What five pistols would you choose?

My brother and I were exchanging emails the other day and I asked him what five pistols he would own if he could have just five. I further limited his choices by stating that they needed to be still in production, readily available and affordable. Still in production could be quality reproductions. I suggested the following categories: Home Defence, Concealed Carry, Hunting, Investment/Collectible, Plinking. Below are his choices and comments.

Home Defence

U.S. 1911A1, .45ACP, U.S. Fire Arms makes the best one available today.  Colt makes a mediocre one.

Concealed Carry

SIG P-230, .380ACP, stainless steel, it'll digest any of the hot .380 rounds on the market, won't rust    next to your sweaty body, it's the size of a Walther PPK.  

Hunting

Ruger Old Model Super Blackhawk, .44 Mag. OR Thompson Center Contender w/ barrels in .30-30, .44 Mag., .22LR, and other needed calibers.

Investment/Collectible

4th Generation Colt Single Action Army, preferably engraved, made by Colt OR U.S. Fire Arms.  There are FEW investment grade handguns on the market today.  U.S. Fire Arms is ten times better than Colt.  

Plinking

Ruger Standard .22LR, semi automatic pistol, 4 3/4" barrel, fixed sights, steel frame NOT 1911A1 style plastic frame.  Looks akin to a Luger or Nambu, reliable, accurate, 007 good looks.  The Ruger Standard .22 auto is a unique design not imitated by others.  Alex Sturm and Bill Ruger created this in the late 1940s. 

My brother and I would like to open this discussion to others. Send your choices to my email address: gary@gary-barker.com and I may be able to post them in our next blog.

Keep your powder dry,

Gary Barker

Happy 100th Birthday 1911 .45 Automatic

My brother Chris Barker, III recently sent this note out to family and selected friends. A warm sentimental holiday greeting:

Happy 100th Birthday 1911 .45 Automatic

The John M. Browning designed, Colt manufactured, .45 caliber self loading pistol was adopted by the U.S. Government as the nation's standard sidearm and designated the U.S. Model of 1911.

Many fine pistols have been designed since, but none have equaled the 1911 .45 Automatic.  The 1911 proved itself the superior sidearm in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  Many troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have requested and have been reissued .45 automatics, as the current issue 9mm Parabellum Beretta has proved to lack in stopping power.

Now in 2011, if a need for self defense arose, I would reach for my Colt ,45 Automatic.

Best regards,

Chris

The year 1911 is a very special year for both my brother and I. Our father and our favorite pistols were born that year. Our father who served in the state legislature and the US Navy left us a special legacy. Upon his death, many years ago, we discovered that he had two 1911 .45 Automatic on the shelf in his office. One would assume that they were his service weapons. He had served in both the Atlantic and Pacific in World War II and had commanded a large tanker during the Korean Conflict. He entered Annapolis in 1927 at age 16. His father, a country doctor told him that cash was scarce. He needed to obtain an appointment from the local Congressman to secure a college education. Our grandfather planned for him to serve his obligation and enter medical school. Daddy enjoyed his life in the Navy and stayed until he reached the rank of Rear Admiral.

He was a very straight individual and certainly would have relinquished all US property to the appropriate authority.  The pistols we found were new in the box and never fired. The fact that there were two indicates that he planned for us to find and possess them. He was not a shooter during our lifetime, but both of us enjoy shooting sports. I suppose he had burned enough powder out of 8 inch barrels during the war.

I have to believe he had acquired them with us in mind. Perhaps he enjoyed the fact they were labeled 1911 his birth year. What a wonderful legacy for sons to receive from a father after his death. In 2011 I will certainly remember Rear Admiral Chris Barker, Jr and 1911 .45 Automatics as they celebrate the first hundred years of their heritage.

Keep your powder dry,

Gary Barker

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