Every single day.

Most definitely.

With my experiences thus far with the 1911.. yes!

yes

i carry one at work everyday

glock 17 as a backup behind the counter....

I have never heard of the 1911 design being described as "Fragile".

trusted and saved my life!...

combat proven!

Quoted: Would you trust your life on a 1911A1? Or is the 1911A1 considered to be "too fragile" because there's so many parts?

Sgt. York used one to kill multiple Germans running at him in a dirty filthy treanch warfare situation and they have been used to kill bad guys for a long time. Yes if you get a pot metal piece of Garbage 1911 its junk but not because of the 1911 design. I have an SA G.I. and I would trust my life with it just as much as my loaded model or my Glock or my Sig or my Beretta. Fragile - I don't think so. Does some of them need to be broken in and tuned? Yes

Trust my life every day with one. Cary it out of the house in the morning, bring it in to my shop during the day, and bring it home at night. Its right beside me at this moment.  Springfield GI.

Just because a design is old does not mean it doesn't work.  The mechanics of a S&W J frame are as old, or how you look at it older, than the 1911... You don't see people questioning if it will go bang.

YES SIR! I DO!

From m1911.org



The Colt Model 1911 was the product of a very capable person, namely John Moses Browning, father of several modern firearms.

The pistol was designed to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Army, which, during its campaign against the Moros in Philippines, had seen its trusty .38 revolver to be incapable of stopping attackers. An Ordnance Board headed by Col. John T. Thomson (inventor of the Thomson sub-machine-gun) and Col. Louis A. La Garde, had reached the conclusion that the army needed a .45" caliber cartridge, to provide adequate stopping power. In the mean time, J. Browning who was working for Colt, had already designed an autoloader pistol, around a cartridge similar to contemporary .38 Super (dimension-wise). When the Army announced its interest in a new handgun, Browning re-engineered this handgun to accommodate a .45" diameter cartridge of his own design (with a 230 gr. FMJ bullet), and submitted the pistol to the Army for evaluation.

In the selection process, which started at 1906 with firearms submitted by Colt, Luger, Savage, Knoble, Bergmann, White-Merrill and Smith & Wesson, Browning's design was selected, together with the Savage design in 1907. However, the U.S. Army pressed for some service tests, which revealed that neither pistol (Colt's or Savage's) had reached the desired perfection. The Ordnance Department instituted a series of further tests and experiments, which eventually resulted in the appointment of a selection committee, in 1911.

Browning was determined to prove the superiority of his handgun, so he went to Hartford to personally supervise the production of the gun. There he met Fred Moore, a young Colt employee with whom he worked in close cooperation trying to make sure that each part that was produced for the test guns was simply the best possible. The guns produced were submitted again for evaluation, to the committee. A torture test was conducted, on March 3rd, 1911. The test consisted of having each gun fire 6000 rounds. One hundred shots would be fired and the pistol would be allowed to cool for 5 minutes. After every 1000 rounds, the pistol would be cleaned and oiled. After firing those 6000 rounds, the pistol would be tested with deformed cartridges, some seated too deeply, some not seated enough, etc. The gun would then be rusted in acid or submerged in sand and mud and some more tests would then be conducted.

Browning's pistols passed the whole test series with flying colors. It was the first firearm to undergo such a test, firing continuously 6000 cartridges, a record broken only in 1917 when Browning's recoil-operated machine gun fired a 40000 rounds test.

The report of the evaluation committee (taken from 'The .45 Automatic, An American Rifleman Reprint', published by the National Rifle Association of America) released on the 20th of March 1911 stated :


      "Of the two pistols, the board was of the opinion
that the Colt is superior, because it is more
reliable, more enduring, more easily disassembled
when there are broken parts to be replaced, and
more accurate."

just did a 4day defensive handgun course with 800 rounds in approx 3.5 days...


not one jam, only 'wiped' down at the end of the day

HELL YES!

I trust my life on training/practice and practice/training...other than that, its all a tool kit.

Okay, now that that's out...in everyone's tool kit is that favourite hammer...mine has 1911 on the side.  On and off duty for the past five years (when they announced we were no longer mandated to carry those plastic guns...geeesh)

Oh yeah, most definitely I would trust the 1911.

