What makes a 1911 so Special?

Question

So many people often refer to the 1911 as the handgun of all handguns. Why is this?

Answer 1

Why is this? Well let me give you the devil's advocate version. The 1911 has been around as a military firearm for 75 or so years. It served in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam. A lot of American's have used one or been introduced to one over the years. It has outlasted multiple rifle designs and has many many fans. Many of those same former military men and women have taught their son's and daughters how to fire the same gun and have told the stories about it. Compared to the alternative, the double action revolver in .38, with a heavy harder to pull trigger making shooting difficult for the novice, and the slow reloading times compared to the automatic (for a novice, not Jerry Miculek) it is a much easier gun to manipulate and fire accurately.

Is it the handgun of all handguns? Well I would say everything can be improved upon, and it is early 20th century technology, although in it's present form, highly refined. I would not be disappointed with it, but there are other choices I would rather have.

Kimber, Tactical Custom II owner.

Answer 2

There are several reasons. For one, its a classic american firearm that's was used by the military up until the mid 80's. Another reason is that it's single-stack magazine helps it to be rather slim, thus allowing it to be concealed more readily than other pistols of a similar size. Yet another reason, is the grip angle. Many people tend to find the grip angle conducive to accurate shooting. Another reason would be that its single-action, meaning that you get a consistent relatively light trigger pull out of it, which is ideal for a defensive handgun. Speaking of the trigger, next to double action revolvers 1911's possess a trigger pull that is considered by many to be crisp, consistent, and excellent. Another reason, the caliber. While in spite of what some people will tell you 9mm will do the job, many people just prefer a larger bullet. At .451 inches in diameter, the .45 a.c.p. is almost .1 inches larger than a 9mm (9mm is about .355). I too was wondering what the big deal about 1911's was... until I shot a few. It's really hard to explain it, but compared to some of the more "modern" polymer pistols, the 1911 is definitely in a class of its own. I think if you were to fire one, you might get what I'm talking about :D

Answer 3

It's handsome, it's simple, and it's durable. There are guns that are superior as far as simplicity and modularity are concerned, but they are not "classic" like the 1911 series and they did not serve the country for decades, have no endless customization options, nor do they hold a track record in competition. Only three centerfire handguns define thculture of centerfire handguns in the USA from a historical perspective.. They are the Colt-style single-action revolver, the S&W double-action revolver, and the 1911.

Update: I only wish that John Browning's Highpower would have gotten similar respect in the USA. It is truly deserving.

Answer 4

It is a great gun that has been around since the beginning of the last Century. It is strong, reliable and relatively user friendly. Certainly it is a classic as is the old Colt SAA. However, does anyone say in law enforcement still carry an SAA as his primary weapon? Why not? It is still strong, reliable and relatively user friendly? Answer: Because the Colt SAA is a great but dated design. Modern double action revolvers are strong, reliable and user friendly plus... They come with adjustible rear sights, they are double-action thus faster to shoot, they are quicker to reload, they are safer since they incorporate a modern hammer-block system that precludes the modern revolver from accidently discharging if dropped on its hammer.

Same thing with the 1911. A great but dated design, but... Modern double action semi loaders are just as reliable (now), have greater ammo capacity, are chambered in more diverse (and potent) calibers, incorporate diverse safety features not inherent to the 1911 (the old grip safety in the 1911 is dubious and has been known to fail; John Browning himself elected to discontinue it in his last and best pistol design, the Browning P-35 Hi Power); and though considered a moot point by many, the modern semi-auto is available in double-action-on-the-first shot.

Yes, the 1911 is a great gun (I just got one in .38 Super) and the aficionado should not feel underarmed with his old 1911, but factually there are more modern handguns out there now. And better calibers than the venerable old .45 acp. The Glock is a super gun and may well be considered the next 1911. The FN Herstal 5.7mm is up and coming and may very well be the... Wave of the present and of the future. Certainly with its hyper-velocity, far reaching approx. .23 caliber round and its huge ammo capacity it has something to be desired particularly under combat conditions. Who would have thought that the M-16 with its puny .223 caliber round would replace the great, old M-14 in 7.62x51 NATO??? Or the Garand in .30-06 Springfield!

