HBD, JMB
Posted by TFG on January 23rd, 2010
Via the Cajun, I learn that today in 1855 a man was born:
1855 – John Moses Browning, patron saint of American weapons design, is born. His designs include both sporting and military models of rifles, pistols and shotguns. I own a M1911A1 pistol, his design. His M2 .50 caliber machine gun went in service in 1921 and is STILL in front-line use today.
That pistol design is still, to this day, in production, with very few, if any, design changes. You could say the same about the Colt SAA, but the Colt SAA is (guessing here) rarely carried into what I will refer to as extreme situations. Just the other day, I was at a local sandwich shop, and there was a group of three Texas Rangers* two tables over. Each one had a 5″ barreled 1911A1 of some form on their belt, and two clips on the other side. Some things just work.
Personally, I am rarely more than 50 feet from my own 1911. It’s a Springfield, basic model, parkerized, with a Hogue wraparound grip, and the crappiest front sight ever put on a gun, bought a decade ago, and probably 20 years old by now. It’s still my favorite gun to shoot, though I must admit a fondness for my Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 Magnum thumb-buster.** I spend way too much time in the throne room looking at tricked-out 1911s. And I still need to get another Springfield basic — for the grandsons, you know. 
I hope Mr. Browning is enjoying the three-ring circus that his pistol has created, because I sure do. Happy birthday, sir.
* Yes, they were real Texas Rangers, unless some LE agency has decided to plagiarize the cinco peso. I can’t imagine that. No, I didn’t ask. Those dudes are way too far up the ladder for me to go fan-boy on them. Which, a sandwich shop? I just expect those guys to be either eating beef & beans out on a trail somewhere, or dining in the halls of Olympus, not chowing down on the special of the day.
** I watched a lot of cowboy shows growing up. Then I watched Dirty Harry. Then I grew these gorilla hands that the old model SB fills real well. It’s an absolute hoot, though I don’t really shoot it that much. I don’t much care for the new model SB, as the grip seems smaller…but I have one anyway.
January 23rd, 2010 at 10:17 am
TFG,I have a couple of the Browning rifles,my favorite being the Belgian made 243BAR,its pretty old and been beat around in & out of the truck,but has never failed to perform admirably. Never owned a 1911,but should. LOL at those “gorilla hands”,for some genetic reason I’ve got small hands for a fat ol boy,so for yrs. I’ve carried a 686 S&W,loaded with 158gr+ps,and fitted with Safari finger grooved wood grips,they seem to fit my fat little hands better. My daughter has one of the Rugers,but for some reason I’ve never been comfortable shootin it.I think my next purchase,if I ever have expendable cash agin,will be one of the Henry Golden boys,just ain’t decided which cal.
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:14 pm
When it comes to things that go bang, JMB was a one-man Bell Labs.
BTW, a line like this could make me hate you: “I was at a local sandwich shop, and there was a group of three Texas Rangers* two tables over. Each one had a 5″ barreled 1911A1 of some form on their belt, and two clips on the other side”.
Your lunches end up being cooler than my big days out….
January 23rd, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Diller, a 686 isn’t a small frame gun by any means. I like the way they feel in my hand, too. Hell, damn near any gun, I like holding. I need me a DA revolver. No, wait, two — for the grandsons
— and that 686 is definitely a classic. For the Golden Boy, there’s really only one caliber I’d want, the .44 mag, though a pair of .45LCs would sure be nice to pass on.
Craig, it’s only happened a few times. San Antonio is HQ for Ranger Company D, though, so it’s not unusual at all to see them around town. BTW, I still treasure that Joaquin Jackson biography you hipped me to. You should check Dick Stanley’s place, texasscribbler.com — he’s got a friend who wrote two books about the Rangers, and they’re linked from his site. Pretty good stuff, even if you’re not a Texan.
January 23rd, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Funny thing about the .50 cal. It seems to have originally been mounted in the wings of WW2 fighter planes and on the turrets of bombers to use against other planes. In Vietnam, we used it as an anti-personnel weapon mounted on a pedestal welded into the back of a jeep. Periodically the pedestal would have to be re-welded because firing the gun shook it loose. Had a really cool industrial sound when it was fired. Like a metal press or something at full throttle.
January 24th, 2010 at 7:21 am
What model was this .50? I’m definitely not up on all that Mr Browning did, and that’s a new one on me. I’d enjoy reading some more.
January 25th, 2010 at 2:03 am
The .50 caliber machine gun. So listed as one of his inventions in his Wikipedia entry below. His principal invention for all these was the auto-loader, without which the 1911 would have to be cocked after each round.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Browning
January 25th, 2010 at 2:03 am
Well I’m not sure it would to be cocked, but it wouldn’t be classified as an automatic.
January 25th, 2010 at 2:04 am
Link to the .50 cal MG:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M2_Browning_machine_gun
January 25th, 2010 at 8:30 am
Ah, yes…the M2. I have a buddy who’s itching for one of those for his collection, always scanning the gun boards for a deal, always getting overbid by other collectors.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Can’t see why anyone would want one, unless they had an army to equip. Surely the auto-loader would be removed. Just firing it single-shot would be a challenge to local law enforcement. It has a range of at least a mile. Not exactly target shooting on any shooting range I ever heard of.
January 26th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
You obviously don’t know any gun nuts. My tastes are just as exotic and wacky, but I keep them tamped down and stuffed in a box. Now, if I had the money and the land, well, that would be different. Hell, I’d probably have an up-armored Humvee, to go with my crane, and my Cat D9.
And no, he’s planning to get his Class 3 license, so he can shoot it full auto. The boy wants to rock and roll.