A Thing Of Beauty

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  • Last Post 02 November 2007
CB posted this 17 October 2007

Things seem to be a little quiet at the moment so I thought I'd throw in a little fluff.

I was going through my handguns yesterday as a way to relieve the boredom and started really looking at them not so much for utility but as objects of art and one really stood out so I thought I'd throw out the question of what people think is THE most perfect handgun, as far as eye appeal, to ever be produced on a commercial basis?

I don't know if this will get many replies but since it's out there on the airwaves the question will also include that if given the choice of any handgun carried by a historical figure throughout history to call your own who's and what would it be? 

As for my choices the hands down winner for aesthetics is the Colt 1851 Navy and the gun of choice that would send me off to Valhalla a happy man would be the one that belonged to Robert E. Lee. A distant second choice as far as pride of ownership would be anything carried by Nathan B. Forrest, which luckily for me also included the Navy.

Unfortunately my 1851 is a reproduction but someday........................  

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Ed Harris posted this 17 October 2007

Elmer Keith's Grover No. 5

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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RicinYakima posted this 17 October 2007

Beautiful Factory made? S&W's pre-WWI “I” frame 32 Long target revolver, with the extended grips.

Historical Figure? Winston Churchill's C-96 Mauser pistol.

Ric

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Tom Acheson posted this 17 October 2007

1 A Colt SAA .45 Colt built to 1873 issue with 5 1/2” barrel exterior finished by Doug Turnbull.

2 Pre WWI Colt Model 1911

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fa38 posted this 17 October 2007

Gen George S. Patton's pearl handled  revolvers,   OOps ("nobody but a New Orleans Pimp would have pearl handled grips on a handgun")   ivory-handled revolvers.  Colt Single Action Army and a Smith .357 Magnum.

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RicinYakima posted this 17 October 2007

A gun to go to Valhalla with? This was a much harder question, I thought about it all through diner. Here goes:

This Model 1911 was made in 1918 and nothing is known about what happened to it in WWI and WWII. My friend bought the pistol upon graduating from Platoon Leaders Course in August 1950. At that time it was freshly rebuilt from RIA and the graduates were given the chance to buy their own sidearms, as was common in the brown shoe Army.

The pistol, and he, made the Combat Jump 20 miles behind the MLR in Korea to rescue the POW's being sent to China in 1951.

He was one of the original Special Forces members in the early 1960's.

In 1961 and 1963 it was in Laos, operation Starlight, for two tours with the SF, and my friend.

In 1965 it was rebuilt, with all commercial internal parts, when my friend received orders to Viet Nam. It made the Airborne Jump during Junction City with my friend when he was a company commander, 173 Airborne.

Then two tours as an Operations Officer with the SF's in 1968 and 1970. It, and he, retired in 1975. The pistol was with him in Europe, Alaska, Benning and Bragg.

He is not a “gun guy” and his family didn't want it. He gave it to me, a veteran that he thought would appreciate it. But this is a warrior's pistol and certainly belongs in Valhalla.

Ric

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RicinYakima posted this 17 October 2007

Tried to post a picture of the 1911, but it is too big. Can I mail it to someone?

Ric

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CB posted this 18 October 2007

RicinYakima wrote: Tried to post a picture of the 1911, but it is too big. Can I mail it to someone?

Ric Go to the site below and download the Fast Image Resizer. Once you have it on your desktop set the resolution to 640x480 then just drag and drop the picture you want to resize into the little box that says “Drop files here” and it does all the resizing and saves them to a subfolder so you'll be able to post your picture and save the originals. Best part as usual is that it's free and works good. I use it all the time.

http://adionsoft.net/fastimageresize/>http://adionsoft.net/fastimageresize/ 

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RicinYakima posted this 18 October 2007

Here is the 1911 I wrote about. Ric

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CB posted this 18 October 2007

Ric,

Very nice. In a fit of madness I gave my brother a really good copy of a 1911, a Mini 14, and a Swede 96 about 15 years ago. Don't care about the rifles but would sure like to have the 1911 back.

Here's my four favorite handguns with the 1851 repro. You do have to admit along side the modern revolvers the long slender, almost delicate, lines of the Colt is really kind of pretty.

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RicinYakima posted this 18 October 2007

Pat,

You are right, the proportions are right and it has the “feel". By the way, that is the first gun I cast bullets for, back at the Centennial in 1961.

Ric

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454PB posted this 19 October 2007

I inherited this from my Dad. It has the German Army markings and matching holster.

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Tom Acheson posted this 22 October 2007

In addition to my earlier listed 2-guns, I've added another. The Turnbull finished (but lousy shooter) .45 Colt is at the top. The middle one is the 1913 pre-WWI 45 ACP. The added one is a P-38. The beauty of this one is not the appearance but its origin. My father-in-law (now deceased) was wounded on the opening day of the Battle of the Bulge (16 Dec. 44). He was in action in the area known as the northern shoulder. He was injured by German artillery at Buchholz Station, a rail depot SW of the town of Losheimergraben (German/Belgium border town).  My wife and I visited the remains of the rail station (not much there) in July 2000. Having stood on the spot where he was wounded was quite an experience. Then for my birthday in 2005 he gave me this P-38 that he brought back from Europe following his recovery from his wounds. I have many books on the Battle of the Bulge (too many my wife tells me) and owning this pistol is a “thing of beauty” as Pat said when he opened this post. 

Tom

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AMMOe posted this 23 October 2007

If beauty is in function, then it it's got to be my scruffy old S&W 2nd Hand Ejector in 44 Special. It's been through many hands, many sets of grips, and many thousands of cast bullets during my stewardship. It is probably THE most accurate handgun I own. ~Andy

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CB posted this 23 October 2007

RicinYakima wrote: Historical Figure? Winston Churchill's C-96 Mauser pistol.

Ric

Wanted to write this before and forget.

Excellent choice since he was undoubtedly THE most important figure of the 20th century. Plus how can you not love a guy that looks like W.C. Fields and totes a Tommy Gun in case some smart a$$ points it out!!!

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Lloyd Smale posted this 02 November 2007

colt saa blued 4 inch N frame smith

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 02 November 2007

Yep, pure art... Colt SA 4 inch ... heck if it'

Don

emotionally, my families S&W M 15 4 inch Combat Masterpiece ....  near mint condition, I sold it a couple years ago, and mourn it ever since.  NEVER NEVER NEVER sell a gun !!  I feel like I shot my own dog !!!

 I did take the bucks and bought a medium action Sako Deluxe, tho. so I just hug that when I get real blue about that deal I did with the Devil...

Regards, ken campbell, deltawerkes

oh, if you are talking sexy, not just pretty, I lust after a Schofield S&W, maybe even one of those hot Italian babes ...

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