What would you use for a "dress gun"

[MacPelto]

Well...my actual fancy gun is a 1911; Clark Custom Meltdown w/ebony grips to be exact. I must say, however, that I voted for a single-action revolver - can anyone deny the style of Doc Holliday in 'Tombstone'?

 

[B Sigmon]

This is my "Dress" baby. Kimber Ultra Shadow II LE with new California Buckeye Burl Grips by Scott Sensing



Bob Sigmon

 

[JPM70535]

I was beginning to think there was no true class among the High Road Faithful, thankfully Standing Wolf affirms what I have always known. Nothing looks finer or classier than a Bright Nickle Colt Python with ivory grips carried in a Galco shoulder rig or open top OWB.

GOD MADE ALL MEN!

SAM COLT MADE THEM ALL EQUAL!!!

 

[Archie]

Formal wear

Colt lightweight Commander, in Super 38. Fully engraved and blued. Ivory grips checkered in the large diamond manner of the original 1911s. Bright trigger and hammer. Suitable BoMar sights melted into the slide; BarSto barrel.

Carried in a trim Tom Threepersons style sheath with matching carving, black.

 

[Josey]

Hey Mine is either my Colt Trooper MKIII 357 Magnum or my Ruger Vaqueros 44-40. They each are stylish in their own right. I have tucked a Colt 1908 25 ACP in my vest pocket before for concerts.

 

[stevelyn]

This is too easy for a formal dress gun. I have to go with a Commander length Kimber Eclipse. The combination of stainless steel w/ black trim, Mepro night sights, and those laminated grips with their blacks, greys, and yellows is well..........sexy and formal. Of course I would have to wear a stainless, black-face, Chase-Durer Pilot Commander wristwatch to properly accent it should the need to draw and assume a proper fighting stance arise. Throw in a Mitch Rosen IWB holster in a dark Havana brown and I may have a hard time getting away from admiring myself in the
mirror.

 

[jercamp45]

Another vote for a artistic 1911!!

I do not have one...yet! Mine are tools more or less...BUT
A Clark Meltdown, highly engraved Colt, or the future dream project of mine...a Caspian Titanium Officer's frame, Caspian Damascus Commander length slide(with my name engraved upon it), quality internals, fitted and assembled by a master 'smith would make me very happy!
I am searching for a suitable canvas for a future engraving project too...since I love the balance of the CCO concept(officer frame and 4 inch slide), that is what I would like. Maybe Colt will put the 1991A1 Compact and Commander together so I have a nice engravable steel surface?
I ALSO would love an original 1911 that is engraved for a 'fancy' piece! A great holster too....sharkskin, or another exotic for me. Raftersleather(dot com) has a few that are reasonably priced!!
But for now my fairly plain jane, reliable, accurate customized Officer's model will have to do!! Or my circa 1976 Colt Government model.
DVC,
Jercamp45

 

[uglymofo]

PPK all the way

I can't believe I had to scroll halfway down the page to get to 'HillBilly's' first vote.

A tux and a 1911? what, are y'all in Mexico or Texas? Gonna Mexican carry that, too, I suppose. WheelMan posed a question about formal dress and even he got it wrong . Hell, if you're gonna wear a cannon to a 7-course dinner with the Queen, why not shoulder holster your Uzi?

 

[Dr.Rob]

Ever knealt down to be knighted while packing an Uzi in a desantis rig?

There is formal, as in tea with royalty, and there is formal, as a Texas BBQ with Anne Richards.

 

[uglymofo]

...and there is formal, as a Texas BBQ with Anne Richards.

Doc,

Surely, you jest.

Then again, I guess chicken 'n ribs with chili and some BBQ sauce on a paper plate with anyone who can distinguish toilet paper from a Sears catalog would be considered "formal" in Texas .

"...must be Texans...lowest form of white man living." Al Sieber, Chief of Scouts, Fort Bowie, Arizona Territory

 

[Dr.Rob]

Then you have missed the whole point of owning a BBQ pistol. Check TFL for the threads.

 

[uglymofo]

I went over to TFL and searched 'BBQ pistol', 'BBQ gun', and BBQ', but I musta missed it. I didn't come up with anything with a title that seemed relevant.

But hell, I've packed a 1911 to a BBQ. Where I come from, ain't no way we call it 'formal' if the bathroom's an outhouse.

