1911 sales really slow?
- Thread starter 9x19
- Start date
I would bet that the proliferation of 1911s, with the attached mixed reviews, makes it a difficult choice for consumers. Name any brand and you'll alternately hear that it is the next thing sliced bread or a glass fragile MIM jam-o-matic.
If I had a choice of either a $1200 Kimber or a $300 Armscor to defend my life, I don't know which one I'd pick. That's a confusing marketplace.
If I had a choice of either a $1200 Kimber or a $300 Armscor to defend my life, I don't know which one I'd pick. That's a confusing marketplace.
Shadi Khalil
New member
From what I can tell at my favorite shops, things are slow around. There is no storage of anything; all the cases are stocked to the brims, from 1911 to J-frames.
As I'm sure it was said before me, "1911" is not a brand so you can't really say "1911 sales are slow". However, over the past 6 months, I have talked to a lot of people at work and in my neighborhood who are buying their first guns. Nearly all of them are buying or bought M&P's or Glocks, with the occasional HK and revolver thrown in for good measure. None of those first time buyer mentioned 1911's. Of course that has more to do with marketing, caliber, friends, salesmen than it does 1911's.
As I'm sure it was said before me, "1911" is not a brand so you can't really say "1911 sales are slow". However, over the past 6 months, I have talked to a lot of people at work and in my neighborhood who are buying their first guns. Nearly all of them are buying or bought M&P's or Glocks, with the occasional HK and revolver thrown in for good measure. None of those first time buyer mentioned 1911's. Of course that has more to do with marketing, caliber, friends, salesmen than it does 1911's.
Not sure if my situation is common, but I have always planned to buy a 1911 "one day." I plan to spend a decent amount of money on a product from a high-end manufacturer with a strong reputation when I finally make the purchase. Unfortunately for Colt, the current market has made it so that many of the other guns that have been lingering on my wish list are now in-stock at fire sale prices at every LGS in town. I have a hard time getting to $900 spare dollars in the budget when so many other guns, that spent the last two years on a neverending backorder, are now available below $500.
Let's face it, a 1911 is not a very good first gun. In fact, no handgun is. If you are green about gun handling it's all too easy to point a handgun in an unsafe direction.
A glock as a 1st gun scares the heck out of me as well, an accidental discharge waiting to happen in the hands of a neophyte. At least they are easier to break down and clean than a 1911 though.
What's this about a 1911 being "not good for a first gun"? I must have really screwed up because the first handgun I bought and shot was a 1911. I found it easy to learn to shoot and to maintain. Heck, it's even fun to clean. So I have five 1911s now.
I figured any gun that was designed for some green-horn city boy who never even saw a semi-auto pistol before take it to fight in a war couldn't be all that difficult for me to learn.
What I learned from my 1911 has helped me better appreciate the design, operation and maintenance of my other guns like my Sig Sauer, Glock and others.
Well, that may just be my experience for what it's worth
I figured any gun that was designed for some green-horn city boy who never even saw a semi-auto pistol before take it to fight in a war couldn't be all that difficult for me to learn.
What I learned from my 1911 has helped me better appreciate the design, operation and maintenance of my other guns like my Sig Sauer, Glock and others.
Well, that may just be my experience for what it's worth
Adamantium
New member
Gun sales go up and gun sales go down. They aren't going to be down forever.
If 1911 sales are down then that is a good thing. I shoot my 1911 competitively but rarely recommend one to a friend. The last thing the gun community needs is another person buying another gun that they can't afford to shoot. In real life I tell almost everyone the same thing, it's not what you shoot, it's what you hit.
This is very true. Virtually all experienced shooters tend to stick with a few gun for a long period of time.
That's the crux of the internet, where everyone has unlimited access to information but sometimes no experience to go with it. People literally buy guns and then immediately review them. Compare that with how many people are coming back and reviewing them after 10k rounds when they have truly learned the ins and outs of the gun.
