If you were Indiana Jones what would you carry?

[grendelbane]

For a rifle, I think that the choice is obvious. The Winchester model 94, in 30-30!

The shotgun could be an 1897 or model 12 Winchester, or a nice take-down like my Remington model 10.

The main handgun would be a Colt Cov't model in .45 ACP. The backup-hideout would be a .22LR revolver on a small frame with a short barrel. Choose from Colt, or S&W, or even Iver Johnson, H&R, or others.

30-30, 12 gauge, and .22LR should be as available worldwide as anything else. .45 ACP was probably not quite as common, but Colt did ship a lot of Gov't models all around the globe.

There were certainly many more powerful rifles at that time, and even a few that shot quicker or farther than the lever 30-30, but it was, and is, a good combination of power, speed, range, accuracy, and ammunition availability. If the hero is going to do any actual hunting, he might like to have something with a bit more punch available. Perhaps a .375 H&H.

A good choice for a pocket auto would be the Savage. It came with the politically correct 10 round magazine decades before it was required by law.

 

[ARGarrison]

Pistol would be a M1911A1 in .45 ACP. I thought about the M1917 revolver, but full and half moon clips no thank you.

As for a rifle My first thought is the SMLE. The Britsh Empire reached far and wide back then and ammo should be easy to come by in some far off land. Like wise a Webly III M&P revolver in .38 S&W (380/200) would be a good choice.

If I knew I was going only to South America I'd most likely go with a Mauser in 7x57 Mauser. Many a goverment in South America were armed with these, thus ammo could be had in remote places.

If I was running off and coming home on a reguler basis like Indy, after all he was college profeser, I'd most likely have a good ol' American Winchester 1895 chambered for 30-06 and pack my ammo with me.

Shotgun most likely a Winchester 1897 take down 12 ga in a roit gun configuration.

 

[MrMurphy]

The M1917 also came in the Triple Lock version, .45 Colt.

 

[Gordy Wesen]

2 1911's, of course.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

It would be a toss up between the webley and the 1911 for a holster pistol, but i think i'd have to give the nod to the 1911, because it can also be concealed pretty well.


BUG would have to be a j-frame in .38 special.


longarms would include an AUto-5 with peep sights, an SMLE with peep sights, and a square bridge magnum length mauser in one of the large express cartridges.

 

[Model520Fan]

Smoke got it right. I would want a small revolver as a backup, but where conditions are dirty or sandy, a 1911 is a must.

No autoloader puts out projectiles faster than an A5, and it stays loaded while you're using it.

 

[Onmilo]

S&W Triplelock, 4" .44 special.
Winchester Model 12 short barrel, open bored 12 guage.
Colt 1903 in .32 acp as a back up.
After 1930 I would have added a Walther PP in .32 acp as my back up gun.

 

[otomik]

Browning Hi-Power, i run into so many Nazis with 9mm ammo.
Browning Auto-5 w/ barrel cut down to mag tube, I hate snakes, and they're so hard to hit!
I don't need a rifle, a rifle is more offensive in nature, and when i have to stay and fight it always seems to come down to fisticuffs anyway.

 

[roo_ster]

Assumption:
I must travel the world. That means German/Euro Africa, Brit Africa & India, S America, East Asia, wherever. I would mainitan an all-inclusive armory & adjust what got packed to be in line with what I might find at my destination.

* Places where .45ACP/.30-06 might be available:
Colt 1911 .45ACP (2 of 'em & plenty of mags)
S&W 1917 in .45ACP w/ moonclips
S&W 1917 in .45ACP w/ moonclips with bbl cut to 2"
Webley Mk VI converted to .45ACP w/ moonclips
S&W I-frame snubbie in .38S&W-380/200
Springfield in .30-06, with decent aperture sights, maybe sporterized
Browning Auto-5 12ga, short bbl
Thompson SMG .45ACP
Mauser 98 Safari Rifle in .375H&H

* Brit/former Brit Areas:
Webley Mk VI in original .455 Webley (2 of 'em & lotsa .455)
Webley Mk VI in original .455 Webley with bbl cut to 2"
S&W I-frame snubbie in .38S&W-380/200
Enfield in .303, with decent aperture sights, maybe sporterized
Browning Auto-5 12ga, short bbl
Schmeisser MP18 SMG in 9mm
Mauser M712 9mm machine pistol (think select-fire C96)
Mauser 98 Safari Rifle in .375H&H

