What would you carry in 1933?

[chaim]

OK, 1933 which guns would my my main guns?

Well, I guess mine will be boring since they've all been mentioned but:
-the S&W 38/44, and the ammo would actually be available then (it came close to .357mag power levels)
-a S&W M&P for carry (since the question was "what would you carry" before getting into what you'd have)
-a Colt 1911
-a Thompson M1927 submachine gun
-a Winchester 1894 in 30-30 and a M92 (not sure which caliber I'd choose)
-Colt SAA in .45lc of course

If I'd decide to study in a Yeshiva for a time my choice would change and be expanded since just about all the Yeshivot at the time were in Europe and I know what was coming (in some countries already starting by 1933). I would bring a few dozen WWI surplus Mauser rifles and stash them for me and the buddies I'd make in Yeshiva since the Mauser would give 100% ammo compatability with captured Nazi ammo.

 

[Byron Quick]

Well, based on what I've seen of my family's possessions during this time period...

A no name single shot twelve gauge with stock repairs done with wrapped baling wire and a Remington .44 rimfire derringer would be all I could afford.

 

[tex_n_cal]

Hmmm...

A 1911 for two legged predators

A .44 triple lock for bears

a .22 S&W for small game

A Savage 99 in .300 Savage for deer

A prewar magnum Mauser in .470 Rigby for big baddies

A .577 Nitro for dinosaurs

A Parker A1 Special to impress people

A Winchester High Wall Special Sporting Rifle in cal .50-110 for fun.

 

[Lone Star]

The Colt Super .38 appeared in 1929.

Don't recall which was first, the National or the Federal Firearms Act, but one was 1934, the other in 1938.

I had a high school chum whose dad had a pre-war Super .38 that he bought to carry while bear hunting, in case his Springfield sporter .30/06 failed or "ran dry". I later owned one, myself. They wouldn't shoot as well as .45's (headspacing problems until recent years) and Elmer Keith said that they didn't kill animals as well a a .45, either. He used soft or hollowpoint ammo, too, which I guess was loaded a lot sooner than I once thought.

The man who hunted bear liked the idea that the Super penetrated very well with jacketed ammo, and he'd use the gun at such close range that accuracy wouldn't have been a factor.

Attn. Tex-N-Cal:

The .470 is a rimmed cartridge, for double rifles. Your Magnum Mauser could easily be a .416 if you want a Rigby. There was also a .505, from Gibbs. The Germans loaded a rimless .500 for custom style Mausers, too. I doubt anyone needs a magazine rifle more potent than a .416, and Rigby made nice rifles...
Lone Star

 

[rick458]

How about a Brace of 1911A1swit three mags apiece, a Nice Thompson 1928 deluxe with a couple of drum mags, a decent Winchester Model 12, and a Winchester repeater in .405 Winchester (Ie Big Medicine)

 

[Phil in Seattle]

A Smith & Wesson triple lock 44, until 1935 and then I am going to buy every darn Registered Magnum I can get my grubby (errr greedy!) little paws on.

 

[Tom C.]

Gun collection in 1931

What quickly comes to mind:

Square Bridge Magnum Mauser in .375 H&H and 416 Rigby
1911
S&W Triple Lock .44 Special
Colt New Service .44 Special and .45 Colt
BAR
Luger Navy model and Artillery model
Winchester 1886 in .45-70
Browning Auto-5 12 ga.
Winchester Model 12 12 ga.
Colt SAA in .45 Colt, .44-40 and .38-40
Winchester 92 in .44-40 and .38-40
Marlin 39 .22
Thompson 1928
Colt Woodsman

 

[Byron Quick]

You guys sure had better jobs during the Great Depression than my folks did!

 

[Brian Williams]

a Colt SAA in 44-40
a Rem 14 in 44-40

 

[Byron Quick]

A Thompson retailed for about $129.95 in 1933. That was about thirteen weeks wages for my grandfather. Equating that to me, in 2003- about what a Thompson costs today.

Maybe the thread should be changed to "If I was rich in 1933, what would I carry?"

