{"id":60418,"date":"2020-10-06T07:50:28","date_gmt":"2020-10-06T12:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=60418"},"modified":"2020-10-06T07:50:28","modified_gmt":"2020-10-06T12:50:28","slug":"60418","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=60418","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Get Off My Lawn: Great WWII Guns for Home Defense<\/a><\/p>\n

Despite all the atrocities of the Second World War, this global conflict gave our country\u2019s fighting men and women some of the greatest individual battlefield weapons of the 20th century. While most of them have been retired from government duty by more advanced designs, these veteran World War II arms, like our Armed Forces veterans themselves, have attained a certain immortality, not only as symbols of America\u2019s ongoing fight for freedom, but also as weapons still prized for their reliability and effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Indeed, just as they have proven themselves on the battlefield, today these wood-and-steel World War II veterans\u2014collectability aside\u2014can serve in an even more personal mission of protecting our homes and families. To validate this concept, I enlisted the opinions of some of the most skilled and experienced firearms and self-defense experts I know: the instructors of\u00a0Gunsite Academy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\"M1<\/p>\n

While the M1 Garand may not be the first choice for close-quarters home defense, it is more than up to the task, particularly where overpenetration is less of a concern. Newer factory .30-\u201906 Sprg. loads, such as Hornady\u2019s Superformance, make this World War II veteran more effective for defensive purposes than ever before \u2022 This vintage M1911A1 is just as viable for home defense today as it was during World War II.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Winchester<\/p>\n

Both the solid-frame (bottom) and takedown (top) versions of the Winchester Model 97 Trench Gun were used during World War II and make for effective home-defense shotguns today.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"M1<\/p>\n

The M1 Carbine (top) and the M1 Garand (bottom) were the two most prolific American rifles of World War II, and both can be effective today as home-defense tools.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\"Colt<\/p>\n

The M1917 version of the Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector revolver requires half-moon clips in order to quickly load .45 ACP rounds \u2022 This Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless is one of 40 shipped to the Government Transportation Office in 1944. Although highly collectable, it can do double-duty as a home-defense handgun when loaded with modern ammunition.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Gunsite\u2019s Ken Campbell, who spent more than 35 years with the Boone County Sheriff\u2019s Office in Indiana before he retired and relocated to Arizona, has a sizable collection of World War II firearms, including the favorite World War II vet for home defense among Gunsite instructors\u2014the M1911 pistol, a gun with a well-deserved reputation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a young and wet-behind-the-ears USAF Airman on my first deployment to Central America, assigned to the U.S. Army\u2019s 82nd Airborne,\u201d says Gunsite instructor Daniel J. Bilodeau, who was deployed to Joint Task Force Bravo in 1986, after which he began a 30-year career as a Federal Agent with the U.S. Department of Energy. \u201cMy first meeting with my platoon sergeant,\u201d he recalls, \u201cI showed up in my issued gear and he took notice of my USAF-issued Smith & Wesson Model 15 .38-caliber revolver. His comments still ring in my ears with a tone of dissent: \u2018You need to take your ass to the armory right now and tell them I said to give you a 1911. We tried that .38 crap before and it didn\u2019t work out too good back then, and I don\u2019t see how it would be any different now. I\u2019ve seen that .45 work and have no doubt it will still work now.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Gunsite instructor Jerry McCown, a retired Arizona law enforcement officer with 41 years of service, has additional reasons to prefer the 1911 as a home-defense tool.<\/p>\n

He points out that, \u201c\u2026with only a .45 ACP casing, you can completely disassemble the firearm, fieldstrip it, remove the safety, use the pivot pin on the safety to punch out the mainspring housing pin, use the trigger\/sear\/disconnector leaf spring as a screwdriver to remove the magazine release and you only need the .45 ACP casing rim if you wish to remove the stocks\u2026A homeowner can easily disassemble and completely inspect a military 1911 without outside assistance. The more modern 1911s are not so forgiving.\u201d McCown added that while modern, tricked-out 1911s offer a lot of accuracy-improving features, they may not be necessary: \u201cHow accurate does a home-defense pistol need to be when the distances are usually well within 30 feet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Gunsite Range Master John Hall shares McCown\u2019s admiration for the 1911. \u201cI carried one in Iraq, as well as a duty weapon for law enforcement,\u201d recalls Hall, who\u00a0served 8 years as an infantryman with the U.S. Army and National Guard.\u00a0\u201cI also carried a 1911 for several years as a full-time police officer in the U.S. I have always felt comfortable carrying that handgun and have never felt that the gun was obsolete. What I have always told people regarding the 1911 is to stay away from excessive customization, make sure it is reliable, has a good trigger and sights you can use.\u201d<\/p>\n

