Colt 1911 Making Comeback

[RustyShackelford]

Post #25, "operators".....

I disagree with #25.
The single action 1911a1 .45acp & maybe the Hi-Power 9x19mm had many, many sworn LE users or depts for several years.
Was it as common as a S&W model 10 .38spl or model 19/66 4" .357magnum in some places? No.
But the single action .45acp pistol did work for many cops in the 1960s/1970s/1980s.
A smaller PD near me issues the P220/P220R TDA .45acp but allows detectives & SWAT officers to carry SAO 1911s. This is in 2014, .

I agree that city managers & some police chiefs wince at the 1911/HP pistols but many still recall how well they work when used properly.

Rusty
PS; retired Texas Ranger & NRA member, J Jackson's One Ranger goes into detail about how Rangers packed 1911s on duty for decades.

 

[Drail]

Unfortunately most LEO shops end up having to use whatever some admin. pukes at City Hall choose (for whatever reason - usually from the lowest bidder like Glock). IMO the 1911 isn't making a "comeback" since it never really went away. Many designs have been introduced over the last 50 years but very few of them are even in the same class as the 1911.

 

[lionken07]

I like the Sig but there is just something about the Colt that puts it in another level...

 

[CornCod]

Of course, a lot of the popularity of the 1911 can be traced back to the late Jeff Cooper. Many thousands of shooters have been trained by Cooper and his followers in the training community or read his books. I think another element of continuing 1911 popularity has a lot to do with the trigger, even the lowest quality 1911's have a magnificent trigger.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Why the 1911a1 format is so popular......

To me, the 1911a1/1911 semi auto pistol is so extremely popular in the USA for a few reasons.
Mainly, it was the US armed forces sidearm in combat for nearly 85 years continuously. 1000s of GIs packed or used the 1911 model.
Few people in the modern era(2010s) know that the milspec 1911 .45s were the spare parts, surplus & used/armory supply from the end of WWII(1946-1950).
The US military never really upgraded or purchased 1911s until the R&D of the M9 in 9mmNATO. Note; these military 1911s do not include sidearms for "spec ops" or tier one units. These smaller groups had a separate budget($$$) & had their own procurement/logistics for weapons.
The increase in IPSC & target matches also kept the single action 1911 in the main steam. It's robust design & marksmanship made it a great pistol.

For more details about how the 1911 model became such a main-stay in the US shooting sports & defense circles, see www.BoatmanBooks.com & author Robert Boatman's Living With The 1911. Boatman writes about the firearm, how & why Browning invented it, it's use in combat & personal defense, and the custom features-modifications many add.