I had a just a bit less than pristine 1911, that was still worth some bucks.......I would lean more toward shooting that one........

[1911Tuner]

Quote:

>Maybe if it was an aftermarket body put together look alike it might get flogged on a regular basis.<
**********************

Not if it was mine, mah fren. I ain't gonna pass this way again. It's called grabbin' for the gusto while we're still above ground. If that means redline on a '63 Split-Window fuelie or a '66 427 Cobra, or bustin' a few caps through one of my paperweights from a bygone era once in a while...then that's what it is.

Guess I'm just selfish that way... ;)

PS The Cobra belonged to one Zachary Smith Reynolds, and it was a ******* hoot every time I nailed it. A very scary hoot... :scared:

[1911Tuner]

Well...This one ended rather abruptly. And I was havin' such a good time with it too... :p

[Johnny Peppers]

The discussion was mired down in making comparisons to other collectibles, which had nothing to do with shooting 99% Colts, and didn't prove anything anyway. The collectors that have the show condition Corvettes aren't going to flog them, and the people that have the 99% Colts aren't going to shoot them. It's like saying "If I had Bill Gates money I'd __________." (Fill in the blank.)

I'm not going to have Bill Gates money, so that too is a non-issue.

[Mick_In_Texas]

Johnny P has some PRISTINE USGIs. Just pristine. I didn't mean to imply, and don't think I did, that I don't understand folks who have beauties (USGIs or Corvettes or example for me, 1958 Les Paul triple-pickup white finish guitars) that are technically collectibles, NOT "using" them in the sense that Tuner and I are doing. Yep, I knew a guy, who had a 1958 Les Paul double-cutaway, white finish, triple-pickup, that I believe Gibson made 10 of in their entire history. He picked it up in a pawn shop in Philly on tour, for $400.00. Nowadays, that thing would practically be priceless, in the condtion it was in in the late 70's. He DID play it occasionally (was NOT his primary axe), and he DID let me TOUCH it, hold it. God... It was extremely rare. Some folks would clean it, and NEVER take it out of the house (or vault), just keep that string tension on it to keep that ol' neck from warping on 'em. Steve, however, chose to play it now and again, including on a gig occasionally. Was he taking a heckuva risk? YES: especially if anyone knew what it was, how old it was, what good shape it was in, and what it was actually worth to anyone who collected guitars. Would he have ever sold it? No. Did he buy it for an investment? No. He bought it for what it was, for his own pleasure, a harmless pleasure, to enjoy its pure existence, and yeah, the fact that HE owned it.

I don't think he disrespected it, or didn't appreciate it. Same for me and Tuner, as compared to Johnny P. Johnny's two examples he showed us, are, as I said, PRISTINE. Excellent condition. I can understand his personal preference in his "enjoyment" and "pleasure" in them: don't fire 'em, don't carry 'em, just... HAVE them. They are still what they are. They're probably fireable and useable. It's just that, he chooses NOT to do so. They're his, and he loves them as much as Tuner and I love our own!

But, in my case, ol' Black Beauty is about 80-90%: she's in great shape, but, she's not pristine. She was used. Unlike Tuner, doubt she'll ever get any holster time with me; but, range time? On occasion, YES. Mostly, I just love to HOLD her, and feel her in my hand, and look at her, knowing she's an original. I'm not a GUN collector. I'm a firearms enthusiast, and a CHL holder. But, Tuner and I DO respect our beauties, just like Johnny P does, but, in a bit different practice or way. Tuner goes a bit further than me; but, I think we ALL plan to pass our beauties on in GOOD (or, in Johnny P's case, GREAT) shape to another generation, and individuals who will care for them and preserve them, regardless of whether or not they fire them. Admittedly, if I had those two pristine examples that Johnny P's got, of the 1911 and the 1911A1 USGIs, I'd have to have them checked out and fire each, at least once, 7 rounds. Just to know--like with my Black Beauty--that they still DO what they were manufactured to do. It's like my stepgrandfather's ol' service S & W .38 Special revolver: NEVER, like with Black Beauty, anything but factory loads, no +P or anything like that, would I fire anything but box-stock factory loads, but, YES--I'd like to take her out and put 6 rounds through her, then give her a good cleaning and lubing, and hand her back to my dad. Back in the safe she'd go. I know she's functional, she's in great shape. She was bought to carry on partol by an LEO--my stepgrandad--and he had to use her a couple of times. She's a collector's item technically. But, more than that, she's a functional, solid, and working handgun. Could be used, reliably, in a bind, to protect a law-abiding citizen. Does my dad shoot her? NO: he prefers his trusty Ruger .22LR revolver, over even his NEW RIA .45, not that he can't handle ANY of them. Have I chewed him out about NOT EVER getting rid of that ol' Smith? Yes.