Retired Jefferson County, KY, Deputy Sheriff Chris Edwards, a Gunsite Instructor and Match Coordinator, also favors the stock 1911. \u201cThe 1911 in near \u2018mil-spec\u2019 form in trained hands is a formidable home-defense handgun, especially when coupled with a flashlight,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a legend in close-quarters combat, and reliable, if one hasn\u2019t [messed] with it. I have on two occasions confronted home intruders with one, and I was glad I had it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is interesting that McCown, Hall and Edwards all caution against over-customizing the standard Government 1911 for home defense. From personal experience, I can state the as-issued M1911 and the M1911A1 are more than up to the rigors of Gunsite\u2019s fast-shooting defensive training exercises, as I have taken both versions of these slab-sided semi-automatics through the Academy\u2019s courses. These are stock mil-spec guns, with no lowered ejection ports, no extended beavertails and no polished ramps. I encountered nary a malfunction. Of course, using top-grade ammunition, such as Black Hills\u2019 230-grain JHPs, DoubleTap\u2019s 185-grain Bonded Defense HPs or Hornady\u2019s Critical Defense 185-grain FTX, help John Browning\u2019s old war horse function most effectively. The only criticism I have of the 1911 is its relatively shallow sights, which, for me at least, make quick acquisition difficult.<\/p>\n

Although the Government Model 1911 was America\u2019s primary military sidearm during World War II, two revolvers\u2014the Colt New Service and the Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector\u2014also played crucial roles in helping fill the urgent need for handguns immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and thus, given their .45 ACP chamberings, are well-qualified as home-defense guns today. Confusingly enough, however, in their military garb, both guns had been given identical nomenclatures of \u201cU.S. Model 1917,\u201d and both were originally drummed into service during World War I as blued guns. However, World War II brought them back with Parkerized finishes, in the same .45 ACP chambering as their predecessors. Even surplus World War I guns called back to duty were refinished with Parkerization before heading off to war. As Bruce Canfield notes in his authoritative book, \u201cU.S. Infantry Weapons of World War II,\u201d most of these were issued to Military Police and stateside units, but approximately 21,000 Model 1917s saw combat in Europe and the Pacific.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a USGI Colt New Service, a Smith & Wesson 1917 and I remember a Smith & Wesson 1917 with its barrel cut to 4 inches being carried on duty by an old town marshal in my county,\u201d Campbell recalls.<\/p>\n

Of course, being chambered for the rimless .45 ACP meant these revolvers had to use half-moon clips to facilitate ejection of spent cases. Today, with full-moon clips or .45 Auto Rim ammunition, both the Colt and Smith & Wesson Model 1917 revolvers have become even more practical as home-defense pistols, although +P ammunition is not recommended for these old-timers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI carried revolvers as a deputy in the last century and can\u2019t recall a failure,\u201d says Edwards. \u201cIn the extraordinary event of a failure to fire, pull the trigger again. [As far as military revolvers], I\u2019ve shot a Smith & Wesson .45 ACP in competition. Powerful and easy to control, reloads (with full-moon clips) are faster than any other [type of revolver].\u201d<\/p>\n

Hall also sees the home-defense value of these military wheelguns. \u201cRevolvers may not have the current appeal of semi-automatics,\u201d he says, \u201cbut they remain an effective tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, sometimes in a home-defense situation, you may have to use something more effective than a handgun. That\u2019s where the purpose-built, cylinder-bore, 12-gauge military shotgun\u2014or trench gun\u2014comes into play. Indeed, these pump-action scatterguns got favorable comments from Gunsite\u2019s cadre as a defensive tool.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no question that a pump gun is seen as a near-ultimate defense firearm,\u201d says Edwards. Hall is equally succinct. \u201cThe ability to put multiple pellets on a target with a single press of the trigger can help to decisively end a person\u2019s bad intent,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The most prolific World War II trench gun is the Winchester Model 97. But, the Winchester Model 12, the Remington Model 11 and the Ithaca Model 37 are just a few other World War II vets to be considered. It should be noted that the Ithaca Model 37, with its World War II blued finish, is the rarest, with only 1,422 produced. You will have a better\u2014and more affordable\u2014chance of acquiring a post-World War II Parkerized version of this gun, which is almost identical.<\/p>\n

