Old School Cool

Welcome, everyone, to the weekly blog post.

This week’s blog will be on old-school cool—why some things from back in the day are just better. This is entirely an opinion piece, and I won’t be giving any instructions or links for anything this week. To be honest with everyone, the last few weeks have been crazy for me, and I could use a break. So this won’t be brain rot, but there also won’t be a call to action. These are my opinions only, and I got spurred to do this blog after doing all the research for the holster video and talking with some friends.

The other day, I had a conversation with a friend of mine. We have been friends since 2015, when I got my start in law enforcement. He was a year ahead of me in his career, but we instantly bonded over our love of Bravo Company Manufacturing AR-15 rifles. We may be 90 miles apart, but we have remained friends for years. He is on the tactical team where he works, and I am the lone ranger for miles, so we often call each other to bullshit. From reloading to guns, camping, fishing, tactics, and training, we’ve talked about it all. Together, we have shot everything from full-auto firearms to muzzleloaders. He is someone I would consider the “tip of the spear” in the civilian world.

The conversation went like this: “Hey man, the older I get, the more I like the older stuff.” He was referring to his M1 Garand. This got the conversation going about how we have a soft spot for old guns and technology.

When I turned 21, I got my first concealed carry permit. My first-ever concealed carry gun was a Bersa Thunder .380, a single-stack Walther knockoff. I loved that gun and carried it everywhere. I was proficient with it, but I was concerned that the .380 might not have enough power to stop someone if I needed it to. I was a poor college student at the time and had to save for months before I got my second concealed carry pistol: a Rock Island 1911. I carried it for the next five years and only traded it in for a Glock 22 because I didn’t have the money to pay for all my reserve police gear.

For the next few years, everything had to be tacticalized. ARs and pistols needed rails, lights, and lasers. My bolt-action rifles with iron sights and pistols with iron sights got pushed to the back, and I trained hard with lights, lasers, magnification, and all that stuff. It wasn’t until COVID that the local gun shop was having a sale on pistols. I walked in and found a 1911 that screamed my name. I remember field-stripping it in the store to look for machining marks because the price was almost too good to be true. The gal behind the counter got nervous and asked me if I knew how to put it back together. Jokingly, I said, “No, I thought you do.” The blood drained from her face. I began laughing and quickly reassembled it.

I bought it and currently carry it at work. It is a special-occasion gun: court, special assignments, plainclothes work, administrative duties, as well as the Fourth of July. It is a bone-stock 1911—no special sights, no extended magazines, nothing. I love carrying it because it has class and history, and people are always surprised to see a cop carrying a 1911 these days.

My patrol shotgun for a long time was a Mossberg 500 with a brass bead at the end of the barrel. It was old technology, but I could run that gun like no other. If you become proficient with old guns and technology, it will pay off when you make the transition to newer technology.

We have a video out where I hit a target at 500 yards with a patch-and-ball muzzleloader. The sights on it are as basic as sights get. At that range, without any magnification, I was aiming at the trees. I don’t want to brag, but that was a skill-based shot. If you can hit a target at 500 yards with a muzzleloader, imagine how you’ll do with magnification and smokeless powder. I enjoy training with old guns because it makes modern guns seem easy.

The last part is the history. I have a Mosin-Nagant that was manufactured in 1942. When I took it apart to remove the cosmoline, I found bark and hair inside it. I don’t know if it was used in World War II, but that discovery makes me think it may have been. When you pick up old guns, you may or may not know the history behind them, but it is always fun to wonder about it.

New guns are awesome, and everyone should own them. It’s what the Second Amendment was written for. But old guns and technology are just as relevant, with the possibility of a cool story behind them. That old lever gun passed down to you may have been in your family since the 1800s. Cherish it, respect what it is, but don’t forget to use it.

Thanks, everyone, and I will see you next week.