A study in hats

[psteinmayer]

Working Out? ... You look like your waiting for "Hop Sing" to whip up lunch!

Lunch? Did someone mention lunch???

[butlersrangers]

Mista Hoss ... I show you how to use knife and folk ... then we work on hat.

[Baltimoreed]

Never much liked the Span Am hat. Bought a cheapy one and then after 2 misses got one that fit from Dirty Billys in Gettysburg but it goes with my Krags. I prefer the od DI hat of Pershings Punitive Expedition. Looks good with my 1903 [tanker] Springfield and 1911.

[Whig]

Back in 2011, Ken Hackathorn led our local gun club group in a 1911 anniversary celebration. It was quite an event. One drill he created for us to shoot was the Sgt. Alvin York drill where he re-created the scenario Sgt. York was famous for in shooting down a battery of advancing Germans by himself with, supposedly, just a single Springfield M1903 rifle that, when it shot empty, he used a 1911 pistol. These pictures show that Ken made us wear a battle helmet as well as use a M1903 rifle and a M1911 pistol. Of course, it was timed and the targets were set up to shoot the 5 advancing Germans from back to front with the 1911.

The picture of Hackathorn shows the collection of 1911s we brought and shot that wonderful day. (There were, unexpectedly, 45 1911s on that table.)

We still laugh at how we looked in those hats!

[butlersrangers]

Hey Whig, watch the hostility toward Germans. :D

[butlersrangers]

A 'Campaign Hat' is what you make it!

[Knute1]

Great grandpa's hat around 1900. In the army from 1899 to 1902. Wish I had it.

[Local Boy]

You are correct sir...A 'Campaign Hat' is truly what you make it!

This is my Great Grandpa Darth's helmet that he used in battles along time ago, in a galaxy far far away...wish I had it to. :-[

Actually it's a helmet used by Saddam Hussein's personal guard called the Fedayeen. The Fedayeen (Men of Sacrifice) were commanded by Saddam's son Uday who was a big Star Wars fan.

If Knute's Great Grand Pappy was alive today I bet he would have kicked some Fedayeen butt!

[psteinmayer]

supposedly, just a single Springfield M1903 rifle

IIRC, Sgt. Alvin York was armed with a 1917 Enfield for this action.

[Whig]

This has been highly debated. It has even been reported that he used a picked up Luger to shoot the Germans with instead of a !911. Fascinating history. Almost every account, including his own for the movie about him (played by Gary Cooper), has conflicting details.

Hackathorn went with the M1903 on this day but we discussed the debate and the next time we did the same scenario we actually used an Enfield just to be fair.

The original M1911 is a bear to shoot, especially if you have bigger hands because the beaver tail is too small and the slide will bite your skin bad. Some of the shooters who were not extra careful of this were bleeding after their turn.