 

[Standing Wolf]

...thankfully Standing Wolf affirms what I have always known. Nothing looks finer or classier than a Bright Nickle Colt Python with ivory grips carried in a Galco shoulder rig or open top OWB.

Sorry, but my only nickel-plated gun is a Detective Special, and I wouldn't have bought it if I'd been able to buy it in blue.

This is the Python I tried to have nitre-blued, but the @#$%^&!s at Checkmate Custom in Florida made a botched mess of it.

 

[glockten]

My 6½" Mdl. 29 Classic is a beautiful handgun, but a bit large, so I'd go with my two-tone P220.

Subtle elegance.

 

[Rich357]

Please help me here. Does anyone expect to be showing off their handgun at any of these dress events? If you aren't going to show someone your carry piece, what is the point of carrying something pretty?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[priv8ter]

Rich

I think the point of the original questions was this:

IF it was an allowed and accepted policy to wear a sidearm to a public dress-up type event, what kind of gun would you display?

I myself have always thought the 'Eclipse' line of Kimbers were pretty sharp guns...OR any full-size Stainless 1911 with nice wood grips, or maybe a Python...so many pretty guns.

 

[Rich357]

Thank you priv8ter.

Ok, how about a highly polished, deeply engraved S&W 500 Magnum. I guess you would want it in a shoulder rig. Dark wood grips, engraved made of Purpleheart.

Rich

 

[Jeff Timm]

Please help me here. Does anyone expect to be showing off their handgun at any of these dress events? If you aren't going to show someone your carry piece, what is the point of carrying something pretty?

Sez Rich357


The point is, when (Ursula Andress, Honor Blackman, Kissy Suzuki, Diana Rigg, Jill St. John, Barbara Bach, Maud Adams, Denise Richards or Halle Berry, pick your generation) tears off your Monkey Suit, you wanna look good.

Geoff
Who is more the Mike Hammer, war surplus M1911A1 type, and wouldn't Lucy Lawless make a great Velda?

 

[natedog]

A stainless PPK just seems to scream "Formal". It looks great with a suit too.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Does anyone expect to be showing off their handgun at any of these dress events?

Aw, heck, yes! Open carry is legal in some parts of the country. Even if it weren't legal in Colorado, people could carry openly at my house, although I'll have to admit the gatherings I play host to have always been informal.

 

[Jeff OTMG]

BBQ guns!!!! The Renaissance FN Hi-Power has got to be one of the ultimate factory BBQ gun:

There were even a few gold engraved versions:

I have a NIB German Walther PPK in .380 that I want Mr. Bone to do for me. He did a gun similar to this one and won the Firearm Engravers Guild award one year. The difference is that there were gold wire inlay circles down the top of the slide and the grip panels were ivory with the gold engraved Walter banner on it:

The downside is that he wants about $5000 to do the work and it will take about 2 years.

Here is a stainless Walther done by Roger Sampson.

You should see the what some of the Texas Rangers (not the ball players) carry as BBQ guns. Very ornate 1911's almost to the point of gawdy.

Yes, the shooters do go over to the side and everyone pulls out there pistols for others to admire.

 

[tonerguy]

What ya' gonna' put the gun in?

Maybe something fancy like this Tucker Gunleather rig. It's an HF1 holster in Black Cherry with a Cross Cut Stamp, a Texas Concho and matching belt. The gun is from Lone Star Arms http://www.lonestararms.net/

Speaking of Texas Rangers, there are approximately 106 at present. I believe about ten of them are wearing Tucker Gunleather. Here's a letter from one to Tucker:

http://www.imgmag.com/images/tonerguy/Tucker/TuckerLTRMedsize01.jpg

 

[chaim]

If I was going to a formal occasion and I was in a state where I could carry I suppose I'd bring something like a J-frame or maybe even something like the Beretta Tomcat. Most state laws allowing carry require concealment as well so I see no need for a particularly fancy gun for this purpose, just something easy to conceal in a tux that won't get in my way.

Now, what is my nicest gun. I'd say my S&W 65LS. Eventually I'd like a Python and a nice medium to high dollar 1911 to fill my "nicest gun" slot.

 

[Wanderer]

I have to disagree with Selfproclaimedexpert. Have you seen the pics of Skunks M92?

 

[No Quarter]

S&W Model 27 w/ 3 1/2" barrel - fully engraved with nicely carved and worn with age ivory grips.

Ohhhhh baby!

NQ