Little late to the follow ups but I'll try and address all the dribble.
Didn't the US Marines just order a whole bunch of them a couple of years ago?
Maybe they just got them for aesthetics? I mean they have to keep up their tough guy look and all.
The choice by the Marine Corps had little to do with the "best" option and lots to do with logistics. The Corps still issues bayonets, 20" barreled rifles with fixed stocks and fixed 3x optics. All of which are no longer relevant or the most effective option.
Sounds like you're refering to a "Glock", which will have long since been deteriorated by UV rays,
into a pile of plastic dust, while the 1911 will be celibrating it's 200th birthday.
I'm sorry, what the f**k are you on about? I usually don't leave my Glocks laying in the sun, or hoisted atop a pedestal to pray too like a 1911. The're tools, I use them. I'm not sure how UV is going to degrade/deteriorate the pistol in a mere 100 years.
Them's be be fightin' words boy!
I love my 1911 because it has a timeless appeal, a great trigger, and a heavy frame that soaks up recoil.
All of your chest beating is stupid for 90% of the people on this forum, with the exception of military and LEO, and even then, many still chose the 1911 platform.
How many people in Canada can make use of the doubled capacity of double stack handguns when we are pinned to 10?
How critical is it to get your gun out of the holster and not have to remove a thumb safety to shoot it, when we are not even allowed to use holsters except at ranges for good natured competition? I would take a good trigger and a thumb safety over a lousy trigger and a built in safety trigger every day of the week, and twice on weekends.
I find the weight to be a great thing, it makes the handgun very soft shooting. I am far from saying polymer handguns hit hard, but they have a totally different, more "snappy" feel to them when it comes to recreational shooting. I don't have the option of CCW, so this weight is not an issue for me.
There is a reason that the M1911 is still such a popular platform, and it is because it is still a very good platform.
In addition, there are a lot of people currently 6 feet underground, who if they could talk, would strongly argue with you on your point that the 1911's time was over.
My .02.
Timeless appeal has zero influence on performance or reliability, so its a moot point. The trigger is great, its great at covering up poor trigger discipline. The weight does aid in recoil management. Then again, if recoil of a 45 is too much then run a lighter calibre, or learn to shoot.
Full capacity magazines are an option for some, and for those in a free country or free thinking. Regardless, 10 rounds beats 8 all day. Of the LEO agencies who are permitted to choose their own, not that many choose 1911. The majority of which are "All American" and just as ignorant as the civilian population who believe its a viable system.
If you compete, then weight plays a role in the draw and in swinging the gun. Same goes for manual safeties. I can't count the number of 1911 fans who've failed to disengage their manual safety only to demonstrate their excessive flinch, then follow that up with their completely untrained response which consisted of staring at the gun in confusion before using their support hand to disengage the "ergonomically" placed thumb safety.
Polymer guns are far from difficult to shoot, especially Glocks(and others) that have a very low bore axis. I'm willing to bet most who talk trash about Glocks or other striker fired guns have little to no experience with them and almost certainly have zero professional training. Classic, "steel and wood for me" blind followers.
As for the other old "lots of dead people from a 45" statement. Most 45ACP rounds fired were from a Thompson, but hey, who's checking. There's also arguably as many if not more dead from 9mm. If you do some research, a very generous estimate indicates only 10% of soldiers on all sides of the second world war actually engaged the enemy. So I'm willing to bet a lot of the bravado stories and "dead gerry's" were fictitious, but I digress. As it stands, 7.62x39 likely has the record for most dead. I'm sure .303 British, 30-06 and 7x57 also have very high numbers, much higher than any pistol calibre.
Owned? Marines don't get to pick their gear, its ISSUED. Again, their decision to go 1911 was rooted in logistics, and bean counters make the decision, not front line soldiers. They're one unit, that's not really heavy evidence to support the 1911 as a premium level gun.
The haters are having a field day, glad they're having fun.
Double stack autos - PIN to 10, get 2 extra rnds to the 1911's eight, WOW.
Fewer controls - NEWs alert, No CCW, paper ain't gonna bite back if you forget the safety.
Half the weight - NEWs alert, No CCW, darn things sits on the range table or holster while at the range.
Folks need to realize all handguns are Range TOYS to all but LEO & MIL with different requirements.
Bringing up all the useless irrelevant issues for a range toy punching paper is silly.