Gunsite Instructor Lew Gosnell, a former Marine MP and police firearm instructor, is a big fan of the Ithaca Model 37. \u201cThe Ithaca 37 is an extraordinary gun,\u201d Gosnell says. \u201cI currently own two police-service surplus Ithaca 37s. Both are 2\u00be -inch chambered guns, with rifle-style sights and four-round magazines. One is a New Mexico State Police stamped gun, with that agency\u2019s markings on the receiver. My other Model 37 was stamped HPPD by my last employer, the Huntington Park Police Department. [They are] remarkably reliable and lightweight shotguns, considering their walnut and steel construction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another one of my favorite World War II home-defense guns is the M1 carbine. Although sometimes slighted for its .30-carbine chambering, it is fast-handling, recoil is minimal and with its 18-inch barrel is compact enough to store under the bed, especially the M1A1 folding-wire stock variant, originally manufactured for paratroopers by the Inland Manufacturing Division of General Motors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first \u2018patrol rifle\u2019 as a young deputy was a surplus M1 Carbine,\u201d says Campbell, who recalls other deputies carrying M1 carbines as well. \u201cI even remember one of the deputies had a [pistol-gripped] M1 affixed to the door of his car,\u201d he says, possibly referring to the M1A1.<\/p>\n

Making the M1 carbine even more viable for self-defense, the oft-chastised FMJ rounds of World War II have given way to much more effective loads, such as Hornady\u2019s Critical Defense 110-grain FTX load and\u2014if you can find a box because of its limited production\u2014Federal Premium\u2019s excellent Power-Shok 110-grain softpoints.<\/p>\n

At this point I\u2019d like to give the M1 Garand a nod, especially after seeing Clint Eastwood with one in the 2008 movie \u201cGran Torino.\u201d Yes, at 9.5 pounds it is a little hefty, but for home defense, portability is less of a concern. It remains an outstanding defensive rifle, although more modern options like the AR-15 offer significant advantages over the old Garand. If you\u2019ve got a Garand, however, it can be an effective tool for home defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy introduction to the M1 Garand was as range master and armorer for the police department,\u201d says McCown. \u201cI had requested the department purchase a group of these rifles for situations that required precision shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, unlike the other firearms described here, the Garand, with its .30-\u201906 Sprg. chambering, was not designed for close-range use and is fully capable of penetrating multiple walls and even dwellings, so extreme caution is advised when considering it for home defense. Always follow the safety rules with this or any other gun, but knowing what is beyond your target is particularly important if using a Garand for home defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mighty M1 Garand certainly has power,\u201d says Edwards, \u201cand a trained shooter could be very effective at distances, say on a farm or ranch. I am not sure it would be my first choice in an apartment or condo, but it would certainly do if used intelligently. After all, the first rule in a gunfight is to have a gun.\u201d<\/p>\n

That, of course, may be why the Army chose to arm many of its general officers, as well as OSS agents, the Military Police and others, including some Transportation Corps personnel, with 1903 and 1908 Colt Pocket Hammerless pistols in .32 ACP and .380 ACP, respectively. Most were Parkerized and all were stamped \u201cU.S. Property\u201d on the right side of their frames. While highly collectable, these little semi-autos\u2014especially when loaded with today\u2019s more potent fodder like Black Hills\u2019 .380 ACP Honey Badger 60-grain load\u2014can serve as effective defensive handguns and are more concealable than a 1911.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because a gun has been around awhile and may be considered \u2018old\u2019 does not mean it is no longer adequate as a defensive firearm,\u201d says Hall. \u201cThe steel and wood finishes may not have the flash or modern mass-production characteristics of some of the currently popular firearms, but you can take any of these \u2018antiquated\u2019 guns and be well served in your ability to protect yourself and your loved ones.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Get Off My Lawn: Great WWII Guns for Home Defense Despite all the atrocities of the Second World War, this global conflict gave our country\u2019s fighting men and women some of the greatest individual battlefield weapons of the 20th century. While most of them have been retired from government duty by more advanced designs, these … Continue reading “”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gun-schtuff","category-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=60418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60419,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60418\/revisions\/60419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=60418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=60418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=60418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}