While I do not really like to carry a cocked and locked 1911 if I had to face danger that gun  would be my first choice.  For example, having to enter a room with filled with multiple agressors the 1911 in 45acp would be my choice over any handgun.

I don't know why cocked and locked makes people nervous.  Yes, the hammer is cocked, but the sear is locked.

To make the gun fire, you have to 1/grip the gun properly to overcome the grip safety 2/disengage the thumbsafety 3/press trigger with ~5 lbs pressure

Compare this to a Glock (the stiker is always partially cocked, you just can't see it), the only step is 1/press trigger with ~5 lbs pressure

No wonder why there are so many NDs with Glocks.

I am not Glock bashing, I've owned Glocks, I'm a Glock armorer, and I recommend them to people,

Quoted: I don't know why cocked and locked makes people nervous.  Yes, the hammer is cocked, but the sear is locked.

Because people are ignorant and easily frightened.

I have been round and round the mulberry bush on this issue and there are exactly 4 handguns I can will trust my life with:

1: a Colt 1911A1

2: A Smith and Wesson Revolver

3:  A Colt Revolver

4: a Glock in any caliber but .40 Smith and Wesson ( not because of kaboomage )

ETA:  WAIT..NO...FIVE!!!  There are FIVE handguns I will trust my life with...I forgot the Browning High Power in 9 or .40 cal.

Quoted: Would you trust your life on a 1911A1? Or is the 1911A1 considered to be "too fragile" because there's so many parts?

I carry mine daily.  It's my primary carry gun.  Sometimes, in the summer when I'm wearing shorts, I carry a PPK, but that 1911A1 is my carry piece.

And fragile, my ass.  I can pound nails with it if I want to and it'll still run.

Quoted: FWIW, the Marines were never in favor of XM9, and continued to use the 1911 as long as possible. In 1994 when I arrived at K-Bay, I was issued a 1911 for my duty pistol, although I had used a M9 when I was in Va in 90.

I was at Schofield when you were at K-Bay.  Aloha, mahalo, and all that jazz.  

Trust a 1911? A new one out of the box? No way. My SA loaded that I've put 1000's of rounds through? Hell ya'.

1911s, I have 3.   I carry a P220 at work because they wont let me carry a 1911.   I carry my 1911s on my time and will until something better comes along.   ( not likely)  If my P220 werent allowed I'd sell it and buy another 1911.   Even my newest one, an SA GI model has a bit over 2K rounds through it and has not hiccupped a single time.   I trust them to go bang every single time.   I would take my old SA 1911 over ANY other handgun.  

Quoted: no

+1 another 1911 will be my next f ullsize pistol purchase, BUT I've never had one that was 100% reliable.  Only way I trust my life to a gun is if I've trained extensively on it and fired at least 5000 rounds through it malfunction free.  1911's are great guns and unfortunatly I've never had one that was as reliable as my Glock.  I know there are some that are but I've never had one and will only make judgements on my own experience.

Dusty buy a good one, and use good magazines.   $5 gunshow mags are not good mags nor are the split follower shooting stars.  

Quoted: I have been round and round the mulberry bush on this issue and there are exactly 4 handguns I can will trust my life with: 1: a Colt 1911A1 2: A Smith and Wesson Revolver 3:  A Colt Revolver 4: a Glock in any caliber but .40 Smith and Wesson ( not because of kaboomage ) ETA:  WAIT..NO...FIVE!!!  There are FIVE handguns I will trust my life with...I forgot the Browning High Power in 9 or .40 cal.

Hmmm, two JMB designs in there... I think we're on to something.  

Absolutely!  I carry my Colt, XS series made in'99 only,  LWC every single day.  Is there any other kind of gun?Mike.

KK7SM writes:

I was at Schofield when you were at K-Bay. Aloha, mahalo, and all that jazz.

Right back at ya!

You guys had much better range facilities than we did.  I have fond memories of doing live-fire CQB training in your tirehouse.

