1911s are “obsolete.”

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  • bpm32

    Active Member
    Nov 26, 2010
    675
    Not of practical concern, but for accuracy an accurized 1911 with a good trigger can't be beat by any other autoloader. After 100 years of sustained use by a major power and its gun crazy populace (orders of magnitude more gun crazy than most other countries), we know pretty much everything there is to know about the 1911.
     

    Cornelius

    Trust Me, I Sell Cars
    Mar 5, 2019
    152
    MD
    Hi, New here.

    If I may, as far as combat guns go, should one not be carrying firepower equal to or greater than their enemy? How many hi-cap 9mm's are out there etc? We aren't typically facing makarovs or lugers I should think. To sustain fire you should be able to carry as much as possible within reason. "Combat" as I understand it is warfare, not self-defense. A lot of soldiers still carry 1911's because at the end of the day everyone has different preferences. The 1911 while not being an obsolete gun, may just be obsolete for combat in the general sense.

    Like someone said, I'll take a lighter, less complex double stack 10mm over a 1911 any day. And I absolutely love the 1911.

    tough pill indeed
     

    welder516

    Deplorable Welder
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 8, 2013
    27,307
    Underground Bunker
    I don't know anyone that does not have at least one 1911 , they are work horses and symbolic handguns . They are not going anywhere , they are here to stay and most are works of art .
     

    Allen65

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 29, 2013
    7,063
    Anne Arundel County
    A lot of soldiers still carry 1911's because at the end of the day everyone has different preferences. The 1911 while not being an obsolete gun, may just be obsolete for combat in the general sense.

    The 1911 is obsolete for general issue to soldiers who may empty a few mags at a range once a year to requal and then never touch it again. For someone who trains regularly with it and can reliably make hits under duress, it's still a very useful tool.
     

    Zorros

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 10, 2017
    1,407
    Metropolis
    The 1911 is a wonderful gun and 35 years ago when it was my only handgun i carried it. Today, i can and sometimes do carry a shield 45 ( for those who like the cal.) with 7-8 rds at half the weight. If i am a fan of the 45 cal, and i need or want to carryall day, why carry the extra weight? At the range, i like the shield, but enjoy the 1911 more. But i understand the nostolgia. 20 yrs ago i was using a persimmon driver ( oversized with a graphite shaft). You use what suits you or what you have.
     

    Dav

    Member
    Apr 12, 2018
    5
    Forest Hill, Maryland
    I'm gonna preface this by saying that I am not a 1911 guy, I idolized it growing up, got one sold it a week later I didn't hate it just wanted a P09 more. In all likelihood none of us will ever need more than brandishing or even discharging of a gun to dissolve a situation. That being said having more ammo is never a bad thing but if the 1911 is the only gun that fits you best, can get all 7 of those 45 caliber pills in the kill zone and your mag changes are on point you'll probably be find if you find yourself in a legitimate gun fight. But who am i to judge my buddy thinks I'm crazy for carrying a CZ 75BD and spare mag all day.
     

    mopar92

    Official MDS Court Jester
    May 5, 2011
    9,513
    Taneytown
    Hi, New here.

    If I may, as far as combat guns go, should one not be carrying firepower equal to or greater than their enemy? How many hi-cap 9mm's are out there etc? We aren't typically facing makarovs or lugers I should think. To sustain fire you should be able to carry as much as possible within reason. "Combat" as I understand it is warfare, not self-defense. A lot of soldiers still carry 1911's because at the end of the day everyone has different preferences. The 1911 while not being an obsolete gun, may just be obsolete for combat in the general sense.

    Like someone said, I'll take a lighter, less complex double stack 10mm over a 1911 any day. And I absolutely love the 1911.

    tough pill indeed
    First things first. Your avatar is fvcking awesome.

