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the beauty of a 1911

2K views 31 replies 9 participants last post by  sonnycrocket405 
#1 ·
So we had that thread: 1911 vs glock..... and I will admit that each gun has it's pluses and minuses BUT compare all you want - I just shot my Springfield TRP in preparation for a transition course for my duty gun (going away from a tupperware gun to a steel single action ;) ). Anyways - where I'm going with it is that while I'm pretty damn good with any handgun that I pickup, there is this elegance to shooting a 1911. Also the groupings that I shoot shrunk about 20 - 25% - and consider that I haven't shot a 1911 through a course of fire for about a year or two. It was just like riding a bicycle :D

Yes - I am limited to 8 rounds... but those are hard hitting 45's :D To be honest I have a hard time seeing myself in a running battle where I have to shoot more then 8 rounds at a time before assessing the situation ;) Yes... I know... someone might say: a horde o zombies.... well, if I have to deal with zombies and all I have is a handgun and they are close enough for me to need more then 8 rounds... I'm screwed.

In any case, without putting down any other type of a firearm I would like for all who have not shot a 1911 to consider shooting it for a while. Take a class... even if you're a good shot, consider taking it for a spin through a full course. The angle of the grip, the weight distribution, the trigger.... well - the trigger..... One could write pages about it. Suffice it to say that the straight pull back trigger is amazing. The straight movement, the clean break.

You can have a 1911 with a long grip and short grip.... with a 3" barrel, 4" (4", 4.25", 4.5") and a 5" barrel. Easy to conceal, easy to carry for duty, easy to carry off duty....what's not to like? Also, it's probably easiest handgun (outside of a wheel gun ) to maintain :D
 
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#2 ·
I don't think anyone claimed the 1911 was a bad gun.
There are just better options now.

When somebody figures out the straight pull trigger and striker fired double stack combo without the tight tolerances and flippy switches, I'll be all over it.
 
#4 ·
Grippy switches are flippy switches too. :p

For a gun I will stake my life on, I want minimal points of failure, hence minimal moving parts. If revolvers held more rounds, I'd likely prefer them.
I've heard the 2011s are quite nice, but as long as the design requires hammer cocked and switches to prevent bangs, it won't be my defensive choice.
The only one I ever shot was very nice. Just not what I want in a carry gun.
 
#6 ·
I agree wholeheartedly. My point is (was?) that 1911's get quickly dismissed :) All in all as you said - it's a personal choice and a lot of folks who buy guns do so based on opinions rather then the experience as while you can test drive a car, you can't do that with a firearm unless you know someone that has one that you could try ;)
 
#7 ·
I don't own a Glock and never will.
Actually, the only plastic pistols I own are two Ruger LCP2's - one in .380 and one in 22LR.

I do own four 1911's, and a whole bunch of revolvers.
my latest carry gun is a Walther PPK in .380.

Where we live, violent crime is almost non existent.
I haven't had to pull a trigger in anger in 53 years. And the odds that anyone else on this board will have to fire in self defense are pretty silm as well.
Unless you are involved with drugs, or another man's wife, or hang out in seedy bars and strip joints.
 
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#8 ·
I don't own a Glock and never will.
Why?
Break it down to core reasons.
I always try to understand people who take stands like "never" and really try to know why they feel that way. Sure, there are lots of topics upon which "never" doing them is easily reasoned out.
But why would you never own one model of gun?

I wouldn't carry a 1911 for defensive use if I had better options. Barring those other options, I would carry one.
I'd also happily own one. They're good guns for their own reasons.
 
#9 ·
I will chime in on the glock. Don't like the ergonomics. Even the newer ones don't fit my hand right. Additionally I have an issue with a company that does not do recalls for the public. The department ones that Glock sells get 'improvement upgrades ' from time to time. This lead me to believe that those are quiet recalls....
 
#10 ·
I've owned several over the years. Tried to like them, even carried one for a while on and off. I look at the weight and round count that I'm carrying for the size. 2 mags and a reload to get to 16 rounds I have in the Glock. However a reload and one extra mag in the Glock or M&P is 31 rounds. 1911 is 3 mags and 3 reloads, at 8 rounds, nope not going to waste that much time.

32 round stick mags. That also work in my CMMG, Glocks and TNW.

Which is why I keep going back to double stack plastic guns. Oh yeah, the safety thingy.

