Waiting for Colt and S&W to Ride Again (RANT)

I

IanS

New member
I have Sig Sauer and Glocks because they're fine defensive guns. But I would rather own Colt automatics and S&W revolvers. Why? Just the fact that the two companies roots are so intertwined with American history, folklore, and myth. That was part of the reason why I became interested in firearms when I was young. Now that I've grown, instead of an American Colt I find myself with Swiss/German and Austrian pistols!?

The Europeans simply kept coming up with new slicker products and were better at appealing to the younger generation, like me. (High cap 9mms from Europe in the 80's contributed much to the demise of American handguns. Before that a European pistol was hardly ever seen). But Colt and S&W kept coming up with weak variations of the same 'ole resting on the shoulders of giants like John Moses Browning. Stagnation did its work for them. Which lead to company failures which also I think partly lead to making dumb political compromises. If both companies were more economically more viable would the current demise of the 2nd Amendment have been a little different? Maybe, maybe not.

All I know is mention Colt and people snicker, mention S&W and they sneer. The guns of Wild Bill, Wyatt Earp, Annie Oakley, William H. Bonney, Geronimo, Sgt. York, and Clint Eastwood are dying a slow ignoble death.


My next handgun I think will be a used Colt or S&W. Oh well, I guess I should at least have one.
 
Hello Ian,

The 1911-A1 style pistol will do some things better than the more recently designed pistols. Note the popularity of the 1911-A1 type in competition.

A good Colt to get would be the 1991-A1. From everything that I hear, the new Colts are reliable right out of the box. These Colts have been certified for sale in CA.

My Colt Series 80 Government Model has needed no gunsmithing to be reliable, only a short break-in period.

One of the nice things about the 1991-A1 is that you can keep it as is or you could have a reputable pistolsmith do any customizing that you may desire.

Good luck on your purchase!

-Mk.IV
 
Hear, Hear, Ian11
I was always a Colt man, untill they discontinued the guns I liked, and didn't make the guns I wanted. I waited for years for a stainless steel Detectice Special, and they gave us the SF-VI, later named the DSII. I bought one and was very dissapointed.
I started buying S&W's even though I really didn't like them.
I too await the rebirth of both companies. There is a certain cachet in owning a Colt Python, Single Action Army, Government Model, or Detective Special. There is something special in owning a firearm from the company that altered the world more than any other. When Sam Colt introduced the revolver, the premier weapon was the sword or bowie knife. The man who could afford to spend years training in the use of a sword, was able to inflict his will on others.
The old slogan "God created Man, but Col. Colt made them egual", is the literal truth. Suddenly, the small, weaker person, was just as tall and tough. The those who wish to be the nobility have never forgiven this.
To own that kind of history is something many people just can't comprehend.
I'm waiting for Colt to return.
 
I have yet to see a new gun from Europe that offers anything Browning's designs weren't offering more than fifty years ago. Other than plastic frames and awful triggers, what "advancements" have been made in guns designs since the 1930's? And don't tell me about durability or reliability. Browning's designs are as reliable as anything, and their durability is long proven, as opposed to guns that have had a hard, twenty-year existence in times of relative peace.
 
Rick, I think what they offer is so called modern materials and capacity.
Be that as it may it is sad to witness the current state of the American manufactures. I to long to see them return to the days of old.
Nostalgia is priceless.
 
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