The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - I think I'm done with Semi-auto pistols,,,

aarondhgraham · July 25, 2013, 08:54 AM

I did own one 1911 for many years,,,
It was an Ithaca that my Pops brother carried,,,
Acey (his real name) carried it in the WW-II and Korea wars.

In WW-II he was an enlisted man and made two beach landings in the Pacific,,,
Between WW-II and Korea he earned a commission and became a pilot,,,
According to his daughter he flew artillery observation missions.

By the time I got it (I was 16) the gun was in very bad shape,,,
It had bounced around under the driver's seat of another uncles truck for years.

But as ragged as it looked the dang thing always fired properly,,,
I honestly do not remember it ever jamming on me,,,
And as a kid I shot a lot of mil surp ammo.

After Korea he was an MP Officer and had the pistol chrome or nickel plated,,,
Most of that plating had worn off so I had the rest bead blasted,,,
This was in preparation of me wanting to have it refinished,,,
Then I ran out of money and never had it done.

Just recently I discovered that Acey had a daughter in her late 60's,,,
It was a surprise to my Pop as he never knew he had a niece,,,
Long story short I contacted her and she did want the gun,,,
So I transferred it to her and she was happy to get it,,,
Apparently she had very few mementos of her dad.

In a way I kind of miss that old Ithaca,,,
But to tell the truth I was never all that enamored with it,,,
I know I'll get flamed for this but I never developed a love for SA semi-autos.

So while there may be a .45 caliber gap in my semi collection,,,
At least it's an informed decision and not ignorance.

After I wrote this post yesterday,,,
I remembered there is one semi I still want,,,
That's the Colt target .22 you see every now and then,,,
I have an alloy framed Colt Frontier Scout I would like to pair it with.

I enjoy making "sets" of guns and I think these two would go nicely together,,,
Like a juxtaposition of old and modern in a nice wooden case,,,
But it's not a high priority so it will happen or not,,,
If I see one for a good price I'll snap it up.

Aarond

.

July 25, 2013, 08:54 AM	#17
aarondhgraham Senior Member Join Date: December 1, 2009 Location: Stillwater, OKlahoma Posts: 8,638	I did own one 1911 for many years,,, I did own one 1911 for many years,,, It was an Ithaca that my Pops brother carried,,, Acey (his real name) carried it in the WW-II and Korea wars. In WW-II he was an enlisted man and made two beach landings in the Pacific,,, Between WW-II and Korea he earned a commission and became a pilot,,, According to his daughter he flew artillery observation missions. By the time I got it (I was 16) the gun was in very bad shape,,, It had bounced around under the driver's seat of another uncles truck for years. But as ragged as it looked the dang thing always fired properly,,, I honestly do not remember it ever jamming on me,,, And as a kid I shot a lot of mil surp ammo. After Korea he was an MP Officer and had the pistol chrome or nickel plated,,, Most of that plating had worn off so I had the rest bead blasted,,, This was in preparation of me wanting to have it refinished,,, Then I ran out of money and never had it done. Just recently I discovered that Acey had a daughter in her late 60's,,, It was a surprise to my Pop as he never knew he had a niece,,, Long story short I contacted her and she did want the gun,,, So I transferred it to her and she was happy to get it,,, Apparently she had very few mementos of her dad. In a way I kind of miss that old Ithaca,,, But to tell the truth I was never all that enamored with it,,, I know I'll get flamed for this but I never developed a love for SA semi-autos. So while there may be a .45 caliber gap in my semi collection,,, At least it's an informed decision and not ignorance. After I wrote this post yesterday,,, I remembered there is one semi I still want,,, That's the Colt target .22 you see every now and then,,, I have an alloy framed Colt Frontier Scout I would like to pair it with. I enjoy making "sets" of guns and I think these two would go nicely together,,, Like a juxtaposition of old and modern in a nice wooden case,,, But it's not a high priority so it will happen or not,,, If I see one for a good price I'll snap it up. Aarond . __________________ Never ever give an enemy the advantage of a verbal threat. Caje: The coward dies a thousand times, the brave only once. Kirby: That's about all it takes, ain't it? Aarond is good,,, Aarond is wise,,, Always trust Aarond! (most of the time)