“George Washington’s favorite pistol was made in London in 1748 by Hawkins, one of the best known gunmakers of the period,” the repro [non-firing] gunmakers at atlantacutlery.com report. “It still survives as a national treasure. Elegant in its design, the gun combines simple, clean lines with tasteful silver decoration.” The good folks at SIG SAUER reckon . . .

That this is the gun that George Washington would carry today. Yes, well, firearms are prohibited in the current home of the federal government, Washington. D.C. — unless a politician’s willing to jump through the hoops erected by the anti-gunners running the nation’s capitol.

Then again, if we’re talking about George Washington alive today as President, he’d be surrounding by armed security. Wait. Does Donald Trump still carry a gun? I’m so confused! Anyway . . .

What would George Washington carry?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

69 COMMENTS

  1. Stainless S&W 629 w/4″ barrel.

    Something with some hefty to it, so he could wallop folks with it, if need be.

  2. “Does Donald Trump still carry a gun? I’m so confused! ”

    Ronald Reagan (The man who signed the LEOPA, Hughes Amendment and California open carry ban) was known to carry a revolver in his briefcase as PotUS.

    • He might when in NYC. He does have a permit.
      Unless the USSS told him they could protect him better.
      BTW, they say he wears soft body armor under the shirt when out and about.

      • Donald Trump probably has a nice Detective Special or a pre-lock Model 60. Also remember that NYC (and later Philly) was the US capital in George Washington’s day, and now all of those places are anti-gun.

      • “BTW, they say he wears soft body armor under the shirt when out and about.”

        So has every President since March 30, 1981.

  3. I would like to think some form of carry akin to what Patton would have carried. That may just be my bias. SAAs, S&W .357, R51/Colt 1903.

    ED:That said, a SIG of some kind may be not far off. I doubt he’d carry something that pretentious though and would likely stick to the highest quality model with some extra engraving and action work.

    • I find the star field grips on that SIG to be a little tacky, personally. Agree that GW would probably choose something a little more subtle. Bet he’d go blued steel, too, over workaday nitride.

      I suspect he also knew where to draw the line between “nice” and “hoity–toity.”

  4. GLOCK 18?!? Beats me what a guy who lived in the 18th century would carry now…

    • You guys don’t know nothin’! Washington would pack three firearms for EDC to celebrate and commemorate the three branches of government.

      He would be trained to dual wield with a Glock 18 on his left hip with a 34 round magazine primarily for getting to cover. On his right hip, he’d have an FN Five seveN with an aftermarket 30 round magazine for when he needed better accuracy for those 50-yard headshots. Under his quick access velcro closure overcoat, he would be slinging a suppressed FN P90 loaded with 25 rounds of subsonic ammo followed by 25 rounds of armor-piercing for good luck. Oh, and don’t forget all of the ammo he would be carrying under his overcoat on his red, white, and blue chest rig

      ‘MURICA! Long live the Republic.

  5. He would most definitely carry a revolver of some sort. Dual wield. On one hip a Freedom Arms 83 in 454 casull. On the other hip an 8 shot 627.

    • Ivory grips?

      “I killed the elephant these grips came from with my bare hands. Believe me!”

      *snicker*

  7. I’d like to think that if Ole GW woke up today he would carry something made here in the USA.

    Colt or a S&W of some flavor.

  9. A French High Power. I think a better question would be what rifle would Andrew Jackson carry an what would his body count be today?

  10. G. Washington would carry something that would represent America. It’d have a lot of wood, so I think he’d carry a revolver with a set of big wood grips and the revolver would be engraved. As for caliber, he’d go big, so .44 or .45 thus he’d likely be toting a Ruger Blackhawk or Redhawk or a S&W Model 29.

  11. He’d carry a Hi Point 9mm carbine with zombie green furniture. Probably. But he’d lube it with whale blubber or some weird old school shit.

  12. If the founders saw what they’re “right” caused. They’d changed thier minds real fast.

    “Gun rights” didnt save us during the whiskey rebellion nor the war of 1812 when we lost to canada.

    Most of the founding fathers oppossed the “right” back then and would oppose it today if they saw the tragedy it causes here everyday.

    Still don’t see canada, australia. europe or japan turning into 3rd world dictatorships.

    • Don’t change the subject.

