[Sheslinger]

Ok, what is the one that is mentioned or known the most and even became a synonym with the word "gun"? I am talking about the places where people might have only heard of guns from books and movies (e.g., Soviet Union republics).

Colt .45?

Sheslinger

[OEF_VET]

I've got to agree with you on the Colt .45. You just mention the number 45 when talking about guns, and that's the mental picture most people get. I think it has something to do with the fact that John M. Browning is God's gunsmith.

[tiberius]

Even though my favorite personal pistol is a Colt's GM, when I hear "Colt .45" I think of the Peacemaker, not the M1911. Isn't the conventional slang for the M1911 "Colt Auto" or "Colt Automatic"?

[cratz2]

When I heear '45', I think of the 1911. Same thing woth 'Colt 45' but '45 Colt' brings to mind the longer cartridge and the single action revolver.

[Tamara]

Yup, probably the Colt SAA.

[Kaylee]

Hrmm.. it depends, I think.

When non-gun people want a symbolic representation of "gun" the most common thing chosen (UN building, "no carry" signs, etc) at least in my experience has been a revolver.
(edit to add... with the M9..rmmmm.. Beretta 92 profile coming in a close second on "no carry" signs)

As far as "most famous" gun... these days I'd say AK. I don't think there's a person on the planet that doesn't know what one of those things looks like, given several decades of the Soviets handing 'em out like candy all over the globe.

I've heard "Colt 45" used to refer both to the 1911 pattern AND the Model P pattern. I suspect the term existed prior to the 1911, and some folks changed their usage and some didn't. No idea if that's true or not though. Any firearm entymologists here?

:confused:

-K

[TheeBadOne]

Winchester 94. All those cowboy movies I wached as a kid made the lever action rifle easy to recognize. The .45 was on everyone, but the lever action made it's mark with the "cream of the crop" charectors. True Gritt, The Rifleman, A Fist Full Of Dollars, etc.

[winstonsmith]

Either AK or uzi. Ak for ubiquity, and uzi just for plain coolness.

[T.Stahl]

Colt? No.

I nominate THE "Kalashnikov" aka "Kaschi" or "AK". Known all over the world and probably more widespread than Coca Cola.

[Majic]

Colt .45 dates back to 1873 with it's appearance on the market.

Alot of the Winchesters were in fact Marlins.

Ak's are popular, but alot of people don't know the difference in a Ak and a SKS.

Dirty Harry made the model 29 famous. Most people see a large frame revolver and they think it's a .44mag.

[Norwegian]

For me it is the Colt 45 ( 1911 ) , that comes to mind first , along with the Beretta 92 fs :)

[Feanaro]

The AK. Romantic comedy movies have AKs in them.

[gudel]

for normal people who never use a gun, i'd say AK and a Glock because it's all over the media.

ask anyone, hey, that so and so uses Glock, oh yeah that automatic is AK.
you ask them, is that 1911? they would be like, huh? :D

actually some people i know never heard of HK ;)

[firestar]

In today's world, I think Glock is another word for handgun. 10 years ago it would have been the Colt .45. Also it depends on what area of the world you are talking about. I would suppose that a AK-47 is known all around the world even in backwards countries.

[DHH]

I think for visual recognition the Luger would be first.
However, just in conversation, if you said.....

automatic rifle---AK or AR (for the oldsters BAR)
semiauto pistol---Glock or Beretta or Colt .45(1911 will cause ???)
revolver---would vary by the person
cowboy---SAA (would be unaware others existed)
rifle---would vary-anything from sniper rifle to a levergun

I'm sure other folks have different ideas or could add on.


Go easy,
DH

[SquirrelNuts]

I think of Glocks when I hear the word gun. I think this is due to teaching "Glock" to my best friend's two-year old son. I point to a gun and say "Giovanni, what is that?" He says "GLOCK!" I then ask him "what does the Glock say?" He responds "CAP! CAP! SUCKA!"

-SquirrelNuts

[BlkHawk73]

I'd go with either the Colt SAA or the 1911. I think what image comes to peoples minds when Colt 45 is mentioned depends gratly on the context it's used in.

[Shooter973]

The AK is probubly the most recognized gun in the world , but the most famous IMHO would be the 6.5 Mann. Caracno of JFK fame and supposedly used by Lee H. Oswald. Amazingly the 264 Win Mag shoots the same size bullet and was considered a hot round and was available at the same time. But of course there was only 1 shooter and he used that old Italian Bolt action, and magic bullets. :what: :evil:

[Nippy]

the most well or widely known would probably be the AK and then the M16 because of western TV and movies in countries that have them. And the ones that don't, see AKs because of their military/militia/terrorists.

The Garand would be the most 'famous" for me.

[txgolfer45]

Modern rifles - AK47 or M16
Revolvers - S&W .357
Pistols - German Luger or M1911

[Ringer]

44 Magnum!

Did I fire 6 shots, or only 5?

[hops]

Most Famous or well known?

Most famous?

The gun used to shoot Pres. Lincoln.
The gun used to shoot Pres. Wm. McKinley
The gun used to shot the Arch Duke of Austria-Hungary?
The Rifle to shoot Pres. JFK?
The PPK Der Fuehrer used?
The dueling pistol that shot Hamilton?
The 2 pistols that misfired when shot at Andrew Jackson?

I'm sure I missed a few as far as guns used in historical killings.

Tough call....

Most well know/recognized?

The Lugar for pistols (world wide).
The AK for assault rifles.
The Winchester Lever action rifle.
The Thompson I would think too because of all the Gangster flicks.

[Mike Irwin]

S&W K-frame Military & Police.

[cool45auto]

Got to be the 1911, or the "saturday night special."

[Sunray]

TheeBadOne, not a 94 but certainly a lever action Winchester. Followed closely by a SAA. Then a SXS shotgun and distantly by everything else. One must remember that the Eastern Block didn't get those decadent cowboy and John Wayne movies.

[Kaylee]

not just the movies... a world-travelling friend of mine has told me that lever-action rifles are virtually unknown outside the US. Outside of a couple military shipments on a small scale, they never got exported much apparently.. by the time they were really picking up steam, the bolt gun was on the scene.

She said Lee-Enfields were all over Africa though. :)

-K

[Brian Williams]

I asked My non-gun Wife what she thought and she answered a Cowboy gun "you know the one with the wood handle and the metal barrel".
I think an AR or AK, may be a Luger or Beretta,

[Malone LaVeigh]

My vote is for whatever New England long rifle fired the "shot heard round the world."

[45R]

The TommyGun :)

[444]

No question it would be the AK. If anyone knows what a gun is, they know what an AK is. They may not know it by name, but ............. By the same token, the uneducated commonly refer to any "assult rifle" as an AK even if it isn't.

For the same kind of reason, the M16 is probably second.