Handgun Evolution

[Bob Owen]

The M14 is an updated M1 and has just one advantage of the 20 round removeable magazine. It's full auto capability was never an advantage. It served only to scare the enemy.

 

[PartywithArty]

50 years after the 1860 Colt Army revolver was produced, the Colt 1911 was produced. One hundred years later, the 1911 Colt is still going strong and being used by current Special Ops units today. Just a comment to ponder.

to me,the 1911 is the greatest designed sidearm ever produced. I carry a Springfield XD-M .45 but at one point i was carrying a Colt 1911. Very well built and a very accurate pistol.. Colt and browning is in my opinion,the top weapons in production.

 

[BillO]

I like the M-14 very much but I like my FN-FAL even more.

 

[Southron]

Well, the 1860 Army is still in production, 50 years after it was re-introduced. For the past half-century it has been produced by Italian companies.

Well, the M1911 is is production by everyone and his 3rd cousin from the Philippines to the U.S.!

Conclusion: Both are very popular designs!

 

[coltshooter1]

The M14 is an updated M1 and has just one advantage of the 20 round removeable magazine. It's full auto capability was never an advantage. It served only to scare the enemy.

Hanging on to the M-14 on full auto is a little easier than hanging on to a Thompson 45 cal. SMG. Darned Thompson was out the black after about 5 rounds. And the best I could do on trigger control was about 5 rounds. But both were a blast to shoot.

 

[Southron]

Sir, I respectfully disagree. I used to have a legal,"Tax Paid" Thompson SMG (the Numrich Model 1928A1-except for a new made receiver, it was all WW II Savage made parts.) I found with practice I could hold a 20 round "Continuous Burst" inside a 8 1/2 x 11 size sheet of typing paper with a bullseye drawn on it on it @ 30 yards.

Of course, that was only to "show off" because the way a Thompson is supposed to be shot is by tapping off two and three round "bursts."

There used to be an Oklahoma State Trooper that did a "Demonstration" with a Thompson SMG. He would hold a 30 round continuous burst inside of a playing card at 25 yards.

Now, a Thompson is a "Jackhammer," if you want to shoot the finest SMG of them all, then shoot a German MP-40. It is smooth as butter and a lot better than a Thompson. As for the "Modern" MAC-10's. One writer said it was a good SMG for a gunfight inside of a phone booth. The writer got it right!

 

[BillO]

I've also shot a Thompson and I loved the thing, very accurate and I could make chest shots to 100 yds all day long. Haven't had the pleasure of firing off an MP-40 but certainly wouldn't turn the opportunity down.

 

[ExNavyPilot]

to me,the 1911 is the greatest designed sidearm ever produced. I carry a Springfield XD-M .45 but at one point i was carrying a Colt 1911. Very well built and a very accurate pistol.. Colt and browning is in my opinion,the top weapons in production.

JPFLynn-- How do you like that M-factor with the XD-M?

If I could get my allowance increased (which won't happen until AFTER my kids finish college), I'd get the XD-M .40 compact (3.8" barrel.) Still, I'm not sure it would take away all my affection for my Colt Gold Cup. Something about the look and feel of that slab-side in the hand...as well as its performance.

I don't have an 1860 Colt, but I DO have a repro Remington 1858 New Army. Lots of fun to shoot, but rather impractical for modern uses. I still remember the time I shot it in an indoor range, and at the first shot--with the big "Bawoooosh" rather than a "Crack" or a "Bam," the sparks and flame from the barrel, and then the cloud of smoke--all these heads poked around the barriers and you heard nothing but the likes of "What the H#!! was THAT?"

 

[Southron]

"Just keep in mind that if the Good Lord had wanted man to shoot plastic pistols....Then John M. Browning would have designed one."

Southron Sanders,
Speaking before The M1911 Society
April 3, 2004

 

[Bob Owen]

The 1860 Colt is by far the most artistic of revolvers produced. A functional and effective revolver of it's time. I own three originals and four more of the 2nd generation Colt Blackpowder Series. My favorite of all civil war firearms.

 

[Bob Owen]

 

[deleson1]

The 1860 Colt is by far the most artistic of revolvers produced. A functional and effective revolver of it's time. I own three originals and four more of the 2nd generation Colt Blackpowder Series. My favorite of all civil war firearms.

Yes it is a great looking gun. I have a original also. I was just reading American Rifleman Magazine, Feb issue, and they have a article on a 1860 Colt conversion patent from 1863. Two Ohio inventors, Mershon and Hollingsworth, put a spring on the hammer mechanism making it fully self cocking. The gun has a approximately 1 1/2 round cover mounted on the left side of the gun with the spring inside. The gun in the article was a prototype and apparently is the only one in existence but the author claims it still works but the cocking spring is a litttle weak. Looks very interesting. A picture of it can be seen by typing mershon and hollingsworth on search engine.

