Not many guns can evoke the kind of strong emotions the 1911 does. Whether you love it or hate it, chances are, you have an opinion. Today, we're digging into how the 1911 became such a big part of gun culture and why it's a polarizing topic even 110 years after its invention.
VIDEO HERE (11:33 minutes)
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I carry a compact 1911. I carry one because the grip angle feels right to me, the grip size fits my hand well, I love the trigger, and most importantly, I can hit with it all day long. I see no sense in retraining myself with another type of handgun just so I can carry more (but smaller) cartridges.
It's pretty much a matter of what a person is used to. The 1911 was what was available when I first thought about buying an automatic. Had I started on a Glock, I'd probably be carrying a Glock right now.
The .45 ACP 1911. Because shooting twice is silly. (I had a tee shirt with that on the back until it faded away to nothing)
ReplyDeleteYears ago I talking to my oldest son about the steyer scout rifle and made the statement I would never feel the need to apologize for bringing one to the party. 1911;same thing. Jeff Cooper once said the 1911 was the modern equivalent of the Roman short sword. I agree. I carry a glock g19 gen3 primarily because I can shoot the dots off a set of dice with it. Hits count.
ReplyDeleteBased on the serial number, my M-1911 was manufactured in 1913. It shoots like it was made last week. And it hits and knocks down what it is aimed at. It is my "go to" weapon.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna go out on a limb here and GUESS that you have a fairly reliable piece. My oldest 1911 was just a youngster from 1917. Too bad I horse traded it off.
DeleteI have a 1911, but carry a 9mm 92 FS, mainly because I’m used to it. But the 1911 is a pleasure to shoot.
ReplyDeleteWas a fan... now the cost of oil is too high.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead steal it for a meme
Exactly Kenny. Didn’t shoot my first handgun until I was 25. Was trained on revolvers but quickly retrained on a Glock. That’s what I carry now because that’s what I’m comfortable with.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing against a 1911. I’ve never shot one but I would like to. I’m even considering purchasing one once I finish my SHTF needs. I think they’re a beautiful and historic gun. I don’t know why people get so twisted over comparisons.
Do. You'll learn, quickly to hate that Glock trigger.
DeleteLook at the 1911s coming from Turkey (Tisas) or, ironically, Philippines (Rock Island Armory) for $500 solid steel guns. I put 350 rounds of Russian ammunition every month through my RIA.
DeleteAnother endorsement for Tisas. It's inexpensive due to low labor cost and a favorable exchange rate, not because of low quality. I got mine for $330.
DeleteSame thing with me - revolvers first, then automatics. I still carry a 357 on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteThe 686 is too big, but I pocket carry that model 60 all the time!
DeleteIt's my chair weapon.
ReplyDeleteTraded a Ruger #3 in .45-70 for a Para C6.45 LDA because it felt natural and the lemmings in Minnesota frown on carrying a rifle around town.
ReplyDeleteIt felt as natural as when I shouldered my first Garand at a gun show.
If it feels good, do it.
My bed gun is a Model 36. My baby is a Colt Combat Commander. Both are very capable in their lanes.
ReplyDeleteCount me a fan of the 1911.
ReplyDeleteMy first was a beautiful Gold Cup, purchased in 1980.
Current favorite is a Kimber Stainless Compact. Flawless since 2000.
Para USA Elite Commander (2015) shows promise.
All in .45 ACP of course.
I approve of that video; Chris is a standup guy.
How does it feel in your hand, how do you shoot it?
ReplyDeleteEverything else is BS. If it feels good, you shoot it well, ignore everything else.
If you can put a .22 in a face-sized target consistently, a .22 is just fine for you to carry.
It's about how well you SHOOT the gun. Not the caliber, the brand, the sights, the features, it's how you shoot it.
I find it interesting that some folks think that the caliber (size) if the round does not really matter. I can tell you from real experience that being shot by a .22 versus a .45 is like being hit with a 2-year-old kid's pillow (.22) and being hit with a 20-pound sledgehammer (.45) that Thor welds.
DeleteMy hands are very large. I wear 2XL gloves so the 1911 grip fits my hands unlike the small pistols that I can only use two fingers to grip. The recoil does not bother my ability to get back on target quickly though I wish it had a couple more round capacity. Not so much from a self defense standpoint, but more from being too lazy to reload after seven rounds.
ReplyDelete5'8" 135 pounds. Never noticed any recoil in a 1911... ; )
DeleteI'm interested in adding a single-stack compact 1911 (.45 ACP, not 9mm) into my herd - please recommend a compact 1911 that some of you have that works for you. New or older used/out-of-production is OK, preferably Made in USA that doesn't cost an arm and a leg with parts available.
ReplyDeleteI carry a Colt Defender. It's a little pricey but utterly dependable. Mine has never even hiccupped on me no matter what I feed it.
DeleteNever get anything smaller than a Commander sized 1911. Reliabilty seems to be an issue with the shorter barrel versions.
DeleteAgain, my Colt Defender has never had any issues at all, and that's a sub-compact model with a 3" barrel.
DeleteI bought my first a month or so ago, it's a Springfield Operator in 9mm, manly because I already have some of those around... I have maybe a hundred rounds through it and it ran like a clock..... I really like it, it's different than the Glock I've carried since 95. ..I doubt that I'll carry it as my defensive weapon but I'm not gonna lie it's a really nice piece .
