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flechero wrote: ↑Wed Jul 04, 2018 12:51 pm

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Wed Jul 04, 2018 12:19 pm 1943 Ithaca 1911A1 that was my Dad’s WW2 sidearm

That's the one I'd pick, without even having to think about it! Few things (guns or otherwise) represent America and Her spirit better than that!

A salute to The Annoyed Dad!

Do you have any pics of it that you wouldn't mind posting?

This is it, next to the 1943 Inland M1 Carbine I also own - just like the one my dad carried ashore at Iwo Jima.








I’d call it about 95% condition....maybe a little better. It has a little bit of pitting just inside the muzzle from corrosive WW2 ammo, but it shoots very well. I’ve hit reasonably accurately with it - although like all examples of the type, the sights are not that great. The only mods I’ve done to it was to put a polymer recoil buffer “donut” on the guide rod, and a slightly stiffer recoil spring as a hedge against modern ammo being maybe a little too hot. I don’t know if that was necessary or not, but it seemed the cautious thing to do, and the pistol seems to cycle just fine with it in place. I still have the original spring, and the donut slips right off the guide rod, if I ever want to restore it to WW2-issue configuration.

I hadn’t really thought about it until just now..... but I suppose it would be between my 1943 Ithaca 1911A1 that was my dad’s WW2 sidearm, my S&W 5” Model 29 Classic, or my S&W 340M&P. I own a Springfield Loaded 1911A1, but it was Brazilian made. I have two other S&W revolvers - a 640 and a 642 - but I like the light weight of the 340 and the power of .357. But truth be told, ANY pistol my 2nd Amendment right allows me to carry would be suitable for me. I’d consider it no less American to carry my Austrian manufactured Glock 19 as anything else.

Rifles? All of mine are American made, either by me, or by American companies. The one that would be the most “commemorative” would be my 1943 Inland M1 Carbine, or possibly my Marlin .30-30. But heck, I also have a FN SCAR 17S too, and now even those are built in America, so.......

As for what I will actually carry today - holiday or not - it will probably be my 340M&P, either pocket carried or concealed OWB, as it is very light, and I will be attending an outdoor BBQ in my old neighborhood, sporting a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and flip-flops. I sweat like a hog and don’t want to sweat all over the gun, so it will most likely be pocket carried. I probably won’t bring a long gun along at all. I will be among friends, in a safe and quiet neighborhood, not that far from home, and I’ll be home before dark to help my dogs stay calm. The risks are low.

The fact is that for me - and this is just MY taste - I tend not to distinguish between guns/holsters gussied up to be carried for a celebratory reason, and anything I’d carry daily. I can appreciate the art that goes into making beautiful holsters and tarted up carry guns, but it just isn’t my style.