Why do people swear by 1911's?

Two World Wars. It's a fact that without the 1911 the Germans would have won both World Wars. Also, it's chambered in a caliber that not only kills your attacker but erases his or her family from existence, Doc Brown style.

There are a number of non-silly answers. But to me you don't buy a CMP 1911 because you just want a 1911. You buy one from the CMP because you want something with some degree of history.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
 
Quick question, and I'm not assuming you're one of these people - but why do people swear by 1911's?
Click to expand...

First question should be "Have you ever fired a nice 1911?". If you have, that should end the questions. I avoided 1911s for a long time when I started shooting. It was big and heavy, and only held 7+1. I wasn't a big fan of the .45 ACP either.

I started out with a Sig P228 which was a DA/SA 9mm that held 13+1. I liked the simplicity of no external safeties and the simple take down of just flipping a lever down. I also preferred the light snappy feel of the 9mm recoil compared to the slower and heavier push of the .45 ACP.

Fast forward a few years as I started expanding my collection. I bought a Sig P245 and I couldn't shoot it well. I was very accurate with my P228 and P229 (.40 S&W), but the P245 and I didn't get along. I ended up trading it at a Gun show for a pre-owned Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special. That started the love with the 1911 for me.

The short, light, single action trigger is amazing. While the Thunder Ranch Special is designed to be a carry gun, it is incredibly accurate. The great trigger and longer sight radius have a lot to do with it. Everyone that I have let shoot that gun are amazed by it. That includes my wife's 60+ year old aunt. The extra weight tames the recoil . It does take some getting used to if you come from another platform like Glock, but I use different guns at my practical shooting club and have no issues forgetting the safety. The other thing is that the 1911 feels great in my hand (I have thin cocobolo grips on mine) and it points very naturally for me.

Of course Tunnel Rat's reason that
it's chambered in a caliber that not only kills your attacker but erases his or her family from existence, Doc Brown style.
Click to expand...
doesn't hurt either, but I have a 1911 in 9mm as well.
 
To beat the old dead horse, Col Cooper said it all when praising the 1911....

"it's easy to hit with"
 
First question should be "Have you ever fired a nice 1911?". If you have, that should end the questions. I avoided 1911s for a long time when I started shooting. It was big and heavy, and only held 7+1. I wasn't a big fan of the .45 ACP either.

I started out with a Sig P228 which was a DA/SA 9mm that held 13+1. I liked the simplicity of no external safeties and the simple take down of just flipping a lever down. I also preferred the light snappy feel of the 9mm recoil compared to the slower and heavier push of the .45 ACP.

Fast forward a few years as I started expanding my collection. I bought a Sig P245 and I couldn't shoot it well. I was very accurate with my P228 and P229 (.40 S&W), but the P245 and I didn't get along. I ended up trading it at a Gun show for a pre-owned Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special. That started the love with the 1911 for me.

The short, light, single action trigger is amazing. While the Thunder Ranch Special is designed to be a carry gun, it is incredibly accurate. The great trigger and longer sight radius have a lot to do with it. Everyone that I have let shoot that gun are amazed by it. That includes my wife's 60+ year old aunt. The extra weight tames the recoil . It does take some getting used to if you come from another platform like Glock, but I use different guns at my practical shooting club and have no issues forgetting the safety. The other thing is that the 1911 feels great in my hand (I have thin cocobolo grips on mine) and it points very naturally for me.

Of course Tunnel Rat's reason that
Quote:
it's chambered in a caliber that not only kills your attacker but erases his or her family from existence, Doc Brown style.
doesn't hurt either, but I have a 1911 in 9mm as well.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your explanation, really appreciate it my man.
 
Mod Note: This thread was split off from this one, simply to avoid derailing the other thread

Welcome to TFL, Flicks! Now, on to your question:
Flicks said:
Quick question, and I'm not assuming you're one of these people - but why do people swear by 1911's?
Click to expand...
I grew up in a house where doctrine was that attackers would just ignore a 9mm, but they would be blown backwards through a wall by a .45. (To paraphrase, and maybe with a little exaggeration.) So my first carry gun was a Springfield Armory 1911. It's big, it's heavy, it's low on the capacity scale. It's also slim, a good fit for my hands, and it makes me look like a good shot. (Some days, that last one is no small feat.) I like my other pistols, but I love my 1911. Without a doubt, I shoot it far and away better than any other pistol I own. I think that's due in large part to the trigger. My Glock has a pretty good trigger for a Glock, which is a little like saying, "it's fast for a moped." It's nothing like my 1911's trigger, though. Nothing.
 
