In 1960 I was in the US Navy and I worked on the pistol range at Mustin Field in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and had 55 gallon drums of 1911A-1 parts. So one day a E-6 engine mechanic stops by and wants to know if I want to order a 1911 from the NRA for $15.00 each. Being a brilliant 18 year old, I said no. When the guns showed up, the purchasers were require to keep them off the base or in my gun room under lock and key. My key. Anyway, these were new in WWII packaging in brown wax paper and cosmolene. Zero time and unfired. I would like to live that week over again. Duh....................We had several hundred cases of WWII .45 ammo. The boss told us to get rid of it. So we had the boy scouts and sea scouts and foreign guests, the base police, the Marine guards, anyone who came by was issued a .45 and allowed to blaze away. The smaller kids only got one round per set, because of the recoil. Lots of 45s dropped into the dirt.

But you couldn't get that grin off of them with sand paper. They wouldn't wash their hands sometimes, Wanting to show their friends the black and gray powder. For most of them loading up the magazines was as much fun as shooting.

 

Can you imagine what would happen today if a 20 year old and an 18 year old passed out 45s to a band of 10 year olds? Some of the cub scouts had to be helped to hold the piece, so it wouldn't hit them in the head.

 

The only close call we had was from a Navy pilot who was looking at the left side of his .45 and for no good reason pulled the trigger. I was in the target shack building target frames. The round came through the wall passing between me and my hammer and out the other wall. There was a pause, then my boss, Tim Sell yelled out "Hanover, you OK?" I got a splinter in my arm was all. During this time there were some stray rounds that got over the back stop and into Camden New Jersey and didn't help anyone over there. I suspect that some of those kids are still shooting pistols. I hear that's all houses now. What a shame.

 

 

Lynn E. Hanover