I read a thread yesterday about oldest firearms in our collections, I was intrigued at the variety and types of firearms some had!
It got me thinking about the oldest pistol in our collections we would trust with our life on a daily basis. I have some old ones but not all are reliable and accurate and most of what I have are "pocket pistols". Let's try and limit it to CC weapons!
My first would be a JP Sauer & Sohn 38H in 32 ACP made around 1940 for police service. It is a fine firearm, amazing technology so early on, cocking decocking lever, can carry cocked and locked or DA.
My second is a JP Sauer & Sohn old model 1913 32 ACP made around 1925. It is also a great piece. Don't like the safety but for its day WOW!
I wouldn't be thrilled to carry 32 as my primary but both of these shoot very well and the 38H is tremendous... For me to go up in caliber I have to move into the 70's & 80's...
I have a 1911 with a frame from 1918 (it has a WWII era slide) that was customized by Behlert. It feeds everything and is accurate enough that it makes me wonder why I "need" a match grade barrel in all of my newer guns.
A early 80's S&W model 60 in 38 special, as you can tell I don't have many old guns in my collection. The oldest is a 30/30 made in the early 20's it was my grandfather's gun who passed it down to my dad who gave it to me and I will give it to my son along with all my guns. I was offered $500 for it and wouldn't take 4 times that!!
I have a hand-me-down from my father, a Colt Army Special, 1920s I believe, in 38 spl that shoots great. I would carry it but since it can not safely shoot +P, I elect to not carry it.
Not recommending that you do it with your Army Special but I have fired Winchester +P 158 grain ammunition in my Army Special from 1913 with no discernable harm. While it probably isn't prudent to fire a lot of such ammunition in old Army Specials, it is a pretty robust design and was made of the very best steels ... of the era.
I would happily carry any of several Colt and Smith & Wesson .38 Special revolvers I have around here that date as far back as 1904. The oldest revolver I commonly carry is an early 1950s Smith & Wesson Military & Police 2-inch revolver.
My favorite .45 for toting is a 1918 Colt 1911. I'm afraid it doesn't look as good as OD's fine example.
All of my pistols are (unfortunately) of recent manufacture, withing the last 4 years or so. I'd like to have some older pistols with historical/sentimental value, but even if I did I wouldn't cc them, as I would want them to pass to future generations.
A Colt Combat Commander in 45 ACP, built very early 80's. Has a series 80 serial nbr, but does not have the safety inertia plunger in the slide. I have seen refererences that there were some built with the series 80 serial nbr in the transition period.
FWIW, the 80 prefix is just that, a prefix that started around mid-1980 or there abouts, the Series 80 firing pin safety was introduced by Colt in 1983. :wink:
my colt police positive was made around 1935. works perfectly. i sometimes take it along.
now i have a Wm H Monk sidelock ejector 12 bore shotgun made in 1890 that i still hunt birds with. it is fun and deadly on quail. only drawback is short chambers (2.5) and of course it requires mild loads. now i do "Carry" it. and i try to "conceal" it from birds and rabbits. i do this by hiding behind a tree or something of that sort. concealed carry in the fields of rural alabama.
God Bless
I have an early 1960s S&W Model 49 "Bodyguard" that I carry frequently. It shows a lot of carry wear (no rust) but not a lot of shooting wear. It shoots great and carries well in a pocket or holster. I'll post a pic soon.
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