[drf]

I just recently have been interested in hand guns, I have owned guns for years but not many handguns.....
Anyway I hear so much about the 1911 and was wondering what makes a handgun a 1911? I do know that it's been around for many years but would like to get more information about why this gun is so special and been so superior in .45 cal. Many manufacteres of handguns call threre version a 1911. Was a 1911 one preticular gun?
And does it come in any other cal. besides .45?
This probably seems like a stupid question to many of you asking about the 1911 but if I dont ask I will never know!!!!!LOL Thanks!!!drf

[spacemanspiff]

does anyone have a transcript of 'the history channels' "history of the gun"?


:D

[444]

What makes a handgun a 1911 is that it follows the same basic pattern as the original design of John Browning. Today we have many variations, compact models, double stack models etc. But all possess the same basic design.
The reason it is special is that it has been around for a long time and has proven itself to be a very reliable and effective handgun. It was used by our military for the better part of the 20th century and is still used to a limited extent by the military. Through much of that time it has also been the premier bullseye gun and in more recent years has been the premier action pistol sport gun. The design has lent itself to modifications of all kinds depending on it's intended use.
Calibers: Yes, it is available in .22LR, 9mm Luger, .38 Super.........Actually it has been available in factory or custom guns in quite a few different calibers.
The 1911 is a design concept. Many manufacturers make them.

[Sean Smith]

Technically, the model 1911 was an official handgun of the U.S. military until the 1911A1 was developed. Guns based on the 1911 design are often called 1911s for the sake of simplicity.

[12-34hom]

Go to your local gun store and pick one up, feel the balance and how it natural it is.

Its overall look is pleasing to the eye, which lends to its shoot - ability amoung other things.

Alot of gun owners like to tinker and try to improve thier weapons. The 1911 style pistol welcomes this type of owner.

It's chambered for just about every pistol caliber around. hint... 10mm & 45acp are two of the very best.

etc....

12-34hom.

[Ky Larry]

John M. Browning designed the 1911 pistol and the .45 ACP to be a system. Everything about them logically thought out and tested. He got it right. That's why the rest of the arms industy has spent the last 90 years playing catch up. I'll close for now and go put on my Nomex suit and wait for the flames to start.

[yayarx7]

1911... Shoot one and you will know.

Come to Abilene and shoot mine anytime.

[mete]

In military use ,under the worst conditions, the 1911 and the 45acp cartridge have proven themselves in every major and many minor wars in the 20 c entury. It also lends itself to modification for many custom features and especially to make an accurate target pistol. All that makes it a winner. The other guns with their fads will come and go but the 1911 will always be here.

[Frohickey]

Do any of JMB's descendants have his skill in firearms design?

[Stevie-Ray]

1911.....Don't leave home without it.

[Jim Watson]

Val Browning, who died earlier this year, was the last of the line in the gun business. He was a competent designer, refined the Superposed and designed the Double Automatic, but nobody has Mr Browning's skill.

[Chairman Meow]

I was originally wooed by the 1911 by shooting one and realizing that I shot better with it than any other handgun, PERIOID. It just feels right to me, and my shooting performance reflects this. The slide is narrower than most handguns, making it well suited for concealment, even the full size IMO. The barrel sits very close vertically to the top of your hand which helps prevent muzzle flip and adds to the great feel of the gun. Compare to a Sig where the barrel is much higher up and you will see what I mean. I really like Sigs, but that one difference makes the 1911 come out on top for me. I have tried a lot of 1911's and owned a couple. I really like the new external extractors that various manufacturers are incorporating as they aid in reliability. I have big hands so I really like high-capacity variants like the Para P-14 and the Kimber Ten. For $500, the Kimber BP Ten II is tough to beat.

[jercamp45]