If you love the old 1911 then more power to you. You are certainly not underarmed. My service automatic of choice is the Glock Model 20 10mm but if all I had was my 1911 .38 Super (or .45 acp) I would not feel underarmed. I am also ordering a Gun Industries .50 GI which incorporates the old 1911 design and certainly, with this fifty caliber 'bad-boy,' I'll not feel in the least bit... Underarmed. Long live the 1911!

Best.

H

Answer 5

What can I say it is the perfect pistol. There is nothing wrong with the 1911.

Like H said there are many other more modern pistols out there that use high tech plastic and all that other mumbo jumbo. If you like the feel of a plastic gun good for you.

Maybe if police did not carry 15 rounds of 9mm in there glocks they would be able to hit the darn target sometimes. I watch in person as police (4 of them) shot at one guy armed with a butter knife 4 police x15 rounds each= 60 round with 3 hits out of 60. That is 1 hit for every 20 rounds fired. That is pitiful. I make it a point to be proficient with my firearms, but police just spray and pray (Pray they hit the target and pray they do not kill some one not involved).

There are plenty of newer pistols out there that chamber all these new and fancy rounds that still do not get the job done any better than a 1911.

I will more than likely come to own a glock in the near future but not because it is a great gun because it is a good gun not because I do not trust my 1911. Why because I would rather a $400 gun get all beat up in the arms lock up room if I ever have to shoot someone over my $1000 1911. I love my 1911 too much to do that to her.

Answer 6

While even it's designer John Browning quickly recognized the shortcomings of the 1911 design, those few items have been corrected by customizers and gun manufacturers over the years to produce what is arguably the near perfect handgun.

It is a commonly held fallacy that a "double-action" semi-automatic pistol performs better than a single-action pistol, as displayed by some answers here, or that double-action is safer..........Both are "myths" that have been busted time and time again. In properly trained hands, the single-action pistol is both the faster performer and safe to carry.

The truth is John Browning's 1911 (and later refinement the Hi Power, P35) stands in history as the most influential pistol design of all time.

Nearly a century of attempts to improve on it have only resulted in a few tweaks to the original, nothing has replaced it.

That's almost 100 years of skilled and talented gun designers, world-wide governments and militaries, engineers, large corporations, Computer aided design, etc. and nothing has topped its basic design concepts. Amazing.

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A word about "Double-Action" pistols, which if you look at the evidence of numbers sold have replaced the single actions like the 1911.

Double-action pistols are the result of safety-committees, government bureaucrats and the fear of lawsuits. They are not better than a single-action pistol and in many ways worse.

Decades of "conventional wisdom" allowed investigations to blame the gun for 'accidental' discharges rather than the inadequately-trained gun handler. It was bureaucracy that made the double-action the gun of choice for militaries and police, not shooters.

Answer 7

Simple, reliable, and, when properly put together, accurate.

As a starting platform, you can do more custom work with the 1911 than you can with just about any other gun.

I have had my Colt 1911 for 35 years now and I have long ago lost count of the rounds I have fired through it. It just keeps working. . .

Answer 8

This is the weapon that served our boys in every conflict from the production to retirement of this pistol inthe early 80's.
So, to my answer: most of the people who talk about guns either had/have one, served with one in the military, or grew up with a dad who used one in this war or another. Thus, you will get a lot of talk about it being the best, because there are a lot of people out there who truly believe it is the best.
I am not saying its not; I just remember my dads stories about the .45 P1911A I inherited from him and how its saved his behind a time or two, so for that reason alone its the best pistol out there in my book.
You didn't ask about tech specs, you asked why there is a lot of talk about it being the gun of guns, and thats my answer:o)

Answer 9

It's simplicity, and endurance to perform well under all conditions. It was the U.S. military sidearm for over 80+ years before being replaced with the Beretta 92-F, or M-9 pistol. Now there is talk about going back to the .45 ACP round in another pistol.

Answer 10

Simple, reliable, robust, and the only high power handgun
I've ever been able to shoot anywhere near accurately.
Thanks John.