Here are a couple reasons why I think the 1911 endures 1. "Mythical" status because it's 'Murica's! handgun during two world wars, just like how the Colt SAA got "mythical" status as the gun that won the west. 2. Along with the Glock, Ruger 10/22 and AR15, has the biggest aftermarket support 3. Still one of the best stock handgun triggers. 4. Yes it is a single stack, but the grip angle and width still makes it so much more comfortable for people to hold and so many pistols are trying to match the 1911 Grip angle. 5. Like many JMB designs, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 6. Cool factor
Regarding 4, there are double stack 1911s, colloquially known as 2011s. Hell, they’ve been gaining in popularity lately, too. That’s the thing about the 1911: since most modern guns still use its basic operating mechanism of a tilting barrel and most guns still follow its basic layout and ergonomics, the 1911 is still a modern handgun. The only major advancements since then have been features, like double stack magazines or accessory rails, and all of those are easily backported to the original design.
I carry a 1911 every day and rarely put my trust in any other type firearm that isn't a rifle. (I personally prefer .45 ACP or .38 Super in my holster.) Thank you John Moses Browning!
Looking and understanding the total number of manufacturers continuing to offer this pistol in so many variants, it is safe to say it will be with us well into the next century. Like it has been said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
I've had Kimbers, Springfields, SWs, and Sigs that all had a failure to eject or feed here and there. The Kimber was a new production Desert Warrior and had a bad rust problem. The Springfield was a 10mm and I could barely get through a single Wilson or Chip mag without it puking. The S&W performed fine, but S&W's quality control is not what it used to be as evidenced in their newer revolvers and they cut the magwell notch too shallow preventing me from seating loaded mags without giving it a smack. The Sig did everything I asked it to, but it was the humble Ruger that took everything I threw at it. People balk at "cheap" 1911s but it speaks to Ruger, they have nothing to hide. I hope you still have your SR1911 and that it continues to be an example of a rock solid handgun that proves you don't need to spend Kimber money to get Colt reliability.
some people talk shit about the 1911 but I bet most of them still have it there collection. Its definitely the most classic elegant looking gun with plenty of history behind it with enough rounds to get the job done, if your shooting all 15 rounds in your other handgun that means you're probably missing with 15 shots
There are certain designs that outlive the generation in which they were produced . Aircraft, automobiles, engines, spacecraft and every field of human engineering offers examples of this. The 1911 is a premium example of this.
Greetings from Kentucky...really enjoyed your discussion on the 1911’s. The 1911 was my first handgun purchase thirty or so years ago and to this day is my edc. Stay well.
I have a heavily customized government size Rock island as well as a Colt Combat Elite Commander that I converted to a series 70. The look, feel, versatility, and performance of a 1911 is just unmatched.
I still carry my Ruger. I got it in 2012 when they were really hard to get. The trigger breaks around 3.25# and I have shot daisies with it. I was severely burned years ago, and unfortunately my trigger finger lost the first joint. The 1911 is the handgun that I can handle most comfortably. I have 4 right now, the latest was a RIA 10mm.
Previously I had a Sig Sauer SP2022 - not their best offering but hey, Sig isn't exactly a small/budget name either - that I couldn't get along with even after trying for a year. I switched to a Norinco 1911 clone, my scores improved dramatically and I enjoy shooting it much more than the SP2022. Yes, it's certainly proved to be a genius and lasting design. Quite a collection you have there! Thanks for your videos, glad I found your channel!
Two things were born in 1911 - the incredible pistol featured here...and Ronald Reagan! 🤣😎👍 I agree that the 1911, if not THE best design of all time, is certainly up near the top. I've been running them for fifty years and will probably never switch. But it's a strange view that "high-end 1911s" are less reliable. Wilson Combat properly fits 1911s so they are supremely accurate AND 100% RELIABLE. In fact, as a former competitor, Bill Wilson ranks reliability as the NUMBER ONE requirement for his pistols. I compete in Defensive Pistol competitions with a Wilson and, after ten years and thousands upon thousands of rounds in matches and practice, it has never balked. Not once. Yes, one can fit a 1911 too tightly and affect reliability. But those pistols are not "high-end." They are hack-jobs done by someone unqualified to do the work. Ed brown is another master that makes true high-end 1911s that are accurate, reliable, durable, dependable and beautiful! My EDC is an Ed Brown Kobra Carry in .45ACP and it is equal to the Wilson in accuracy and reliability.
