In praise of the obsolete M1911

[SA Shooter]

The 1911 is almost a religion with some. I'm a fan and I have been since Uncle Sam took me aside and said,

"Son, this firearm will not fail you and it will slay those who will try to take your life from you. Treat it well and hold it close for the day will come when you will need it."

 

[trevi]

The 1911 was a Classic before Classics were called 'classics.' I am a fan!

Granted, I sold all my .45 1911s and re-purchased them in 9mm and 357 SIG. Life is good, now.

 

[Pops1911]

I notice a lot of the post Nam generation just don't get the 1911 or even understand it, and WHY it's so damn good at what it does despite being as old as it is! When the Army was looking for a new fighting pistol, there was NOTHING outside the revolvers at the time, and the resulting semi auto and it's caliber .45 was a YUGE game changer for America, and we never looked back!

What most folks don't understand about the 1911, is, the Army ( and the rest of the Mil) thought it good enough for so dang long, that nobody ever had reason to seek change, and it was only when Beretta came out with it's Walther derivative M-9 did the U.S. Mil take notice, and the results, mainly it's caliber were inferior, not the pistol! Imagine if we had gotten the M-9 in caliber .45 Automatic Pistol, Colt, THAT would have closed the book on the 1911 forever as a combat service pistol! Having sat through countless combat de-brief's and after action reports, the ONE factor that always stood out was Caliber! With 9 mm, one tended to spend more rounds per tango, where with caliber .45, not only were fewer rounds spent, but the results were much better!

YOU never go to battle with your enemy with only Handguns, you fight with a Rifle, and the hand gun is only a back up or for the up close and personal defense before things shift to bayonets and K-Bars, and finally hands! Folks put far too much into their handgun thinking then it needs, and they complain about low capacity and heavy weight, totally obvious to the purpose of said fighting hand gun, and there in lies the misunderstanding with the 1911! It is first and foremost, a Fighting Pistol for the serious business of war, as a personal self defense carry tool, if you choose to carry one, you understand it, if not, then there are other options, but it is, and always has been a fighting tool with no equal in the world of serious fighting tools! As a civilian, YES, there are better options, especially for concealed carry, but there will always bee trade offs. OR, you accept the 1911 for what it is, not what it isn't, and you adapt to it, live it, learn it, know it, and love it! Remember, before the mid 80's the options of semi autos wasn't that great, and a lot of professionals carried revolvers or 1911's! When Concealed Carry really started to take off, THIS is when things started to change and we slowly started to see more options for smaller pistols!

I choose to carry a 1911 because I completely understand them, am highly trained in using them, and have a life time of experience with them, and that instills a level of trust in that tool that no other could ever equal for me! I have risked my life and put my trust in the 1911 many times, and it has never failed me, and I know as long as my skills remain sharp, my beloved 1911 will be right there on the hip should I ever need it again, and it will function flawlessly each and every round I ask of it!

Amen and AMEN! Well written Bruddah.