What did your grandparents pack for personal protection in the Golden Era?

[Mike1939]

On the flip side, there are a lot fewer people who, quite illogically and contrary to the actual research, view shovels and hammers as inherently evil in and of themselves and feel that, since they are afraid of them, no one else should be able to own one.

lol lol

 

[green papaya]

WWII Thompson sub-machine gun & M1911A1

my grandpa carried a US M1928 Thompson and a GI M1911A1 .45 automatic pistol

these weapons were left behind by US forces after WWII

he also had access to the US M1918 BAR light machine gun

they had all kinds of guns

also the Model 1896 Broomhandle mauser pistol

he liked guns

 

[MisterPaul]

Hey, new member here. This is my first post.

My grandfather was a feed salesman here in Southwest Missouri. The local hillbillies are NOT fond of strangers, and will still meet you at the door with a shotgun even today.
He carried a variety of "instruments" on his person and in his car. There was the braided leather lead head blackjack, the Colt .38 Police model, an axe handle in the front seat and a 12 gauge side-by-side in the trunk.
He said they were for the 'roaming dogs' in the country. Uh-huh, 'dogs'. Got it.
My other grandpa, a welder from Michigan, just carried a lead pipe in the gun rack of his Chevy pickup. I never understood why it was all dented up . . .

 

[Story]

Hey, new member here. This is my first post.

He said they were for the 'roaming dogs' in the country. Uh-huh, 'dogs'. Got it.
.

Sounds like two-legged curs.

Welcome aboard.

 

[Photog1812]

My Grandfather was the Chief of the Cook County Highway Police in the early 1900s. He carried a Harrington and Richardson .32 S&W 5 shot break open revolver with a concealed hammer. It was carried in a thin leather belt holster which rode outside of his vest and was concealed nicely by his suit coat.

I still have the badge, the gun, and the holster, which I obviously do not use, but both his wristwatch and pocket watch continue to perform the functions for which they were originally purchased.

 

[Chaperon]

Wife's Grandmother..

Except for my father's service in Korea, I'm not sure anyone carried anything, but on my wife's side they sure did. Her grandmother was seldom without a .38 Smith revolver. Her dad ran a roadside bar and grill and carried a .380 Beretta (I think .380 is right; it's been a few years).

I often carry a .357 S&W Centennial revolver in a Concealco holster. I load it with .38 wadcutters in summer and .357 semiwadcutters in the winter. Winter grab deminishes penatration. Conversely, I don't want over penatration in summer as having a bystander get wounded is an absolute no-no if it can in anyway be prevented.

BTW, the Concealco rig is the best holster I've tried by far. Really hids the piece well but is easily drawn from. Comfy to wear once you break it in and figure out where to excatly place it relative to hip structure, gun wieght, etc. Helps that it is ambidexterous also as I'm a lefty.

I sometimes carry a Colt Officer's Lightweight in of course .45 ACP, but I am not as confident in placing shots with it in a panic mode. I've just shot the Smith for so long that it is like an extra hand. Or a Japanese camera (point and shoot). Being confident in one's sidearm is as important (maybe more) than any other factor, IMHO.

Luckily where I live a permit is appropriately easy to get and one sees (if one looks carefully) a lot of hardware walking around....

 

[Chaperon]

typo

...oops - that's "winter garb", not "winter grab"....

 

[Sylvester D]

So it sounds like the Golden Era was also the dangerous era in that people regularly carried guns.

I don't think my grandfather carried a gun. Actually he used to say that as a boy they used to leave their doors open in the summer during day and at night to keep cool. And this was in a big city like Philadelphia.

It sounds like people in rural areas and out west were more likely to carry a gun

 

[Viola]

So it sounds like the Golden Era was also the dangerous era in that people regularly carried guns.

I don't think my grandfather carried a gun. Actually he used to say that as a boy they used to leave their doors open in the summer during day and at night to keep cool. And this was in a big city like Philadelphia.

It sounds like people in rural areas and out west were more likely to carry a gun

Both of my Philadelphia granddads carried. Well, my father's dad had a gun, I don't know that he carried it often. My other grandfather was a cabbie.

-Viola

 

[carebear]

You don't carry a gun because a place or time is "dangerous". You carry a gun for the same reason you keep a fire extinguisher in your car or insurance on your house. Forethought and preparedness.

You don't really expect danger or trouble and you aren't looking for it. You just want to be prepared with the right tool for the job in the unlikely event you do need it.

 

[Viola]

My one uncle who was in the OSS during WWII apparently had all kinds of souveniers.

My granddads were too young for WWII though.