Last edited:
The very first handgun I ever bought for myself was a 1911. Since then I have had a love affair with them. They fit my hand perfectly and somehow they just feel right. A well tuned 1911 is a joy to shoot.
 
As other have mentioned, it just fits my hand right…plus the fact it’s the first centerfire pistol I learned to shoot. I have 8 to date all 45 ACP except one, which is in 357 Sig, to say it’s accurate is an understatement…this thing is a track driver.
 
Honestly the ergonomics are pretty good for most folks but the big reason is that trigger. Even a crappy 1911 trigger is damn good. I say this as not a 1911 guy.

All that said it is chambered in .45 of which my favorite .45’ism is “9mm is kinda like .45......set to stun.” :)

Seriously though 1911 triggers are awesome.
 
In my case it's the funnest of the semis that I have fired, whether in 45 or 9 MM. I like it better than the G19, Beretta 92BS, Sig 226, Ruger LC9, P95, HK, Taurus, and prolly others I've fired. Always go back to the 1911s.
 
You need to identify "used for" in this discussion. For target shooting such as bullseye or steep plates it has no equal. Go watch the pros shooting big plate events or other big shoots and the 1911 simply dominates all other competition. It's not a good hunting gun, it's not really a good carry gun, but it's the best target gun out there. There are thousands of aftermarket parts available and every top gunsmith in the country loves working on them. Lots of guns are great at one thing and marginal or poor at other things. The 1911 is no different. OP, you need to be more specific in the question and those who replied did so from their perspective....which can be quite narrow regarding their needs. All in all, it's a gun that's going to be around for a very long time. My buddy has one that's already older than him and he's in his late seventies.
 
My first pistol was a Glock 22 (full size .40 S&W for OP's reference). I learned to shoot it very accurately but I always needed to adjust my grip to get it just right. The first time I shot my Dad's 1911 (Kimber?) the hand feel was great and I was able to shoot it very accurately. Recoil is not bad either. They're kinda heavy.

As someone mentioned above, they have a very natural hand feel and are easy to aim.

I think asking why people like 1911s is like asking why people like classic cars. There are newer, nicer, faster, etc. cars today but the old ones bring back nostalgia. The 1911 is far from obsolete. It might not be the best option in most situations but then again most things aren't.

People who hate them probably expect out of the box reliability for the less expensive ones, complain about weight and capacity, and frame the argument assuming you can only have one gun ever and why would you want that.

People who love them are generally older and have many guns so the tactical disadvantage isn't a big deal because they have their Glock too. Then there's military nostalgia. The .45 ACP chambering is no slouch either.

I like them. Not for everyday carry but if I had to it'd do the job as long as it was reliable.
 
Used to be that the gun rag writers, Cooper included, would talk about the 1911/A1 as being a big, heavy, thing that required big men to shoot.
The fact is that the pistol fits most hands fairly well and felt recoil isn't an issue. A 1911/A1 is really quite comfortable and pleasant to shoot. Then add that they're easy to work on and there are piles and piles of aftermarket stuff for 'em. And you can use the same ammo for bullseye shooting and bowling pins(probably the second most fun thing you can do with your pants on. The first being armoured recce.)
"...Because I carried one in the Army..." Is the reason for lots of Americans. I have an Inglis High Power for the same reason.
 
1. Outstanding trigger
2. Capable of outstanding accuracy
3. Proven in bullseye competition
4. Grips just feel right
5. Big steel frame soaks up recoil
6. SubSonic slugs give big “push” rather than big “twist” and big “boom!” Rather than loud “crack!”
7. Historical interest
8. After shooting bullseye .22 I wanted to try Center Fire and if you are going big, why not go big?
 
Options, tons of room for customization and an aftermarket like nothing else on the market. That's what happens when you've been around for over 100 years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top