I used to carry a compact 1911 in .45 ACP. Indeed almost 10 years ago I felt so strongly about this that I published these words in M4C:


Too, there may be a psychological component to the 1911 vs. Glock decision.

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?



My compact 1911 has been taken to a gun show and sold. When I set forth, I'm carrying either a G17 or a G19, depending on what I'm wearing. I am much better armed now.

It is possible for even die-hard believers to change their mind in the face of evidence.