Why do we like the 1911?

[LtlBear]

I was just wondering why others like the 1911 style of pistol.
I myself fell in love with the 1911 for the following reasons.
1. I love the way a 45 feels when I shoot it. Whether it is a 1911 or a revolver, the 45 has a nice recoil, not too week and not too sharp or abusive.
2. The 1911 is a solid platform that can be detail stripped without any special tools. It has around 40 parts, all of which are easily removed for cleaning and inspection.
3. Several manufactures make parts for the 1911, making it easy to modify to your own tastes, whether it be grips, trigger, safeties, or just about any other part of the gun. You can make it fit your personality and shooting style.
4. The 1911 just feels good in my hand. Better than any other pistol I have shot.
5. It has a certain amount of mystic and legend associated with it. If you shoot somebody in the shoulder, they will spin around twice before they hit the ground. :eek: LOL. But seriously, it has served many people with distinguished careers in both the military and Law Enforcement, not to mention the bad guys who have also used it.
6. Hard to argue with a design that has reliably served so many for so long.
7. It is all metal.

So tell me fellow members, those are my reasons, what are yours? ;)

[Recon]

I like the 1911 for the following reasons:

It's capable of better accuracy with less effort than other designs I have.

It's not to much trouble or expense to get a nice crisp and light trigger pull.

It's more conducive to additional features than the other designs I have.

There are lots of add ons available for it.

I like the grip size.

I like being able to holster cocked and locked and have a single action pull after taking the safety off, more fun than doing that with my double action autos.

[Zydeco76]

I like the 1911 because its the only auto I have had that I can hit with. It has a single action trigger and a grip that fits my small hands. I have had to teach myself how to shoot pistols and the 1911 was the easiest to make improvement with.

[Sentinel]

History. The pistol's and mine with it.

[Hawkmoon]

I guess I was brainwashed. The only two handguns I really like are the Colt .45 and the Colt .45 -- the "Peacemaker" and the 1911. (And clones of both, as I am not independently or even dependently wealthy).

I'm old enough to have grown up in the era when most weekend evening television shows were westerns, and most war films were John Wayne single-handedly winning WW2 with a 1911. So I was pre-disposed to think that those represent what handguns "should" be.

Plus -- they feel right in my hands, and I shoot them well. And they are made of metal, not recycled yogurt containers. What's not to like?

[McMike]

1. One shot, one kill
2. Comfort
3. Heritage.

Somebody else's sig: If it ain't single stack, single action, and steel, it ain't a 1911.

[mr Hotgun]

Why i like my 1911(Safari Matchmaster )
1 a real steel gun (no plastic looking playtool)
2 shoots nice groups milder shot than a 9 mm
3 reloading is pretty easy
4 i can faster shoot it than a revolver and still hitting my target (military discipline )
5 see above

[jim young]

The biggest reason the 1911 is one of the all time best loved weapons is it si one hot looking gun, it ranks high on the down right sexy gun list with the beretta 92, walther ppk,walther p38,luger,schofield,colt saa ect. when you have a woman that just has all the right things in all the right spots, how do you improve on it?

[LtlBear]

Thanks guys for the input.
So far the looks and feel of the way it shoots seems to be a common reason.
The history of the gun, its metal, and single action accurracy also are good reasons. I have to agree with all of you. You just can not beat a 1911.

[MrBusiness]

Bumping up a slightly old thread here, but....

I have yet to actually fire my M1911. I got it in the winter and there are no indoor ranges in my area. (Ohhh I can't wait :D )

The reason I most admire my M1911 is that it doesn't feel like a gun in my hand... It feels like a tool.

Much like the carpenter is one with his hammer and saw, or the metalworker with torch and cutters, the M1911 just feels like a part of your hand. I've held many pistols and the comfort I get from wrapping my bear paw around the grip is something I have never had before. All the other pistols I've held had small "weak" grips and just didn't feel right.

Also, as mentioned, the history of the gun is beautiful. I would almost bet that as Americans prized Luger pistols from fallen german officers, so too did germans prize Colts from fallen Americans. Every gun has a place in history, and the M1911 *IS* history.

[stumbler]

I like the simplistic yet sophisticated design.
It has proven itself in many arenas, from defense to sports.
Plus my hand is formed for the grip (from a holding coffee cup and the exercise strengthens my trigger finger).

[RandomMan]

The reason I like the 1911 design? I can blow the center out of a bullseye with it, without even trying. It fits my hand wonderfully, I prefer to shoot single action, over double action, and it's a good looking gun.

-Rob

[SAWBONES]

I suggest that the fit and feel of the 1911 in the hand, plus its superior trigger (at least when tuned) account for most of the 1911's attraction.

Of course, easy ability to customize the pistol to your exact preferences counts for a lot, too, and without superior accuracy and precision, reliability and durability, none of the above would mean much, and the 1911 has all these, or can with a little judicious attention from a good 'smith.

Then there's history and "mystique" too...

[GCT00427]

1911s are the most beautiful, sweetest designed pistol ever made. You can use them as they come from the box or modify them to your hearts desire. What could possibly be any better than that?

Chuck

[Kilroy6644]

When I went out looking for one, I'd never shot one, or even held one. I wanted one because of the looks and the history. So I was looking for a Springer GI, because I couldn't afford a USGI. I couldn't find one, so I'd settled on a High Power, but the salesman wasn't a HP fan, and talked me into a Colt GM. That sealed the deal. It feels great in my hand, it's pleasant to shoot, and it's more accurate than I am. That's why it's one of my favorites. I later ended up getting the HP and I finally found that Springer.

[GCT00427]

That is what happens Kilroy6644, one is never enough. It turns into an addiction. Come to think of it, I don't think there is such a thing as enough 1911s. :D

Kind regards,

Chuck

[Mitrod3]

my kid got me into shooting again 3 years ago. my first auto's were SIG 9mm's and i loved those guns. then one day the range shop owner suggested i try a used Kimber TLE II he had just taken in. i was hooked after the first mag. great feel, great look, accurate beyond belief and out of the first 25 rounds i put 25 in POA into the X ring which i had never done with any other gun. now have four 1911 A1's, two in .45 and two in 9mm. shoot them all on a regular basis and use the 9mm's to keep the cost down a touch.

be safe, shoot well. :cool: