# ... So what should the National Gun of the United States be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 23, 2023, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069 "2023-04-23T03:27:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/61 "2023-04-24T07:50:51Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > We usually track it back to the Iroquois, here And I didn’t know _that_. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/62 "2023-04-24T08:49:47Z")
I know very little about guns but, as an outsider, if pushed to name one that embodies the USA for me I’d have to say the Colt 45 “peacemaker” is about as iconic as is gets (right up there with the AK47 but of course cut from a rather different cloth) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/63 "2023-04-24T11:41:56Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Why do you list the M-1 carbine? I just liked shooting it. Had a good feel and seemed like a good bush gun with the shorter length, but memories from 50 years ago can be fuzzy. I fired the M-14 in competition: much more solid than its successor, although not any more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/64 "2023-04-24T11:55:14Z")
Supposedly inaccurate, well, some claim uncontrollable on full auto. How was the M-14 on automatic for you? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/65 "2023-04-24T12:33:31Z")
There was no full auto function for the M-14 or the M-1 carbine. The automatic weapon was the BAR, which I never fired. By most accounts, it was heavy and hard to control. But any weapon on full auto will climb. I fired the M-16 on auto, and you could hold it down with some effort, but it, like most automatics, are meant to be fired in short bursts. ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/66 "2023-04-24T22:21:29Z")
Coming in late here with a nomination for the Springfield Model 1861… because it was the weapon, in the hands of the Grand Army of the Republic, that crushed the traitors. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/67 "2023-04-25T00:41:05Z")
Was that part of the War of Northern Aggression? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/68 "2023-04-25T00:57:00Z")
Please. The rightful suppression of the traitorous rebellion. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/69 "2023-04-25T01:00:10Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > There was no full auto function for the M-14 Early M-14s had a full-auto option, but they found that the recoil was too heavy for accurate full-auto fire. I believe most of the early full-auto M-14s ended up being converted to semi-auto only. Later M-14s were produced as semi-auto only. The only M-14 I have ever personally had my hands on was semi-auto only. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2023, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069/70 "2023-04-25T04:33:36Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > I vote for the M1911 or the Colt Peacemaker for the National Handgun. > > The Garand M1 or the Winchester Model 1873 for the National Rifle. Exactly what I was going to say. So I’ll just second this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-should-the-national-gun-of-the-united-states-be/983069.md?page=3)