I fell in love with 1911s in the 80s and still love em, got the same feeling last month when I finally found my 45 ronin as I did my first colt commander.
For the record, I have a Kimber Stainless II model and it's technically a series 80. However, it has a trigger break as crisp as any Springfield or Colt series 70 1911. Almost zero uptake and it breaks like glass every time. It also has a lightning-fast reset and fires very quickly. Apparently modern series 80 1911's have been improved upon.
It’s definitely among the greatest handguns ever made, and its longevity in production and use are an obvious testament to that. Of course, I own one. However, just my personal opinion, but ergonomically, I consider the Browning Hi-Power a better design overall. I have a lot of company; the Hi-Power is the most widely used military sidearm in history, in terms of the number of countries that adopted it for military and/or police issue weapons (around 90). In that respect, the M1911 doesn’t even come close. Still, the M1911, in terms of the number of units built, remains one of the most heavily produced if not the most heavily produced semiautomatic handguns in history. Although it wasn’t adopted by very many organizations outside of the US, its extreme popularity among American shooters has kept numerous manufacturers quite busy to this day and will continue to do so for years to come. If the AR-15 is “America’s rifle”, then the M1911 is “America’s handgun”, though while the AR-15 is appreciated by many outside of our shores, for whatever reason, the M1911 is not so appealing to those in other countries. Perhaps it is lack of capacity, weight, mechanical complexity compared with later designs, I dunno, but the M1911 seems to be a firearm made mostly for Americans. And Filipinos; I know they make and love the M1911 too. The Philippines is the only other country I can think of where people also love the M1911.
FWIW...Kimber pistols are "series 80", in that they have a firing pin block, but the block is activated by the grip safety, not the trigger. It has no effect on the trigger pull. The Armscor produced handguns (RIA, Armscor, Citadel, Charles Daly) are "series 70" but use a heavier than normal firing pin rebound spring to meet the "drop safe" requirements for imports.
In 1904 those Thompson-LaGuarde tests were in a time when cavalry was still important and shooting horses was a conventional tactic. Hence there was a caliber requirement to put down steeds being ridden by the enemy. The comparison of .38 and .45 began with the British experience in Africa and India during the percussion era, with .36 Colt 1851 Navy revolvers competing with various English .44 double action designs from Tranter, Adams, and Webley. Long favoring the .45, after WW1 the Brits reverted back to the .38 as standard in WW2 with the .45s as secondary substitutes.
I still remember how fore years back in the 90's every gun magazine was constantly declaring the 1911 was dead on the ash heap of history and never coming back because it can't compete with all the new modern plastic fantastic wander nines. By the 2000's more gun manufacturers were producing more 1911's than ever before in it's entire history; instead of being dead on the ash heap of history, it's popularity has never stopped growing. Only a real shooter can truly appreciate the qualities that a 1911 has to off, while a gun owner who's not a shooting enthusiast would be perfectly happy with virtually anything else. Plus 1911's has a mystical quality other pistols ( especially plastic European ones, or similar) don't have;..... "Soul"! The plastic wanders with stamped sheet metal internal parts maybe trendy to the video game generation, but they'll never become family heirlooms (like a 1911) handed down from one generation to the next, but regarded as disposable consumable consumer products like everything else is bought today, then discarded months or just a few years later like yesterday's beer for the next new shiny hipster trendy video game object.
It’s aesthetically pleasing to me, the proportions work so well. My 10mm and .38 super are some of my most prized possessions even if they’re from one of the “cheap” brands. If it works, it works
100 years later, still haven't made a better trigger then a 1911. I remember my uncle was bragging at a gun range how no one could out shoot him and his rifle at about 100 yards give or take. I jump in with my 1911 and put every round on his target. I killed his ego that day. Sure there is more impressive shots out there, but the look on his face made it so worth it
I have everything you have on the table plus a few more like rock islands and such. I also have an Ed Brown that is hands down a hundred times better than my colts or Springfield’s or kimber. It is worth the price . I have 9 1911s and I’d be better off with three Ed Browns for sure.
I have 2 Les Baers and 1 Ed Brown Special Forces. Excellent hand fitting and hand labor. Feels like a Swiss vault when the slide closes. Interesting build philosophy between Les Baer and Ed Brown. Les makes them with no frills. Just tight as a drum but still very reliable due to close tolerance hand fitting. Ed makes them less tight but super smooth. Also have Springfield Ronin and a Colt Commander.
That "king" has been dead for a long time. Some pistols that are called 1911 today, are VERY DIFFERENT from what the original 1911 was. And your story about the Phillipino war is INCOMPLETE, the 1911 was as ineffective as the 38 revolver, check yout facts.
It's not different at all today in function. Maybe in looks, but all parts will interchange between modern and classic pistols. It's far from a dead design.
Yes, the 1911 different a bit from the 1911A1. Scallopingbehind the trigger, flat mainspring housing changed to arched MSH, slightly bigger sights, slightly longer beavertail. But current 1911s have better sights, memory bump on thr beavertail, and maybe a full length guide rod. But John M. Browning. Can take a modern one apart and out it back together without any problem.
Here are a couple reasons why I think the 1911 endures
1. "Mythical" status because it's 'Murica's! handgun during two world wars, just like how the Colt SAA got "mythical" status as the gun that won the west.
2. Along with the Glock, Ruger 10/22 and AR15, has the biggest aftermarket support
3. Still one of the best stock handgun triggers.
4. Yes it is a single stack, but the grip angle and width still makes it so much more comfortable for people to hold and so many pistols are trying to match the 1911 Grip angle.
5. Like many JMB designs, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
6. Cool factor
And, it just *WORKS* ... No need to gild the lily.
Regarding 4, there are double stack 1911s, colloquially known as 2011s. Hell, they’ve been gaining in popularity lately, too.
That’s the thing about the 1911: since most modern guns still use its basic operating mechanism of a tilting barrel and most guns still follow its basic layout and ergonomics, the 1911 is still a modern handgun. The only major advancements since then have been features, like double stack magazines or accessory rails, and all of those are easily backported to the original design.
I carry a 1911 every day and rarely put my trust in any other type firearm that isn't a rifle. (I personally prefer .45 ACP or .38 Super in my holster.) Thank you John Moses Browning!
Looking and understanding the total number of manufacturers continuing to offer this pistol in so many variants, it is safe to say it will be with us well into the next century. Like it has been said, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"
A timeless piece...
Why people like 1911 ?
I mean ...... just look at it 😍 it gives me errection every time 😄
Just a suggestion but have you tried women?
@@jimhay3894 😂😂
@@jimhay3894 nah ... Saves money for more 1911s :)
Geez! Did you really post that?
I'm embarrassed for you.
Get therapy.
Or a blow-up doll.
My Ruger SR 1911 Lightweight Commander and Tisas 1911A1 both in 45ACP are both dependable and very well made
I've had Kimbers, Springfields, SWs, and Sigs that all had a failure to eject or feed here and there. The Kimber was a new production Desert Warrior and had a bad rust problem. The Springfield was a 10mm and I could barely get through a single Wilson or Chip mag without it puking. The S&W performed fine, but S&W's quality control is not what it used to be as evidenced in their newer revolvers and they cut the magwell notch too shallow preventing me from seating loaded mags without giving it a smack. The Sig did everything I asked it to, but it was the humble Ruger that took everything I threw at it. People balk at "cheap" 1911s but it speaks to Ruger, they have nothing to hide. I hope you still have your SR1911 and that it continues to be an example of a rock solid handgun that proves you don't need to spend Kimber money to get Colt reliability.
some people talk shit about the 1911 but I bet most of them still have it there collection. Its definitely the most classic elegant looking gun with plenty of history behind it with enough rounds to get the job done, if your shooting all 15 rounds in your other handgun that means you're probably missing with 15 shots
There are certain designs that outlive the generation in which they were produced . Aircraft, automobiles, engines, spacecraft and every field of human engineering offers examples of this. The 1911 is a premium example of this.
I love my Wilson Combat Govt CQB in 9mm. Sure it was pricey, but worth it. Glocks are the absolute worst ergonomically!
