philster

Why the fascination. I'm a fan too, but why, with all the modern, and sorry, but in many cases more reliable options out there, are they still sort of King of the Hill on the wish list.

I'm waiting to shoot the S&W myself, and may get to this weekend, but When I started shooting pistols seriously in the early 80s at competitions it was the 1911 and the Browning Hi Power. The browning is still around but not that big a deal in the 9mm world. The 1911 still rules 45 acp.

68shooter

I can't answer your question cause I'm not sure why the 1911 models are so sweet. They just are lol.

But what about the style do you find unreliable? When you said there were more reliable firearms, designs out there? Totally just a curious question. If your referring to "torture" tests. I would agree fully. I just seen ( on YouTube ) a torture test on a sig that made my toes curl. Insane! I wouldn't put any 1911 through that.

chameleon

I don't know everyone's reasons but I do have my own. To me they have the most comfortable grip of any gun I have ever held, There's a feeling you get with a 1911 strapped to your side as opposed to tupperware (I used to carry an xd sub-compact, Great gun but not my taste of carry), And there's a bit of nostalgia in owning/carrying/shooting a version of the gun that has carried this country through multiple wars and has been the workhorse of the United States Military for the better part of a century. I love mine and can't see myself ever going away from the platform. The 1911 Kool-aid is truly the sweetest of them all!

chameleon

Also, I shoot my 1911's better than any other gun. I swear my Kimber makes me more accurate

bigggbbruce

I just started with 1911's. Agreed the feel is nice and the nostalgia is there.. I can't hit shit... my revolvers do it for me... I keep trying hope I get better before I go broke.. Kimber or Colt I shoot the same way with either...

philster

I don't think 1911s are unreliable. I should have specified more clearly. There are a lot of modern guns that will work better, and stay cleaner over extended use with less care. To me that's more reliable, without saying that the 1911 are unreliable. I'm not a torture tester by any means. And I'd never call any of the composite guns I've owned tupperware, but definitley feel they are in a different class. Kind of like Honda. Reliable. Efficient. But if you're looking to pull up to the stoplight and impress somebody, you better have a buttload of aftermarket accessories on there You lay a 1911 on the bench at the range while you set up and everybody kind of shoots a glance as they walk by. Everybody seems to have a genetic reaction to 1911 and nice wheel guns you just don't see with too many other styles of guns

RCJIM

I think it is best to quote "boris the blade" or "boris the bullet dodger" (even though he wasnt holding a 1911 when he said it)

"The weight is a sign of its reliability, if it doesn't work you can hit him with it"

I shoot the kimber royal II single stack, i love how slim it is and smooth it is to shoot, plus its one of those guns you can see handing down thru your family...

Teacher Todd

The feel is what did it for me.

bigggbbruce

Agreed... everytime I shoot my 1911's I get the questions about them... I always have S &W wheel gun there as well and the interest continues... shoot the best f#*K the rest...

sunofnun

This is purely hypothesis but:
I have a suspicion in the next 100 years the 1911 will get even more famous, or todays kids will grow up and be nostalgic about glocks.. it's 50/50.

On one hand non-1911's (glock etc) will be some of the first guns they ever get to shoot.. plastic/polymer frames are the majority of what's being concepted, and how new ideas are entering the marketplace.. So as the polymer market matures the current crop might reach a "cult" status

On the other hand the colt 1911 may continue it's long standing tradition of being the gun that feels right in your hand.. It's funny almost everyone, including myself, I've ever talked to about the 1911 disease say a) they just feel right and b) I shoot better than x,y,z other pistols.



As a kid my dad had a lot of guns, the .45 was the holy grail. I shot hi-standards, Smith's, Rugers, but I didn't get to shoot a 1911 until I was proficient. When I finally got to shoot it, I did so regularly.. coffee can's of .45 at a time. I became a true fan of the design that had been around many years before my time. I still haven't shot a pistol that I'm better with.. but I'll keep trying! lol

philster

The trigger design is a big part of that to me. The glock style "blade/split" safety trigger that pivots so much isn't as intuitive. My last purchase was an M&P, in part because they took a different approach to the trigger safety, with a flat trigger face that feels much better to me. But still, low and left (often off the scoring rings entirely) was where I was shooting until I got used to it. Now I'm all about the black at 25 yds. I bet everyone here would shoot it low and left when they first pick it up

bigggbbruce

I really don't get the polymer guns... Have never owned and never will.. Many have asked if I want to try one... I pick it up and put it down...