 

[PartywithArty]

JPFLynn-- How do you like that M-factor with the XD-M?

If I could get my allowance increased (which won't happen until AFTER my kids finish college), I'd get the XD-M .40 compact (3.8" barrel.) Still, I'm not sure it would take away all my affection for my Colt Gold Cup. Something about the look and feel of that slab-side in the hand...as well as its performance.

I don't have an 1860 Colt, but I DO have a repro Remington 1858 New Army. Lots of fun to shoot, but rather impractical for modern uses. I still remember the time I shot it in an indoor range, and at the first shot--with the big "Bawoooosh" rather than a "Crack" or a "Bam," the sparks and flame from the barrel, and then the cloud of smoke--all these heads poked around the barriers and you heard nothing but the likes of "What the H#!! was THAT?"

I love the XD-M. My issued side arm is a glock 19c,but when im off duty im carring my xd-m. Its a gret shooting pistol,never jamed up, never misfired, triger and handel saftey is great, and that matched barrel is worth the extra hundred bucks..

 

[ExNavyPilot]

I love the XD-M. My issued side arm is a glock 19c,but when im off duty im carring my xd-m. Its a gret shooting pistol,never jamed up, never misfired, triger and handel saftey is great, and that matched barrel is worth the extra hundred bucks..

Yeah, I've heard nothing but good reports on the XD and XDm lines. And the price is reasonable compared to the competition.

One of these days....(sigh)

 

[PartywithArty]

Yeah, I've heard nothing but good reports on the XD and XDm lines. And the price is reasonable compared to the competition.

One of these days....(sigh)

Ivegot around $1000 in mine,i have the carring case,speed loader, extra mags, extra backstrap grips,flash light with green laser and strobe, loanwolf barrel and green tru glos.

 

[bama46]

The 1860 Colt is by far the most artistic of revolvers produced. A functional and effective revolver of it's time. I own three originals and four more of the 2nd generation Colt Blackpowder Series. My favorite of all civil war firearms.

The Colt is pleasing to the eye, but IMHO the '58Remington is the most beautiful handgun ever designed. The lines on that thing are gorgeous

 

[Bob Owen]

Yes it is a great looking gun. I have a original also. I was just reading American Rifleman Magazine, Feb issue, and they have a article on a 1860 Colt conversion patent from 1863. Two Ohio inventors, Mershon and Hollingsworth, put a spring on the hammer mechanism making it fully self cocking. The gun has a approximately 1 1/2 round cover mounted on the left side of the gun with the spring inside. The gun in the article was a prototype and apparently is the only one in existence but the author claims it still works but the cocking spring is a litttle weak. Looks very interesting. A picture of it can be seen by typing mershon and hollingsworth on search engine.

I read the article. Interesting concept.

 

[Bob Owen]

The Colt is pleasing to the eye, but IMHO the '58Remington is the most beautiful handgun ever designed. The lines on that thing are gorgeous

Also a great handgun, but it's main problem was that the spent caps jamned the action much more often than the open top Colt.

 

[Southron]

I think it was the Metropolitan Revolvers (a Clone of the Colts) that had a patented device to actually prevented the spent caps from jamming the action!

The accepted way to help prevent "Spent Cap Jams" is to raise the fired pistol over your head until the barrel is pointing streight up and THEN pull the hammer back to re-cock the revolver.

It you are lucky, the spent cap will fall free of the revolver.

 

[Southron]

My "Big Gripe" about the replicas of the M1860 is that some of the "4 Screw Models" came with a Three Leaf Rear Sight that was dovetailed into the rear of the barrel. If one of the manufacturers of the replica M1860's were to start manufacturing these with those rear sights, the replica M1860's would quickly become the "Top Gun" of match shooters.

Presently, replica '58 Remmies and Rogers & Spencers hold that distinction because of their solid frame construction with the rear sight groove in the Top Strap. With a replica Colt, the dovetailed rear sight could be drifted left and right to "Sight In" for "Windage" and the flip up leaves could be adjusted, one for 25 Yards and one for 50 Yards.

Now, I know that there are "Target" M1858's with adjustable rear sights but groups like the N-SSA do not allow the use of these revolvers for their Revolver Matches (nor does the N-SSA allow the use of the Ruger Old Army because it is not a replica of an original Civil War revolver.)

So talk to your local Pietta or Uberti distributor-request that they make a replica M1860 with the three leaf rear sight!