I mostly shoot my Rock and my Springer and my GP100 and my Taurus 9. My ol' 1911 will be cherished and never rode hard and put up wet. But, she may occasionally be rode, if not be riding with me on my hip or shoulder.

This is actually a GREAT thread: those of us lucky enough to have ORIGINALS, discussing our various viewpoints on "use" of them. I don't think it's dead, myself. I think we've gotten a lot of good opinions on this here. I respect everyone's viewpoint... 'cause I'm sharing them all. Black Beauty's probably going to get a long rest in storage once I get her cleaned and lubed; but, I reckon she'll also get "rode" occasionally. But, I think that Tuner, Johnny P, Hunter, and I love our collectibles equally. This ain't a disagreement, this is a true discussion, and there's a difference.

Y'all all take care and be safe. ENJOY those ol' beauties, HOWEVER. They're ALL in GREAT hands, I think.
Mick

[1911Tuner]

I understand, Johnny. I really do. I've got a pair of nice US&S pistols that haven't seen the light of day in 10-12 years. I once cringed at the thought of
actually shootin'em...but the older I get, the more I realize that one day I'll be suckin' in my last few breaths...and I don't want one my last regrets to be that I didn't. So...One fine day, I'll go sneak into the bank's safe deposit box and sneak back out with those Swissvale Sweeties and go shoot the both of'em. They'll probably be hung on a wall by the next owner, silenced for another 15 or 20 years before he decides that life is for livin' and guns are for shootin'. They'll be worth even more by then than they are now...and if he's lucky, the New World Order won't ferret'em out and crush'em before he gets his chance to take'em dancin'. ;)

Mick...I've got an old Gretsch Super Chet that's been refretted twice. The guy who has done the work nearly turned white when I took it to him the first time...over the fact that I'd tickled a museum piece so much that the frets weren't going to be Simon Pure any more. "Well hell, Snuff...That's what I bought it for!" :D

Got a pickin' buddy who owns a haunted 1939 model D-18. Insured for 30 large, he takes it with him whenever we can arrange a jam session with a few other old Travis-style fingerpickers. He even loans it to me from time to time. He turned down 35,000 for it last year, without blinkin' an eye. Why does he play it? Simple. He likes to hear it...and if you ever heard it, you'd understand. Haunted, I tell ya! Magical guitar, with a sound unlike any other that I've ever heard. Belongs in a rich man's private collection instead of sufferin' through another one of my renditions of "Nine Pound Hammer" or "Bye Bye Bluebelle"

Now, 'scuse me all. I wanna go play "I'll See You in my Dreams" before I hit the rack...on my vintage Gretsch...just the way that Merle used to play it. :p

Maybe I'll do "Mister Sandman" too. Hell...I may be up all night!

[Mick_In_Texas]

I understand, Johnny. I really do. I've got a pair of nice US&S pistols that haven't seen the light of day in 10-12 years. I once cringed at the thought of
actually shootin'em...but the older I get, the more I realize that one day I'll be suckin' in my last few breaths...and I don't want one my last regrets to be that I didn't. So...One fine day, I'll go sneak into the bank's safe deposit box and sneak back out with those Swissvale Sweeties and go shoot the both of'em. They'll probably be hung on a wall by the next owner, silenced for another 15 or 20 years before he decides that life is for livin' and guns are for shootin'. They'll be worth even more by then than they are now...and if he's lucky, the New World Order won't ferret'em out and crush'em before he gets his chance to take'em dancin'. ;)

Mick...I've got an old Gretsch Super Chet that's been refretted twice. The guy who has done the work nearly turned white when I took it to him the first time...over the fact that I'd tickled a museum piece so much that the frets weren't going to be Simon Pure any more. "Well hell, Snuff...That's what I bought it for!" :D

