I was stationed in Newfoundland, where we had the old .45's, as the AF didn't want to send new small arms, as the contract called for Canada to get the base when we left. Shoulder arms were M-2 .30 carbines.
I found that our security augmentees and even some fellow AP's did not know how to operate these WWII vintage arms! And most didn't really care. They just assumed/hoped that if war came, the Russians wouldn't land troops to take out our radar station or attack Ernest Harmon AFB, some 30 or so miles distant from our more remote radar station.
I tore down several guns and built me a Colt (I think it had all Colt parts) with wide hammer spur and all checkered non-slip surfaces. Everything was in really nice condition, too. I wish that I could have kept that gun.
I did own a Gold Cup bought at the BX and the British surplus one bought earlier in Denver. I'd left it with my family when heading to Nfld. Took just a .303 SMLE and a Husqvarna .270, having moose and maybe caribou in mind. I bought a Remington M-1100 shotgun while there, but never got to hunt birds.
The country was wild and beautiful, and I got to fish salmon rivers that were open to public fishing, unlike many waters containing Atlantic salmon. This being in Canada, I couldn't carry a pistol in the woods, and even long arms had to be carried only in season, by licensed hunters.
I was worried about black bears, even moose, which do occasionally attack people. The most lethal weapon I could carry off base was my Randall Model 3 hunting knife, with six-inch blade. BTW, a good rap on the head from the spine of a stout knife will kill most trout quickly.
I still miss that Colt .45 that I assembled for duty wear. My commander couldn't care less which holster I wore, so I got a Safariland that was sort of the auto equivalent to the Tom Threepersons style. I also took a black GI M-1916 holster that I think I bought in Denver. I wore whichever holster I wanted on a given day. And I carried a Henckels lockblade folding hunting knife in a flight jacket or parka pocket, and a Wostenholm I*XL Scout knife or a Swiss Army knife, in my trousers. I got the Victorinox knife by mail while stationed there, from Hunting World in NYC. Cost me about $5.95, but that was more money then than modern kids think. Bob Lee, a safari hunter who owned Hunting World, had mentioned Swiss Army knives in his books, and I was keen to try one. I've loved them ever since.
Of course, I had my beloved Randall sheath knife, but couldn't wear it on duty.
The very first 1911 I ever handled was a true M-1911, a Colt that had belonged to a boyhood friend's grandfather, an officer in WWI. I got to play with it some, and learned how to field strip one, and I was already reading Jeff Cooper, so knew what a fine design it was, and it fit my hand well.
This topic has taken me back many years, and you now know my history with the famous Colt pistol. I still think it's a premier fighting handgun.
I instilled a fondness for it in my son, who occasionally carried one in Iraq, as a contractor after completing his Army service. But his employer had limited .45 ammo and few magazines. He fired four mags of 9mm ammo in a couple of engagements, and liked the MK III Browning Hi-Power even more, so that's what he usually carried. ( While a US soldier, he was, not surprisingly, limited to the Beretta M-9, which he found to be very effective.) He now has .45 autos, but still uses 9mm's more.
That's the story of my family's involvement with Colt's Government Model .45 auto. I like it.
) is to find a plain 1911 or 1911A1 in great condition as a collectible and just enjoy the ownership until it is passed on to the next generation.
