Hi-Yo, Silver...Away...
When I was a mere youth, knee-high to most grasshoppers, there was one constant in my rapidly expanding universe, and that was THE LONE RANGER.
There was just no one like him.
And there never will be again (sadly).
He was one of my FIRST heroes, aside from my DAD, of course, who always was, and always will be my #1 hero.
And in some ways, I sometimes wished that Dad had a white horse, and carried silver bullets.
Instead, Dad had a black Rambler American and carried the family paycheck.
That seemed plenty good enough for us.
But, to this day, I STILL like the Lone Ranger, even though my bubble burst a bit when Jay Silverheels and Clayton Moore passed on to that vast prairie in the sky.
A dear friend of mine, who lives in Delaware now, even sent me a 2 DVD set of those old shows...and you know what? They still work for me. How can you NOT like a guy who goes around righting wrongs, and yet NEVER killed one, single bad guy? The Lone Ranger always shot to "wound"...never kill outright...amazing marksmanship. (and maybe a low budget for the studio...couldn't afford fake blood...who knows and who cares?) It's still cool to me.
Interestingly enough, that TV show was the FIRST to feature a NATIVE AMERICAN in a starring role.
Not too shabby for those Cold War 1950s.
I even had a pair of shiny, chromed "Colt 45-six-shooter" cap guns just like these right here (we all remember ROLL CAPS, right?), contained in dual holsters that mom had to add extra holes in the belt for, JUST so they wouldn't fall about my ankles when I saddled up and "hobby-horsed" into the sunset (after dinner, naturally)...LOL.
Wish I still had those buggers...bet 'ya they'd be worth a LOT of $$$.
Flash-forward about FIFTY years...
The values that the Lone Ranger brought to children (then) are STILL with me.
--Obey the law.
--Do good whenever possible.
--Help others in need.
Yeah, that kind of stuff....never seems to get old, does it?
Yet in today's world, the "bad guys" don't all wear black hats, or are as blatant about the crimes they might commit, and that makes sorting them all out a bit more confusing.
Still, if there was one thing the Lone ranger did was TEACH BY EXAMPLE (even if he DID wear a mask).
Ditto for Tonto (sans the mask).
Now I might not have those silver bullet-filled Colt .45s these days, but I do have something almost as good.
I have acquired my own .45 pistol.
It's a little honey called the Taurus PT 145 Millenium Pro (mil-pro) autoloader.
My newest "toy" is really state of the art when it comes to compact pistols that pack a wallop, too. It carries 10 in the mag plus 1 in the chamber (two less than the Lone Ranger's guns), weighs a mere 23 ounces (empty), and can be concealed with no trouble at all. It fits the hand great, is balanced well, field-strips like a dream, and from what all the reviews I've read (which were too numerous to mention), is a damn fine shooter...in other words, it'spretty damn ACCURATE, and will digest ANY flavor of .45 ACP ammo as well as .45 G.A.P., with NO jams or hangups. That in itself is a testimony to quality of workmanship.
(Not bad for a Brazilian-made firearm)
Plus, I always like hitting what I aim at, no matter the brand of bullets.
I just hope when I get to shoot it (which I wish were ASAP) I can echo those reviews. I think it will work out just fine.
You simply can't beat this pistol when it comes to real "bang for your buck".
I have NOT read one single NEGATIVE review of this weapon, which has been on the market for a few years.
I HAVE read where guys have let their "significant others" shoot this piece, and even THEY liked it, and wanted to get one for personal protection. Can't top that, can you?
Girls with guns...now THAT is a rush at any local range!
Many people will call it a "mousegun", because of it''s size, but just like me...never judge anything OR anyone on SIZE alone. Hell, I'm only 5'7", but you learn things in life, that make you feel a bit taller along the way.
(when one is "vertically-challenged", one does whatever one can)
And yesterday, when I purchased that pistol, I could have sworn I felt at least several inches TALLER when I left that gun shop.
It is one hell of an equalizer, and in today's world, you need ALL the help you can afford. There are evil people out there, trust me.
I am kind of glad I didn't embrace the '50s TV show SKY KING as readily as I did the LONE RANGER...I can't imagine HOW the hell I would ever afford to buy an AIRPLANE (or explain it to the missus)...!
(Yeah, he was a cowboy that FLEW a plane..."Out of the blue of the Western skies").
Now, I only wish I had a "faithful Indian companion" to complete everything...LOL.
Good allies are SO hard to come by these days, especially in MY neighborhood!
But, I now have my very own ".45", and I think somewhere that Dad as well as the Lone Ranger & Tonto are smiling in approval.
OK, so I might not BE anything close to an incarnation OF the Lone Ranger, but there is not one damn thing wrong with espousing the values he taught to every one of us wide-eyed kids way back in the fifties.
I do subscribe to the fact that I AM one of the "good guys", and that's something I won't retreat from one bit.
Some might think that a bit on the "patriotic" side...I really don't, but I appreciate those who feel that way.
The REAL patriots are those fighting for freedom overseas, or here on our streets.
I'm just one guy...trying my damnedest to do what is right these days, and protect those I care for in the process.
If that's the definition of a patriot, then I plead guilty.
And in case any of you are curious...NO, I don't plan to paint my BLACK Firebird WHITE...OR call it "Silver" in the future.
Now...about that concealed-carry permit....mmmmm.
Stay safe out there, America.