I know what the Liberator is, but that is a new one for me? Chinese copy?

 

I know what the Liberator is, but that is a new one for me? Chinese copy?

Believe it or not, it is a 1911. At some point late in the war there were experiments with making a stamped version to reduce the cost of production and increase the speed. If I recall correctly, one of the main reasons they never saw production was the weight, it was very heavy.

 

Yup, located the image, made by the same company that made Liberators. New one on me. When I was younger, I wanted a Chinese Broomhandle Mauser just for grins and giggles.

 

Do you have one of these, Ron?

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Don't I wish. Of the million produced few survived. If I recall the cost of production was about $2.00 USD and they were stamped out. I have never even seen one up close and personal. Single shot .45 ACP pistol. My WWII stuff consist of a few M1 Garand rifles, an M1 Carbine and now my M1911A1.

Actually only the upper M1Garand is vintage WW!! the lower is Korean Era having the birch rather than walnut wood.

The upper is setup for match competition with national match NM2 sights. I did have two M1 Carbines but years ago sold one which I regret. Years ago when my wife and I owned a brick and mortar gun shop I bought and sold some real nice WWII German pistols, I never kept one but as my wife pointed out "you can't keep every gun which comes into the shop". ): While the business did well I could never pay us or have benefits like our real jobs had. Such is life I guess.

During the winters I shoot indoor range handgun but my real love is outdoor range and rifle. My first rifle was a Remington Model 510 single shot .22 from a friend of my uncle and I still have it. That was 1958 and I was 8 years old. Today my love of .22 rifles has led to a bunch of them. The old Remington 510 is on the top.

Unlike my father and co-workers I never gravitated to golf but an 6:00 AM can be found loading my truck for a day on the range.

Among my collection are many birthday presents of birthdays past from my wife who while not a shooting enthusiast supports my love affair with the gun.

Ron

Ron

 

Did you get either of your Garands through the Civilian Marksmanship Program? My brother got one and a few friends of mine, but I never did.

 

Don't I wish. Of the million produced few survived. If I recall the cost of production was about $2.00 USD and they were stamped out. I have never even seen one up close and personal. Single shot .45 ACP pistol. My WWII stuff consist of a few M1 Garand rifles, an M1 Carbine and now my M1911A1.

Ron

Nice rifles.

The photo isn't a Liberator, it's a fully functional 1911A1 with stamped sheet metal parts. A failed experiment intended to reduce the cost and time of a 1911. Apparently, although it eliminated most of the machining, the end result was much too heavy to be adopted.

 

Did you get either of your Garands through the Civilian Marksmanship Program? My brother got one and a few friends of mine, but I never did.

One was DCM before the CMP program. When we had the shop I rebuilt countless Garands. Was not unusual to have 25 in the shop for sale. Still have a pile of parts and if I had a receiver or two or three I could actually build a few more. The CMP North store is here in Ohio not at all far from me. Having two is plenty for me. The CMP took over the old DCM program.

Ron

 

Nice rifles.

The photo isn't a Liberator, it's a fully functional 1911A1 with stamped sheet metal parts. A failed experiment intended to reduce the cost and time of a 1911. Apparently, although it eliminated most of the machining, the end result was much too heavy to be adopted.

Well my bad on that one. I blame it on birthdays and getting old. Thank you for the correction. Over the years so many parts for guns have gone from milled to stamped. In many it is a good cost saving measure but others not so much.

Ron

 

Well my bad on that one. I blame it on birthdays and getting old. Thank you for the correction. Over the years so many parts for guns have gone from milled to stamped. In many it is a good cost saving measure but others not so much.

Ron

H&K made a lot of progress with stamped receivers. It's not so much if something is milled out stamped, it's about design and quality.

 

I have a carry permit for one of these bad boys!

 

I'll take a Belgian Fabrique Nationale Browning A5 over the Japanese one any day. Even my old Winchester 1200 pump has stamped parts.

 

I have a carry permit for one of these bad boys!

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If I recall that's what I started with, a Wham-O.

On a side note the old M1 Garand is a maze of parts. During the early years most parts were milled but over years of production as a cost cutting measure many parts went from milled to stamped. Never had any effect on the rifle's form, fit or function. The early AK 47 rifles had a milled receiver and later stamped. Again no ill effects so I have no issue with stamped.

Finally, many thanks for the Happy Birthday wishes. That said since this is an electronics forum we should let the guns rest. A year or two back we did have a gun general discussion here in these forums. Again, thanking all of you for the birthday wishes and stay safe.

Ron