I now humbly apologize, and withdraw my earlier position on modern pistols

[MistWolf]

Consider the man who carries a 1911. He radiates aplomb as he strides through the city. His eye is intrepid, his gait cocksure, his countenance censorious. He need not fight; youthful gangsters feel his presence in their bones a block away.

Now consider the man who chooses to carry a firearm that more closely resembles an iPhone than it does one of John Moses Browning's noble creations. Does he move among the thugs with the same dash?

Beautiful words. I am now inspired to set aside the P365 and gear up with my 1911 as God intended.

Bless you, Brother Vibe. Bless you.

[MountainRaven]

1911s are fun guns and are very accessible. Every single female loves shooting my 1911. Quadruply so when I have the .22 kit on it.

The slim single stack is empowering and the weight, especially with .22, makes it crazy soft.

That said, it's just a gun. And there are better ones out there. Like, I won't lie and say I'm a martial artist. But like, in a way, 1911s and revolvers are kind of like how guys train with bo staffs or katana swords. It's neat to study old forms but in reality; you want a G19/34 with an RMR and a weaponlight.

Like, I like a good honest model 19 or 686 for shooting wadcutters and if it were my only gun, I wouldn't feel too bad. But it just won't ever be the 60s again where it is all Adam 12

And if it were the 60s, I'd get a Hi Power and all the Super Vel I could find until Beretta 92s happened.

But old single actions and revolvers are a proud discipline

I've had G19s and G17s with RMRs and WMLs. They're excellent guns. If I were putting around Syria and Iraq in a beat-up old Toyota Corolla watching suspected Islamists or self-guided tours of Russian military sites in Crimea, they're what I'd want in my holster.

But for me and the situations I'm probable to encounter to (about) the ninth sigma, the selection of which quality, full-sized fighting handgun I carry won't play a meaningful role in my success or failure. So I'll stick to my 1911.

[markm]

To quote a friend "1911's are great, as long as they work" Yeah, 2 rounds later a part fell off his pistol.

They're like classic automobiles. GREAT to own and enjoy, but horrible daily drivers.

[grizzman]

They're like classic automobiles. GREAT to own and enjoy, but horrible daily drivers.

.....yet all of my friends shoot 5" all steel 1911s better than anything else?

[Firefly]

I've had G19s and G17s with RMRs and WMLs. They're excellent guns. If I were putting around Syria and Iraq in a beat-up old Toyota Corolla watching suspected Islamists or self-guided tours of Russian military sites in Crimea, they're what I'd want in my holster.

But for me and the situations I'm probable to encounter to (about) the ninth sigma, the selection of which quality, full-sized fighting handgun I carry won't play a meaningful role in my success or failure. So I'll stick to my 1911.

Yep. I don’t carry my 1911 but I shoot it.
One day I shall get a 2011.

[ViniVidivici]

It happens to the best of us. Happened to me, almost 13 years ago.

[Uni-Vibe]

They're like classic automobiles. GREAT to own and enjoy, but horrible daily drivers.

I think there's something going on with shooters here. The 1911 was legendary for its reliability, never mind mud, sand, etc. People from Jeff Cooper on down swore by it. Soldiers and lawmen praised it. People thought, if you have a 1911 in your hand, you're safe from thuggery.

Now that the plastic guns are out, it's a fragile antique that falls apart every 40 rounds.

Something like this goes on with ammo, too. Silvertips were awesome crook-stoppers. Then came Hydra-Shok, and those Silvertips became ineffective nerf-bullets. Then came SXT, and Hydra-Shok suddenly couldn't stop a bunny-rabbit. Next month it'll be something else, and SXT will be the new widowmaker.

[Firefly]

I think there's something going on with shooters here. The 1911 was legendary for its reliability, never mind mud, sand, etc. People from Jeff Cooper on down swore by it. Soldiers and lawmen praised it. People thought, if you have a 1911 in your hand, you're safe from thuggery.

Now that the plastic guns are out, it's a fragile antique that falls apart every 40 rounds.

