Living up to your username once again.

Show us on the doll where the bad 1911 man touched you.



 

They balance nicely.  Feel good in the hand.

The trigger is probably the best it gets in a semi-auto.  It doesn't swing/hinge, but slides and is very crisp.

Everyone knows you're a troll.

You're projecting.



 

Funny, I'm the exact opposite. I rank the Ruger #2 though. Both point well for me.

I've never shot a woodsman before, but if you're telling me one JMB pistol's ergonomics edge out another...I could believe it.

That's on my list.

Well, what everyone else said, they are very flat, easy to shoot, fit the hand just so. Sure, you can have teething problems with some, because fifty companies are making them and the specs may vary a bit. But, get one that is working or get one to work and it is a thing of joy. I CCW a Colt Light Weight Commander and shoot IDPA with it. I have owned two Glocks and they are not 100% reliable as some claim. I have a Remington Rand 1911 built in 1945, I had to replace the recoil and firing ping spring, might have been the orignals, runs great with ball and HP, but not semi wad cutters, no surprise.
Also, I remember being out of doors shooting, I put on 100% Deet and then shot my Glock. I noticed that the Deet had an effect on the plastic of the Glock, made it sticky, reacted with it. No one has tested this but it looked like the 100% Deet would dissolve or partially dissolve the plastic on the Glock, which concerned me.
The 1911 has an exposed hammer allowing for a cock and shoot again if you have a Fail to Ignite, which I have done in a IDPA match. The striker fired pistols require a slide rack for that. The 1911 does require a higher level of skill IMHO (manual of arms), but are worth it.
 I have owned and fired Sigs and they feel like a brick in my hand, also DA/SA is tough to master. The H&K guns are ok but their customer service is non existent which puts me off.

Plastic guns are a tire tool, the 1911 is a work of art that is also historically interesting, functional and still used by Spec Ops, and other serious guys at the point of the spear.

Also, James Yeager is now a fan. :-)

Who said they were God's gift?  Who says they are "so awesome over a more modern .45"?

Thank you and correct.  I have a Taurus PT1911.  Nothing fancy, no tuning or gee-wiz shit.  I have put 20,000+ rounds of quality ammo (RNHP) through it with NO failures to fire, failures to cycle or jams.  I did buy a couple of quality spare magazines.

There was an article in Front Sight a few years ago that talks about the early days of IPSC competition.  It was mentioned that the 1911 was one of the few pistols that was durable, as in it would last for 100,000 rounds.  Many other autos of the 70s and 80s were beating themselves to death after 10-20,000 rounds.

Excellent durability, good accuracy, wonderful trigger, higher capacity than a revolver, military track record and familiarity, excellent ergonomics, the natural selection process of competition, and charismatic cheerleaders led to its legendary status.

I have many pistols, but my favorites are 2011/1911 types.

Ever bother to read one of the CAS threads in this forum?

I forgot, this too. Awesome supressed, indeed.

Seperately, I never got the "needs work done to it" thing. All the ones I've shot run fine, from SA to Llama.

Heck, I've even seen a Llama shoot fine underwater in a video. (Right next to a glock, ironically, which also shot fine.)

I have a couple high end 1911s.

There is some truth to 1911s being unreliable.
My Remington R1 carry 1911 was so unreliable I sold it at a huge loss back to the store I bought it from.
My second 1911 was a custom left handed cabot southpaw, it failed to feed a lot and some ammo brands would fail the plunk test (anywhere from 2-7 in a box of 50). I reamed the chamber 2/1000" and it's super reliable.
My second 1911 left handed cabot was perfect out the box.  
I own 2 glocks and both are perfect out the box, with a shitty trigger, weird sights, and it feels cheap in my hands. For what it's worth I take the 1911s to the range more, and I keep the 45 acp glock on my nightstand bed fast access safe with a light mounted to it. All handguns get rotated so they are fired and cleaned so I know they're reliable and recently cleaned.

To know why it's awesome just pick it up. If you need more just rent one at a range.
I like it because the way it feels in my hand, the way it looks, and the way it shoots, and the history behind it. This handgun is a little on the heavier side so recoil is very tame. Very soft push instead of a snap in the wrist. There is a huge aftermarket for 1911s.

People don't like them because out of the box there are some with issues with reliability, capacity is limited to about 8-7 +1 rounds with standard mags, and 10 round extended mags are available. They are heavy for everyday carry but a single stack is also slim for CCW. If I CCW carried in position 1 I'd prefer a thumb safety to a glock's trigger safety. However I pocket carry a 38 revolver in a pocket holster.

