This may be the dumbest question ever asked here,but here goes anyways!

S

SocialAnarchist

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I was sitting on the couch this afternoon talking about the glorious 1911 with some friends on facebook and a strange thought entered my head. One of the issues with EDC of the 1911 for some is weight, so why hasn't someone made a polymer 1911? Or have they? It seems like a logical idea to allow for reduced weight but maintain the awesomeness of the 1911.
 
What's so awesome about the 1911? It's a good design but it really is over 100 years old. Besides that, I think most people carry a 1911, a large heavy handgun, over a modern more practical EDC design due to the nostalgia factor, rather any design advantages. That being said, I think the nostalgic types aren't interested in a "plastic" gun, which is why they choose to carry old fashioned weapons. Firearm companies take this into account and determine that it wouldn't be worth the trouble. The demand just isn't big enough for a composite 1911.

I hope you don't think that I'm just trying to hate on the 1911; I like to shoot the 1911 and it's a great gun, but everyday civilian carry was not what it was designed for, and it shows.
 
It has been done in .380 (Browning Black Label, 80% of the size of the original 1911). There's a general recalcitrance for gunmakers to make a polymer-framed 1911-A1. Most are out of tradition. Many "purists" can't get behind having their beloved 1911 made from what they feel to be "Tupperware".

CZ-USA may be convinced to embark on just such an endeavor, but I don't know. Call/write the gun manufacturers and ask them.
 
mk70ss,

I did google it after I posted. I guess I should have done that first!

NateKirk,

I honestly never assumed anyone that wasn't a 1911 fan would even post to this topic. Due to concealment issues I no longer carry my 1911 as my EDC, but I do still carry it on occasion. I will explore the polymer 1911 to see if it is something I would invest in because I do like and trust the 1911 platform.


It would be nice to have this discussion without the constant pummeling of the Glock fan club because this has nothing to do with Glocks.
 
It would be nice to have this discussion without the constant pummeling of the Glock fan club because this has nothing to do with Glocks.
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I don't think you'll have much of a problem with that here. Most here appreciate virtually all well designed firearms even if there preferences differ. :)
 
Anarchist,
I am actually a fan of the 1911, so long as I'm just shooting it at the range and don't have to carry it all day!:)
My point was there isn't a whole lot of demand for a polymer 1911 which is why there aren't alot of them.
Also, I'm not a member of the "Glock fan club," as you call it. I just posted to this thread because I was bored. I don't even own a Glock; my EDC is a Sig P238.
 
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I carried a Colt GM or Commander daily more than any other handgun (25+ years). Never knew they were big or heavy until the internet arrived. ;)

Even after it did, I never did believe the whiners. :D

The problem with 1911's started when the government stopped having them made, and everyone and their brother started. Polymer? Meh. You can have it. :p
 
The 1911 is a classic. That's a polite way of saying it's a pain in the rear. I still have one. Kinda like a Zippo lighter, fill daily, replace flint every several days, pull the wick about the same time and replace the wick monthly.
 
The 1911A1 has been likened (most aptly in my opinion) to a claw hammer. In the greatest majority of the many circumstances under which its use is necessary, it is still the best tool for the job. Detractors DISLIKE this fact, and may even DISPUTE this fact, but at the moment it REMAINS a fact. Something better may already have been devised and/or promulgated, but without the passage of more time than I have on this earth, we're unlikely to know THAT as a fact.
 
I am OLD. So I could barely adjust to a handgun as NEWFANGLED as a Colt 1911. But eventually I ran out of flint for my carry pistol and gave it a try. Since I always wear my pants with suspenders and at a proper height for someone my age, the barrel does not go below my waist. I have to control myself so that I won't wave it around when those kids will not get off my lawn! I would NEVER buy a 1911 or ANYTHING ELSE made of plastic! I am typing this on my telegraph right now and John Wayne would NEVER have used plastic when we hunted dinosaurs together, so neither would I. :eek:
 
The 1911 is a classic. That's a polite way of saying it's a pain in the rear. I still have one. Kinda like a Zippo lighter, fill daily, replace flint every several days, pull the wick about the same time and replace the wick monthly.
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You have a really crappy Zippo. :rolleyes:

There are a bunch of really good reasons the 1911A1 has remained a relevant design as is. If people really wanted plastic 1911A1's, you'd be seeing them on every gun store counter.

