Tanker Handguns 2..USA and Russian

[43rdRecceReg]

After posting a little piece with pics on the theme of WW2 sidearms used by tankers, I realised I'd overlooked the Yanks and the Russians.Tut!Tut! Well, Yanks used the Colt (Browning designed) M1911,.45ACP semiautomatic. It managed only 830fps, but had masses of latent energy and stopping power behind the .45 slug. (For those "You feeling lucky, Punk..or Panzer" moments..). This model is made by Norinco, in China, but was fun to fire..if a tad heavy and clunky. Yanks also often kept grenades and 'Grease guns' in their Ronsons (aka The Sherman), but I don't have access to these..
Russians were equipped with the Tokarev TT-33, 7.62 semiautomatic. It was a short recoil locked breech pistol, capable of 1500fps. As with Russian weaponry in general, it was simple (bore some resemblance to the M1911 in design), rugged and reliable.
Millions were produced, and it was made well into the 1950s when it was superseded my Putin's wee macho piece, the Makarov.
The second pic has all the main WW2 tanker self-defence weapons: Enfield; P38; Luger; Colt, and 1911. Lucky me, I get to fire them all!! Incidentally, it was harder to find background info on Tank crew weaponry than I'd thought. Maybe it was assumed they'd all be medium rare after a hit, or reduced to human jigsaws; and handguns weren't really their thing. In reality, many did escape after 'brewing up', and had to remember their basic training skills to survive. German crews also had the MP40 (Schmeisser) on board to deter
would be captors...

[ALPHA]

That's some collection you got there 43...I like them all...Makes me Jealous ...Had a small collection myself...sold them when I moved here to Hawaii...the laws here stink...so I just didn't want to go through the Hassle of registering them here ...in a way I miss them...in a way I don't...it's too close quartered here to get any "good" shooting in ...part of the reason I got into airsoft...because I can just step out of the door...and fire away lol

Maybe later when there is more time available ...I will post a few pics...

ALPHA

[43rdRecceReg]

Well. Aloha Alpha.
These represent a small snapshot of my son's collection (I bought him a Walther PPK to add to it). It has grown from an initial WW2 theme, to embrace WW1 and modern military weaponry, I have to go to Switzerland regularly to enjoy it all; but that's hardly an onerous undertaking!! Gun laws are surprisingly relaxed there; but then so are the Swiss, and homicidal types are as rare there as rocking horse shit. Here in Scotland, even airsoft comes under scrutiny...and that's odd, given that we seem to be perpetually at war with someone or other ...although you can own a claymore (sword)..so long as it stays on the wall of your castle.
My son has an airsoft SA80 A2 L85, which looks and feels like the real thing; but getting hold of one in Britain almost involves joining up! But i enjoy his K98; Sig550 (assault rifle); AR15; K31; and Romanian AK47...We were going to acquire an MP40 (.22 version)
for a Christmas shootfest, but the pedal extremity disaster has put that, and the fragrant Glühwein on hold....

[ALPHA]

Can't beat Switzerland lol....last I've heard ...if you reside there ...there is a required 30,000 round per household law in place ...you get some kind of warning if you don't
I can't understand why there is so much hub bub about firearms....sure there are nutsos out there...but I tell ya...if that nutso knew he was going to get shot back at...I'm pretty sure he'd think twice about pulling the trigger ...Reason in my mind...instead of regulation of firearms...there should be more deregulation ...allowing more people to carry
Anyway ...cutting to airsoft...these are two of my favorites from my collection

One is a standard length barrel....the other version with the longer a Navy
there is an artillery version ...I passed on that because of the way the barrel was mounted...there was a little shake in it that put me off

Op is exactly like the real deal ...though there is very little recoil ...there is no shell that ejects ...Both are full metal aside from the grips...they shoot at about 380 fps...They are both gas powered ....so you can use propane...or airsoft gas
the magazines hold 15 rounds....the Drum 50....(and you just know I had to have the drum) lol

The one in particular in your son's list that I like is the AK....AK anything lol....in airsoft I think they are the best for battling....they have the largest magazines ...friendliest gearboxes to upgrade...and easy to handle ....I have many ...my favorite of the bunch is the Hungarian AK 65...it's full metal front to rear..folding rear stock....I upgraded mine to have full metal innards + a High torque JG "red" motor....left the fps stock....felt it was good enough lol...but the rate of fire is upped to about 32 per min ...some like it higher....and though I have done that mod for others....found it isn't really practical....32 is good ...after all in airsoft similarly to real shooting...one hit is good enough

Apologies for boring you with these things...

ALPHA

[43rdRecceReg]

No apologies needed, they look like good bits of engineering to me. I did see an airsoft Gatling gun on Youtube, and a particularly interesting video of an airsoft armed rc plane shooting down another rc plane. The observer witnesses the action from a camera mounted in the attacking aircraft! Neat, really nifty bit of flying- and timing too...

[jackalope]

Have a Luger, a 1911 .45 (not to mention many others) and I must say a .45 in a battlefield environment would be what I'd want. The Luger, even though it's a work of art, is fragile and does NOT like dirt or to not be squeaky clean.....not good for someone on a battlefield that the last thing you can do is take time to keep your sidearm squeaky clean. A .45 you can drop in mud, pick up, shake it off and punch VERY large holes in someone.

The Luger has the .45 beat in point shooting, you can see what you want to shoot, close your eyes, draw your Luger point where you want to shoot and that's where the bullets will go period!

But regardless just for durability, ease of care, ruggedness and stopping power I'll take the .45 every day of the week!

Funniest part is my wife says a 9mm is like a "pop gun" but she LOVES her 1911 .45.

[43rdRecceReg]

It's the Sig Sauer P226 (9mm) for me, for accuracy and dependability. The Luger has such tight tolerances (I knew someone like that!), that it's tricky to service- in a hurry. Yep, the .45 has the stopping power, but bulky, and it's not as accurate as the Sig....

[43rdRecceReg]

It's the Sig Sauer P226 (9mm) for me, for accuracy and dependability. The Luger has such tight tolerances (I knew someone like that!), that it's tricky to service- in a hurry. Yep, the .45 has the stopping power, but bulky, and it's not as accurate as the Sig....

[jackalope]

IDK 43, my match grade .45 will drive tacks and will stop a moose! LOL! Never messed with a Sig but it's still just a 9mm.....wife said it best, "pop gun".

[ALPHA]

I like the Sig...they do make a 45 version...and I was tempted...once again gun laws here suck...add to that I couldn't shoot it with my left hand...with a good ol' Colt...dead shot...so I passed on them lol
I say them because I can shoot two Colts...so If I can't do that with the Sig...there is no sense in bothering with it

ALPHA