Something like this goes on with ammo, too. Silvertips were awesome crook-stoppers. Then came Hydra-Shok, and those Silvertips became ineffective nerf-bullets. Then came SXT, and Hydra-Shok suddenly couldn't stop a bunny-rabbit. Next month it'll be something else, and SXT will be the new widowmaker.

Don't take this the wrong way but are you for real?

1911s were the bleeding edge of early 1900s autopistols. They were, quite frankly, outmoded by 1935.

You seem to think that no 1911 failed in WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. You seem to further think that folks were zapping Charlie with something other than ball ammo. You seem to forget that people with a choice were very much rocking Hi Powers and later Beretta 92s. You seem to forget that for a lot of good contributions Jeff Cooper made to modernizing combat handgunnery; he had a few steps back as well (Scout Rifles? Seriously....a short bolt action with a scope....nevah been done befo')

Recognize a 1911 for what it is and what it isn't. There are a LOT of cheap, garbage 1911s out there that really are total junk.
A well made 1911 starts getting expensive for the privilege of owning a gun that was state of the art a century ago. I like 1911s, but reality is reality.

Pretty much all the people who have been to the upper tiers of close quarters combat and used 1911s will tell you that there are a lot of drawbacks, almost no advantages in the current era, and that it takes a lot of end user competence to keep them reliable by current standards.

A well made, base 1911 has a lot of simplicity, but still requires care.

You are free to like what you want and shoot what you want but it isn't healthy to romanticize a gun like that.

It's the same with M-14s. People get this image of a square jawed Marine route stepping though the jungle with a rifle of iron and wood chambered in a Man's Caliber but take off the Sex Glasses for a minute and you'll find a finicky, over complex and pointless rifle that was obsolete years before it was adopted.

The AR-10 was torpedoed unfairly because some big head in charge was again wearing sex goggles and thinking about how cool it would be to have a Garand with a magazine.

1911s can freeze, rust shut, have horrid extractor problems, break slide levers, have stirrups die, have the leaf bent too much, etc. etc.

But....you do you

[RHINOWSO]

Sold. I liked the M&P better, it just fit my hand and shot better.

Cool, Glock or HK next month?

[Doc Safari]

Don't take this the wrong way but are you for real?

1911s were the bleeding edge of early 1900s autopistols. They were, quite frankly, outmoded by 1935.

You seem to think that no 1911 failed in WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. You seem to further think that folks were zapping Charlie with something other than ball ammo. You seem to forget that people with a choice were very much rocking Hi Powers and later Beretta 92s. You seem to forget that for a lot of good contributions Jeff Cooper made to modernizing combat handgunnery; he had a few steps back as well (Scout Rifles? Seriously....a short bolt action with a scope....nevah been done befo')

Recognize a 1911 for what it is and what it isn't. There are a LOT of cheap, garbage 1911s out there that really are total junk.
A well made 1911 starts getting expensive for the privilege of owning a gun that was state of the art a century ago. I like 1911s, but reality is reality.

Pretty much all the people who have been to the upper tiers of close quarters combat and used 1911s will tell you that there are a lot of drawbacks, almost no advantages in the current era, and that it takes a lot of end user competence to keep them reliable by current standards.

A well made, base 1911 has a lot of simplicity, but still requires care.

You are free to like what you want and shoot what you want but it isn't healthy to romanticize a gun like that.

It's the same with M-14s. People get this image of a square jawed Marine route stepping though the jungle with a rifle of iron and wood chambered in a Man's Caliber but take off the Sex Glasses for a minute and you'll find a finicky, over complex and pointless rifle that was obsolete years before it was adopted.

The AR-10 was torpedoed unfairly because some big head in charge was again wearing sex goggles and thinking about how cool it would be to have a Garand with a magazine.

1911s can freeze, rust shut, have horrid extractor problems, break slide levers, have stirrups die, have the leaf bent too much, etc. etc.

But....you do you

Thank you. Cured me of starting to want a 1911 again. I was done with M14 asshattery long ago.