      If GW was alive today, he’d need to be 85% cyborg and therefore could carry M134 minigun with 2500 rounds of 7.62.

    • “If the founders saw what…”

      –snip whining, crying & sniveling–

      Oh, please. Is that the best you have?

      The quality of those trolling this blog has really fallen off lately.

      You’re just embarrassing yourself…

    • It’s their not they’re.
      You can’t even write well so how do we take you seriously.

      • Take it easy on him. Mr. Antifanonymous didn’t have any pre-written diatribe to copy and paste from Anytown today.

    • “’Gun rights’ didnt save us during the whiskey rebellion nor the war of 1812 when we lost to canada.”

      A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, especially when it applies to history. The whiskey rebellion saw the first large-scale use of the “well regulated millitia” referred to in the 2A. Citizen militiamen from several states were called up to suppress the insurrection. Thankfully, they had guns. The whiskey rebellion was perhaps the first real test of this nation and its Constitution, and we passed the test.

      In the War of 1812 we definitely took a beating. But it ended when the treaty of Ghent was unanimously ratified by the United States on February 17, 1815, ending the war with no boundary changes. To anyone who thinks we lost that war, I suspect Andrew Jackson would beg to differ.

      • While we took a lickin’ in the War of 1812, we won in the end. A good part of why we won was Andrew Jackson and the civilians, including pirates and assorted criminals, who responded with their personal firearms in New Orleans.

        • Most would call the war a draw, not a win. We won a few sea battles and at New Orleans. But overall, hard to see a ” win.”

    • The_resistance,

      So, your argument is that I cannot exercise a right in any fashion that violates your delicate sensibilities.

      Here is the problem with that standard: your free-speech posts on this website violate my delicate sensibilities, therefore you must forfeit your free-speech right and stop posting on the Internet.

      What is it going to be? Shall we keep asking government to punish people for exercising their rights? Or shall we order government (who is our servant after all) to stop punishing people for exercising their rights?

    • The Founding Fathers fully understood the consequences since they wanted the populace to have military grade arms.

      Please do yourself a favor and read some history.

      Japan: Navy and merchant marine destroyed, firebombed, nuked twice, new government forcibly installed

      Germany: Industry destroyed, country partitioned, new government forcibly installed.

      Now, how many people did these two powers kill? They’re respectable today because we demanded it of them.

      • That’s true. WE made them become respectable. And remember what Yamamato said: you cannot invade the American homelands, because you will face a rifle behind every blade of grass

    • Poster’s name is “The Resistance,” posts anti-gun tripe on pro-gun website. Obvious troll is obvious.

      Not sure if normal poster disguised on alternate account for teh luls.

    • Where on what planet did you learn that history Bub? You are so far out in left field (pun intended). folks, don’t listen to this kind of revisionist garbage, and speak u to counter it! Your children will thank you for truth!

    • Nice try to rewrite history and change the facts…

      If the Founders that keeping and bearing arms (owning, possessing, carrying and concealing every arms “swords and every terrible implement of the soldier” Tench Coxe, 1788 they would have said so.

    • We lost the war of 1812 to Canada? Must have been cause we were distracted by the Germans bombing Pearl Harbor.

      Dude, without a google search, can you tell me who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?

    • America indeed won the war of 1812. For a time, it looked as if Britain would re conquer portions of us. Also, the pressing of American sailors was brought to an end. After standing up to the worlds greatest power for a second time, especially after the straight whipping they got in New Orleans by Old Hickory, they didn’t try it again.

    • For the thousandth time: Europe. Is. Not. A. Country.

      Look at how Switzerland is looking to give the E.U. a big middle finger right now over their citizens’ right to keep their service weapons (psst…most households in Switzerland have a machine gun somewhere on the premises. Not a Jon Stewart-style “semi-automatic machine gun,” but the real deal. The kind that’s “gasp” illegal for civilian ownership in the U.S. (for the pedants, post ’86)). Yep, that’s mainland solidarity with Belgium.

      Canada and Australia are commonwealth countries. I.e., the owe fealty to the Queen. I.e., should the queen so decide for them, so they go. I.e., they are already under the rule of a dictator, just a particularly disinterested one.

