One of the joys (to me) of re-reading books is that often the natural in them hits differently depending on life events, and how we grow and evolve.

Case in point is “A Rifleman Goes to War” by Herbert Mcbride. It is a memoir of an American who during WW1 before the US entered the war, went to Canada and enlisted there. He went to the trenches and fought for 18 months. It is a great book and written from a gun nerd perspective.

Jeff Cooper mentioned it many times in the early and mid-80’s as an important work on fighting, and when Paladin Press reprinted it, I immediately bought a copy. I have read it dozens of times I the past 40 years, but drift back to0 it now and again. This time, this passage really hit home.

He has an entire chapter on. the use of the pistol in modern warfare, and this part he is comparing the 1911 to then current revolvers in use like Wesley’s, and Colt and S&W 1971s. So in arguably one of the worst conditions that a man can fight in – the trenches of the western front – with al of the mud, water, debris, constant shelling and craters, and having to move thought that world, he says quite clearly that there is no difference in the reliability and durability between revolvers and semi-autos. He make sit a point to say that all guns should be maintained properly, and when they are, the revolver is just as reliable.

From a man who actually experienced some of the most apocalyptic violence the world has ever known, versus the opinion of Youtube influencers who have almost no experience with even the mildest of violence.

I know whose opinion I pay more attention to.