DeleteJD
Colt Gold Cup (anniversary gift from The Smarter Half) has been main EDC since I received it in late '90s. Super .38 (inherited from Great-uncle John) is secondary carry in more open country. An FN P-35 is carried if I think more rounds may be needed.
ReplyDelete3.5 compact in the summer, 5" govt in the winter. Ain't here to argue nor justify. Carry what you're comfortable n competent with.
ReplyDeleteI shot my first 1911 when I was 8 in 1966. The pistol was a WWI Colt 1911 that my father gave me when I was 14. I do not know how many rounds have gone through it. I have had a lot of 1911s since that one, and it is my preferred pistol. I simply trust it more than any of the others.
ReplyDeleteI still carry the Colt 45 Gov’t Model my father bought for me in 1974. It has never failed me.
ReplyDeleteColor me a fan .My first 1911 is a Springfield Armory 1911 in .45 A.C.P. as both God and John Moses Browning decreed I picked up in the early 90s . my second is a Colt Gold Cup and DAMN what a nice finish on that pistol ! Mirror finished blue/black that is flawless . Got that one in leu of rent from my tenant . I wasn't actually looking for another gun but what the heck.
ReplyDeleteBig Hands as you can imagine. My EDC is a S&W Model 669. Mid Frame. VERY odd duck-ish. As a request from MACV-SOG/CIA, They took the Model 39, and 'chopped' it down... an inch off the front and barrel, and then about 3/4 of an inch off the grip, threaded the barrel, eliminated the sights in favor of a looong ramped sight, clear grips w/ a cutout to count rounds, and a rounded hammer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASP_pistol
ReplyDeleteThe end result was around 1984, they reinvented it. The Model 669 was made for two years but is famous as a "Gun of the 80s" as it was featured a LOT on "The A Team" and as Sonny Crocket's backup 9mm on "Miami Vice"
Myself? My 'Uncle Fred' (DeadDad's NamBro) had one, and it was the first semiauto 9mm I ever fired. I swore I'd own my own one day. The first one I got after Tour #1 in Iraq in 2005, but lost it when the X pulled her bullshit and I lost ALL my weapons as part of the whole divorce....
A few years later, (and part of the reason she's Wife#2) Gretchen had known about this issue so to speak, and found a 'safe queen' on Gun broker... a S&W 669... a never fired and MINT condition piece... literally NIB... and got it for me as our 4th (Dating) Anniversary... any wonder I married her a few years later?
Gotta love a broad like that Aye?
Either way.. it's an 'odd duck-ish' piece... not compact by far, not full framed, but sort of in-between... I might have to poast about it specifically to address it, as I personally love the damned thing...
And to all the haters who say ".45 is the only way to go!" and whatnot and say "9mm ain't worth a damn"? Personal experience showed me that 1-2 rounds of Hydrashok to the Casaba or Chest Cavity put -ANY- question as to the lethality of 9mm to rest forever! I've never seen holes so big in a motherfucker like that... .45 ball can't even come close...
I've loaded my defensive weapons with Hydrashok since wayyyy back when. Thankfully I haven't had to test them on an actual subject I have no doubts about them..
DeleteJD
I run Hornady's Critical Defense through both my 45s and 357s. They're accurate as hell and tests show very nice expansion.
DeleteCarry ammo priorities: feeding and function, shot placement, caliber, penetration.
DeletePlatform, mag capacity etc are tactical considerations.
My 1911s are loaded w/ .45 ACP Hydrashok.
BHP and 3913 w/ 124 gr Hydrashok.
686 and 65 full boat .357 SJSP or SJHP.
640 125gr SP.
I should've bought several Star BM9s when they were inexpensive, but I only bought a couple. Love the action, though it is a heavy carry piece.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with all the "if it fits you and you shoot it well, carry it" comments.
Next on my list is a compact 1911.
Dear Santa...
I love 'em. I have three, a 10mm, .45, .22 (one of them Walther Colts). At 82 I can hardly rack the slide on the 10mm but I can't stand to trade it. Let my son worry about it when I'm gone. He's a Democrat anyway.
ReplyDeleteI ended up buying a Springfield GI 45 about a dozen years ago. Had a friend of mine talk me into just getting a few updates for it. Adjustable sights, full length guide rod, nothing really crazy. So far it's been pretty good. I should have just gotten their mil spec and just run with it.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I've seen that there is a Browning high power clone being imported from Turkey by the name of Inglis. I've always liked how they looked. If I was going to have a 9, this is one I would like to try.
I learned how to shoot pistol with a Ruger Speed-6 and got good shooting +p+ loads with SWC. The next gun was a Browning Hi-power. I ruined that gun shooting +p loads and got decent with it. Then it was an italian 45 Colt single action that developed timing issues that I traded for a 92AF INOX. I was also in my Air Guard's Combat Competition Shooting team shooting the M9 and M14. I was very good with the M9 and my INOX. I picked up a S&W 65-2 LEO trade in and it was almost identical to the Speed-6 and it took little practice to get very good with it. I got a great deal on a Glock 45GAP. Once I had shot it enough the trigger no longer had a gritty pull I got very good with it and I can pick up any full size Glock and have the same results. For the last 10 years my range gun has been a Colt 1911 Government in 9mm. Out of the box it had the right feel and I shot very well with it. My summer time carry is a North American Arms 22MAG and cold weather is the S&W 65. I will switch that out to my Glock 20 10mm if I am going into the metro areas.
ReplyDelete