1911 45acp - Is it the caliber or platform that attracts most?

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Fun2Shoot

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Since I have been having "Gotta have new 1911 45acp fever" lately, I have been asking myself this question more and more.

That is, am I really after a new handgun in the hard hitting 45acp alone or am I really interested in the 1911 platform primarily and the 45acp is secondary and just happens to be most popular in that platform?

Here's why I say that. While I was looking at a gun case stoked with 45acp 1911's from S&W, Springer, Colt and Para-Ord, there was a lone Sig P220 45acp that really drew my eye to it. I don't know quite why, but my brain was saying: So you want to return to 45acp for your HD gun do ya? Why go old fashioned with a 90+ year old design, get modern guy, go Sig P220 in 45acp!

So do you think that it is mostly the 1911's platform that is the magnet of the handgun's attaction or is it really that the 45acp is such a legendary stopper, that the platform is not really that important?
 
1911 45acp - Is it the caliber or platform that attracts most?
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Yep.:D

It's both -- the .45 ACP is a great cartridge, and the M1911 is probably the finest fighting pistol ever designed. As many a Moro, Villanista, Cacao, German, Japanese, North Korean, Chinese, Viet Namese, etc., will testify.
 
For me it was both. I already had .45acp in my collection, and the 1911 feels so right, looks so good, and shoots so well. The .45acp is an accurate cartridge, and in a platform as accurate as the 1911 makes for one fine firearm indeed.
 
I'd have to say both too.

I have shot the 1911, and variations, since 1969.
Used one in Bullseye, Practical, Bowling Pin, and Steel Plate matches.
Carried on in the woods while hunting and fishing, sometimes as a .22 with a kit on it, sometimes as a .45.

I have not had to use one in self-defense, but one has served as a house gun off and on, for years. I wouldn't be without some 1911s if there was any way to avoid it.

The .45 ACP is one of the easiest cartridges to make good handloads for in my experience. I have made plinking .45s, match .45s, bowling pin stomper .45s, and .45 ammo for a couple of .45 subguns. No real problems in all that reloading and good accuracy across the board.
 
For me it was both. I already had .45acp in my collection, and the 1911 feels so right, looks so good, and shoots so well. The .45acp is an accurate cartridge, and in a platform as accurate as the 1911 makes for one fine firearm indeed
Click to expand...

Words well spoken !!!!!!!!
 
It's the platform. Of the 3 1911s I have, only 2 are .45 ACP. Don't get me wrong, .45 ACP is my favorite caliber, but I would love to have a 9mm and a .38 Super in the 1911 platform to go along with my 10mm.
 
Definitely the platform for me.

I picked up a S&W 1911 in .45, and was hooked. Looking for my 2nd one, I went with a Colt MKIV Series 80 in 9MM for the cheaper ammo.
 
I would vote for both as well. I was originally attracted to the cartridge itself, and was turned off by 1911's, and so I bought a couple of USP 45's. Aftera while, being that I liked the 45 acp, it seemed natural to go back to the roots, and get a 1911, so I got a Desert Warrior.

First I was attracted to the cartridge, but that made me interested in the platform.

It would seem to me that the 1911 would be chosen by people who like the 1911, for the 1911 itself instead of the round it fires, :flame suit on: as there are many more reliable choices out there chambered for the old 45, my USP's are a perfect example, but the 1911 is still QUITE poular.
 
The platform AND the fact that the 1911 and .45 cartridge are a well balanced match. Out of all the calibers I have shot I think a 4.25" or 5" 1911 fits the .45 cartridge perfectly. :D :D
 
Platform. The M1911 has a slim grip at any angle that suits me well. The triggers are very good, inherent to its plunger, rather than hinge, design, and the way it, the hammer and sear interface; which gives them the potential to be excellent with a little work. The smooth arc and positive click of the perfectly positioned thumb safety caps off the feel of the package. Read Tuner & Fuff's posts on the design's reliability testing and you'll gain a deeper respect for the weapon - I did.

Cartridge. The platform sold me, the cartridge keeps me coming back. I like how it does its work. It may be a slow moving bullet, but it's wide & heavy, so it stall packs a punch. It's low pressure, so there's less wear on the gun, less flash, and less blast. The lower pressure equates higher reload counts. The big straight wall brass is easy to spot, easy to pick up, and easy to reload. It's a great cartridge to have as standard.

I guess the whole of the package is greater than the sum of its parts...

...though I admit that I dream of owning 1911s in 10mm and .38 Super. So the platform wins out in the end :D
 
For me it's both, but probably a bit more the caliber. As someone that's still pretty new to shooting but enjoys history and has read a lot, the .45 round has appeal as something that's been proven without as much attention needed to specific loads, which is an impression I've gotten from some other calibers. That's what drew me to look at a .45 pistol for my second handgun (the first being a .22).

From there, it came down to the 1911 platform just fitting better than most .45s. I've got small hands but long fingers so the grip on non-single stack .45s just doesn't feel comfortable most of the time. The slim profile just makes the gun fit my hand like a glove. Which is why I'm now down about $900 and waiting on a Springfield Armory 1911 once all the MD paperwork clears.

So for a computer geek without much background in shooting but a lot of time to read, I suppose caliber might be a bit more important since I didn't really think about the platform in any other caliber until I did reading the past few weeks. Once the caliber is settled on, the 1911 kind of starts jumping out as an option.
 
Looks, history, caliber...1911 has always been my favorite since I was a kid!

As a practical matter, they have great triggers and are flat for good concealment.

In spite of all the tactical plastic these days, it's still the only pistol I would not consider selling.
 
For me it's the cartridge...I have long owned an AMT hardballer stainless steel 1911 clone (the patent on the original 1911 expired quite awhile ago.) It is identical to the original 1911 with the exception of a tighter barrell bushing (the original design had a loose barrell bushing) and its made out of stainless steel. It's a great gun and produces tight groups. That being said, I acquired a Ruger P90 45ACP a few years ago. I like it much more. Lighter, better balanced, even tighter groups and I feel comfortable with it having a round in the chamber. The safety is designed for the uncocked position and you can shoot the first round in double action mode if necessary;) .


"Fast is fine, accurate is final. The real trick is learning how to take your time when you are in a hurry." --Wyatt Earp
 
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That deep loud ka-boom and that big chunk of lead.....What more could you want ?
 
I'd have to say both as well. I remember the first time I shot a 1911 in .45 and knowing - in an instant - this is "IT".

Everything about the combination appeals to me: that big, gaping bore; those fat, stubby rounds; the authoritative - yet utterly manageable - recoil, the endless array of options to make my favorite 1911 distinctive, or at the very least, exactly what I want.

It's a synergistic combination I think, of both platform and cartridge. Something rare and special, like some kind of planetary alignment that only happens once every thousand years or so.

Edit: Or, it could be "that deep, loud ka-boom and that big chunk of lead..." (Well put!!)
 
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