What Makes the 1911 So Great?

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Mad Man

Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2003
Messages
587
Location
USA
What makes the 1911 so great?

I'm not interested in how it won Wold War II, fond childhood memories of shooting it, or how cool it looks.

From a design and engineering perspective, what sets the 1911 design apart from others semi-automatic handguns?

Off the top of my head, I can think of a few:

[BLOCKQUOTE]
* Trigger pulls straight back, rather than pivots

* Barrel bushing

* Swinging link

* Grip safety

* Feed ramp is part of the frame, rather than part of the barrel


[/blockquote]

Are these features pluses or minuses?

If pluses, why don't more gunmakers use them?

If minuses, how has the 1911 overcome them?
 
What makes them so great?

A 1911, built as J.M.B. intended, is accurate and reliable.

Why don't more gun makers make them?

Colt, Springfield, Kimber, S&W, Dan Wesson, Taurus, Wilson, Rock River, Rock Island, Les Baer, Norinco, Auto Ordinance, Olympic Arms, and probably a dozen more that escape my mind.

Minuses? None I can think of, but this becomes a subjective discussion. I think the 1911 is fine as is. Others will say it needs a beavertail for the hammer bite issue, better sights for poor eyesight, extended controls for short fingers, thinner grips for small hands, and on and on. This is all a big plus for the 1911. It can be tailored to the individual user.
 
Are these features pluses or minuses?
Click to expand...
[personal opinion]Short trigger and grip safety are good. All else is not so good[/personal opinion]

Also the grip shape and angle are really comfortable.
 
The history and a sweet trigger. Goes downhill from there. :evil:
 
For the sheer purpose of launching bullets as quickly and accurately as possible, the 1911 is ideal. That's why some folks, especially IPSC gamers and LEO hostage rescue teams prefer them over anything else. For the rest of us it's probably the history and the fact that it's an American icon at a level with the Colt Peacemaker, Harly Davidson, and small-block Chevy V-8 engine. In other words, for many people the reason is purely emotional.
 
What Makes the 1911 So Great?

Nostalgia, first and foremost. That is why companies can permit themselves to ship junk at inflated prices. No other guns/manufacturers can get away with it.

There are better, safer, more reliable, better made, less expensive guns out there.

That being said, I do like the short trigger and the comfortable grip and angle. But, the safety is awkward, there is no decocker, the capacity is too low, and many models do not have a solid external extractor.
 
Except for the trigger, the rest are IMHO "who cares" internal details not features. As long as its reliable and reasonably accurate only the trigger and how the sights work for you are really important.

To me its the trigger that defines the 1911. Its not just moving straight back, its got a crispness nothing seems to be able to match until you get to purpose built target guns usefull for nothing else.

The other major plus is everyone and his brother makes parts for 1911s so its very easy to change what you don't like or fix anything that breaks.

The 1911 is a platform now days not a single gun. Capacity too low, get a widebody frame (Para etc.) and have 14+1, do it in 9mm and have 18+1.

--wally.
 
It's the trigger and the grip. There are a lot of fine guns available (I'm partial to Sigs), but the 1911 is still the gun that I shoot best most naturally.
 
Grip, which can be easily modified to fit the user.

Trigger that can be easily modified to fit the user.

Thin profile when compared to other service pistols.

Easy detail strip without tools. Wide parts availability and lots of gunsmithing knowledge. Highly developed over time to provide accuracy, durability and function.

Tough as nails, combat proven.

Available in a range of chamberings, allowing commonality of training.

The advantage of single action operation and simplicity of design.

It has survived and flourished for all of these reasons and many more, there is a very good intangible feel to this pistol for most users.
 
How about:

A time tested design

A battle tested design

A competition tested design

I think that about sums it up!!!!
 
The 1911 is amazingly shootable, its ergonomics are almost universally loved, and when built to original specifications it is very reliable. To top it off, it looks beautiful. It's a gun designed by shooters, for shooters.

Probably the major point of contention when it comes to the 1911 stems from its very wide popularity: So many people love it, that some assume everyone should love it, or that those who don't like the gun have something wrong with them. Not everyone weighs the attributes of a handgun identically, so it's inevitable that some will prefer other designs. A lot of playground-grade diatribe could be avoided if 1911 fans would just be satisfied with the amazing popularity of the platform and stop being snarky about those who prevent it from being universally popular, and if those who don't care for the 1911 would simply recognize that their particular needs not met by the 1911 don't indicate a flaw in the design.

