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what gun would our founding fathers carry?

5K views 40 replies 32 participants last post by  Lovemea1911 
#1 ·
I was bored today thinking. What gun would our founding fathers carry... And why? I mean Ben Franklin would have to be.ambi because he was a left by other than that I don't know... Feel free to share.
 
#4 ·
For that day and age

I am guessing that they carried whatever they could get their hands on.
 
#21 ·
George Washington's 1911 would have been HIGHLY ornate, lots of engraving and the grips would have been made from an exotic material.
All the history shows I've worked on say that Washington literally had his own uniforms made -before- he was made a general. And constantly wore only his finest ones while the discussions of who should be the first President. He was a great commander... but he was also a bit of a fashionista.

Although Abraham Lincoln was not a "founding father" I have to imagine his gun would have been the exact opposite. Very plain, and if it could have been made completely out of wood (including the barrel) he'd carry it.
 
#12 ·
Like most politicians they would carry the most politically correct weapon.

1. It would have to fire nonlethal rubber bullets to appease the liberals.
2. It would have to be concealed to appease the anti gun crowd.
3. It would have to be American made to appease the Labor Unions.
4. It would have to have pink grips to appease the Gay and Lesbian Movement.
5. It would have instructions written in Spanish to appease La Raza.
6. The barrel would need to be 6 inches long so it would appeal to women,
but not intimidate men.
7. It would have to have a child proof lock.

:rofl:
 
#15 ·
I'll play. I'm going with the M14 and M1911. Proven, American made designs. Suitable for the modern battlefield. Assuming the same prevailing culture that was in place in the late 18th century, men knew how to shoot, regardless of their occupation. No need for 30+ round magazines to win a war.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Yep, a good bolt action is all that is needed.:rofl:

Are you serious? How many of the Founding Fathers do you think would have traded in their muskets and rifles for an AR with a 30 rd mag.

I think you are letting YOUR biases show....
 
#17 ·
Contrary to popular belief, most firearms available were of European origin. There just were not enough American gunmakers to equip even a fledgling army.

A lot of Virginia/Pennsylvania longrifles saw action, but they were not in the hands of the average soldier. Brown Bess and Charlevilles ruled the stand-up battlefield where the masses clashed. Rifled patched roundball guns were on the periphery, except perhaps for the battles at Cowpens, at Kings Mountain and a few other "wilderness" battles.

The founding fathers, aside from General Washington, probably did not practice daily carry of a defensive weapon ... other than a stick.
 
#25 ·
I like this game...

I would imagine they would carry only USA guns and they would carry custom top shelf versions.

You gotta figure a Washington or Jefferson (Being original American Bad Asses) they would carry 1911's in possibly 10mm or .50 cal just because those are the biggest loads that fit. They would probably carry a billet AR10 like a MA10 in .308 (Full auto of course)

Ben I see with a 1911 in 9mm or maybe .38 Super or .40 cal with an M14/AR15 Billet also in full auto.

I also see them not standing for all of the Shenanigans coming out of DC right now... SMH

They would leave all of the M&P's Pistols and AR's for the rest of the military. They could do worse....
 
#26 · (Edited)
My contributory thought to this fun what-if game:

As highly independent personalities, each patriot would have brought his (and her, since we're mixing time periods) own personal favorites.

Within a small battalion, regiment, etc., I suppose there might be at least one of each of the following:

  • Barrett .50 rifle
  • M1 Garand
  • M14
  • M16/AR
  • 1911s in various calibers
  • Glocks (yep, some would bring these; all welcome to the party)
  • S&W 500 or 460
  • .44 magnum
  • Variety of shotguns

Now THAT would be a formidable arsenal.
 
#28 ·
Well, whatever Alexander Hamilton was carrying didn't work out too well for him.
 
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