Robert Smythe

I found a neat old interview of a gun expert of Colonel Townsend Whelan's stripe. Whelan was a gun writer and and expert in the first part of the 20th Century. One of his buddies and peers is Robert Smythe.

During my Marine experience, I became familiar with most of the small arms with which the Corps were equipped at the time. Here I will mention but two, the famous Garand (semi-automatic) .30-06 rifle M1 and the Marine’s long time favorite – the .45ACP. With the rifle, I made Expert, (this rating gave me a $5.00 per month bonus in my pay), while with the Colt Model 1911 pistol, I fired a 91 percent score to tie the record fired on the Pistol Range at Camp Mathews.

These, (and other) experienced with the .30-06 cartridge and the .45ACP purposes for which they were designed to be used, they were "tops" in the Marine armament. I used them effectively then and I consider them most effective now. May I repeat Colonel Whelan’s pronouncement, "The .30-06 is never a mistake." The .45ACP, in the Colt pistol, for combat or personal defense is also, never a mistake

Check it out.