NOTE I DON’T WANT THIS TO DEVOLVE INTO GUN CONTROL DEBATE THERE’S OTHER TOPICS FOR THAT.
Yeah I know some crazy Republicans politicians want to make the AR-15 the National Gun but that’s a total publicity stunt, I’m curious though what gun SHOULD be if we somehow fixed all problems and had to make a National Gun? I understand certain states DO have National Guns so it’s not like this is a brand new concept.
Maybe it’s just me, but the you really can’t beat the Colt M1911. It’s a timeless handgun that doesn’t have the initial malfunction baggage of the M16, served the US military officially for 80 years and unofficially for over 100 years, and most of all had a really cool inventor in John Moses Browning with a fascinating story all his own.
It boggles my mind that the AR-15 platform has somehow come to be regarded as “America’s Gun”, given what a compromised design it is and how long it took to make it reasonably reliable and functional.
Setting that aside, and ignoring the more horrendous impacts of Westward expansion, I would argue that the Winchester Model 1873 should be the “National Gun” given its ubiquitous role in ‘conquering’ the West.
Yeah really … Or the Colt Peacemaker. “Iconic legends” in the formation of the national mythos.
(My suspicion about the AR-15 as “National Gun” is that in view of how the Army is finally moving away from the platform, the various makers who made bank from the AR platform going off-patent are lobbying to get themselves some backing to keep sales up.)
Yeah, that is a very iconic gun and worked very nicely for over a hundred years, but I’m a bigger fan of the M1 Garand.
The Garand was almost idiot proof, ate what it was fed and could be dropped in the Korea mud by a 19 year old farm boy but would still save his life during a firefight so he could make happy fun times with my mom when he got home, hence pre-emptively saving my life.
I’d have to go with the Colt Single Action Army (Peacemaker) that went into service in 1873. First, it’s a firearm that’s called the Peacemaker and there’s something so very American about that. Second, as a six-shooter, it harkens back to our old west myths of rugged individuals civilizing the frontier.
The AR-15 is a good contender I suppose. What makes it so popular today is that it’s a reliable platform that you can customize howevery you want. Like Burger King, you can have it your way.
Good choice. Before reading this, I was leaning toward the Winchester Model 1894, as it has probably put more venison on more tables than any other gun made. But I think the 1873 is more historically significant.