Quoted: From m1911.org The Colt Model 1911 was the product of a very capable person, namely John Moses Browning, father of several modern firearms. The pistol was designed to comply with the requirements of the U.S. Army, which, during its campaign against the Moros in Philippines, had seen its trusty .38 revolver to be incapable of stopping attackers. An Ordnance Board headed by Col. John T. Thomson (inventor of the Thomson sub-machine-gun) and Col. Louis A. La Garde, had reached the conclusion that the army needed a .45" caliber cartridge, to provide adequate stopping power. In the mean time, J. Browning who was working for Colt, had already designed an autoloader pistol, around a cartridge similar to contemporary .38 Super (dimension-wise). When the Army announced its interest in a new handgun, Browning re-engineered this handgun to accommodate a .45" diameter cartridge of his own design (with a 230 gr. FMJ bullet), and submitted the pistol to the Army for evaluation. In the selection process, which started at 1906 with firearms submitted by Colt, Luger, Savage, Knoble, Bergmann, White-Merrill and Smith & Wesson, Browning's design was selected, together with the Savage design in 1907. However, the U.S. Army pressed for some service tests, which revealed that neither pistol (Colt's or Savage's) had reached the desired perfection. The Ordnance Department instituted a series of further tests and experiments, which eventually resulted in the appointment of a selection committee, in 1911. Browning was determined to prove the superiority of his handgun, so he went to Hartford to personally supervise the production of the gun. There he met Fred Moore, a young Colt employee with whom he worked in close cooperation trying to make sure that each part that was produced for the test guns was simply the best possible. The guns produced were submitted again for evaluation, to the committee. A torture test was conducted, on March 3rd, 1911. The test consisted of having each gun fire 6000 rounds. One hundred shots would be fired and the pistol would be allowed to cool for 5 minutes. After every 1000 rounds, the pistol would be cleaned and oiled. After firing those 6000 rounds, the pistol would be tested with deformed cartridges, some seated too deeply, some not seated enough, etc. The gun would then be rusted in acid or submerged in sand and mud and some more tests would then be conducted. Browning's pistols passed the whole test series with flying colors. It was the first firearm to undergo such a test, firing continuously 6000 cartridges, a record broken only in 1917 when Browning's recoil-operated machine gun fired a 40000 rounds test. The report of the evaluation committee (taken from 'The .45 Automatic, An American Rifleman Reprint', published by the National Rifle Association of America) released on the 20th of March 1911 stated :       "Of the two pistols, the board was of the opinion that the Colt is superior, because it is more reliable, more enduring, more easily disassembled when there are broken parts to be replaced, and more accurate."

The funny thing about the requirement for a weapon with more knock down power than the than fielded 38s was that at the same time they also complained that the issue 30-40s, 45-70s, 45 revolvers and even 12 gauge shot guns some time failed to stop Morros on Narcotics.  So the obvious solution is design a weapon with same effect as a weapon that has already shown to be wanting.  

Also funny is that the Morro uprising was all but over by 1911, with only few flair ups till 1914 so chances are very few if any 45 ACP rounds proved the validity of the fielding against the Morros.  

Quoted: Dusty buy a good one, and use good magazines.   $5 gunshow mags are not good mags nor are the split follower shooting stars.

I had a Kimber with stock mags and some Wilson Combat ones.  It was rare that it'd fail. I mean, once in a thousand rounds.   I had a para ord that wouldn't keep mags in, and a llama that I got for free n sent back to the gun smith like 6 times,  They finally got Llama to just give me my money back, lol I told em I paid 229 for it at the acadamy

Quoted: You guys had much better range facilities than we did.  I have fond memories of doing live-fire CQB training in your tirehouse.

Oh, yeah, I never saw the range facilities at K-Bay!  I wasn't aware you guys had any, but it was always cool to see a LAV coming to Schofield.  

One of my best buddies over there was a Marine from K-Bay.  We'd shoot the "combat pistol" courses the Schofield Rod & Gun Club held on Sunday morning every week.  He was one of the radio recon geeks over there.  I had a similar job, but for the Army.

When the condition that ended my military career happened, I was over at his house.  I wound up on his kitchen floor twitching doing the funky chicken (looked like the film on severe nerve agent poisoning, apparently).  He figured something was wrong, so he made me go to the clinic.  Once they got done with me, I was disabled!  

Quoted:

I had a Kimber with stock mags and some Wilson Combat ones.  It was rare that it'd fail. I mean, once in a thousand rounds.   I had a para ord that wouldn't keep mags in, and a llama that I got for free n sent back to the gun smith like 6 times,  They finally got Llama to just give me my money back, lol I told em I paid 229 for it at the acadamy

I've had great results for a long time with Chip McK Power Mags, but I got a few last weekend that aren't working so good for me.  First stoppages I've seen in a long time.  I think I'll run over to the Chip McK store and see if I can trade them.

