Favorite Firearm Era

[TanklessPro]

What is your favorite firearm era? With all of the styles of firearms which do you prefer the most. This poll is just for your opinion. If you would like, please tell why you like that era the most. Was it an era that you grew up in, or fell in love with later. Does your collection consist of that era?

Just been doing some thinking. Sorry if some of the Eras are little broad.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Why, the period from the Civil War up till the turn of the century of course.
Love some single actions and lever guns. Also the advancement that was made at the latter part of that time period is amazing. Many designs that we still use 150+ years later. Pretty impressive.

 

[Dnaltrop]

Model 10 / Original M&P predates WWI by 15 years at 1899... Just sayin'

I'm happy from the Volcanic onward however, Don't mind the modern ones, but Old steel always has my eye first.

 

[BUCKrub91]

pre ww1 is what I voted for

 

[Deus Machina]

They're all good and getting better.

I voted for WW2 era, though. That was a period of vast and impressive improvements in technique and technology.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

You forgot the future. I'm betting it only gets better.

 

[Robert]

D. All of the above.

Honestly I can find something I like in just about any era. I love firearms of all kinds and time periods.

 

[csa77]

i vote pre-wwI, becuase my favorite gun of all time was made then, the lee metford. you also get then krag the henry martini, NO1 MKI, and alot of others i cant think of atm

 

[Robert]

Ok I have to ask, why the Metford over the Enfield?

 

[csa77]

i don't know why really, its always seems to me to be the most classic of all the antique military rifles. it also reminds me of the height of the British empire
its also the gun that introduced the .303

 

[Dr.Rob]

Pre war (ww2) when it comes to collecting.

 

[Robert]

The only reason I asked is the Lee Metford and the Lee Enfield were pretty much the same rifle except for the rifling used in the barrels. The LE had "modern" rifling for use with the new cordite rounds. The LM barrel was not suited for cordite. There were a few other minor differences but that was the big one. Either way the MLM or MLE are both very cool rifles and I'd love to have a No1 Mk1 one day.

 

[BullRunBear]

Voted for the pre-Civil War period because of interest in colonial and early American history through the mountain man era, the time of frontiers and exploration. My home town was established about 20 years after Plymouth and I grew up with buildings and artifacts from the 1600s through the 1830s. Learning I had ancestors who fought on both sides of the F&I War (one in the local Quebec militia and one in a Highland Regiment) cemented the interest. Except for a replica 45-70 rolling block, my BP guns reflect the earlier periods.

I also prefer the pace of ML shooting and all the gadgets that go with it.

The pre-WWI era was a close second with the SAA-style cartridge guns, lever actions (can you say Marlin?), and the bolt action infantry rifle. The modern stuff, Glocks, ARs, etc, just never got me excited. No criticism, just personal preference.

Jeff

 

[tarosean]

If it wasnt for the '68 GCA and '86 FOPA I would vote for now... However we cannot have some of the really neat guns to hit the world in recent years..

 

[bannockburn]

I would have to say my primary interests would be with the advent of the metallic cartridge era. Not to take anything away from Colonel Colt and his black powder revolvers, or from the elegant simplicity (and amazing accuracy), of a Kentucky Long Rifle.

It's just that I think firearms innovation really took off exponentially after metallic cartridges were introduced, and continues to expand and explore new concepts and designs. So if I had to choose a specific time period I would say from the Pre WW1 Era to the Present...and beyond.

 

[Ranger30-06]

I love anything that isn't black powder lol. If it shoots a cased cartridge, I'm all over it!

 

[fireman 9731]

I like any gun with some history to behind it. Weather it be my Mosin Nagants, Mausers, or Tokarevs. Any guns that are known to of been used in battle, especially A Russian capture German K-98 thats next on my list. Any firearm with some military lineage is always neat.

The new ones not so much... to me at least. I wouldn't take a Glock if somebody gave it to me, BUT, if it was Saddam Husiens's Glock, thats a different story.

 

[Loosedhorse]

The era just before the NFA. Even thought the S&W Registered Magnum came a year later.

Still, there were two bursts of firearms creativity in the 20th Century: the development of assault rifles after WWII (leading to everything from the FAL to the AUG), and the development of police/SD pistols in the 1970s and '80s, after Munich (leading to the P5, P6, P7, Glock 17, and all their children and cousins).

 

[4v50 Gary]

BullRunBear. Which Highland regiment?

Regarding the question, I like them all. The last few years were devoted to black powder including flintlocks and Minie guns.

 

[happygeek]

Why'd you split WWI & WWII into two different things to vote for? We're one of the few countries that was using a new rifle in WWII.

Being of the lower income type, I prefer what's cheap and available, i.e. mostly combloc surplus (WWI, WWII, and Cold War on your poll).

BTW, contrary to Call of Duty Black Ops, the AK-74 wasn't in Vietnam; it's first combat was the Soviet-Afghan War in the 80s.

 

[Eric M]

I can't pick just one, there's something interesting to me in all or almost all of them. If I had to pick I'd say the Vietnam era because of the AR-15 and legal manufacture of new full autos.

 

[Old Time Hunter]

Why, the period from the Civil War up till the turn of the century of course.
Love some single actions and lever guns. Also the advancement that was made at the latter part of that time period is amazing. Many designs that we still use 150+ years later. Pretty impressive.

Ditto,

The time period beginning with the use of cartridge firearms, right up until WW1. OP has some of the best rifles in the wrong era though. The K98, 1903, Mosin-Nagant, Lee-Enfield, and the such were all pre-WW1. But the Spencer's, Trapdoor's, Mauser 71/84, Berdan's, Snider's, which led to the Commission 88's, the Enfields, M96 Swedes, and our own Krag's. The icing on the cake for me was the prevelance of the leverguns, from the Sharp's, Winchester's, to the Marlin's and Ballard's.

Still think it is pretty impressive to read about the Sandy Hook's trials were the venerable Trapdoor was still effective at over a couple miles. Especially a guy hitting a target that far without the aid of optical enhancers and off hand!

 

[valnar]

I chose the WW1 Era, but that's because those firearms have become available to me. I suppose if I was allowed to buy genuine M14's and M16's, I may have voted differently.

 

[pockets]

(D) All of the above.

I currently have a number of guns from each of the mentioned categories.
Over the decades I've owned and shot most everything from matchlocks to modern polymer.

Note: IMO, The poll is missing some 'eras'. There were a few hundred years of firearm development before the 'Civil War' and the change to self-contained cartridge ammunition. I know folks tend to lump it all into 'muzzle-loaders', but there were several eras within that lump.


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[scramasax]

Tough choice for me. You skirt around the time frame that I have had the most fun. The beginning of the auto pistol era. From around 1890 to 1939. There were so many different designs of semi auto pistols that it was an engineers acid trip. Rube goldberg was the inspiration of the day. The rifles were stodgy by comparison. They were designed by old soldier commities, still stuck in the singleshot era. While pistols were desiigned for the fashion public.

Good thread btw.

Cheers,

ts