really practical anymore?  I have an oppurtunity to get a new auto ordnance GI model 1911 for 350 dollars, but I have got to thinking.  With the wide availability of body armor now days, is the .45 REALLY all as useful as it used to be?  Not to mention seven round magazines in this world of fifteen to twenty round magazines.  What do yall think?  1911 or something in .357 SIG for my Christmas gift to me?

-Ben

If you're worried about body armour, then you need to get an AK pistol.

Quoted: really practical anymore?  I have an oppurtunity to get a new auto ordnance GI model 1911 for 350 dollars, but I have got to thinking.  With the wide availability of body armor now days, is the .45 REALLY all as useful as it used to be?  Not to mention seven round magazines in this world of fifteen to twenty round magazines.  What do yall think?  1911 or something in .357 SIG for my Christmas gift to me? -Ben

Do they make body armor for faces now? I carry a 1911, but it isn't a paraordinance. I don't know about the price. Check gunbroker.com.

Dude, just get some of those armor peircing bullets!  

You don't have a 1911 already?

practically speaking no pistol round is going to penetrate body armor, the 1911 is still the fastest most accurate pistol on the market.

I carry mine with a chip mccormick 10rd mag or a wilson 8 round giving me either 11 or 9 rounds.  It is also very slim making it a great CCW gun.

From the testing done and real world events .45+P JHP still beats .357 sig

it is also much easier to shoot and most people can fire faster follow up shots with .45

Quoted: If you're worried about body armour, then you need to get an AK pistol.

...then get a rifle.

well, guys who actually kill people for a living seem to like it.

please notice type of pistols being used!

Quoted: well, guys who actually kill people for a living seem to like it.

I thought we were issued 9mm sidearms for a reason?

-Ben

ETA: Thanks for all the replies people, I think I will go ahead and get the 1911.  It will mainly be my new CCW anyways, and if nothing else will go well with my M1 and M1 Carbine.

ETA2: Those guys aren't Army, so clearly they are inferior.

Quoted: Quoted: well, guys who actually kill people for a living seem to like it. I thought we were issued 9mm sidearms for a reason? -Ben ETA: Thanks for all the replies people, I think I will go ahead and get the 1911.  It will mainly be my new CCW anyways, and if nothing else will go well with my M1 and M1 Carbine.

I think he was talking about swat, SF...  
Dont worry the military has had it with the 9mm and is trying to find a .45 to replace the 9mm.

Quoted: Quoted: well, guys who actually kill people for a living seem to like it. I thought we were issued 9mm sidearms for a reason?

that's the pistol foisted on the guys who use them. as soon as the gunfighters had a chance, they opted for souped up 1911's (using the standard .45 acp round).

by guys who kill for a living, i was talking about your high speed types: seals, rangers, meu soc, fast, etc.

good choice, btw, and i think a damn good price!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: well, guys who actually kill people for a living seem to like it. I thought we were issued 9mm sidearms for a reason? that's the pistol foisted on the guys who use them. as soon as the gunfighters had a chance, they opted for souped up 1911's (using the standard .45 acp round). by guys who kill for a living, i was talking about your high speed types: seals, rangers, meu soc, fast, etc. good choice, btw, and i think a damn good price!

For a PARA Ordnance it's a good price, but for an Auto Ordnance, it's iffy!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: well, guys who actually kill people for a living seem to like it. I thought we were issued 9mm sidearms for a reason? that's the pistol foisted on the guys who use them. as soon as the gunfighters had a chance, they opted for souped up 1911's (using the standard .45 acp round). by guys who kill for a living, i was talking about your high speed types: seals, rangers, meu soc, fast, etc. good choice, btw, and i think a damn good price!

Thank you, and thanks for the advice.  I honestly have never even shot a 1911, so maybe I was just indoctrinated into the M9.  Great pic by the way.

-Ben

With the wide availability of body armor now days, is the .45 REALLY all as useful as it used to be?

Huh ?

The 1911 is one of the easiest pistols to shoot well.

That said, you pick the right tool for the job. Force, Delta, HRT, etc all use the 1911 as a secondary (back up weapon,) they are not solely relying on it. They use it because it's a big bullet (Military units are limited to ball rounds) and it is easy to shoot... The drawback, you need someone with realitivly advanced trainning to repair one.
If you carry a pistol, you are likely to be attacked by between 1-3 people... If you have trained properly (most people are not) you will be fine with 8-9rds.

If you were working some personal protection job in some violent place where you may be ambushed by a goodly amount of people would a high capacity pistol be a better tool... Perhaps, of course.

How many shootings or gunfights have you read about in the US that involved more than a handful of people ? I'm talking about good guys vs. badguys.

Lot's of people just can't shoot for shit, don't get trainning, so they compensate by buying a high capacity pistol... They fall into the mentality that more is better (in some cases it is.)
I can clean my friends clock in terms of speed and accuracy on drills, everytime... He carries a 229/40 and I carry a 1911. I have the trainning and practice, he just doesn't... and I have to reload in some of those drills.

Buy what works best for you.

Thing I have notice from people who carry hi-caps vs. singles stacks. Single stack guys have the mentality that every shot counts, hi-cap guys with throw 4-5 off and do the "well, I got 10 in." Maybe it's just the sort of people who gravitate toward 1911s. YMMV

We've been totally wrong for a hundred years.