What is it about the 1911?

[Mike A1]

We all talk about brands & materials, parts etc when it comes to our 1911s.
When you are at the range, or when you are out at night in a bad part of town

What are the feelings you have when you personal companion is with you?

It all started for me as soon as I could see the Men who wore the 1911 everyday to protect me & my Family aka US Army.
My first chance to shoot a 1911 came after we borrowed an M1 Carbine with loaded mags in fact it was an M2. Age 14.

We spied on the MPs when they were shooting Warf Rats down at the Post Dump. So where to shoot our gun/piece ?
The Dump of course. Dumb move as you guessed, however your talking about a group (no names please) of Brats who
have a gun & want to shoot it. Off we go & start shooting, we were all Us Army Boy Scouts & knew how to shoot an M1
so were off.


As you may know a gun makes a loud noise & that's when the MPs start rolling in. Where to run? Jungle everywhere.
Going to the Brig & then death, They will send us off to Military school early.

Turned out the MPs were not mad at us, they laughed like monkeys at us. One MP asked if we had ever shot a pistol before
& that's when I first held the 1911 & shot it. Never forget the great time before our execution we thought, but when the MPs put the
M2 & mags under their cover in the back of the Jeep we all got a surprise.

They let us go & just said don't steal any more guns, just find one of us & ask to go shooting. "Hell kids we were all Boys once."
When I got my own, my first 1911 a 1917 Military 1911 named Betsy Of all the other military & Civilian 1911s I have ever owned She is my Betsy
until Death do us Part. She came into my life for $209.00 in 73 we have shot many rounds downrange without a single hiccup = True Love, see below.

Let's hear your Stories of your life & the 1911.

 

[switchback]

I was about 7 or 8 years old and my Dad and a few pf his buddies were out back in the cornfield (well corn that year anyway) crop was harvested and fall hunting had not yet begun. Someone produced a previously owned by uncle sugar 1911 and I was drawn immediately to that pistol. That was my first and I loved it. Almost as much as that 29yo waitress when I was a 15 yo busboy. She ruined me for anything else, much like that m1911A1.

Fast forward to 1970. when I was issued my very own m1911A1 by the same uncle sugar. I carried it everyday for 2 years, it became a part of me. Toward the end of my time, I was assigned to the armory, where SSgt Ball taught me parts selection and fitment. How to make the best m1911A1 from our bins of parts. OK how does that transition to the civilian world?

It was years, a decade?, before most veterans spoke of active service during those times. I was no exception. I bought a FN Hi-Power, after all my love of the m1911A1 was buried with all my other memories. I loved the Hi-Power, and I still do, have never been without at least 1 since those days. But still had a nagging urge , bought a Ruger DA 357, nice gun but that urge was still present. Bought a Colt mk1V, absolutely the worst 1911 I ever shot or owned. Just flat out would not run, and looked as if it had been finished with a wood rasp. Why did I buy it? Well I had no real idea what to look for, after all uncle issued my first 1911. And Colt was the only game in town. More years pass and Springfield became a player. Still a GI looking 1911A1, but a buddy and I were shooting and he let me fire his new Springer. Dam this thing runs!! So I bought one and was still dating that springfield when another new player came along. Kimber? Never heard of them but, all the bells and whistles included out of the box? Huh! So I got a Kimber.

Now, many decades later, and a long winded story. Sorry fellas. For me it all began in that harvested cornfield with my Dad and a few of his veteran buddies. Thanks Dad!! RIP.

The 1911 just feels correct, love that big ole .45 auto round and there is not another trigger in existence to match a well tuned 1911 trigger. Not even my 2nd love, the Hi-Power can compare trigger-wise. JMB got the ergonomics nailed , even prior to that words use. JMBs 2 best pistols, the 1911 and the P35 (I know JMB didn't completely design the P35 and died before completion) are the only handguns I need. I do have others these days , so I can carry concealed even with my multiply fused spine. But 1911s in different configurations , gov't, commander, lightweight, 45auto, super38, 9mm, and the Hi-Power are all I really require.

Interested to hear others stories of how they came to love the 1911. Worlds best pistol for well over 100 years. And actually more popular now than ever. Even tho the 1911 and the 45 round have both been pronounced dead many times by gun writers

 

[Babboonbobo]

Never handled one until about eight years ago but I wanted one simply because it was the most American gun I could think of when I decided to really get into firearms (I'm fairly new although I've been shooting since I was a small child)

It's like holding a hot babe! Nothing feels better now n your hands, it really is that simple for me.