      Japan. Japan had sword control before it had gun control, because it was a legal right of the ruling elite to go to poor villages and drink, rob, murder, rape, pillage. You couldn’t have one of those people try to defend themselves, so they had to be disarmed. When guns came into common usage, first they were banned for the commoners, then they were even banned for the elites. Until it became quite clear that outsiders were going to keep showing up and using deadly weapons that were effective outside the range of a drunken playboy with a katana, then they started training with rifles. About fifty years after the rest of the world. And they still give all authority to the Emperor.

      So, you named three pseudo-dictatorships and a continent with many member countries’ policies counter to what you insist they are. Care to drone on about the land of freedom that is Singapore again?

    • Japan was a first world empire with a body count to match its European contemporary. Australia is a former penial colony that still pays homage to its imperial overlord. Canada was a backwater of the European expansion that also pays homage to the last ruler to hold the hot potato. All three are still subjects and not true citizens. So it’s a non sequitur to compare our laws, culture and governance.

    • Our right causes tragedy. Every day even. Oh my…
      Not criminals, our right to keep and bear arms is the culprit. How not to laugh?
      Do you hear what you are saying?
      And you “Still don’t see canada, australia. europe or japan turning into 3rd world dictatorships.” (Hey, your shift key doesn’t work.) Feel invited to move to any of them. And by your own logic get your teeth pulled out, just in case, before your right causes tragedy and you bite someone. #Toothviolence!

  13. Well, in commie kalifornia, George Washington wouldn’t be allowed to carry a damn thing. He simply could not be trusted by our overlords that now have rule over us serfs.

  14. Probably a colt 1911 because it’s a 1911 or ruger American and it’s a 1911 you don’t get much better

  15. Um… Whatever he damn well pleased?

    Based on the fact that his favorite fire breathing freedom enhancer was made in the same country he fought a revolution against I feel like foreign guns would make the potential list.

    Therefore, based on his battlefield experience with muzzleloaders he might go hog wild on capacity which potentially puts the Five seveN in the running.

  16. Speaking of dueling pistols; this week marks the anniversary of the Hamilton vs Burr duel in 1804. As for what GW would carry today? Sig 320 might be something he would like? New tech, used by his troops, and changable from full to compact to suit his needs.

  17. “the gun combines simple, clean lines with tasteful silver decoration.”

    George Washington, the general who defeated the dominant military power on the planet, a man with simple tastes would obviously be all about stainless steel. His everyday carry piece would be a Magnum Research BFR, 45-70 with a 10″ barrel. If he needed to substitute a mouse gun for formal affairs of state it would be a gold plated Desert Eagle. Take a look at a 1 dollar bill and observe his steely gaze. That is the look any sissy boy who cried and whined about how “it’s to heavy” would get from the father of our country.

  18. What would George Washington carry? Yes.

    Okay, all fun aside, I am going to go with a Korth revolver — because it has to be about as expensive in today’s dollars as that flintlock handgun in the picture cost back then.

  20. A classic, of course. If Washington was walking the earth today he would carry a Sig P210.

  21. The real question should be what rifle would Teddy Roosevelt carry as his EDC (because we know he wouldn’t be satisfied with a puny handgun)? I’d wager some iteration of a scout rifle.

      • An interesting idea but I think he’d keep the stock and SBR it. Of course, I can see him wearing it in a scabbard across his back.

  22. George would likely carry whatever was better than what the opposition carried. He wouldn’t care where it came from as long as it killed the enemy.

  23. I think he would carry a nickel-plated Desert Eagle in .50AE (only the black ones are made by IWI and not here, and you can seek those out if it makes you feel more “genuine” to have an Israeli one). He’s probably be used to carrying big, heavy pistols in .50 caliber or larger, so I think it would be a good fit.

  25. Something expensive, tasteful and classy. In those days “gentlemen” wanted the finest and weren’t afraid to spend money to get it. They weren’t ostentatious and considered flashy pistols and swords to be tacky. So I’ll give General Washington a very high end and classy 1911 – but no stars cut in the trigger!

  27. I don’t know for sure, but I always figured many of the Founding Fathers (what with some of their revolutionary tendencies) embraced advances of technology, at least as far as they made life better in a practical way. I’ll give you the .45 caliber as all old-school warrior types are wont to carry, but why not put it in the lighter weight M&P .45 Compact?

  31. Twin deagles, of course, but I’m betting he’d have an M240B on the trunk of his Challenger.

Comments are closed.