If some one pops up on here and says the earth is flat or water is dry or Hillary will make a great president, there's really no reason to go and "proove" them wrong. Anyone with half a brain can see it. So I'll just sit back and laugh at tards who think Hillary is great and 1911's are bad.

Yep.



 

10 round mags are out there.  With one in the pipe, that's 11.

11 rounds of 45acp (actaully, 9 for me usually) seems enough to me.

A lot of guys own and love old muscle cars but still drive a modern SUV or truck to work.

They're certainly not the greatest gun. And they're not God's gift to earth. But they're a great tool, a part of American history, and damn fun to shoot. They should be part of every mans collection.

I agree.  New guns built tight may need 500 rounds to break in, but tight tolerances keepshit OUT!.

However, if you buy a tight 1911 and don't break it in before you take it to a class, it wll choke on you.

Also a lot of shitty mags out there, not so with most other handguns.

Terrible analogy. The only reason one wouldn't drive their muscle car everyday would be they don't want to wear out something that isn't made anymore, and lack of things like AC and a CD player.

I don't care about the hype, or the numerous, sometimes ridiculous opinions found everywhere on the Internet. I have shot just about every make and model of pistol over the years, either my own or someone else's, and I always find myself coming back to a Colt 1911 of some description. I've carried Glocks, Beretta 92s, Smith 3rd Gen Autos, revolvers and pocket autos, and each has its own unique attraction for me, and I like them all.

I LOVE my 1911s, though.

They're not for everyone, and that's okay. Go shoot something else.

Give me my Colt Commander in stainless steel and I'm happy.

Like the AR15, the 1911 is in credibly popular. As such, there are tons of different companies making complete guns, parts and accessories. Some make great stuff, some make shit.

That attitude right there indicates that you really don't know that much about guns in general and ridiculing a weapons type without knowledge to back it up is telling. A lot of things besides guns that were made over 100 years ago were made to work and last a lifetime. Things nowadays are made for quick, cheap sales to masses and made for short lifespans to ensure customers have to keep coming back to buy more. That's the reason American cars, for example, had a bad reputation for reliability, longevity, and quality, when compared to foreign cars like Japanese cars. Admittedly they have supposed worked to get caught up in the last 20 years. There are 1911 pistols left over from WWII that are still functional today. A 75 year old Glock being as functional? I doubt it.

Go to a gun store and check out a Dan Wesson, Wilson Combat, Night Hawk Custom, or Ed Brown 1911 pistol and compare the trigger pull, slide action, and ergonomic feel to a Glock .45 or an HK USP .45 and see for yourself. I'm partial to 10mm, so all of my 1911 pistols, except one are 10mm. I also find the full size 1911 pistols to be a lot more comfortable and concealable for EDC than any Glock 21 or full size HK .45. Make the comparisons and then come back with some knowledge of the subject before denigrading a weapon type.

I'm not going to debate pros and cons with folks here, but this is coming from a shooter with over 20 years of experience and a gunsmith with over 10 years experience.    

1911s are cantankerous pains in the ass, they are finicky, and they are obsolete compared to the current handguns available today.  Anyone who thinks that they are still a viable weapon system that one would actually USE to protect one's life needs to do a serious reality check.


The above being said, I love 1911s, I love to shoot them, I love the way that they feel in my hand.  I like the way they look, I like the way that they fit together.  They are pieces of artwork, unlike the form following function polymer guns that are made and used today.  


They are also a wonderful part of the history of this country, having served in more conflicts than any other firearm.


In short, 1911s are great, just don't depend on them to save you, there are better options.

Some may have, but I do not see a whole lot fading out. Some have been retired to the pasture and has a cult like status, I can name two for an example, the HK P7 and the Colt Python.

You should try one.

1911s have been in use for all purposes since they were invented in 1911.  Though originally intended as a military sidearm, it has been used with great success for self defense, concealed carry, and competitive shooting.  It's trigger system lends itself well to be tuned either for a heavier trigger for duty use, or a very light trigger for competition use.  Most importantly, the trigger has very short travel and consistent pull weight throughout, which makes it more use friendly.

The single stack magazine gives it a thin grip.  This is important because it makes the frame able to accept a wide range of grips, from the ultra flat, thin grips to the more rounded, fatter grips.  The thin grips facilitate concealed carry use.  The fatter grips are useful for people like me who have trouble shooting a pistol accurately if it has flat sided grips.  Unlike a Glock, the backstrap is shaped for humans and not aliens.

The operating mechanism, the Browning tilt-barrel short recoil system, is the same mechanism used in almost every semi auto service pistol in production.  I can count on one hand the number of common service pistols that use something other than the Browning system.  Probably the most common non-browning design is the Beretta 92, which derives from the Walther P38's lock up system.