 

[Mike A1]

Interested to hear others stories of how they came to love the 1911. Worlds best pistol for well over 100 years. And actually more popular now than ever. Even tho the 1911 and the 45 round have both been pronounced dead many times by gun writers

Great story really great
Like an Old Harley Davidson, 1911s just get better with age. Just ask Betsy, she's my Older Woman

 

[Mike Galway]

It just seems nostalgic , harkens back to a simpler time . Ergonomically correct , has the potential for good accuracy and trigger feel .

 

[Mike A1]

What trigger & MSH do you guys prefer? I like the Flat MSH with long trigger. Every 1911 I have is in 1911 not the A1 trigger & MSH

 

[Babboonbobo]

All my 1911s except one are semi custom so the triggers are all amazing and are outfitted with whatever the manufacturer used. They all seem to be medium and I like flat and bobtail msh.

 

[CECannonJr]

I had a neighbor when I was 14 who had a stainless Colt Series 70. He said he'd sell it to me for 400 bucks. I mowed yards and did odd jobs all summer until I had enough money saved to buy it. I immediately recognized that the design was outstanding.

I didn't know the history or the designer. I also didn't know it was the military issue sidearm. I saw a book at the school library about the history of the 1911 and checked it out. I read that book in absolute awe while glancing at my pistol right beside me as I read. I love to read, but I have never read another book that captivated me like that one.

I can recite the history of the 1911 from memory. 6000 torture test rounds without a single failure! 2 World Wars! Korea, Vietnam! It's still the sidearm of choice of many elite soldiers!

What other weapon of any type has a comparable history to the 1911?!

I ran into some hard times as a young Father and sold that pistol so I could have presents under the Christmas tree for my daughter. Considering why I sold it, I don't regret it. But, I often think about that pistol and wish I could get it back.

A year after I sold that one, I was able to buy another one, and another, and another, and another, well, you guys know how that works.

 

[Mike A1]

A year after I sold that one, I was able to buy another one, and another, and another, and another, well, you guys know how that works.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Indeed we do CE

 

[Bob Lee]

What trigger & MSH do you guys prefer? I like the Flat MSH with long trigger. Every 1911 I have is in 1911 not the A1 trigger & MSH

My taste is arched mainspring housing and short trigger. I have small hands and this feels best to me.

 

[tomrkba]

We all talk about brands & materials, parts etc when it comes to our 1911s.
When you are at the range, or when you are out at night in a bad part of town

What are the feelings you have when you personal companion is with you?

It all started for me as soon as I could see the Men who wore the 1911 everyday to protect me & my Family aka US Army.
My first chance to shoot a 1911 came after we borrowed an M1 Carbine with loaded mags in fact it was an M2. Age 14.

We spied on the MPs when they were shooting Warf Rats down at the Post Dump. So where to shoot our gun/piece ?
The Dump of course. Dumb move as you guessed, however your talking about a group (no names please) of Brats who
have a gun & want to shoot it. Off we go & start shooting, we were all Us Army Boy Scouts & knew how to shoot an M1
so were off.


As you may know a gun makes a loud noise & that's when the MPs start rolling in. Where to run? Jungle everywhere.
Going to the Brig & then death, They will send us off to Military school early.

Turned out the MPs were not mad at us, they laughed like monkeys at us. One MP asked if we had ever shot a pistol before
& that's when I first held the 1911 & shot it. Never forget the great time before our execution we thought, but when the MPs put the
M2 & mags under their cover in the back of the Jeep we all got a surprise.

They let us go & just said don't steal any more guns, just find one of us & ask to go shooting. "Hell kids we were all Boys once."
When I got my own, my first 1911 a 1917 Military 1911 named Betsy Of all the other military & Civilian 1911s I have ever owned She is my Betsy
until Death do us Part. She came into my life for $209.00 in 73 we have shot many rounds downrange without a single hiccup = True Love, see below.

Let's hear your Stories of your life & the 1911.

The gun looks great, feels great, and is able to shoot very, very accurately. It's been updated to handle doublestack magazines well. Gunsmiths and manufacturers now understand how to make the guns run with many different calibers.

For me, the AMT Hardballer was the first handgun I ever shot. It shot well and I was able to handle it. I ended up with a SIG P220 as my first handgun, but I keep buying 1911's. Next up is the search for a slightly used Colt O1918 or maybe a compact Wilson.