It’s the most elegant and classy pistols in the world
Are you in Arizona? I'm in Scottsdale
Greetings from Kentucky...really enjoyed your discussion on the 1911’s. The 1911 was my first handgun purchase thirty or so years ago and to this day is my edc. Stay well.
I have a heavily customized government size Rock island as well as a Colt Combat Elite Commander that I converted to a series 70. The look, feel, versatility, and performance of a 1911 is just unmatched.
that's why the colt 1911 model loves by Filipino until now because they tried and tested it to them hahahaha
I still carry my Ruger. I got it in 2012 when they were really hard to get. The trigger breaks around 3.25# and I have shot daisies with it. I was severely burned years ago, and unfortunately my trigger finger lost the first joint. The 1911 is the handgun that I can handle most comfortably. I have 4 right now, the latest was a RIA 10mm.
It's so popular because it's a classic to point everyone wants it Americana.
Previously I had a Sig Sauer SP2022 - not their best offering but hey, Sig isn't exactly a small/budget name either - that I couldn't get along with even after trying for a year. I switched to a Norinco 1911 clone, my scores improved dramatically and I enjoy shooting it much more than the SP2022. Yes, it's certainly proved to be a genius and lasting design.
Quite a collection you have there! Thanks for your videos, glad I found your channel!
Two things were born in 1911 - the incredible pistol featured here...and Ronald Reagan! 🤣😎👍
I agree that the 1911, if not THE best design of all time, is certainly up near the top. I've been running them for fifty years and will probably never switch.
But it's a strange view that "high-end 1911s" are less reliable. Wilson Combat properly fits 1911s so they are supremely accurate AND 100% RELIABLE. In fact, as a former competitor, Bill Wilson ranks reliability as the NUMBER ONE requirement for his pistols. I compete in Defensive Pistol competitions with a Wilson and, after ten years and thousands upon thousands of rounds in matches and practice, it has never balked. Not once. Yes, one can fit a 1911 too tightly and affect reliability. But those pistols are not "high-end." They are hack-jobs done by someone unqualified to do the work. Ed brown is another master that makes true high-end 1911s that are accurate, reliable, durable, dependable and beautiful! My EDC is an Ed Brown Kobra Carry in .45ACP and it is equal to the Wilson in accuracy and reliability.
I fell in love with 1911s in the 80s and still love em, got the same feeling last month when I finally found my 45 ronin as I did my first colt commander.
For the record, I have a Kimber Stainless II model and it's technically a series 80. However, it has a trigger break as crisp as any Springfield or Colt series 70 1911. Almost zero uptake and it breaks like glass every time. It also has a lightning-fast reset and fires very quickly. Apparently modern series 80 1911's have been improved upon.
It’s definitely among the greatest handguns ever made, and its longevity in production and use are an obvious testament to that. Of course, I own one.
However, just my personal opinion, but ergonomically, I consider the Browning Hi-Power a better design overall. I have a lot of company; the Hi-Power is the most widely used military sidearm in history, in terms of the number of countries that adopted it for military and/or police issue weapons (around 90). In that respect, the M1911 doesn’t even come close.
Still, the M1911, in terms of the number of units built, remains one of the most heavily produced if not the most heavily produced semiautomatic handguns in history. Although it wasn’t adopted by very many organizations outside of the US, its extreme popularity among American shooters has kept numerous manufacturers quite busy to this day and will continue to do so for years to come. If the AR-15 is “America’s rifle”, then the M1911 is “America’s handgun”, though while the AR-15 is appreciated by many outside of our shores, for whatever reason, the M1911 is not so appealing to those in other countries. Perhaps it is lack of capacity, weight, mechanical complexity compared with later designs, I dunno, but the M1911 seems to be a firearm made mostly for Americans. And Filipinos; I know they make and love the M1911 too. The Philippines is the only other country I can think of where people also love the M1911.
hi, great great video, very informative, thanks for the info. i love your colection.
FWIW...Kimber pistols are "series 80", in that they have a firing pin block, but the block is activated by the grip safety, not the trigger. It has no effect on the trigger pull.
The Armscor produced handguns (RIA, Armscor, Citadel, Charles Daly) are "series 70" but use a heavier than normal firing pin rebound spring to meet the "drop safe" requirements for imports.