Combine that with the propensity of newer shooters to fall into the "Brand X rocks while Brand Y sucks" trap and you literally have the blind leading the blind.
All guns are easy to point in a unsafe direction. Just because a handgun is easier to point at yourself doesn't make it any more dangerous. An unsafe direction is an unsafe direction. 1911s (and glocks) are just as good beginner gun as any other. If someone is willing to learn gun safety they will be fine. If someone isn't willing to learn gun safety eventually an accident will happen.
If 1911 sales are down then that is a good thing. I shoot my 1911 competitively but rarely recommend one to a friend. The last thing the gun community needs is another person buying another gun that they can't afford to shoot. In real life I tell almost everyone the same thing, it's not what you shoot, it's what you hit.
This is very true. Virtually all experienced shooters tend to stick with a few gun for a long period of time.
That's the crux of the internet, where everyone has unlimited access to information but sometimes no experience to go with it. People literally buy guns and then immediately review them. Compare that with how many people are coming back and reviewing them after 10k rounds when they have truly learned the ins and outs of the gun.
Combine that with the propensity of newer shooters to fall into the "Brand X rocks while Brand Y sucks" trap and you literally have the blind leading the blind.
All guns are easy to point in a unsafe direction. Just because a handgun is easier to point at yourself doesn't make it any more dangerous. An unsafe direction is an unsafe direction. 1911s (and glocks) are just as good beginner gun as any other. If someone is willing to learn gun safety they will be fine. If someone isn't willing to learn gun safety eventually an accident will happen.
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Aguila Blanca
Staff
I just received an e-mail blast fro the NSSF, with a graph. If the graph will carry over, I'll post it. Basically, the NSSF (which is the industry trade association) says 2013 was an abnormally high sales year, so even though sales this year are on track with sales for 2012, it looks like a "decline" -- until you look at the ten-year trend.
bamaranger
New member
surprised
The whole "1911" phenomenon continues to amaze me....period. Who ever would have thought that a 100 yr old design, in the face of new poly wonder pistols, would have all the "new" mfg's that are in the market,....Ruger, Rem, Rock Island, Smith, Sig, ......I stay astonished.
Hey I like the 1911....but I'm still surprised.
What I am seeing the most are the affordable Rock Island guns at the public range near me, and now and again at the club.
The whole "1911" phenomenon continues to amaze me....period. Who ever would have thought that a 100 yr old design, in the face of new poly wonder pistols, would have all the "new" mfg's that are in the market,....Ruger, Rem, Rock Island, Smith, Sig, ......I stay astonished.
Hey I like the 1911....but I'm still surprised.
What I am seeing the most are the affordable Rock Island guns at the public range near me, and now and again at the club.
Dragline45
New member
This is a pretty good point. The cost of going away for a long weekend is as much as some peoples gun budgets for the entire year. When you just spent a boatload of cash on hotels, restaurants, and all the other touristy stuff, the last thing most people are about to do is go drop another grand on a new gun.
Sig had to have done pretty well a few months ago when they did their buy a 1911, get the 22lr one free. A couple of my buddies got drawn into that. They make a pretty nice 1911 and the 22 isn't awful, especially for free.
In general, I'm pretty sure gun sales are down from a couple years ago, but still on an upward trend when looked at from a larger scale, like that of an entire decade or two.
Edit: Ah, I see Aguila Blanca has conveniently posted a graph showing this.
In general, I'm pretty sure gun sales are down from a couple years ago, but still on an upward trend when looked at from a larger scale, like that of an entire decade or two.
Edit: Ah, I see Aguila Blanca has conveniently posted a graph showing this.
LockedBreech
New member
Why doesn't that work with a handgun? An attentive instructor paying attention would have no problem with that. My dad taught me to shoot on handguns, one being a tiny Beretta with a 2" barrel, and was instantly on me if my barrel wandered.
Adamantium
New member
Yes they can. You're literally the first person I've seen suggest that an instructor can't take control of a situation because a student is using a handgun.