I grew up with a Colt Woodsman... Still have it... Like the 1911's it feels like a gun should... My revolvers , ditto..

GixxerPete

This. And it was true before I owned my own 1911s, just shooting someone's 1911 at a range I'd shoot it better than my own pistols! I didn't buy a 1911 for the longest time mostly because of the cost, figuring I could almost buy two Glock/XD/etc type pistols for the price of a 1911. But then I saved up and got one, and it was like, why didn't I get one of these sooner?!?!

As other have said, the 1911 fits well in the hand, points naturally, is very accurate and, talking full-size all steel Government models, soaks up .45 ACP recoil very nicely, making them easy to shoot, and shoot well.

As for reliability, I'd trust my 1911s with my life just as I would my XDs or Glock. I've intentionally left my 1911s dirty between repeated range sessions just to see how they'd run, and they never so much as a hiccup.

Plus there's just that certain something about a 100 year old design that's not just still around, it's going stronger than ever, and other than minor improvements over the years, is still the same basic gun John Moses Browning designed. Not to mention the long military history, two world wars and many other conflicts the 1911 has served our troops and served them well.

The 1911 is as American as baseball and apple pie.

WarriorDriver

1911's are neat, but my glocks feel better. Ill probably have to get a 1911 just because everyone else likes them though. haha. And they look cool.

sunofnun

I have a springfield xd (in .45apc of course) and it's a great gun. If the zombies come, it wouldn't get left behind. It can be run over, frozen, and thrown in a river for 3 years and come out firing on all cylinders.

On the preference note, I don't like the XDm or Glock, they don't fit my hand. I don't like double stack 1911's (para ord) they don't fit either..

PHilster I hear ya on the low and to the left.. I've learned to shoot my XD accurately (with the stupid trigger etc) I think the best thing about 1911's is there is NO trick to shooting them, you just point them and squeeze. The design of the gun is meant to shoot straight. Take some time and shoot EVERYTHING you can get your hands on.. Pete was anti 1911 for many years.. but he's seen the light.

deadshot2

Being a "Senior Citizen" and having been issued a 1911 while in the Service I think there are several answers to the original question.

There are those that are nostalgic and want a pistol like their service weapon.

When options were limited, a .45 with 7 rounds and quick loading with magazines was preferable to a .38 with only 6 rounds and slower to reload.

When high capacity firearms showed up, such as the Browning Hi-Power with 13 rounds, they were in that "wimpy" 9mm caliber and the 1911 was of course .45 cal.

As manufacturers started chambering their pistols in .45 acp they also started using polymers which were immediately deemed "tupperware toys".

After I left the Service I vowed to never have a 1911. I never liked it and now own a Sig and a CZ. Just my choice. Both fit my hand, shoot very accurately for me, and have yet to have a failure of any kind after many thousands of rounds. The answer here is that I like these pistols because of their fit to my hand and shooting style.

For others the 1911 does the job and that's their preference.

And then there are those that buy them just because they think they're cool or "every one else has one".

Whatever works.

philster

My dad was kind of the same way about anything having to do with his service.

I shot a guy's 9mm. CZ at the range today. Great sights. Very light. What he considered a rough Double Action trigger pull, I thought felt great. I was impressed.

Brianaintright

I fought the 1911 sickness for a long time. I thought nothing could rival my Sig 220's for .45 coolness. I was wrong. I started out with that damn Kimber Desert Warrior and kept going.

Nothing fits better in your hand. There is no better trigger. When you shoot, you feel it's a fighting weapon, not a range toy. It has a soul, while my Glock....is just a Glock.

GixxerPete

Have you tried Mig's XDm .45 yet? Definitely fills the hand more like the XD 45 than XDm 9.

Hey I wasn't ANTI 1911, I just thought they were too expensive vs Tupperware guns... turns out they're not.

captn scotty

many of us who are veterans had the 1911 as an issued sidearm.. so it comes with a memory pack for us... and i think maybe the army (my branch) thought it was a pretty darn good pistol for WWII and even my war ... to many like me it is holding personal memory and history in your hand....
of course there are "better" pistols now, but there are "better" cars than a 1948 caddy convertible too...
hope this helps some
best to ya
captn scotty