Restored Post 4: Machine Gun McGivern

The famed Ed McGivern was a sign painter by trade:

Below, the original post in pdf form:

Machine Gun McGivern

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It references a video of Ed that of course doesn't play there; so here is the video itself:

And a more recently-acquired article by Stan Nelson, an enthusiast best known for his article about the Sunday scabbard made for A.W. Brill of Austin TX:

1995 nelson on mcgivern

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It's likely that McGivern's serious illnesses including the arthritis that sidelined him by the time his book was published in 1938 were symptomatic of his significant exposure to lead. He handloaded, of course, to feed his habit and that habit of shooting what were unjacketed lead bullets exposed him to its smoke. And being a sign painter couldn't have helped, with the prevalance of lead in paint then.

We wouldn't have heard much about McGivern if it hadn't been for his wealthy benefactor Walter Groff:

4 machine gun mcgivern (2)

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Likely Ed's wife's death could be at least partially attributed to lead poisoning, too, as you will see her in photos and other images of him shooting. She predeceased him.

Read all about the evolution of today's gunleather during the 20th century in the second edition of my book, published 2022 and available at www.holstory.com .