The truth is there are plenty of flavors of plastic, that was designed to be plastic from the get go. The 1911 is what it is and too much alteration looses what makes it special (and relevant) in the first place.

(also, if my old Dad with a bad back and a crotchety disposition can EDC a 1911A1 without issue, you guys who complain "it's too big. it's too heavy" are really wimps)
 
The 1911 was not designed to be made of plastic. A gun has to be designed around a material.
While they are heavy, the 1911 still does everything it was designed to do. Because the design is old simply means that it works.
 
Bluestarlizzard said:
You have a really crappy Zippo. :rolleyes:

There are a bunch of really good reasons the 1911A1 has remained a relevant design as is. If people really wanted plastic 1911A1's, you'd be seeing them on every gun store counter.

The truth is there are plenty of flavors of plastic, that was designed to be plastic from the get go. The 1911 is what it is and too much alteration looses what makes it special (and relevant) in the first place.

(also, if my old Dad with a bad back and a crotchety disposition can EDC a 1911A1 without issue, you guys who complain "it's too big. it's too heavy" are really wimps)
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Part of the reason your dad has a bad back may be because he's carrying 3 lb. on one side of him unbalanced. If you want to carry a 1911 rock on, but when there are lighter options out there that arguably accomplish the same task, choosing a lighter option isn't always about a lack of "manliness".
 
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Sorry to sound contrarian here, because I'M a HUGE fan of the 1911A1, but if one that's lighter was available, I'd look at owning it. The full-size piece is NOT too heavy to carry EDC, but if I can cut the weight, with no deficit to durability or performance, why wouldn't I? If I could afford a Colt Lightweight Commander in .45, I'd have one.

If a polymer-frame 1911A1 is lighter, costs less, and DOES NOT SACRIFICE DURABILITY, what's been lost in the process?
 
There's also the recoil control and balance of a heavier gun. While I don't carry it, my custom 97b is a real pussycat with recoil and a natural aimer like the 1911.
 
The 1911 is archaic, maintenance intensive, heavy, with low capacity mags.

The 1911 is accurate in every caliber it comes in, reliable if you take good care of it, has a great single action trigger, has a thumb & grip safety you don't mind having, good magazines are always available, it's grip was ergonomic way before they knew what an ergonomic grip was, and it has a classic, iconic look.

Having said that I'll keep the 4 that I already have & I plan to get a few more!
 
NateKirk,

The Glock comment wasn't aimed at you. Just a general comment.


Chris in VA,

If I can handle the recoil of a .45acp Xds I think I could easily handle the recoil of a full size polymer 1911.
 
Yeah, sure, Tunnelrat, it's the 3 lbs of pistol that destroyed his back. It couldn't possibly have anything to do with him throwing his back out multiple times when he worked concrete or that before that he was a professional mover or the time he was working for a construction company and fell through a ceiling.

Nope. It's definitely that full sized steel framed handgun he's been packing. :rolleyes:
 
The 1911 is archaic, maintenance intensive, heavy, with low capacity mags.
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I'm not trying to start a "flame war" here, but how do you define these descriptors?

If, by "archaic", you mean it is one of the oldest designs still in production today, I agree with you. Many NEWER designs have come and gone since then, but whether any of them are BETTER is open to considerable debate.

I'm not sure how you define "maintenance intensive", either. I have over 30,000 rounds through my 1911A1, and the only parts I've replaced are sights, grip panels, and one recoil spring, none of which were ever broken.

I won't argue with you concerning its weight. If I could get an alloy or polymer-framed 1911A1 for a reasonable price, I'd own one.

"Low Capacity"? Modern magazines give single-column 1911A1s an 8 + 1 capacity. This might be more of an issue to me, if I expected an adversary to shrug off a solid hit from a .45 ACP, but realistically, I don't. The modern' wonder-nines might hold twice that amount, but I expect the user to have to hit his adversary more than once to shut him down.

I suspect that detractors of the 1911A1 do so based on disadvantages that are more apparent than real.
 
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