Lastly I like 10mm. 10mm and a 1911 isn't a good combo. Yes I tried it twice.
 
#13 ·
I've owned several over the years. Tried to like them, even carried one for a while on and off. I look at the weight and round count that I'm carrying for the size. 2 mags and a reload to get to 16 rounds I have in the Glock. However a reload and one extra mag in the Glock or M&P is 31 rounds. 1911 is 3 mags and 3 reloads, at 8 rounds, nope not going to waste that much time.
I don't live in Zimbabwe, so that capability is unneeded by me.
 
#12 ·
I don't own an AR and never will, either.
I'm very familiar with the platform, my constant companion for a year was a Colt M16A1.
I prefer my M1 Garand, even over my Springfield M1A.
 
#14 ·
I must ask again...
Why?

You own at least one AK, and from what you've said in the past, would pick it over the AR every time.
The AK is, without question, not as accurate as the AR. But it is dead solid reliable. It beats the AR in dependability, hands down. It runs in all conditions, and eats garbage ammo like candy.

So, why would the exact same situation in a handgun yield the exact opposite opinion?
The 1911 is a precision handgun, preferred by almost all competitive shooters, but its real-wold reliability cannot compare to the Glock. A Glock is dead nuts reliable, runs wet or dry, hot or cold, clean or dirty, and eats any ammo you can feed it.

Does it come down to plastic? Plastic on an AR, plastic on a Glock... Is that why?
I can't make it make sense why it's an absolute "never" gun, even if it's not one you'd prefer.
I'm likely blind to your reason because I do prefer them based solely on reliability. So I'm legitimately curious.

BTW, the M16A1 was complete trash by comparison to today's ARs. If that's the only experience I ever had with one, I'd probably dislike them too.
 
#17 · (Edited)
So we had that thread: 1911 vs glock..... and I will admit that each gun has it's pluses and minuses BUT compare all you want - I just shot my Springfield TRP in preparation for a transition course for my duty gun (going away from a tupperware gun to a steel single action ;) ). Anyways - where I'm going with it is that while I'm pretty damn good with any handgun that I pickup, there is this elegance to shooting a 1911. Also the groupings that I shoot shrunk about 20 - 25% - and consider that I haven't shot a 1911 through a course of fire for about a year or two. It was just like riding a bicycle :D

Yes - I am limited to 8 rounds... but those are hard hitting 45's :D To be honest I have a hard time seeing myself in a running battle where I have to shoot more then 8 rounds at a time before assessing the situation ;) Yes... I know... someone might say: a horde o zombies.... well, if I have to deal with zombies and all I have is a handgun and they are close enough for me to need more then 8 rounds... I'm screwed.

In any case, without putting down any other type of a firearm I would like for all who have not shot a 1911 to consider shooting it for a while. Take a class... even if you're a good shot, consider taking it for a spin through a full course. The angle of the grip, the weight distribution, the trigger.... well - the trigger..... One could write pages about it. Suffice it to say that the straight pull back trigger is amazing. The straight movement, the clean break.

You can have a 1911 with a long grip and short grip.... with a 3" barrel, 4" (4", 4.25", 4.5") and a 5" barrel. Easy to conceal, easy to carry for duty, easy to carry off duty....what's not to like? Also, it's probably easiest handgun (outside of a wheel gun ) to maintain :D
Many years ago, when I got back into shooting, The first handgun that I got was a 1911. A friend gave me a ration for not getting a Glock. He said that I only had seven rounds in the mag and he had 15. My response was that if he needed 15 rounds to get the job done, maybe he needed more range time. Still love my 1911. There's a story behind it and the second gun that I purchased.
 

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#19 ·
Frankly, if someone gave me an AR I’d sell it and use the money to buy something I really wanted.
Like a British Enfield Number 4 Mk I. Or a Japanese Arisaka.

Same would go for a Glock. I’d put the money towards a classic S&W Model 19 .357 magnum.

I’ve got all the “ fighting guns” I want. And neither an AR or a Glock is any better than what I already have.

Plastic and alloy weapons just don’t float my boat. I prefer wood and steel. I’m of a different era than you. AR’s are so popular because they have been a US military issue weapon for so long.

And John Moses Browning designed the Model 1911 from the beginning to be a government firearm made to be mass produced.
 
