1911 DS vs 2011

[blkmrkt]

So I've alway thought that the 1911 double stack and a 2011 were very different. The 2011 being modular and the 1911 double stack being just a 1911 with a wider frame at the grip to accommodate double stack magazines. I've been seeing guys selling RIA "2011" pistols in the forum and thought that's misleading and they should have them labelled as 1911 double stacks.

Fast forward to today I stumble across a website that has "Xtreme Gun 2011 double stack" but the picture shows a 1911 double stack frame not a modular 2011 like the STI or SVI pistols.

Can someone clear this up for me??

Is a Double stack 1911 a 2011 because its a double stack or is it just that....a double stack 1911??

 

[gdawg]

I always thought they were the same but don’t recall ever seeing views one way or the other

 

[Still alive]

The original double stacker was, I believe, the ParaOrdnance. And it was a 1911 but they came out in the late 80s.

I think most take it now to be a 1911 if single stacked and 2011 if double.

 

[krausb]

the short version is that there really is no actual designation as 2011. "2011" is really just a marketing term that is used by different manufacturers so it can mean whatever they want it to.

That being said, it almost always refers to a double stack 1911 style gun of some flavor but there is no telling how any given company will use the term.

 

[sky52]

Current marketing trend is 2011 is a modular frame eg: Sti

1911 is non removable grip frame

 

[madcow]

The original double stacker was, I believe, the ParaOrdnance. And it was a 1911 but they came out in the late 80s.

I think most take it now to be a 1911 if single stacked and 2011 if double.

I remember buying my first frame from Para from Darcy Boyer in Saskatchewan. One of the first made in Canada. Built a 38super with it, 23+1, those were the days.

2011 is modular steel/polymer mix = 2011
1911 DS is just that a Double stack 1911 once piece design, like RIA, Para Ordinance, Remington Rand

Just before STI came out with their modular frames around 1990, Para Ordnance came out with their 1911 "wide frames". The 2011 frame term was never used until STI/SVI era.

Kind of like the Facial Tissue vs Kleenex, or Hot Tub vs Jacuzzi issue, Snow Machine vs Skidoo

one is more a generic term, where the other is more a trademark term

 

[Dexter Morgan]

They're the same.
You can call it a double-stack 1911 or a 2011.
Everyone will know what you're talking about.

2011 is just the STI brand name.
Like calling a cotton swab a "Q-tip".

I personally like the Para design a lot better than the STI.
The Para frame is all steel. The STI is half plastic.

 

[blkmrkt]

Thanks for the responses guys. So basically, STI called their modular double stack 1911 a 2011 and now its common place to call a double stack 1911 a 2011.

 

[krausb]

Thanks for the responses guys. So basically, STI called their modular double stack 1911 a 2011 and now its common place to call a double stack 1911 a 2011.

In a nutshell, yes. You nailed it.

 

[blkmrkt]

I will sleep better at night now haha.

 

[tjhaile]

Besides the modular frame, the other question is what type of magazine it uses. The three main double stack 1911 magazine types are 2011, Para Ordnance, and Caspian. If it doesn't take 2011, magazines, it shouldn't be called a 2011.

 

[Dexter Morgan]

" Besides the modular frame, the other question is what type of magazine it uses. The three main double stack 1911 magazine types are 2011, Para Ordnance, and Caspian. If it doesn't take 2011, magazines, it shouldn't be called a 2011. "

STI mags work in Para frames. But not the other way around.

The "modular" frame is nonsense. There's nothing modular about it.
It's just a frame made in two pieces, held together with little screws.

I have torn down and rebuilt guns on both Para and STI frames.

Parts are 99.9% interchangeable between the two.
And both of them are about 90% interchangeable with regular 1911 parts.