RedPointGS
Member
Hey ya'll~
I started shooting rifles and shotguns as a kid and bought my first .22 when I was 10 years old. My Cherokee Grandfather, Pap, took me under his wing and taught me to shoot and how to sight in guns and with his help my old .22 single shot rifle became a tack driver. His best guess about the rifle was that it had been used by the military as a trainer just before World War II. (A quick note, if anyone reading this is a World War II Vet, thank you for saving the world! I respect all Veterans, I'm one myself but, the men and women who served in World War II, like my Pap, a naval gunner in the Pacific, hold a very special place in my heart for literally saving the world from the Axis Powers.)
Anyway, although my Pap taught me to shoot pistols too he primarily focused on rifles and shotguns while teaching me. So when I joined the USAF I was shooting a powerful handgun for the first time and I fell head over heels for the M1911 A1. So much so that after my time in the service and I became a PI/Bodyguard, I carried a Colt Combat Commander in a Bianchi shoulder rig. That all changed when I witnessed a shootout between what I presumed were two rival gangs fighting for crack dealing territory in a neighborhood in Detroit. These guys were shooting at each other with fully automatic MAC-10s and mini-Uzis. I realized that even with 3 magazines for my Colt, I stood very little chance of walking away from any firefight with them. I just couldn't carry enough ammo to keep up with their spray and pray approach to things. Consequently, I went and bought a Ruger P-85 in 1987 when they first became available to the public after losing the battle to become the new official DOD sidearm to Beretta. I still think that was a major mistake on the part of DOD, but hey, it wasn't my choice.
A few days ago I was at an Ace Hardware store locally when I noticed they had started selling guns. In their handgun case was what looked like a shrunken M1911 and sure enough, it was a Browning M1911 380. I know the manager there very well and managed to get him over to the gun area and asked to check out the Browning. When I picked it up I was pleasantly surprised at the weight and all of the controls. They were exactly like my beloved 1911s! It was as if my hands didn't want to let it go. Being a Browning, it isn't an inexpensive gun to buy and I knew darned well that if I brought it home my wife would skin me alive. We have about 30 guns in the house and she thinks we have MORE than enough guns. While that may be true, the fact is I really love that little gun.
All of that backstory to get to this: Do any of you out there own one of these guns yet? If so what do you think of it? I have read glowing reviews but if I want one I'm going to have to sell off a gun or two to buy it without having my wife take me out in my sleep. That's it, that's all I want to know, what do you think of the Browning M1911 380?
Thanks in advance~
I started shooting rifles and shotguns as a kid and bought my first .22 when I was 10 years old. My Cherokee Grandfather, Pap, took me under his wing and taught me to shoot and how to sight in guns and with his help my old .22 single shot rifle became a tack driver. His best guess about the rifle was that it had been used by the military as a trainer just before World War II. (A quick note, if anyone reading this is a World War II Vet, thank you for saving the world! I respect all Veterans, I'm one myself but, the men and women who served in World War II, like my Pap, a naval gunner in the Pacific, hold a very special place in my heart for literally saving the world from the Axis Powers.)
Anyway, although my Pap taught me to shoot pistols too he primarily focused on rifles and shotguns while teaching me. So when I joined the USAF I was shooting a powerful handgun for the first time and I fell head over heels for the M1911 A1. So much so that after my time in the service and I became a PI/Bodyguard, I carried a Colt Combat Commander in a Bianchi shoulder rig. That all changed when I witnessed a shootout between what I presumed were two rival gangs fighting for crack dealing territory in a neighborhood in Detroit. These guys were shooting at each other with fully automatic MAC-10s and mini-Uzis. I realized that even with 3 magazines for my Colt, I stood very little chance of walking away from any firefight with them. I just couldn't carry enough ammo to keep up with their spray and pray approach to things. Consequently, I went and bought a Ruger P-85 in 1987 when they first became available to the public after losing the battle to become the new official DOD sidearm to Beretta. I still think that was a major mistake on the part of DOD, but hey, it wasn't my choice.
A few days ago I was at an Ace Hardware store locally when I noticed they had started selling guns. In their handgun case was what looked like a shrunken M1911 and sure enough, it was a Browning M1911 380. I know the manager there very well and managed to get him over to the gun area and asked to check out the Browning. When I picked it up I was pleasantly surprised at the weight and all of the controls. They were exactly like my beloved 1911s! It was as if my hands didn't want to let it go. Being a Browning, it isn't an inexpensive gun to buy and I knew darned well that if I brought it home my wife would skin me alive. We have about 30 guns in the house and she thinks we have MORE than enough guns. While that may be true, the fact is I really love that little gun.
All of that backstory to get to this: Do any of you out there own one of these guns yet? If so what do you think of it? I have read glowing reviews but if I want one I'm going to have to sell off a gun or two to buy it without having my wife take me out in my sleep. That's it, that's all I want to know, what do you think of the Browning M1911 380?
Thanks in advance~