First off is the historical interest....the pistol has Been There, Done That with a record that no other handgun has yet to surpass, through two world wars, countless minor actions, and personal conflicts in any climate, environment, and local on the planet.
The fact that it is still being used 92 years after its adoptation...by pro's that go into the real deal(FBI HRT, LAPD SWAT, Delta, and alot of other folks you never hear about) and is prefered amongst the professional community and instructors...over just about anything else...is a very bold statement.
The fact that is has won more trophies, bullseye and practical than any other single handgun... and the fact that something like 15 manufactures are still pumping them out in decent numbers globally says something too.
It is still the thinnest large caliber platform. It's controls are easily reached. It is reliable(bear in mind it was designed for ball ammo...all that was available at the time and most manufacturers have caught up with the new designs and made alteration to feel JHP), it has relatively low recoil for the size and weight of projectile it launches. It is easy to take down, clean, repair and modify. There are more custom touches you can add to this beastie than any other handgun. The tirgger is short and sweet, easily managed..it can be tuned heavy or hair...depending on your needs.
It has been used, abused, swore at and swore by....carried by soldiers, airmen, sailors, marines, cops, bad guys, quiet citizens, master shooters, wanna be's, and the average joe who wanted the 'hot rod' of handguns.
It can be a chevy truck...or a Ferrari, depending on how much money you wanna put into it. It can be an engraved work of art, or a tool to take into dark places where two legged preditors dwell or enlarge the same whole in the bullseye or to blast tin cans at the junk yard.
It can and has served as a hunting tool...and alot of game as fallen to it's bark...sometimes out of sheer necessity, because it was the only tool available. And it has done a pretty good job of it......boar, deer, bear, a wildebeest, and a Japanese Zero(pilot head shot by a parachuting American pilot...quite a feat of luck!) have fallen to it's bark! I am sure there are many more incidences that have not been reported over the decades of its widespread use.
(note...it would be very interesting to see a book on the experiential use of the 1911 over the years......I talked with many WWII Vets that used it for some outrageous feats...cutting down tree's,punching holes in 50 gallon drums, shooting that Japanese soldier with a foot long bayonet less than three feet away in the dark jungles of Burma, the Marine Sgt Major that used a pair of them to stop an NVA attack on his downed helicopter- new york reload in southeast asia, the confused truck driver who found himself shivering in the cold snow of Europe during the Battle Of The Bulge armed-initially-with only a .45 auto, ad infinuim).
The 1911 is a legendary tool, and will remain so...like it or not. And it is still THE best one-hand tool for stopping an aggressive assault as soon as possible.
I could add even more...but I'll go easy on ya!!
Jercamp45

[BigG]

To me calling anything that looks like a 1911 US Govt pistol or Colt commercial is akin to saying you have a Shelby Cobra and it turns out to be a Pinto with a fiberglass body on it. Shabby. Deceptive. At the least, careless, inaccurate representation. :uhoh: :banghead:

[444]

I think that analogy is a little extreme. To use a vehicle example I would say it is more like saying you have a Ford Truck. It might be diesel, it might be gas, it might be the small gas engine or the big gas engine, it might be 4wd or 2wd, it might have and extended cab, a crew cab, or regular cab........................ But all are still Ford Trucks.

[Keith]

All of the historical data above is true, but what makes it "special" and keeps it in the running these many years later is a much simpler thing - the trigger.
It has a single action trigger with a short, relatively "crisp" break. The trigger makes it easy to shoot accurately and quickly.
Few other designs incorporate that type of trigger and when handgun shooters get enough experience, they often tend to go with a 1911 because they find they can shoot it more accurately, and faster, than other designs.

And one other thing. The 1911 is a modular design that came out 70 years before the term "modular" came into popular usage. You can strip a 1911 and change things out to fit your preference. You can change the mainspring housing (rear of the grip) in a matter of minutes to fit YOUR hand with a flat, arched or wedge shaped piece. You can put in a long or short trigger. Fat or thin grips, etc. The gun fits EVERYONE because the gun is adaptable to everyone's hand size.

Keith

[KeysBear]

For me there is no gun more comfortable to hold or shoot than a 1911. You really do have to try one.

Keys :cool:

[Mil Novecientos Once]

http://usgi1911.tripod.com/index.html

http://www.m1911.org/m1911dt.htm

http://www.1911forum.com/forums/index.php?s=

http://www.sightm1911.com/

[dsk]

To be honest, I frankly doubt the 1911's long military heritage really has much of an influence on its current popularity with the younger set. With the older folk, sure, but not as much the young owners. The Glock has had hardly any military exposure at all outside Austria, yet folks sure seem to like those. I think the 1911 is just a natural for American tastes in firearms and "boy's toys" in general. We love to tinker with our stuff, from adding chrome and braided hoses to our hot rods to tricking out our handguns. The 1911 has evolved into a totally customizable platform that the owner can alter and improve to his tastes.

Sorta like playing Tactical Barbie. :D To those who disagree, how many times have you swapped grip panels in the past month? :p

[Penforhire]

Nobody mentioned the "all-metal" thing? One of the benefits of a 1911 pistol, to adherents of the design, is all metal construction. No plastic parts and rarely any MIM parts (oh Kimber, you heretics). Doesn't mean doo-doo to me (like BASF and DuPont say, better living through plastics or chemicals) but many people find it a benefit.

Did anyone mention they can be field stripped without any additional tools? There are ingenious ways of using the existing parts as tools for detail stripping.