Kimbers mostly run out of the box, but there's some stuff I do to increase the reliability.  After my range session last night, I have a short list of things to do with the new Kimber to fix 'er up.  Including polishing a burr on the breech face!  

My Springfield ran 100% until I got these new mags, though.  Bah!

Cheers,

kk7sm

Yep, I do every day.  Still have a glock around here somewhere, but a family member 'borrowed' it last year & I still haven't gotten it back...Maybe I'll let him keep it

Getting way off topic now, but . . .

Sorry to hear about your injury.

Spent some sime at Schofield with a buddy of mine who got out of the Corps, then decided the outside world wasn't for him, and the Corps wouldn't take him back at his former rank, so he joined the Army and got stationed at Schofield just before I arrived at KBay.

Maybe they have more range facilities at Kbay now, but at the time I thought they were pretty basic, having come from Quantico where they had EVERYTHING.  

I used to shoot off-based with my G21 and my Rem 700P at the Puualoa (?) range past Diamond Head.  Cool place.  Used to love making the gongs at 400+ yards ring with .308 hits.



Oh, yeah, I never saw the range facilities at K-Bay! I wasn't aware you guys had any, but it was always cool to see a LAV coming to Schofield.

One of my best buddies over there was a Marine from K-Bay. We'd shoot the "combat pistol" courses the Schofield Rod & Gun Club held on Sunday morning every week. He was one of the radio recon geeks over there. I had a similar job, but for the Army.

When the condition that ended my military career happened, I was over at his house. I wound up on his kitchen floor twitching doing the funky chicken (looked like the film on severe nerve agent poisoning, apparently). He figured something was wrong, so he made me go to the clinic. Once they got done with me, I was disabled!

I have carried my Springfield 1911A1 Operator every day for the last 4 years.
I trust it with my life and the lives of my family

STLRN wrote:

The funny thing about the requirement for a weapon with more knock down power than the than fielded 38s was that at the same time they also complained that the issue 30-40s, 45-70s, 45 revolvers and even 12 gauge shot guns some time failed to stop Morros on Narcotics. So the obvious solution is design a weapon with same effect as a weapon that has already shown to be wanting.

Also funny is that the Morro uprising was all but over by 1911, with only few flair ups till 1914 so chances are very few if any 45 ACP rounds proved the validity of the fielding against the Morros

All true.  IIRC, there were anecdotal accounts of the .45 revolvers (.455?) doing better than the 38s.

As always, shots placement is everything.  Recently saw a news story about a woman who expired after being shot in the heart with a pellet gun.

Quoted: I want to thank you for the laugh.haven I think the question is can you trust another gun platform more the 1911?hr

Ding!!  Ding!!  Ding!!  We have a winner!!!

She's been gett'n 'er done for 95 years now, what else could you depend on?

All day... every day.
...and at night too.

any day and every day of my life i trust a 1911, in fact, I trust many of them as that is the mainstays of my pistols,,,,,,
I also trust the browning hi power, another masterpiece by the man himself

oh and btw, I do own a  *gasp!* glock 21 in 45 acp,,,, it is reliable, but don't like the feel in my hands as well, and if you are not comfortable, then you are dead....

I will stick with my 1911's

Carried my Ithaca WWII 1911A1 on a tour in Iraq, so trust it with my life? Damn Right!!

Quoted: Carried my Ithaca WWII 1911A1 on a tour in Iraq, so trust it with my life? Damn Right!!

POW?!  How did you get that there.......question should be, did you get to bring it back, or left it behind?

Chose to put away my Glock 23 for a 1911A1 for duty carry. Only time it it malfunctioned was with Springfield magazines. Only use Wilson Combat 8 round mags. Qualification went from 86 to 96. Shooting has become fun again.

I keep waiting for my Wilson CQB (the one I carry) to have a failure of any kind. Do I trust my life to it's reliability, you bet I do. I do so with any one of my 1911s. Only buy quality, test fire extensively, maintain well and there's no reason not to trust it completely.