Does anyone carry 1911's anymore?

Do you carry a 1911?

  • Yes, a Government Model

    Votes: 81 30.7%

  • Yes, a Commander Model

    Votes: 62 23.5%

  • Yes, an Officer Model

    Votes: 27 10.2%

  • Yes, a Micro

    Votes: 8 3.0%

  • Yes, in a caliber that's not .45ACP

    Votes: 8 3.0%

  • No, (comment reason)

    Votes: 63 23.9%

  • No, they're obsolete

    Votes: 15 5.7%
  • Total voters
    264
  • Poll closed .
I shoot 1911's better than any other pistol...

But I look at it this way... millions upon millions of people in Western worlds go thru their entire lives without ever needing a firearm to protect themselves.

I'm not willing to go so far as to say I'll never need one, but the odds are so low that I dont think I'll need the gun I like the most or shoot the best.
I need the micro-something that I can live with everyday that'll do the job with a little practice.

1911's for the range, nostalgia, heirloom, appreciation of design/constrction and good old fashioned fondling and dry firing.

Small poly 380, 9, or 40 for edc and all of the value erroding indignities they must endure.
 
I like .45 cal, but got a Sig P220 because I figured a 1911 would need custom work. I like the Sig's de-cocker. However my EDC is a Sig P238 (1911 style .380) which is out of sight and out of mind. The .45 is too large for concealed carry. For serious social work, I got a Ruger .454 Super Redhawk 7.5 inch barrel revolver, which shoots .45 Colt for fun. I do like .45

When I got training on the .45 1911 in the Navy in the Sixties... I thought it was a bunch of complicated loose parts. But that was a well used piece. I can appreciate the beauty of today's pistols.
 
There are so many other firearms that that exceed the ergonomics, capacity, durability, reliability, weight, etc. of the 1911. Why go "old school" when you can have the best of both worlds in design, capacity, quality, and caliber.
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I agree with all of the above, don't get me wrong I love a nice 1911, but I think there are better, newer, more reliable options that I would trust my life with.
 
1911 45 platform is one of the best. Don't like plastic guns .and for high capacity guns. Not needed if you can hit your target.
 
1911 45 platform is one of the best. Don't like plastic guns .and for high capacity guns. Not needed if you can hit your target.
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People said the same thing in defense of magazine restrictions. It assumes a lot about the type and number of targets.

Obviously, none of us want to be in a life-threatening situation where we need to use our firearms. Thankfully, such occasions are relatively rare (and somehow rarer in those places where our rights are less obstructed). The problem is that those rare situations can be pretty rare events, from a rabid animal to a gang of psychos. Because we are essentially preparing for the unknown, it is totally reasonable to pursue higher capacity as a means to do so. It is one of the many features which must be weighed as each of us individually select our preferred tool of defense.
 
Just takes practice, not hard at all.
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Same can be said for disengaging a thumb safety, especially one in such a natural place as the 1911. Myself, I still flick off the non-existant thumb safety on my Glocks or CZ whenever I draw. Muscle memory and practice are good things.
 
The problem is that those rare situations can be pretty rare events, from a rabid animal to a gang of psychos
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That's not a problem it's actually a good thing.How many rounds to stop a rabid animal?
And,does a Moro charge qualify as a "gang of psychos"? The US Army spec'd
the M1911 precisely to handle those guys.
You like high cap that's your choice.
 
BigMikey76.
The poll includes commanders, officers and micro sizes an alloy framed commander weighs ~27oz and since poll includes other calibers that means a 10+1 38 super or 9mm Lightweight commander, so again where is the 11 oz pistol
 
My muscle memory under stress does the opposite
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Then it really isn't muscle memory;)
Even when I draw my Sig my thumb sweeps where the safety would be, it's an integral part of my drawstroke.
 
BigMikey76.
The poll includes commanders, officers and micro sizes an alloy framed commander weighs ~27oz and since poll includes other calibers that means a 10+1 38 super or 9mm Lightweight commander, so again where is the 11 oz pistol
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We can nit-pick back and forth all we want, and perhaps I am guilty of some slight hyperbole, but the truth is irrefutable - an all metal 1911, whether steel or alloy framed, is going to weigh considerably more than a comparably sized polymer gun. Even a Colt Defender, weighing in at 25oz (one of the smaller and lighter options) is still half a pound heavier than a Ruger LC9 without offering any advantage in capacity. My original point was that, from a practical standpoint, I see no reason to carry the extra weight unless I am getting more capacity out of it.
 
I do not anymore, although I have nothing against the 1911 as I've probably spent nearly $15K or more over the years on 1911's. I choose not to just because I can carry something that is a good bit lighter weight that has capacity close to if not over twice that of a 1911 that is more reliable and costs less money.

The 1911 is fantastic and certainly pleasing to look at but for carry use there are overall better choices unless you can't shoot anything accurately outside of the 1911. The 1911 is a step up over the revolver but the polymer guns are a step up over the 1911 in ways.

There was an arfcom poster who was in a self defense shooting and was carrying a 1911, a DW CBOB, who got shot in his hands and wasn't able to properly manipulate the 1911 due to his injuries, he did an interview on Ballistic Radio as well, if I find it I'll post the link.
 
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That's not a problem it's actually a good thing. How many rounds to stop a rabid animal? And, does a Moro charge qualify as a "gang of psychos"? The US Army spec'd the M1911 precisely to handle those guys.
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The problem is the unknown nature of potential threats. I was only rebuffing the common claim of not needing high capacity if you are a good shot.

You like high cap that's your choice.
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Indeed, and we shouldn't be admonishing anyone for making that choice. BTW, there is such a thing as a double-stack 1911. :)
 
Hi guys... Just thought I'd wade in. Had my first 1911 experience when I was 17... Army put one in my hand and I didn't think much about it. When push came to shove and I had to use it, it did the job on three bad guys in "back to the wall" situation. It won my trust and it's still the only thing that I carry... Own and shoot other guns but thankfully, they haven't won my trust. Probably better hand guns out there, but I have to go with the one got me out of deep trouble when the chips were down.
 
I do not anymore, although I have nothing against the 1911 as I've probably spent nearly $15K or more over the years on 1911's. I choose not to just because I can carry something that is a good bit lighter weight that has capacity close to if not over twice that of a 1911 that is more reliable and costs less money.

The 1911 is fantastic and certainly pleasing to look at but for carry use there are overall better choices unless you can't shoot anything accurately outside of the 1911. The 1911 is a step up over the revolver but the polymer guns are a step up over the 1911 in ways.
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Thats pretty much my experience as well. Best as I can remember, I had somewhere aroound 35-40 of them over the years, these days, I only have one of my old Colt Commanders left.

Ive owned quite a few different makes, but only ever trusted the Colts in a holster. Even then, the later Colts had gone downhill pretty good when I gave up on the 1911's. The "clones" were the main reason I quit them though. To much fiddling and fussing right out of the box, over junk, and much of that, salty junk to boot.

SIG's and now Glocks have replaced the 1911's, and I never looked back. They all worked out of the box. No more fiddling and fussing.

I still shoot the Commander once or twice a month now, but I really dont miss them, and shooting the Colt against the Glocks, just confirms it.
 
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