Shoot whatever you're comfortable with, after all it is a TOY.
Again, 10 beats 8 all day, thanks for trying, but you will be reloading sooner and more often. Whether that be during a match or a gunfight, the guy who presses the fight longer as in the guy who has more rounds on hand has the advantage. Reloading consumes time and introduces a lot of potential for failure. Feel free to run the lower capacity system.
Fewer controls means less to learn, less to remember, less to forget. Time is critical for those who compete. For those who shoot at stationary targets at painfully slow rates of fire, well carry on, someday you'll advance beyond the basics. If you're into "accuracy" you're running the wrong gear. Again, the weight issue is an issue for the draw, for swinging the gun and for those who do carry, legally or otherwise. Weight is also an issue for 1911 guys as there is an ever growing selection of lighter weight allow models.
Your handgun is a range toy, mine is a tool.
Sure, they are still popular with many shooters. Industry behind 1911 is huge and still works pretty well as far as I'm concerned.
However one military contract for a small group of soldiers that were already using 1911 and didn't want to re-tool and re-train for different platform won't change the facts though.
1911 is becoming an obsolete platform as we speak. Does it mean anything to the guy who knows his pistol? Of course not...yet, Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers (if You don't know these names - they are top notch 1911 instructors) are saying that when You using 1911 for any serious application, You soon won't even notice any stoppages, because You are becoming so proficient in clearing them. Strangely enough, my rather recreational experience with 1911 says the same. Quite essential factor to take into account for anyone who's facing a choice of the new pistol for anything more than fun on the range.
Vickers and Hackathorn also carry Glocks, not 1911's. That should tell you something. Stoppages are unacceptable, especially if you're training around them. You train to deal with them, but you should never expect them.
Too bad toy fun on the range is the only civilian reason (non LEO, MIL) to give to CFO for firearm acquisition; say anything else and you are toast.
SHTF G22 with night site and 9mm conversion barrel is MR goto.
Its called lying, and its the gov you're talking to, who tells the truth?
When You are professionally involved with the firearms, You have no choice, but to take and be at least proficient with whatever your agency is issuing.
I would say however that You picked up the right equipment.
Right.
The reason they're so popular is because it is an American design and there are more handguns sold in the US than anywhere else. Simple as that really. With the exception of the double-stack models used in IPSC around the world, it's almost a dead letter outside of the US. Somewhat popular in Canada because of our proximity to the US and the magazine restrictions.
I've never really been keen on the 1911, doesn't seem to matter what I try, I can never get it to fit my hand correctly, plus I'm no fan of .45ACP. Whenever I go to any sort of pistol competition, the 1911s are the ones that jam the most. The extractor is the weak point on a 1911, nowhere near as good as the claw extractor on more modern pistols. Also the swinging link doesn't make much sense now.
I might buy another one in .40 if I find one that feels okay in my hand. But the problem with the .40 and 9mm models is they have longer feed ramps which means more jamming and the extractor problems go from bad to worse usually, unless a claw extractor has been used.
There's the gem that keeps this dinosaur alive. Ignorant American patriotism. What I find odd, is that there seems to be a massive shift towards 1911's chambered in "the Euro pellet" 9mm. Talk about sacrilege. The excuse I hear is ammo costs, but if 45 was so popular then why is it so much more money? Oh wait, its not a NATO cartridge, and its not that popular. The real answer is that 45 has near zero gain over modern 9mm ammo as far as penetration is concerned, and that is the only concern when discussing terminal performance. So a lighter recoiling 9mm with an increase in capacity for similar results means huge gains for the user. Its not magic, its logic and science.
In addition to the above comments, it was also mentioned in another thread that yes, loose sloppy 1911's were the norm for issue guns. For those who understand service guns know that they were sloppy for an increase in reliability. So I have to ask, for all the pro 1911 fan boys, why the desire for hand fitted stupid tight guns? If you want the original that is "dead reliable" then you want the sloppy model, yet more and more blind followers are running custom guns like Nighthawk, STI, even Kimber. All of which cost a stupid amount of money for no gain in performance or reliability. Oddly enough many of these custom guns also sport "match" barrels and target sights. So what are you after? A reliable copy of the old work/war horse, or a precision pistol that was neither designed nor intended for accuracy based shooting? Sounds like a lot of confused owners out there buying the trend of the week, looking for approval from others.
TDC
