I do however stand by the idea of the statement that 1911's are considered by some to be more complex machines than the newer striker fired design pistols.
This is a true statement. There are a good many newer shooters these days who believe that the 1911 is not only an antiquated design but one that is overly complex. I think they have been taught this or led to believe this by some writers and some instructors. Here is an example below which I lifted from here...ttp://www.sightm1911.com/lib/other/why_the_m1911.htm
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Tom Givens, Author and Trainer
That said, the 1911 is NOT a gun for the casual user, or what we call NDP's (non-dedicated personnel). The gun was designed when technology was expensive, but skilled labor was not. The exact opposite is true today. A carry 1911 should be gone over by an experienced specialist (Heinie, Burns, Yam, Yost, Garthwaite, etc) and then properly maintained by the end user. The average cop or typical CCW holder would be better served with a Glock or SIG in most cases. If you're willing to spend the money to get a properly set up 1911 and TRAIN with it, then you're not "average".
Some observations, especially if taken out of context, can lead folks to move away from the 1911. A newer shooter can decide, based on what they have been told, that 1911s are too finicky or require special dedication. After all, if a newer shooter has 600-700 bucks to spend and they want a reliable, useful, accurate and safe sidearm will they look at the Sig P228, for example, or a gun that needs an "experienced specialist" to go over it before it can be relied on? Will they go to the S&W M&P or a gun that requires that they not be "average" just to shoot it well? If the 1911 is the "gun of professionals" and you know you ain't no "professional" where ya gonna go?
I met two young shooters at the range a while back who told me my 1911 was an "old design", "complex", "hard to take down", took "skill" to shoot well, etc. I offered to let them shoot my Colt, one refused and the other did shoot it explaining he had never shot one before. But they both "knew" all about the 1911.
The 1911 is a simply design. Mechanicaly it is simpler than any da/sa gun and simpler than many striker fired guns. Easy to field strip and easy to clean. It's no harder to learn to shoot well than any other gun and easier then some IMHO.
Some folks, trained on guns with no external safety or with decocker guns, worry they will have to remember to disengage the safety under stress. Whenever I fire a gun without a thumb safety I automatically try to disengage the missing safety and then look to see where it went when it broke off.
tipoc