Got a pickin' buddy who owns a haunted 1939 model D-18. Insured for 30 large, he takes it with him whenever we can arrange a jam session with a few other old Travis-style fingerpickers. He even loans it to me from time to time. He turned down 35,000 for it last year, without blinkin' an eye. Why does he play it? Simple. He likes to hear it...and if you ever heard it, you'd understand. Haunted, I tell ya! Magical guitar, with a sound unlike any other that I've ever heard. Belongs in a rich man's private collection instead of sufferin' through another one of my renditions of "Nine Pound Hammer" or "Bye Bye Bluebelle"

Now, 'scuse me all. I wanna go play "I'll See You in my Dreams" before I hit the rack...on my vintage Gretsch...just the way that Merle used to play it. :p

Maybe I'll do "Mister Sandman" too. Hell...I may be up all night!

Well, Tuner Johnny... let us hope that the UN loses on July 4th. Firearms are NOT the problem, folks are. In America, as well as other decent nations, hope that there is autonomy. Don't want to get in trouble with El Commandante here, or the moderators. Take that risk.

A GRETSCH!!!! OmG, I want one of those semi-hollowbody beauties SO BAD... you're lucky to have it, Bro, and frets do NOT last forever, nor do fingerboards. I've got a sad ol' Ibanez Les Paul copy, in white, myself... but, the real Les Pauls, have an eighth of an inch wider fingerboard/neck, than my Ibanez, and it makes a difference. Hard to believe for folks who don't "play", but, it does. Kinda like the flat mainspring housing on a 1911 USGI... subtle, but, makes a difference. Or the verticle slide grips, 1911 vs. a 1911A1. MUCH prefer the verticals, not the slanteds. Don't know why the half-moon cutaways behind the trigger showed up on A1s, either; that's another thing I like about the 1911. I understand the cutaway on the ejection port, and the lowered ejection port, on the A1 over the 1911; JMB's pistol spits the empties out spinning, and they found that rarely, the ol' high ejection port and no cutout, could flip an empty hull back into the breech. Jam that sucker up, not good in a combat situation. But, the 7 rounds I spit through Black Beauty, ejected clean and out; no problems with that issue, as opposed to my 1911A1 more modern platforms. She functioned straight up and 100% reliable. Stand back, and get out of the way, so to speak...

A Gretsch and a Colt or Singer or Springfield 1911... works for me. At least I've got a 1911, if not a Gretsch.

Y'all all take care and be safe. Y'all are bros, for sure, to me.
Mick

[1911Tuner]

Yeah...I like a little wider string spacin' too. Gibson spacing is a little close for me. Like the Gretsch much better. I won't tell ya about the '65 Tennesean and the J-45 Gibson that I loaned to my ex-wife's younger son and never got'em back...

Shoot that old pistol Mick...even if it's only once. Do it for all the lads who carried it into little pieces of Hell like Belleau Wood or the Argonne Forest...or Normandy or deep into the Ardennes...Frozen Chosin or Inchon or
Khe Sahn or Dong Ha or The Ashau or Ia Drang...into The Iron Triangle or Beiruit. Shoot the thing and go tip a cold one to every man who got back home because of it...and to every man who didn't. For all you know, that old girl mighta hit Omaha Beach 62 years ago today. It mighta even used to knock a Wehrmacht sniper out of a tree near St. Lo or Colmar Pocket...or clean out a spider hole on Saipan or Tarawa.

Shoot it once...and remember where it's been.

[OD*]

Let us not forget Metal of Honor recipients, Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon and Sgt. Randall D. Shughart, who used the 1911A1 to good effect in Mogadishu.

[1911Tuner]

Let us not forget Metal of Honor recipients, Master Sgt. Gary I. Gordon and Sgt. Randall D. Shughart, who used the 1911A1 to good effect in Mogadishu.


Amen, OD. Amen.

[Mick_In_Texas]

Amen, OD. Amen.