I understand why the 1911 design is a work of genius and the short crisp trigger is a marvel to handle. But some of the same reasons they are hot-rodded so often also turn me off.

There is no optimum dimensioning. Either they are "loose" for reliability or "tight" for accuracy. I not saying they are "unreliable." Just not as stone reliable as many other current options. As mentioned above, they were designed with ball ammo in mind and that's not what I want to trust my life to today. Magazine capacity is not impressive (at least as the original single-stack).

But you'll still find plenty of people who prefer the 1911 design to anything else and I can't say they are wrong (I still have an original Series 70).

Dsk, my recollection of the Glock phenom is a lot of the people I used to shoot with were impressed by the G17 being chosen by various anti-terrorist groups and foreign police forces. Not sure why the popularity continues, maybe it is the anti-1911 design :) . Darn things were never attractive to me but they shoot just fine.

[echo3mike]

I bought one of the new Colt Series 70 for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it's SO pretty. The first might apply to many members here...it was the first handgun I ever fired and I did that in the Marines. So there's a little nostalgia attatched, and I did fairly well IIRC.

Another item is that the 1911 is, IMNSHO, THE quintessential American handgun. It's like the Yankees or Harley Davidson. Sigs, H&K's...bunch of really good handguns out there that'll do the job. But my USP seems a little anemic. That plastic grip / body just doesn't "do" it for me, nor does that SA/DA trigger. There's nothing quite like the feel of a good 1911.


It's kinda like what I tell people who ask what Parris Island was like...if you haven't been, you wouldn't understand and if you have been you already know.

S.

[444]

I was with you right up to the part about the Yankees.

[Drjones]

To be honest, I frankly doubt the 1911's long military heritage really has much of an influence on its current popularity with the younger set.

Speak for yourself.

I'm part of the "younger set," and the 1911's long history is most definitely part of its mystique for me!

When I get one (and it will be soon, Colt 1991A1 baby!) I will be very proud to know that my Grandfather carried a similar weapon at his side in Germany in WWII.

Not to mention all the other soldiers who have carried the 1911 into countless other wars and "conflicts," as well as the high number of "elite" units that STILL use this pistol, almost 100 years after its birth.

Drf: Just shoot one and you'll understand. :)

[Baba Louie]

One of the top two pistol designs by this guy

http://www.loni.hr/browning/

It works... simply

It feels... perfect (in my hands)

Comes in different sizes and finishes by different mfg's.

Cartridge designed to stop a man bent on harming you based on the old .45 Colt round ballistics.

Some people love them, others... well there's no accounting for some people's thought process.

There's more powerful, there's lighter, there's faster, there's newer designs out there. The 1911 just keeps on going.

Why aren't more people's Military or Police using P-06 Lugers? Or P-35's (BHP) or P-38's? (Ok, I'll spot you the BHP, another sorta Browning Design)

You can stake your life on it when the chips are down... and that's worth something to some people apparently. Heck, lately they'll even feed JHP.

A pretty good track record.

Adios

[drf]

WOW! All of you guys have given me so much information. Thank U very much! I have a new respect for the history and of the duration that 1911 pistol has.....sounds like it has been a major Benchmark for all other semi autos to follow......Again Thank U!!drf

[jason10mm]

What is a 1911? To me, the 1911 is, in essence, a single action trigger design married to a thumb safety on top of a grip set a specific angle. Mag capacity, sight design, barrel length, caliber, extraction location, guide rod length, and sighting system are all secondary. The trigger is the heart of the pistol. It is a straight pull, no swinging, with a clean break involving little to no creep. It is the perfect way to translate your desire to shoot into action. The thumb safety makes the system fool-proof (but alas, not idiot proof :(, and the grip angle makes the weapon become a natural extension of your arm, requiring no effort to bring the sights into perfect alignment with your eye.

The 45acp is the best round as it allows for the maximum diameter bullet to be fired while retaining a slim grip. Other 45 pistols try to top the 1911s capacity (perhaps to justify their existence?), but in doing so they bloat the grip and ruin the ergonomics. Even "wide-body" 1911s are guilty of this. JMB knew that a single column of 45s would do the job and time has proven him correct.

The way the pistol dissassembles into a multitude of individual parts has allowed gunsmiths to perfect or ruin the overall pistol, each to their level (or lack) of skill. The same basic design can become a highly accurate bullseye pistol, or an extrememely rugged combat piece. It can become a small pocket pistol or a large hunting weapon. I know of almost no other pistol that can be so highly modified, yet almost every variation retains the trigger, thumb safety, and the grip angle. Those are the key to the 1911 system.