(Note that I will continue to make fun of GLOCK PERFECTION, but I never claimed to have any other basis for this than personal taste or lack thereof.)
 
-Trigger- Light, one "action", and straight back
-Manual Safety- Mitigates "light" above
-Size- Thin enough to conceal easily in full size trim (which makes manipulation and shooting easier)
-Grip Shape/Frame- Allows for a low barrel axis, fits nearly any sized hand
-Controls- The controls are placed in the optimum positions
-Aftermarket- Parts are common enough that you can get nearly any configuration that you want, also the best holsters are available
-Accuracy- Exhibits consistently good accuracy
-Caliber- Comes in .45ACP


The ONLY drawback to the 1911:

-Multiple manufacturers of guns and parts with silly "improvements" on the original design, this greatly affects the reliability of any given 1911 sample
 
What makes a m1911 so great.... in a word FASHON. 15yrs ago the shooting public as a whole could have cared less about tricking an old Colt out. And in 15 more years it'll be the same story, Some other pistol will be cosidered the "perfect" handgun at that time.
 
As near as I can tell, the 1911 is great cause it is shiney. Simple people who are attracted to shiney objects flock to them. For everyone else, you can find something better.

But of course anyone who acknowledges such against JMB is instantly damned to the darkest corner of hell...
 
I seem to shoot better with my 1911s. They are heavier and larger than some of my other pistols. They shoot bigger bullets, albeit slower bullets, with less recoil. Follow-up shots are easier. The trigger pull is smooth. They are more expensive than my other pistols. I seem to find a need to modify them, while my Glock and Kahr only need some springs replaced every so often. I seem to find myself needing to change the grips sometimes. I purchased some Arizona Desert Ironwood burl and paid someone to make grips, and I think that I paid more for a few sets of grips than for my Glock 23. I want to buy nice leather holsters for them; my Glock rides in a Comp-tac CTAC (a fine holster), and I do not ever think about a new holster for my Glock. My 1911s are finely crafted tools. They are like the S&K (or another quality tool) of pistols. Do the expensive S&K tools work better than some cheap K-Mart tools? Yes, they do.
 
Most of my 1911's are not shiny. So what's my problem?
Click to expand...

John Browning's throne is? :uhoh:

Dude I am just ruffling some feathers. Shoot whatever works for you. I just never understood the sometimes nearly religious devotion people have with 1911s. To each his own.
 
The trigger can be pure single-action perfection and still be reliable. The thinness allows it be concealed easier especially in a shoulder or waist holster where the weight can be tolerated easier without ruining concealment.
 
For some people, it seems to be the perfect gun. For others, it is just a gun. I am in the second group of people. The people that love it, seem to get mad if everybody else doesn't love it. They are like Glock heads in that way. If Glock lovers and 1911 lovers ever joined their cults into one large cult, they would make certain that no other gun could exist. They would take any gun that wasn't a Glock or a 1911 off the market.

The real use a 1911 has now is in the game arena. There is no military or police department in the world that would carry it. 7rds and 2 1/2lbs?:eek: Might as well carry a S&W .357 mag, at least it would have some power.
 
I sometimes wonder if any of the critics of the 1911 ever really shot one. For me, shooting one will make a believer out of you. And I do own Glocks, Sigs, Kahrs etc. The 1911 is my go to pistol and I have alot of choices.
 
The real use a 1911 has now is in the game arena. There is no military or police department in the world that would carry it. 7rds and 2 1/2lbs? Might as well carry a S&W .357 mag, at least it would have some power.
Click to expand...

Aren't the marines still using it? One of their special ops units. I think Spingfield or Kimber just won a contract. Over on the m1911 board it seems like a lot of LEOS carry them as duty rigs if their dept allows.

marines MEU weapon:
http://www.defensereview.com/article374.html

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_170_28/ai_n6040330

LEOs still using
http://www.1911forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109325

I think during the HI-cap ban a lot people felt if they could only have 10 shots. It may as well be bigger bullet.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Is it that hard to make reliable 1911's?
2 3
Replies
57
Views
6K
Ridgerunner665
R
D
  • Locked
What makes a 1911 good?
Replies
19
Views
1K
REDEYE
R
T
  • Locked
what makes a 1911 so accurate
Replies
17
Views
4K
tiko_joe
T
F
  • Locked
What's up with the 1911
2 3 4 5
Replies
114
Views
4K
George Hill
G
Mr.Revolverguy
  • Locked
1911 Sig Scorpion Carry Traditional Review
Replies
8
Views
942
BenFoo
B
Back
Top