In terms of actual purchasing power folks, the price of these firearms hasn't changed. It still costs about the same percentage of a middle class worker's annual salary to purchase one of these firearms today as it did in 1933. Main difference is that a greater percentage of middle class folks have jobs today.

 

[Combat-wombat]

Well, nobody's mentioned the Walther PPK yet, I believe that was out at the time. If I was going for more power, however, I would choose a 1911

 

[Stevie-Ray]

A pair of 1911s, crossdraw.
Tommy in a violin case. Couple of extra drums.

 

[standingbear]

a pair of 1911s.1 in a shoulder holster and one tucked awqy in a crossdraw holster on the opposite side.

 

[Frohickey]

A pair of 1911... one with C-More sights, the other with tritium Novak sights... erp... wrong era.

A Tommy gun with 100 round drum. No need for a spare magazine.

A BAR and a few spare magazines.

 

[Braz]

Drum fed Thompson

A pair of 1911s is a goal I still aspire to even today.

Drum fed Thompson

Sorry, but doesn't that sound fun? Anyone ever shot a auto Tommy?

 

[Navy joe]

The personal 3 gun arsenal would be a pair of .38 Super 1911A1s, a Thompson on reliable stick mags, and a 1897 trench gun w/ bayonet.

For giggles I'd like a K98 brought back from the big one.

The Model A truck better darn well be equipped with dual 1919 mounts and a BAR under the seat or I'm not staying in that era long.

 

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Great Thread!

For everyday carry, probably a 1911 in a Great War type cavalry holster. Horses were still common where I grew up, but oil (BIG oil) had just been discovered, and it was getting pretty wild and wooly. My Texas Ranger idol, Lone Wolf Gonzallus carried a pair of .44 revolvers that are now in the Texas Ranger museum in Waco, but he was known to trade around frequently. For some work he had a 1911 on which he cut away the trigger guard and nickeled. My father acquired it some years back and now it is mine.

For social events, maybe a Red Nine C96 Mauser. The P35 was 2 yeas away, so that's out.

Housewarmer...probably a Winchester `97 or a model 1887. My brother has one in 12 guage that is a real piece of work. If I were flush, maybe a Model 12.

Longarm would be a tougher choice. Maybe a Savage 99 or Win 94, although Model 92's were more common in my family at the time. I'd not rule out a Springfield, but I'd imagine they were not really what you'd call common among civilians then. Besides, Texans in the '30's still didn't trust those slow-shooting bolt guns as much as a good lever action.

For the farm or the back yard, that'd be easy. A French 75 mm cannon like my grandfather fired in ROTC in the late 20's!

Regards,
Rabbit.

"If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world
peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until
the looting started..."

 

[Missouri Mule]

The obvious answer for me would be 1 1911 and a "Tommy Gun"!

 

[BigG]

...the M97 "Trench Gun" clumsy with all the doo-dads hanging off it...

Wonder if that was the earliest example of "tatical doo-dads" in gun history??

 

[Selfdfenz]

The two items I am aware of that were in Grandad's possession were:
A Remington 16 ga longtom (He was a squirrel hunter)
An Iver Johnson in 38 short something. (He was also a peaceable man) with the barrel cut off at an angle that shot anywhere it wanted.

I have the longtom.
My Uncle has the IJ.

I assume, all things considered, that is about the kind of arsenal I'd have had. Times were hard in western NC about then I have come to understand and there weren't to many Bonnie and Clyde wanna-bes ...so no tommyguns were needed.

S-

 

[KPersimmon]

Assuming I had a job in '33, probably all I could afford would be a military surplus rifle, most likely bought mail-order.

 

[Admiral Thrawn]

Two Colt Government Model M1911A1s

Using FMJ (Ball) ammo with lots of spare mags. (6+) for each gun.

A pump-action 12 gauge of some description and a Thompson SMG with several mags.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

WWI surplus 1911 for me, with a M&P for some variety and as a backup.

1928 Thompson if I could afford it.