#20 ·
So it does just come down to plastic?
Steel is an alloy. ARs and Glocks both use steel. ARs use aluminum for unstressed parts.
Composites hold up better than any wood ever will. This is due to their horrendous chemical composition and being "engineered" for the purpose. Completely fair to still personally prefer wood. Just comparing.

JMB travelled to Hartford, CT and personally supervised the production of every single part, all made by Colt employee Fred Moore, that went into the test guns that were sent to the Army for the trials to ensure they were the best possible components they could create. They were not at all the product of mass production. Like I said, JMB was known for hand-fitted firearms. That's the gun that won the trial. There's not a doubt in my mind that one off the assembly line couldn't hold a candle to those test versions. They were probably his best work ever.

I'm not here to convince you to buy anything. I'm just stuck on the apparent deep disdain for Glocks.
Completely reasonable to not like them. I hated them for years. Still think they're ugly. But discounting them entirely when they have a world-wide proven track record seems too quick to judge so harshly.
 
#22 ·
A Toyota Corola is a serviceable yet ugly vehicle, kinda like a Glock.
Not everyone cares to own a Toyota, some prefer vehicles such as a Chevy Silverado 4X4.

Just because you drive a Corola doesn't mean everybody should.
 
#23 ·
I don't think anyone is taking a stand that everyone should own any particular thing here.

So I can accept that you simply don't prefer the materials and aesthetics of the Glock or the modern AR.
Does that mean you'd never try one if given the chance? Perhaps you have. But you've not given any personal experience insight into them, so I'm making an assumption that you haven't.

Your car analogy sparked a memory that is inline with this topic...
I used to have a deeply held objection to anything Chevrolet. I was a Ford man, and nothing could change my mind. My daddy had a series of Ford trucks that served him well for decades, and that was enough for me. I wouldn't be caught dead in a Chevy.
Then, one day I asked myself why...
The reason above was all I had. That was around the time I got married, and my brother in law had been into cars since he was in diapers, helping his dad fix up anything they could find. He loves his muscle cars, but had no strong feelings one way or the other on make. He saw the benefits and negatives to all of them. His perspective changed mine. I no longer have a tribal response to any car make. I try to judge each one objectively. That doesn't mean I don't still have preferences, but if I'm going to state that I'll never own XYZ automobile, I'll have a pretty good list of reasons to go along with it.
I now own a GMC Acadia as well as a Ford F-150. I really like both. I would have missed out on a very nice SUV if I'd kept my old view.

Just something to chew on... I know it's not a novel concept. But it's my real-world experience.
 
#24 ·
Consulting my log book, I see that I have 15 shotguns, 23 rifles, and 26 handguns.
Now, will an AR or a Glock add anything to what I already have? What?
Certainly not beauty or charisma. Nor firepower.
What will they add?
 
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#25 ·
You mentioned if you had either, you'd use them toward the cost of other firearms.
If that's the case, and you already have all the others, then it's no longer a question of what they would add other than another gun that's fun to shoot.
But perhaps you're more of a collector, and neither is a collector's piece. They're just utilitarian lead delivery mechanisms. Not much more. Simple function and widely available parts. Finding holster options or replacement/additional magazines is a piece of cake due to their broad use. Function over form, and that suits me.
It's not everyone's cup-o-tea...
 
#26 ·
I prefer to accumulate historical military firearms, and guns of the Old West.
I used the word "accumulate" because the word "collect" may make them seem more valuable, or rare, than they really are.
In this vein, if I could somehow find the $30,000 or so I wouldn't mind having a REAL Colt M16A1.

But honestly? I'd much rather have a Shiloh Sharps in either 45/70 or 50/100. These are works of art.
www.shilohrifle.com
 
#27 ·
I prefer to accumulate historical military firearms, and guns of the Old West.
I used the word "accumulate" because the word "collect" may make them seem more valuable, or rare, than they really are.
In this vein, if I could somehow find the $30,000 or so I wouldn't mind having a REAL Colt M16A1.

But honestly? I'd much rather have a Shiloh Sharps in either 45/70 or 50/100. These are works of art.
www.shilohrifle.com
Ok, that perspective makes perfect sense to me.
You're not so much saying you'd "never" own them because they're terrible, but they're not anywhere in your wheelhouse for what you personally look for in a gun.
That about right?
 
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