* German/Euro or former former German/Euro Areas:
Browning High-Power (after 1935) or Luger (before 1935) [3 of 'em & plenty of mags)
S&W I-frame snubbie in .38S&W-380/200
Mauser 98 in 8x57, with decent aperture sights, maybe sporterized
Browning Auto-5 12ga, short bbl
Schmeisser MP18 SMG in 9mm
Mauser M712 9mm machine pistol (think select-fire C96)
Mauser 98 Safari Rifle in .375H&H

* South American Areas:
Browning High-Power (after 1935) or Luger (before 1935) [3 of 'em & plenty of mags)
S&W I-frame snubbie in .38S&W-380/200
Mauser in 7x57, with decent aperture sights, maybe sporterized
Browning Auto-5 12ga, short bbl
Schmeisser MP18 SMG in 9mm
Mauser M712 9mm machine pistol (think select-fire C96)
Mauser 98 Safari Rifle in .375H&H

That ought to cover it.

 

[Joe Demko]

Oh, I guess I'd go with something that has "screen presence." Broomhandle Mauser, maybe, or perhaps a Navy Luger for the primary handgun. I'd rilly rawk up there on the big screen with a stylin gat like one of those.
Lewis Guns also have star power, so I guess I'd need one of those, too. I'd want some kind of unique melee weapon as my signature item, like Jim Bowie's knife, Bat Masterson's cane, or Indiana Jones' whip. Something none of the other action characters use...I'm thinking perhaps a rubber chicken full of lead shot might fill the bill.

 

[Cosmoline]

I'm pretty "vintage" already. I'd just expand on my current arsenal and get a dual shoulder rig with two Colt Police Positive Specials, pearl grips. For belt gun I'd go with the Colt New Service in .44-40 and have a matching Winchester '92 levergun. Backup gun would be a Colt Detective Special with a factory hammer shroud, also with pearl grips.

What can I say? I like the little pony on the side

 

[unspellable]

Webley

That Webley Mk VI wouldn't be at all bad. Throws a bigger hunk of lead than a 45 Colt or 45 ACP. Quickest service revolver to reload.

In that time frame ammo would be pretty generally available. In the British empire would be obvious, but Winchester, Remington, et al loaded the 455 in its 455 Colt variant here in the US in that time frame. It actually enjoyed some moest popularity in the US and more in Canada. It was the service caliber for the Mounties. Dominion loaded it in more recent times, maybe that far back too. S&W chambered it in the N frame, Colt in the New Service and SAA.

I've had a Webley and a S&W chambered for it. Pleasant to shoot, accurate, and 265 grains of lead at 0.456 inch diameter.

 

[Cosmoline]

I don't know. I've found the Webley trigger pull to be comparable to a Mosin Nagant's safety. About twenty five pounds, and grainy

 

[unspellable]

Webley trigger

Actually, I've had three Webleys and handled quite a few others. None were anywhere near that bad. The worst would be the war time (WWII) 380's. They cranked them out in a hurry, some of them were made by the government arsenal rather than Webley.

The first Webley I had was a Webley Green. These were target revolvers and had as good a trigger as any target revolver of the period. At one time they were the revolver to beat at Camp Perry and the national matches in England. (Yup, back then you could own a revolver in England.) I've owned a Mk VI and handled several Mk VI's and Mk IV's that had pretty darn good triggers for a service revolver. Not super light, but no creep or grittiness at all. I never had any complaints.

It's probably more resistant to hard knocks than a Colt or S&W. The ejector rod is buried inside where you can't bend it.

The Biritish had an empire to manage. They had some notion of how to make a stopper.

I think the thing that hurt the Webley here in the US is that it was UGLY! But it was so ugly it was cute like a Land Rover.

On the other hand you can find bad examples of anything floating around out there.

 

[roo_ster]

My Webley Mk VI has a suh-weet DA & SA trigger. Now, some of those later Webley's & Enfields, esp the DAO ones...

 

[Jeff Timm]

After due consideration and reminding myself this is PRE-WW II, I'd want the following battery for world exploration, general adventuring, etc.

Open wear, .45 M1911,
Polite company, .380 Colt Hammerless
Trail, Custom carbine on a Lee Enfield action, .303, because the sun haddn't set on the empire, yet.

That's about as much as I'd be willing to pack, even if I was a 30 year old athletic fellow with the writers on my side.

Geoff
Who notes a world traveler between the wars didn't feel disarmed with a .32 Colt, of course people were smaller and poorly fed back then.

 

[MrMurphy]

They were also rather tougher and harder to stop in some cases... Why do you think .45s and .455s were so popular?