All of the locked breach handguns manufactured by Glock, Sig, Smith and Wesson, HK, Ruger (as far as I know), CZ, and FN use the same Browning mechanism as the 1911.  For all intents and purposes, John M. Browning invented the modern semi auto handgun as we know it with the 1911.  Everything since the 1911 has been derivation of the same design.  Some minor changes have occurred...we have more striker fired guns now as opposed to hammer fired, and many guns are lighter due to using aluminum or polymer frames.  These changes represent what I would call evolutionary improvements; they improve already existing attributes.  They are not revolutionary changes that redefine how we think of handguns.

The 1911 is iconic with the US military from WW1 onward.  Though no longer standard issue, higher end models are used by certain units that actually get effective use out of a handgun as something more than a sidearm or badge of office.

The 1911 has a certain mystique, created by mixing up healthy doses of history, nostalgia, and over 100 years of proven performance.  There's a patriotic element too...it is clearly an American handgun designed by an American for Americans.

Now, is it perfect?  No.  It was designed in a time before CNC machining.  The patent on it has long run out too, so there is no authority dictating what the correct dimensions for its parts are.  Thus, there are very few "drop in" parts for a 1911.  Most parts, especially trigger parts, slides, and barrels, have to be hand fitted which is why 1911s are so expensive.  It's probably also the chief reason the military and law enforcement moved away from them.  They are not low maintenance.  An armorer can maintain Glocks or Sigs in fighting condition.  But it requires a gunsmith to maintain a 1911.  A 1911 that is built and fitted correctly is stone cold reliable.  A poorly fitted one will fail when you need it most.

It is not a handgun for beginners.  It demands more of its owners than other designs, but most who own them would tell you that it's worth the trouble.

There is one additional thing that I think makes the 1911 popular, and this is kind of ill defined but it might be the most important factor in its popularity.  I don't have a word for it, just a phrase: there's nothing else quite like it.  The M-1 Garand rifle is the same way, actually.  On paper the Garand is bulky, low capacity, and woefully obsolete.  And yet...if you shoot one, you will have to have one, because there is something special about it.  It is similar with the 1911.  There's something undefinably special about it that cannot be explained.  It can only be experienced.

I suggest you find a friend who has a reasonably nice 1911 and try it out.

FWIW I carry a Sig.  It's a nice handgun.  It's not as nice as a 1911.  Since I'm not a gunsmith, I lack the skillset to maintain a 1911 in fighting form.  I can keep them clean and rust free easily enough, change springs as needed, etc, but if a trigger component needs replacing, I have to take it to a 1911 smith.  I have chosen to only carry guns I can fully maintain.  That's just what I do, it's not a suggestion or advice.

..and inferior suspension, nonexistent fuel economy, less usable power, dismal safety, etc.  A stock 6 cylinder Camry blows the doors off a stock 69 Camaro in every way but style.  

Style and nostalgia are the only things that make me keep a muscle car.  

1) 90% of the cops in my area carry 1911's.
2) I have had my duty 1911 for about 16 years now. It has never needed to be tuned or fluffed or any of this other BS you kids are claiming. I stopped counting rounds as I approached 20k several years ago. I have won several national and regional competitions with it. It is 100% reliable with all ammo.
3) there is nothing a "modern" has to offer over it.

Is that why the Army had to order a huge batch of slides from Colt after WWII that were actually heat treated?

And still, none of that relates to a firearms discussion.

I have a little experience with 1911 pistols and others as well. I retried from federal law enforcement and carried various firearms for 28 years on and off duty. I've owned various Colt, Kimbers, and now a NHC and a DW 1911  in  addition to various other pistol types. I carried a Sig Stainless Elite P229 .40 and a Glock 17 on duty for the last 5 years of duty and I have had issues with both. The P229 once had the grip screws fall out after only a couple years of carry. Later the P229's take down release lever broke and I had to have the agency's armorer take it apart. The Glock 17 experienced an issue where every qualification I would pull the trigger and experience the weapon fire and on the next pull of the trigger the trigger was not reset and no round was in the chamber (the previous round fired and ejected the empty casing, but, the slide closed forward without chambering the next round and the trigger failed to reset). This only happened once in 50 rds, but, would happen once every qualification. I never figured out what caused this. Both the Sig and Glock were brand new guns. Back when they first released the Glock 20 and 21 I bought one of each. Neither gun (brand new) would reliably cycle hollow point ammo, so I sold both. The point is all pistols can have issues.

