cause for a chuckle

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

page 53 of the April edition of American rifleman is a add that ran May 1929

for a Colt 1911 advertizing the new Colt Super .38 Automatic Pistol

down the left side of the add
"Ideal for big game and target shooting, the colt super .38 pistol is essentially an arm for strait fast shooting. Lives , reputations and personal protection may well depend on the unflattering accuracy of this powerful arm, which is capable of effectively stopping any animal which roams the American continent. "

then farther down on the right side of the page it gives cartridge specs and balistics
" Weight of bullet:130 grains. Muzzle Velocity 1190 foot seconds. Muzzle energy 408 foot pounds. penetration 12 7/8 inch pine boards."


the chuckle was that in 1929 38 super at current day 9mm ballistics will stop any which roams the American continent , and 75 years later a cartridge of nearly identical ballistics if often declared inadequate or marginal for basic self defense , and underpowered and illegal in many states for shooting game animals.

so was it that colt was selling baloney or that today's gun enthusiast are so excessively magnum crazed

probably some of each , polar bear , grizzly bear , moose , black bear and buffalo were probably never a great idea with super 38

on the flip side is 9mm really that weak and inadequate for defense or hunting in 2013

part of the reason so many police departments adopted the 9mm in the 80s and 90s was Illinois success with it in the 70's at less than current velocities Ill state troopers reported 90 some % one shot stops , when they used guns that they didn't trust not to jam on the second shot the S&W m39-1 other departments adopted the round and had much lower % of one shot stops

so either people in ILL were weak or Ill troopers figured out how to get good shot placement


It was probably all about shot placement all along and had a lot less to do with the magnum of the day.

[Phoenix]

I think the 9mm was popular for two reasons. Large magazines and "it was good enough for the military in europe"

We also didnt live in the world of overkill yet. sure the 38 super can drop any animal on the continent. that statement doesnt say from how far away or where you are shooting it.Point blank shot to the head or neck will drop anything. It also didnt say how many bullets it would take. And all this 'ethical" stuff didnt really exist then.

Did you know that today the 380 is one of the most popular rounds for LEO in europe? Show the difference in mentality

[Boerrancher]

I remember as a kid watching movies about Eskimos in Alaska hunting polar bear with a 222 Rem. The primary use for the 222 was to hunt seals and such, but since it was the only cal that most had at the time they didn't think anything about zapping a bear with it either. Like the old saying goes, "Beware of the man with only one gun as he probably knows how to use it."

Best wishes,

Joe

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

when ever some one starts in about 223 not being good for deer i scratch my head and ask then why was 222 considered very good for deer , my great uncle talks about how everyone had a 222 and they thought they were great for hunting deer , our area went shotgun only in 1980. then being as were all Scandinavian and grew up in a land of Danes , swedes , Norwegians, fins and Icelanders and if it was just the swedes or the fins it could be passed off as something else but everyone liked the 222 it put a lot of meat on the table.

now my uncle uses a small little 20 ga Ithaca m37 deerslayer , and i have never seen him take 2 shots at a deer , or watched one of his deer take more than 3 steps and fall , always a neck shot

i think the old timers were more patient

[R.M.]

There was a day when the 32 ACP was considered a decent self-defense caliber, or even the 22 rim-fire.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

I carry a 9 , it was the smallest gun i could shoot well and the biggest gun i could get in my pocket , the best gun is the one you have with you, i shot some deer skulls at the dump this last year , there is no question it goes right thru

I would bet that at the same distance i can shoot a deer with my bow , i could shoot a deer with my pistol and probably have to spend less time blood trailing it.

[bob208]

more then one army issued a .32 acp to its officers. the browning 1922 is one. mauser hsc and walther ppk are others.

[1Shirt]

Boarancher, you and I think a lot alike Joe! The one gun man, usually knows his stuff. Ran into an oldtimer in the bush in Alaska with a 303 Sav. in a 99 Sav. Had bought the gun with two boxes of ammo. Still had (if memory serves me right), two rounds left in one box and the second unopened. Believe he said he had killed something like 14 moose with that rifle. Don't know the particulars.You have to admire someone with that kind of fortitude.
1Shirt!