There are a couple of really good reasons to consider March 29th a red-letter day. First, that’s my birthday. And let’s be honest, that ought to be an internationally recognized holiday or something.
But the second reason it’s such a significant day is that it’s the anniversary of the M1911 pistol. Specifically, on Wednesday, March 29th, 1911, the Ordnance Department adopted the M1911 “Colt automatic pistol, caliber .45” to replace the .38 caliber Colt Army Revolver.
And in the War Department, there was much rejoicing…
Actually, there was probably as much pissing and moaning as there was rejoicing, but that’s not important right now.
Anyway, it wasn’t much after I learned the date of Col. John T. Thompson’s letter to Colt that I got to wondering…
Self, I asked myself, If that’s what happened on your birthday, what might have happened on other birthdays?
I mean, sure, other birthdays are hardly as significant as mine, even if they’re serving yellow cake with chocolate frosting, but it was an interesting question nonetheless.
So I started doing some random reading and found enough specific dates in the areas of firearms, ballistics, cartridges, etc., that I figured there might be some short articles there worth writing.
Turns out I figured rightly.
Some Significant Days in Guns
May 5th, 1873? That’s when the Office of the Board for Selecting a Breech-System for Muskets and Carbines, pursuant to General Order #58 of the Adjutant General’s Office, delivered their findings to the Ordnance Department. Which, among other things, is how we wound up with the 45-70 cartridge. But you probably already knew that.
January 23rd, 1855? That’s when the venerable John Moses Browning was born (and that should actually be a holiday).
September 5th, 1958? That’s the date the Office of Public Information for the Department of Defense issued a news release entitled, “Army Given Approval for Quantity Production of New M-14 Rifle and M-60 Machine Gun.” (There’s much more to the tragicomic saga of the M14, but you’ll have to wait until I write about it to know more.)
December 17th, 1959? That’s when CONARC (U.S. Continental Army Command) officially removed the “US Rifle, M15”, which had been declared obsolete the previous July by the Infantry Board, from the armament roster. No M15 rifle was ever actually produced for service use.
Hell, I didn’t even know there was an M15. Or a CONARC.
Anyway, point is, I started a new (irregular) recurring column called TODAY IN GUNS on Breach-Bang-Clear.
I’ve done a whopping 3 of ’em now, but there’ll be more.
I hope you take a moment to check ’em out.
I knew for sure it was me because I’d just emerged from a labyrinthine rabbit hole of research wherein I’d managed to lose a couple of hours in the National Archives online and IMFDB learning several very interesting but mostly useless things.
Cuz that’s how I roll, especially if I’m short on time or chasing a deadline.
Recent Comments