-Viola

 

[mwelch8404]

my grandpa carried a US M1928 Thompson and a GI M1911A1 .45 automatic pistol

these weapons were left behind by US forces after WWII

he also had access to the US M1918 BAR light machine gun

they had all kinds of guns

also the Model 1896 Broomhandle mauser pistol

he liked guns

IIRC, only the civilians used drum magazines - the mil issue Thompson magazines were stick mags.

 

[Story]

IIRC, only the civilians used drum magazines - the mil issue Thompson magazines were stick mags.

True for the 100 round drums, but the 50 rounders were limited issue to US and UK forces early in the War. CROSBY made most of them, for use with the Model 1928(A1). The M1 Thompson won't accept them.

From
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showpost.php?p=340104&postcount=11

"DOGS OF WAR IN THE COAST GUARD: 'Man's best friend' is now an important member of the armed fighting forces. On a lonely outpost on the Atlantic, this alert, trained dog gives the signal of warning to the Coast Guardsmen who then challenges any suspected enemy spies and saboteurs."; Coast Guard Photo No. 726; date/photographer unknown.

 

[John in Covina]

THe police would avail themselves of drum magazines for Thompsons TOO!

Thompson - On the side of Law & Order!

 

[Diamondback]

THe police would avail themselves of drum magazines for Thompsons TOO!

Thompson - On the side of Law & Order!

As would some of the corporate buyers, IIRC NYTimes had a few for one, along with quite a few banks...

 

[Miss Lucy June]

hahahaha...I have seen this thread going on under "new posts" and I always thought it was about the other type of personal protection!

whoops!

 

[Diamondback]

What, Miss LJ, you didn't know? Feminine protection:

Contraceptives, for an invited, welcome partner.

"Percussive persuasion", for encouraging unwelcome would-be partners to go seek to inflict themselves on someone more willing.

 

[JohnTheGreek]

Let it be known that not all Europeans are deprived of firearms ownership. Many in Crete, though guns have been illegal (or at least highly restricted) in Greece for a long time, simply refuse to give them up. They are heirlooms as we are discussing them here and weapons of various semi-auto and full-auto varieties are brought out at celebrations and fired into the air. This is a recognition of the current event's significance as well as a cultural reminder that freedom isn't "given" but is rather "retained" by at least the promise of force should it be threatened. After all, we're talking about an island that has been invaded and occupied repeatedly over the centuries and has only regained her freedom via violent uprising. It's a history of which we are very proud and, for this reason (meaning no offense), Cretan gun culture makes American gun culture look like amateur hour. I was on Crete for Easter last year and WWII surplus machine guns filled the streets around the Church with spent brass at midnight. Similarly, a few years ago, the president of Greece visited the island and several celebratory shots rang out. A reporter asked the president if he was afraid and he simply responded "This is Crete, I expect it". I actually think he might have been more worried had the Cretans not reacted in such a positive way to his arrival.

As for my family, I have photos with my grandfather's brothers holding WWI surplus rifles and S&W break-top revolvers. Once in America, my grandfather had a very nice spanish made .38 long colt revolver. Still own it, still shoot it. What's really great fun is going to Cretan weddings in America. To set the stage, understand that in my home town the Greek Orthodox Church is in a very upscale neighborhood. Naturally, heirloom guns make their way to every wedding and the cops come within half an hour after they are fired outside during the reception or right at the end of the ceremony. Cops come, everyone denies everything, cops leave...happens every time. I've never seen an arrest in 35 years. Same thing happened new years eve 2000 though we did have one minor casualty. A Cretan buddy of mine lives in a very nice neighborhood overlooking the valley. He had a new years eve party and I knew that guns were mandatory as the shooting would start at about one second past midnight. Well, of course I was right but was concerned as everyone (about seven or eight of us) was firing out over the valley. Not wanting anyone to get hurt, I fired down into his back lawn. Several weeks later I get a phone call asking if I was the one who fired into the grass. Turns out his father got a water bill for $500 that month as I had apparently shot a main line going into their sprinkler system. lol


Anyway, sorry for getting a bit fftopic: but I was trying to ilustrate that I see lots of heirloom weaponry in Greece and the U.S.



Best,

John

 

[Harry Pierpont]

IIRC, only the civilians used drum magazines - the mil issue Thompson magazines were stick mags.

A lot of drum mags were issued in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

 

[Twitch]

Carebear you say "You don't carry a gun because a place or time is "dangerous". You carry a gun for the same reason you keep a fire extinguisher in your car or insurance on your house. Forethought and preparedness."

You know the old adage "it's better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it." Goes for defensive firearms and fire extinguishers.