MAGNUM MAGNUM - Jeffersonian

us all in the process with a cocked
and unlocked .45 and all of us hit the
ground. We very gently told him to turn
back around, apply the safety, and put
the gun down. Once that was accomplished
we really laid into him. Looking
back it was more our fault than his.
That old Remington served me well
for several years. Housed in its military
holster it rode under the seat of my ’65
Ford station wagon and provided protection
for my young family. When I made
the trip up through Idaho and across the
Lewis and Clark Highway into Missoula
to attend the University of Montana
Graduate School that old .45 rode in the
middle of my back as I made many trips
home during those three summers. Alas
I let it eventually get away.
Roy Huntington
My first “own” 1911 was a circa
1975-era Series 70 Gold Cup, which
I learned about 1911s on. I used it in
early “pre-IPSC” matches carrying it
in a Bianchi X-15 shoulder rig. Like so
many stories here, it’s long gone and
if you own it, I want it back, just so
you know. But there’ve been so many
others. The WWII Remington Rand
owned by Mr. Violet who ran PT boats
in the Solomon Islands. I got it after he
passed. I know he used it many times
to kill Japanese soldiers who refused to
surrender after the PT boat he skippered
had sunk their landing craft. I held it
many times wondering what it had been
like on those pitch black nights.
I recall a WWI 1911 I got from a
cop whose father carried it on duty on
the police force. I left it as I got it, rust
and all, as the owner had been a real
scrapper and knew this was a fighting
pistol, not something you had to baby.
Later, I got a 1911 “Clamshell” holster
— the “push button” kind — to
go with it. There’s sure to be an interesting
story around it since there’s a
repaired bullet hole at the bottom of
the holster — oops!
A life dream of mine was to have an
engraved, presentation-grade 1911 and
a few years ago, with the help of a cadre
of craftsmen, it finally happened. And
while it’s not my “first” 1911, it does
represent many things to me. Its serial
number is my old police ID number, an
American flag and other things dear to
me are part of the engraving, and the
team who built it I consider friends. It’s
one gun that won’t escape, I promise
you that! There’s one other 1911 near
and dear to me, but you’ll read about
that one later.
Anyone who’s ever heard a bump in
the night, picked up their 1911, chambered
a round and snicked on the safety
knows why we love these guns. That
steel heaviness and yawing bore offer
a certain comfort level awfully hard to
get with plastic. Know
what I mean? *
92 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL 2011