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In Defense Of The 1911


karlunity

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In defense of the 1911
I was on you tube looking up the 1911A1.
I just got mine and like to learn about my weapons.
Well, the view seems to be that it is the hardest handgun ever made to learn to shoot, and maintain and if you don't maintain it like a fine swiss watch, it will malfunction.

Now the last time I had a class on the 1911 was 1969.

I have not had one since about 78.
Yet i remember how to field strip it.
Ok, you do have to clean it.
But as to reliable, it has been carried in every place and clime( that just came to me)
and we had 1911s that were made in 1942 and very little to clean with and they worked.
Why the love affair with the 9mm?
Granted the 9mm is a fine bullet and I value my P-1 and Halwan but if I were going back to the wars as long as I could get ammo for it, I would take the 1911.
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Why the love affair with the 9mm?

 

 

Due to the "Spray n Pray" mentality that spilled over since the latter half of WWII. With most involved in the conflict using cheap to make and easy to teach use of sub-guns aka machine pistols. Then the US jumped on the 9mm bandwagon to standardize with NATO for handguns in IIRC 1985.

 

Cops went 9mm to compete with the gangbangers high cap bullet spitters at the urging of Media and out of touch Chiefs of Police.

 

Cops now compete with the Army to see how much ammo they can waste and collateral damage be damned in gun fights.

 

That is another reason the media is full of incidents where half a dozen cops spray over a hundred rounds of ammo in the general direction of a bad guy and then miss or only wound him.

 

I own 3 .45acp 1911's and no 9mm's.

 

just say'n

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Wow that's news to me. It's so hard to learn to shoot? So hard to maintain? Sounds like they need to stick to really hard things that are ment for real men, like video games and facebook, and twiter. It was John Brownings goal when he designed the 1911 to not have to use any tools to dissamble it, and if he could have figured how to hold the grip pannels on without screws he would have done it.

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A close friend of mine despises 1911's. As a late 60's draftee right out of college. He was sent to Germany and given the task of rebuilding junker 1911's. He spent nearly a year and a half, 5 and a half days per week rebuilding 1911's. After he was pressured and refused to cover for two officers that got caught stealing 1911's. Later testifying in a court marshal and the subsequent harassment. He very passionately hates 1911's. I honestly think if somebody gave him one for free if he couldn't get an immediate buyer he'd give it away.

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I love the 1911 also. Actually I don't think Iv'e met any firearm I don't like, except Mosin Nagant. The first handgun I bought was a Army issue 1911, Serial number 1082xx, made in 1918. It had been phosphate blued and "Pearl" grips. Looked like it was "carried by a cheap pimp from a New Orleans Whorehouse". I put a set of Pakmeyers on it and shoot the hell out of it. Because of it age I keep it's loads on the mid-range side. I have a Sig GSR and Kimber 1911s. They shoot like a dream. They are more accurate than I am. I have fondness for Glocks also. My 20 and 29 in 10mm are bigger hammers than the 45Acp. I guess it comes down to shoot what you enjoy and the more you shoot the better you are at shooting. Ralph

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I'm also fond of the 1911's but as a typical gun consumer I got caught up in the hype with the introduction of the Wonder 9's and mag revolvers. After winning the Remington 1911 in a raffle recently the nostalgia bug got me. I'm now considering a 9MM 1911 range toy to take advantage of the lower cost ammo. I offered a Taurus 24/7 45 ACP for a trade in a local web page for any brand 1911 in 9MM but didn't get a serious response. Even as an avid handloader it is much cheaper to load and shoot 9MM.

 

My very first handgun purchase was a Colt Series 70 Mark lV in 38 Super. It cost me $134.95, the standard Colt was $129.95. At the time I was only earning about 8 or 900 per month and had to use lay-away. I've had several 1911's over the years but quickly lost interest in favor of double stack mags or my favorite, Smith and Wesson revolvers. I traded away my last 1911, an AMT Hardballer for a FNP 9MM. At the time of the trade I hadn't shot the AMT for several years. One of the worst trades I ever made was swapping a Randall Commander style for a Taurus 92. I kind of fell for the 20 rd extended mag he offered with it. I now see the Randalls with thousand dollar asking prices at gunshows.

 

I know this is hard to believe. I found the Randall and two mags laying in the road. It was dinged up pretty bad. It likely was placed on top a car, forgotten about and slid off. It appeared to have tumbled a few times. My then wife was a cop, she ran the numbers several times and it was never reported as lost or stolen. I even posted a sign near where I found it. Not wanting to deal with frauds, I wrote "I found Randall" along with my phone numbers. The only call I got was somebody wanting to know if Randall was his missing dog.

 

In summary, I'm a Born Again 1911 fan.

 

AIN'T SHE PURRRTY??

Untitled-1_zpscc09b94a.jpg

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Well as I said before. I am a rifleman, not a pistol man.
But with black powder in my 44 cap and ball and with my new 1911 45 I have had, for me, very good results.
Not saying, mind you, that I am hitting cans in the air but I am getting bullets that are grouping well at 25 meters., Not all in the black of the NRA small bore target, but most are and it seems to be getting better..

I was thinking...just thinking...I CAN stop at any time, perhaps I ought to..just think about another 1911 one of those small carry types?

I mean I have the brass and the reloading dies now...just thinking...
karl

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I was thinking...just thinking...I CAN stop at any time, perhaps I ought to..just think about another 1911 one of those small carry types?

I mean I have the brass and the reloading dies now...just thinking...
karl

 

Have you got a Florida concealed carry permit yet?? I'd like to have one of the reduced size 1911's like the Colt Defender but the prices are to high for a cheapskate like me.

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I'm sure .45s are fun, but too big for carting around. I still don't get why .45 GAP didn't get accepted? I like the .357 SIG Glock. Not the most accurate thing I have, but smaller and really powerful.

 

Remember Dirty Harry in the restaurant? He and the criminals took their sweet time about shooting, didn't they?

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Centerfire had them for $399.

http://centerfiresystems.com/AC-RI1911-CSP.aspx

karl

 

I'd love to have one but if I buy anymore toys I will definitely be in the dog house. I check Backpage.com nearly every day. Sooner or later I'll find one on the trading block.

 

I'm sure .45s are fun, but too big for carting around. I still don't get why .45 GAP didn't get accepted? I like the .357 SIG Glock. Not the most accurate thing I have, but smaller and really powerful.

 

I was a bit surprised at the Arizona G&F Outdoor Expo. Glock was there but didn't have anything in 45 GAP. The rep didn't give an explanation, it could have possibly been due to the ammo shortage. I did shoot a compact 10MM. It was a bit to much to handle with the concealed carry mag. With a longer mag with my pinkie finger around it. Made it much easier to handle the snappy recoil. I wanted to try the compact model in 40 S&W but the line grew to long.

 

I was shopping for a carry gun for my wife's purse. I decided on the Beretta PX Compact with the hammer drop or block safety. In a stressful situation I don't think she would keep her finger on the strap, off the trigger.

 

I really like Glocks but I'm still uncomfortable carrying concealed without a manual safety. I know the rule, finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. I often carry in my pocket or an inside the pants holster. I'm fearful of holstering a Glock inside of my pants or touching off the trigger in my pocket.

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