...served under General George S. Patton, Jr. in WWII. He took a bayonet in The Bulge in Belgium, winter of 44; came home with a bad scar, a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars, and a Silver Star for various lesser wounds, and I was so proud to show Black Beauty to him, let him handle her. The history, and what that history means, of her, is one of the profound and deep reasons I am so proud to have her, and that she still functions. Yes. Yes. For ALL our U.S. veterans, both the ones who came back, and the ones who didn't, I honor them all and this is why I particularly love John Moses Browning's Ol' Bigmouth: the military called for a more effective sidearm than the .38 Special (pitifully ineffective against hyped-up, bamboo-armored Moro Warriors), and Mr. Moses delivered A CLASSIC, not only in design and function, but, effectiveness and reliability. It is one of the finest (not perfect, I know that, but, dang near, for ME) pistols ever designed and made. I've talked to WWII, Korean, Viet Nam, Bosnian, and IraqiX2 vets, known them and worked with them and called them uncles and aunts and friends... and those who had the defensive advantage of being issued one of Mr. Browning's, as opposed to the M92, LOVE that I respect and love and carry a 1911A1. Viet Nam, United States Marine Corps, mechanic at work: he just is beside himself that I carry and prefer that arm, he loves that in me... he said, "I had one of those in the Nam, and I LOVED it."

But, anyway... knowing that mine more than likely did make it to the horrifying trenches of France near the end of 1918, or rode on the hip of a military policeman or guard in one of the terrifying and sad field hospitals, if only for a brief time, just... I don't know. It's hard for me to put into words, just all the reasons I so love having a USGI 1911. Actually have one. Can hold it, and drift back over the REAL history I learned before it began to be watered down for no good reasons... knowing they also patrolled my state's border in 1906 with General Pershing's boys... the 1911/A1 is not just a pistol, it is near and dear and revered by conservative folks in my country as WHAT IT IS. It is a secondary symbol of what freedom costs, just like our bald eagle, but, perhaps, a more gritty one. If I were rich and could have as many modern 1911A1s, from the nuts and bolts of my Springers and my RIA, all the way up to the fancy Kimbers and Bill Wilsons, the one nearest and dearest to my heart, mind and spirit, would STILL be my Black Beauty, my 1911 USGI. Whether I fire it much or not. Because it is not only the original, it is MORE than original: it is a USGI, government contracted 1911. And THAT, gives it existence beyond its mere physical presence.

Having and cherishing it, even though I may fire it now and again, IS a rememberance and a salute to those who have and who do serve our country without regard to politics or their own personal safety. It's just a very, very, very special THING, as well as a functional and effective defensive arm. I'm sure Johnny P, Tuner, Hunter, and OD feel the same way in their own individual way.

I've had it for six months now, and I tell y'all, I am still so PROUD and THANKFUL I managed to get it, that I could just bust. I couldn't hit very good with her, because I was just so nervous and honored to find that, true to two gunsmith's examinations, she was sound to fire and good to go. So much went through my mind after that first successful discharge and ejection... I guess it was, just, "Oh, my God... this piece of history... isn't history yet, thank you..."

Y'all take care and be safe.
Mick

[1911Tuner]

Was one of the Battered Bas***ds of Bastogne. 75th Infantry/275th Engineers, cut off between Bastogne and Colmar Pocket. I have his '42 Colt
that he used to liberate a P-38 and a pair of field glasses from a German Major near Colmar...still have that one too...and shoot both occasionally,
just because.

PM on the way...

[Mick_In_Texas]

Was one of the Battered Bas***ds of Bastogne. 75th Infantry/275th Engineers, cut off between Bastogne and Colmar Pocket. I have his '42 Colt
that he used to liberate a P-38 and a pair of field glasses from a German Major near Colmar...still have that one too...and shoot both occasionally,
just because.

PM on the way...

Well, Sir... my dad had a Luger, an SS dress sword, and a German Nazi Youth dagger. The Luger was stolen from his duffle bag in California; he ended up with the sword and dagger. I actually was allowed to play with the sword and dagger, as a kid; not nowadays, no responsibility it seems, but, never put out my eye or cut myself, was taught how to handle such things. Don't know where my dad got the Luger, sword, or dagger; may try to find out next trip... Man. Havin' your dad's '42 USGI Colt. The Army relieved my dad of his .45 and M1 Garand, issuing him a Grease Gun, when he shipped for Europe in '42. Since he was a tank mechanic, they decided that the Grease Gun was the thing. While a .45ACP caliber, he really didn't like it, compared to the M1 and the 1911A1, but, you know... what can you say?

Brother, that is BEAUTIFUL that you have your DAD'S USGI .45!!! And that Walther P38, that is a cool 9mm... You fire 'em, clean 'em, lube 'em, and ENJOY them. Your earned that priviledge. So did your dad.

Y'all all take care and be safe.
Mick
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