Favorite Pistol of WWII

Yes the .45 is renowned for its stopping power isnt it. But I voted for the Browning High Power, 13 rounds in the clip and an extra one in the chamber must have come in handy when the opposition have only got 7 or 8 round magazines? (Speaking theoretically, as a non-combatant!). I haven't fired one though.

I do like the look of the Luger, I had a toy one when I was a kid, but didn't the complicated action used to get jammed easily with dirt?

About 15 years ago a mate of mine kept telling me I should go visit his farm and have a go with his brothers' Luger. When I got there it was actually a P-38; but I can't say I was disappointed, I got the chance to fire about six rounds through an old microwave oven in their barn..

 

I do like the look of the Luger, I had a toy one when I was a kid, but didn't the complicated action used to get jammed easily with dirt?


I had a nice 1917 4" DWM for years in the '80s. I don't recall it ever jamming, except when bits broke, which happened quite often. When they did, you could often see a shiny crystalline structure to the steel; I don't know whether that was down to age or inferior material as the Kaiser began to feel the pinch.

And it didn't have to cope with trench mud...

Regards,
MikB

 

How many rounds did you put through that Luger at a range session?

 

How many rounds did you put through that Luger at a range session?

Not less than 20 - it wasn't worth the strip and clean for less.
OTOH more than 50 would give me a reloading workload - together with what I used to do for the club - that would draw complaints from the family, so it was generally between the two unless I was feeling Bolshie...:icon-mrgreenbandit:

BTW I never used 2z - seen that take Lugers apart before. Usually 5.8 of Unique or 3.9 N310 (IIRC? Vihtavuori's fast Bullseye equivalent...) behind a 123 Geco.

Regards,
MikB

 

But I voted for the Browning High Power, 13 rounds in the clip and an extra one in the chamber must have come in handy when the opposition have only got 7 or 8 round magazines? (Speaking theoretically, as a non-combatant!). I haven't fired one though.


Good choice, but I must admit to a preference for John Browning's pistol designs. There is nothing wrong with the 9mm Luger cartridge that hollow-point bullets won't cure. I use Federal Hydra-Shoks and Speer Gold Dots.
Unfortunately, the people at the Hague Convention for some odd reason banned the use of hollow-point bullets for military combat.

JT

 

Having fired a number of the guns listed, as well as several not on the list, it comes down to three issues: Reliability, stopping power, ammunition capacity. Weight might be a fourth issue as well.
Of the ones on the list I would only consider the 9mm and .45 models as the rest really have no stopping power. A pistol like the Walther is good only as decoration for some officer in a military setting for example.
The Luger and Tokarev tend to jam too frequently for my tastes. The luger action is also disconcerting making reaim harder.
My two top choices would be either the M1911 .45 or a Webley .455 depending on whether you prefer an automatic or a rewallah. The 9s are better on magazine capacity but really don't come close in stopping power. All the full size pistols weigh in about the same so this really isn't an issue.
But, since a pistol is a last ditch defense weapon (except in possibly house clearing) I'd prefer the knock down power of a .45 to the capacity of a 9.

 

colt 1911 and walther p38 are my favs

 

I always like the luger. I love it shape :p

 

I think that the Colt M1911 would still be the official U.S. sidearm today if politics weren't involved in de-throning it. It can be a handful to shoot (practice, dammit!), but you only need hit a man once with it to stop him, unlike the FMJ 9mm.

tom

 

Colt 45 looks great!

 

M1911, mostly for the 45 caliber slug it fired. I would kill to get one...

 

M1911, mostly for the 45 caliber slug it fired. I would kill to get one...

No need to do that. Dealers have them, although prices in recent years have gone through the roof, at least for all original examples, of both M1911s and M1911A1s.

JT

 

Browning...It's the only one on the list that I've fired

 

Maybe I missed something...Still very green here. Typed in "Webley Fosbery" and variants, but no matches. This thread is the closest I could find....
" My two top choices would be either the M1911 .45 or a Webley .455 depending on whether you prefer an automatic or a rewallah "
Was the Fosbery auto a good reliable gun compared to it's double action counterpart?

 

Was the Fosbery auto a good reliable gun compared to it's double action counterpart?


Not reliable at all. The elaborate groves in the cylinder were very prone to collecting dirt and grime and then 'she a no worka no more'

Neat design but a dead branch on the evolutionary tree.

Dave

 

Ballykinler 1970s the armoury had a collection of 'recovered' weapons. Posted there as a NITAT instructor the armoury was a place we all headed and the undignified begging started 'can I?, NO! Go on... Had a go at quite a few weapons. The Sergeant instructor from the Royal Ulster Constabulary was not a fan of the old .45 calibre stuff and said so. The demo he liked to show was a flak jacket on a mannequin. Thompson, MKVI Webley 455 Colt 1911 would not do as much damage as the Hi Power 9mm Browning. The RUC were using if memory serves a Ruger .44 JHC that made a mess of the flak kit (ammo type!) We did at one time use .38 revolvers on checkpoints in the 1970s. Short lived - ammo supply and that somebody in NI had shot his mate negligently.

If asked to pick one I would like to fire again, not WW2. A 19th century coaching pistol owned by a collector, something very satisfying about the loading process and firing it. WW2 era the big Webley something very British about it. I first fired a Webley Mk VI as a cadet I can still remember the name beautifully engraved along the barrel. 'Lieutenant Im Thurn Hampshire Regiment (WW1)


The 9mm Hi power would still be the choice for 'work!' There were times when a larger capacity mag was issued,


Glassmullen camp 1980s Underground pipe range. Sgt H. R of the RUC offered a shot of his Ruger - holy moly. the shockwave of the thing in firing in a confined area as you fired down the concrete tube - Beast!