As far as 1911 pistols, I have found that a good quality 1911 with quality magazines (I use Wilson Combat and Tripp Research magazines) is just as reliable as any other pistol design that I have ever owned. There is nothing wrong with the grip angle on a 1911. But, I would argue that the grip angle on my Glock 17 is bad and I don't like it. This is of course personal preference and your personal preference doesn't equate to a pistol being good or bad, just your preference, not mine. That doesn't equate to a bad design. Now that I am retired I only carry my 1911 pistols. They're accurate, reliable, a lot more ergonomic than my Sip P229 or Glock 17 ever were. That's been my experience.    

You said it's a terrible analogy and then supported my analogy with further evidence.

Muscle cars may be less reliable and lack options. 1911's also lack options like double stack magazines and light weight polymers.
If Stan Chen or Joe Chambers custom hand built me a 20K 1911  I'd be afraid of wearing it out too since parts won't be readily available.

Designed by John Moses Browning, so there's no "supposedly" to it.  

Why don't you go ahead and make your heresy complete by disparaging the M2?

To be fair, if Deet will "eat" your Glock, then it will "eat" other polymer pistols too. Deet is something else, don't let that stop you from owning one if you like them.

I've had awesome CS from HK. Overnighted on their dime parts for a class I was going to in a few days many moons ago and their logic since it was part of the warranty, all I wanted was a spare recoil rod and some springs to pay on my own and got them for free, lightning fast

The trigger most of all. Makes for excellent shooting.

If you're a 1911 fanatic and cannot laugh at this, you seriously need to log off and reflect.

This a hundred times.  Every issue I've had with a 1911 jamming I have been able to solve, so far, by using better magazines.  I am particularly a fan of Checkmate with the either the GI feed lips or hybrid feed lips, with the dimple on the follower.

They are sweet shooters and they have a lot of nostalgia attached.  They are also dead sexy.

The issue I take with them is that while the above remains true, they are outclassed by more modern designs when it comes to self defense.

7-8 rounds is just not going to cut it for me unless its the size and weight of a g43.

I want one for a range toy/house gun (where I have access to a rifle)....but when I'm limited to what I brought, I'm bringing a glock 9mm.

Just too heavy and too few rounds for serious SD use imho considering the other higher capacity, softer shooting, more reliable, cheaper options.

1) Lots of cops at my father's old dept carried 1911's. IIRC about half had to be repaired at some point, most when they were new.
2) I have a 1911 that's had to go back to the factory three times with less than a thousand rounds through it.
3) There's a lot that a "modern" pistol has to offer over "it". R0N has posted plenty of data about 1911 maintenance issues on an organizational scale, as opposed to a sample size of 1.

We could play this all day, but there's a definite bell curve on the performance of individual samples of 1911's. That's why I don't claim they're all lousy despite my negative experiences with them.

I Expected more pictures in this thread, so I'll add mine.

Les Baer, very happy with my purchase, It's a keeper and unlikely ever to be sold.

Your imply that rarity and value are what keep people from using 1911s more.  The fact is, like cars, the design has been eclipsed by others that better meet our needs.

The reasons you gave would make it a bad analogy.  The actually relevant reasons make it a fairly good one.

Sigh.....there are polymer 1911's, tho that is not really an improvement. There are also double stack 1911's.
There are plenty of quality 1911's for under 1k.
There is nothing that a glock has over a 1911 besides capacity.
If you want to do a car analogy, a 1911 would be a loaded Silverado and a glock would be a stripped down fleet S10.
One is a refined, reliable work horse with great capability and all the bells and whistles. the other is a no frills bottom of the barrel commuter that any moron should be able use to get from point A to point B. But hay, it's got a plastic floor and crank Windows!

No, I don't.
1911's are an in credibly popular platform.

I know he will.
Fits the hand like a glove.

It's not a sample size of 1. I know around 100 or so deputies and city cops carrying 1911's on duty. Most are Springfield operators. These guns are carried daily in all weather conditions, used in qualls and training including SWAT. This is a very training intensive area, we get a lot of trigger time. Even with higher numbers of 1911's, there are much higher failure rates from the few glocks guys are carrying.

They aren't for everyone.

They will do what a pistol is supposed to do as well as anything else. Shooters being equal, of course.

They were created a century ago by the most successful small arms designer of all time. Or, by God. We're not sure.

If you want the latest crunchenticker, piffle stomper, go for it. I'm sure it works just fine.

If you don't like them, don't shoot them. I won't judge. Maybe you like lipstick on pigs. Maybe not.

Merica.

If you follow the analogy, yes you did say value/lack of replacements/rarity keeps people from using them.  The red, you got right, but you certainly made the comparison.

1911s are a "Not for Everyone" gun.