Because the 1911 is a very viable carry gun and almost all 1911s are all metal.
Very Cool. Thanks Man.
I was just wondering if anyone has shot the Canuck 1911 I live in Alberta and I wanted to get a Canadian handgun to add to my collection
Shoots fine , but when you hold it, you can tell that's a total Canuck 😆
One Desert Eagle disapproved.
In 1904 those Thompson-LaGuarde tests were in a time when cavalry was still important and shooting horses was a conventional tactic. Hence there was a caliber requirement to put down steeds being ridden by the enemy. The comparison of .38 and .45 began with the British experience in Africa and India during the percussion era, with .36 Colt 1851 Navy revolvers competing with various English .44 double action designs from Tranter, Adams, and Webley. Long favoring the .45, after WW1 the Brits reverted back to the .38 as standard in WW2 with the .45s as secondary substitutes.
I still remember how fore years back in the 90's every gun magazine was constantly declaring the 1911 was dead on the ash heap of history and never coming back because it can't compete with all the new modern plastic fantastic wander nines. By the 2000's more gun manufacturers were producing more 1911's than ever before in it's entire history; instead of being dead on the ash heap of history, it's popularity has never stopped growing.
Only a real shooter can truly appreciate the qualities that a 1911 has to off, while a gun owner who's not a shooting enthusiast would be perfectly happy with virtually anything else.
Plus 1911's has a mystical quality other pistols ( especially plastic European ones, or similar) don't have;..... "Soul"! The plastic wanders with stamped sheet metal internal parts maybe trendy to the video game generation, but they'll never become family heirlooms (like a 1911) handed down from one generation to the next, but regarded as disposable consumable consumer products like everything else is bought today, then discarded months or just a few years later like yesterday's beer for the next new shiny hipster trendy video game object.
CZ 75 B and 97 has a better grip
But I still love my 1911
It’s aesthetically pleasing to me, the proportions work so well. My 10mm and .38 super are some of my most prized possessions even if they’re from one of the “cheap” brands. If it works, it works
My 1911A1 is my 2nd favorite firearm. The 1st is my Model 29 and 3rd is my beloved 509 with the Apex Tactical Longslide and trigger. Gr8 vid. 🔫 🇺🇸
Favorite ever!
100 years later, still haven't made a better trigger then a 1911. I remember my uncle was bragging at a gun range how no one could out shoot him and his rifle at about 100 yards give or take. I jump in with my 1911 and put every round on his target. I killed his ego that day. Sure there is more impressive shots out there, but the look on his face made it so worth it
I have everything you have on the table plus a few more like rock islands and such. I also have an Ed Brown that is hands down a hundred times better than my colts or Springfield’s or kimber. It is worth the price . I have 9 1911s and I’d be better off with three Ed Browns for sure.
I have 2 Les Baers and 1 Ed Brown Special Forces. Excellent hand fitting and hand labor. Feels like a Swiss vault when the slide closes. Interesting build philosophy between Les Baer and Ed Brown. Les makes them with no frills. Just tight as a drum but still very reliable due to close tolerance hand fitting. Ed makes them less tight but super smooth. Also have Springfield Ronin and a Colt Commander.
Have you been in a lot of gun fights?
It's a living fossil.
I don't know if it's the best, but I damn sure have one.
That "king" has been dead for a long time. Some pistols that are called 1911 today, are VERY DIFFERENT from what the original 1911 was. And your story about the Phillipino war is INCOMPLETE, the 1911 was as ineffective as the 38 revolver, check yout facts.
Why don't you make a better video, then. I see your channel has absolutely *no* content. And check "yout" spelling, as well. Peace.
It's not different at all today in function. Maybe in looks, but all parts will interchange between modern and classic pistols. It's far from a dead design.
Wait in the Filipino Wars they didn't even have 1911 so what the hell are u talking about
Yes, the 1911 different a bit from the 1911A1. Scallopingbehind the trigger, flat mainspring housing changed to arched MSH, slightly bigger sights, slightly longer beavertail. But current 1911s have better sights, memory bump on thr beavertail, and maybe a full length guide rod. But John M. Browning. Can take a modern one apart and out it back together without any problem.
Good video