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Should Governor Abbott declare an Official State Cartridge? I think it would be neat if he did. What would be your choice if he did so?
I'm torn between the .22LR and the .30/30 Winchester.

What cartridge won the West?

Not a cartridge..

Answer... from ChatGPT

The "Come and Take It" cannonball refers to the cannon used by the Texian rebels during the Battle of Gonzales in 1835, which was a part of the Texas Revolution. The cannonball that became associated with the "Come and Take It" slogan was fired from a small cannon.

The cannonball itself was typically about 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10 cm) in diameter, which was common for the type of small artillery piece used at the time. The cannon was a six-pounder, and the projectiles fired from it weighed around six pounds (about 2.7 kg).

The "Come and Take It" flag, with its famous slogan and the image of the cannon, became a symbol of defiance and resistance.

philip964 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 2:14 pm What cartridge won the West?

The "gun that won the west" has been attributed to Winchester lever actions in general, but one is generally recognized, the 1873 Winchester the first center fire rifle. It was chambered in .44-40. but was later chambered in .38-40 and .32-20. Official icons for Texas aren't always historically true. The armadillo, one of three official animals of Texas didn't arrive in Texas until around 1880-90 coming up through Mexico from South America through the centuries. It is not indigenous to Texas.

RoyGBiv wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 2:59 pm Not a cartridge..

Answer... from ChatGPT

The "Come and Take It" cannonball refers to the cannon used by the Texian rebels during the Battle of Gonzales in 1835, which was a part of the Texas Revolution. The cannonball that became associated with the "Come and Take It" slogan was fired from a small cannon.

The cannonball itself was typically about 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10 cm) in diameter, which was common for the type of small artillery piece used at the time. The cannon was a six-pounder, and the projectiles fired from it weighed around six pounds (about 2.7 kg).

The "Come and Take It" flag, with its famous slogan and the image of the cannon, became a symbol of defiance and resistance.

I agree that iconic phrase has great significance in Texas and according to legend has been a symbol of defiance since the Greeks were attacked by the Persians 2500 years ago and is a message historically sent by Colonel John McIntosh to British Colonel Fuser in 1778. I think it has much too great a significance as symbol or proclamation for the Texas spirit to be nominated to be a much lesser known icon like a state cartridge. There are many, many official state this or thats, but who can remember any more than a few? A few stand out the - Mockingbird, the Bluebonnet, the Armadillo; which is one of three official state animals. Who can name the other two off hand? Maybe the Texas iteration of Molon Labe should be on the Texas coat of arms if there is such a thing.

I was thinking go big or go home... .50 CAL or .45

I don't have a logical argument to back it up, but .45 Long Colt just seems kind-a Texan to me.

BigGuy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 6:01 pm I don't have a logical argument to back it up, but .45 Long Colt just seems kind-a Texan to me.

Not a bad idea. Not a .45 since it was .44 cap and ball, the Colt Walker is the official firearm of Texas, so declared by Abbott. The association of a caliber with Colt is noted.

.45LC FTW.

puma guy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 3:56 pmThere are many, many official state this or thats, but who can remember any more than a few? A few stand out the - Mockingbird, the Bluebonnet, the Armadillo; which is one of three official state animals. Who can name the other two off hand?

Interestingly, you named two (Mockingbird and Armadillo) already, then ask for two more. I thought of the Mexican Free-tailed Bat and the Longhorn. I went to check and I was right and wrong. I was right in the two I named, but wrong in only naming two more. According to Texas Proud we have eight state animals.

puma guy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 3:30 pm

philip964 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 2:14 pm What cartridge won the West?

The "gun that won the west" has been attributed to Winchester lever actions in general, but one is generally recognized, the 1873 Winchester the first center fire rifle. It was chambered in .44-40. but was later chambered in .38-40 and .32-20. Official icons for Texas aren't always historically true. The armadillo, one of three official animals of Texas didn't arrive in Texas until around 1880-90 coming up through Mexico from South America through the centuries. It is not indigenous to Texas.

The 1873 was the first Winchester centerfire rifle. In 1856 to 1858 George Morse came up with a centerfire rifle and cartridge in a 50 caliber single shot breechload carbine. He tried to market to the Confederacy but they declined and South Carolina bought 1000 carbines for their soldiers. The ammo was hard to make as he used the percussion cap for a centerfire primer.

srothstein wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 9:33 pm

puma guy wrote: ↑Tue Feb 18, 2025 3:56 pmThere are many, many official state this or thats, but who can remember any more than a few? A few stand out the - Mockingbird, the Bluebonnet, the Armadillo; which is one of three official state animals. Who can name the other two off hand?

Interestingly, you named two (Mockingbird and Armadillo) already, then ask for two more. I thought of the Mexican Free-tailed Bat and the Longhorn. I went to check and I was right and wrong. I was right in the two I named, but wrong in only naming two more. According to Texas Proud we have eight state animals.

Out of curiosity I looked up Texas official symbols and found there are 76. Many different categories, some of which I wouldn't have thought of. I knew of the Longhorn and the bat and I knew the Horned Lizard (Horny Toad is what I call them) is the state reptile, but we have an official toad as well. Also, we have an insect - Monarch Butterfly, cobbler - Peach( that's related to Fredricksburg peaches I assume), pie - Pecan and many more.

As for my selection a state caliber, I chose either the .22 LR or .30/30. I don't know if there are any current surveys of deer hunting caliber popularity, but I know from experience back when I sold firearms in the 60's and 70's the .30/30 was king. It outsold every other caliber 100 to 1, almost exclusively lever actions and the majority were Marlin 336's. I would try to sway buyers to the .35 Remington, but never had much luck doing it. The .22 LR has taken more game in Texas than any other caliber when you include small game and if the caliber most novice shooters use when learning to shoot.

I found one explanation for naming the armadillo saying it's indigenous to Texas, which as I stated is not really true. Back when I was a teenager I had friend from Oklahoma visiting and we saw an armadillo. He'd never seen one and had no idea what it was. I assumed they were everywhere but they were relatively new to Texas when I did some research. I also discovered the carry Hansen's bacillus which is the cause of leprosy. At the time I did my research Armadillos were mainly in Texas, but had migrated east to Louisiana and were slowly continuing eastward. Back in the 1940's is I remember correctly there was a leprosy lab in Florida that used them for researching the disease. Armadillos always have 4 identical offspring making them perfect for testing ways to treat leprosy. At some point a storm destroyed the lab releasing the animals into the wild. They prospered and began a westward migration. In the late 70's, I think it was, the two groups met in Mississippi. I am on several firearms forums and have seen and responded to posts from places like Tennessee mentioning them. I did some cursory searching and found they have expanded significantly.

What important issues affecting Texans should the legislature and Governor be concerned about rather than trivial matters such as this?
When Elon is finished in the DC swamp maybe we can get him to clean up the Austin swamp.

I'm thinking 30-06

Grayling813 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 19, 2025 10:43 am What important issues affecting Texans should the legislature and Governor be concerned about rather than trivial matters such as this?
When Elon is finished in the DC swamp maybe we can get him to clean up the Austin swamp.

I am not proposing the governor should take up the matter.