The 1911 is a pistol that has been around for quite some time now; Since 1911 actually. So what makes this pistol so appealing? Everyone from soldiers, competitive shooters, and “sheepdog” civilians find it appealing to have the presence of a steel frame piece of history in their hand. Why hasn’t there been any innovation to its design? Why is it a must have for any gun collection? To answer these questions we need to look at the history of the 1911, so lets get started.
Before the 1911 came along, it was the Colt Revolvers that held the place of service pistols. Services moved from single action to double action in 1892. With this change they also moved from a 45 Long Colt Caliber to a inferior 38 Caliber. The 38 Caliber rounds made the revolver easier to operate and served the military through the Spanish-American War. It was found at the time that the smaller caliber was not subtle for a service round as it did not stop enemies as the 45 Long Colt did.
With out going into a huge history lesson on John M. Browning, He was a great man who did great things with Winchester. Designing some of the greatest weapons that went into production and those that did not. This also includes the Browning M2. This all brings us to the creation of the 45 ACP 1911 Pistol manufactured by Colt. This pistol was introduced when revolvers ruled the streets. The tools and limitations that were present during the 1900’s makes this pistol one of the greatest accomplishments. This is a product that has stood the test of time as it is one of the only inventions that is still around here in 2017 being produced.
The 1911 is a 45ACP, single action, and steel frame pistol. This pistol boasted a single stack seven round detachable magazine which was a huge game changer in that time as most people carried a revolver with 5 rounds. This pistol was the first of its kind and continues to be in production to this day by Manufacturers like Springfield, Sig Sauer, Remington, Kimber, Para Ordnance, and more. The steel frame gives the pistol a solid feel in the shooters hands and aides in reduced recoil. Aftermarket support is continuously growing for the 1911 with a wide variety of grips, sights, and holsters available. The 45 ACP is undoubtably one of the best rounds to carry for self defense and offensive use. Lets talk about my experience with the 1911.
I bought my first 1911 when I was in college. It was my third gun, after a Mossberg 500 and a Ruger SR9. I purchased a Taurus 1911FS in 45ACP. Before anyone losses their mind about me not getting a Colt or Springfield I already know what your going to say. I have learned a lot about buying quality things, not only firearms but in life. I found this pistol to be packed full of features like a skeletonized trigger and hammer. It was blued so it looked Tactical enough for me. I remember paying around $500 or so for the gun and i not only got the gun for the price, but a good lesson as well. These lessons can be summed up below.
Do more research, invest your time on the research of what will fit your needs
Be Patient, impulse buys are not always bad but there could still be better options
Get the best quality you can afford, do not settle in anything in life, especially when it comes to a 1911
I found that i was so excited about getting a 1911, my own piece of history, that i failed to do enough research on the various manufactures. I also found that I was impatient in the search process, savings process, and buying process. I did not get the best quality I could have gotten at the time. Coming from a family that did not shoot, I wanted quantity. I wantd to be the son, brother, and uncle with the most guns cause it was cool.
This blog is not to “Knock” the Taurus 1911. I never had a failure to feed, stove-pipe, or anything with it. I just know there was better quality. I both open and conceal carried with no problem. Its slim but heavy. Hard hitting but has low capacity. I found disassembly and assembly to be a tedious event at best with this pistol. It offers no where near the ease of take-down as your modern day pistols but then again, its an old timer doing more than holding its own in an age of the polymer handgun. To this day I do not own a 1911. I think that I am treating it like that special person in your life and waiting for the right one to come along. With all the great options these days, I don’t think anyone of them is “garbage” but some are better than others. I may be a little bias lately with the Colt M45A1 being available as this is one of the pistols of my service. I will be sure to update everyone when i pull the trigger on a 1911. Might be looking for two, one a safe queen and the other a range gun. Thank you all for your time and I hope it was worth yours.