    2nd off. If you are in combat and using a pistol, shit went sidewards long ago.
     

    jrh0341

    Member
    Jul 20, 2017
    58
    Sheriff Lewis (Wicomico) of recent "we will not comply" fame was carrying a Kimber 1911 on gun bill days. I don't see how capacity makes it obsolete when Glock 42/43 and S&W Shield and other single stack cc guns are so popular.

    Single stack 9s are accepting a capacity limitation in exchange for some added benefit (small size, carriability).

    1911's are accepting that capacity limitation, WITHOUT giving you any added benefit in size or weight or whatever.

    Is the 1911 "obsolete"? Not necessarily. It still works. If you like it and shoot it well, then fine. I like 1911s. I like driving a stick too.

    If we're honest though, we'd be using them because we LIKE them. Not because they do anything necessarily BETTER than all the competing options.

    Is 1911 "bad"? No. But other options have advanced enough that there are plenty of alternatives that do something or multiple things better and don't do anything worse.
     

    jrh0341

    Member
    Jul 20, 2017
    58
    First things first. Your avatar is fvcking awesome.

    2nd off. If you are in combat and using a pistol, shit went sidewards long ago.

    One of the best observations I've ever heard about pistols in combat

    "If they day comes that you actually need that pistol, you're gonna wish it was a shotgun"
     

    danb

    dont be a dumbass
    Feb 24, 2013
    22,704
    google is your friend, I am not.
    1911 is better because if you miss, the fireball will get them. Wait, that's a 1911 in 10mm.

    I seriously think that with the advent of the double stack 9mm, marksmanship skills have gone downhill. If you think you need a double stack 9mm and 5 extra mags as your EDC, get a submachine gun and call it a day. $20 says at 21 feet I can get more hits in the A-zone with my 6 shot revolver than you can with your double stack 9mm.

    What you need in life is not another double stack 9mm mag, if things have gone that far south you need a truck gun and a clear path. The purpose of a handgun is to get to a real gun.
     

    PorP

    Active Member
    Mar 11, 2016
    197
    I'm a all- metal gun person. I have a couple h&k composites but they definitely don't make the favorites list where 1911's ate just plain fun to shoot.

    Of the 2 guns I own, I have 1911's in 22, 9, 10, and 45 by kimber, colt and ria. They're fun, comfortable and inspire confidence on the range. Only issue I've had over 10,000s of rounds is the paper clip I was using to hold the spring on the ria broke and the piece that stayed in the gun ended up bending the feed ramp.

    I'm with mopar though, if I'm in a situation where my Maryland approved bolt action bb gun is no longer an option. Then the difference between 8 and 15 rounds probably isn't going to help much.
     

    onedash

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 24, 2016
    1,026
    Calvert County
    If anyone would like to get rid of their obsolete 1911's let me know. I can take them off your hands and won't even charge you a disposal fee.
     

    Racer Doug14

    Thread killer
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Feb 22, 2013
    8,003
    Millers Maryland
    The main use of a combat pistol, is that of a secondary weapon. It's used after your main weapon is made non- functional or ineffective. It breaks or runs out of ammo. At that point, more bullets is of huge importance. I'd take an FN five.seven before a G19.
     

    AliasNeo07

    Ultimate Member
    Feb 12, 2009
    6,548
    MD
    My personal opinion.... I absolutely love to shoot them, they are beautiful guns, and they scream "America"... but I would never own one for any serious purpose. It's over a hundred years old. Technology has changed. There are better options now.
     

    kohburn

    Resident MacGyver
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2008
    6,796
    PAX NAS / CP MCAS
    The main use of a combat pistol, is that of a secondary weapon. It's used after your main weapon is made non- functional or ineffective. It breaks or runs out of ammo. At that point, more bullets is of huge importance. I'd take an FN five.seven before a G19.

    :thumbsup:

    I think people are getting hung up on "obsolete" and forgetting the specifier of "combat"

    in no way are they obsolete for general use, designs have been tweeked over the years to help modernize them, compact versions for carry etc. but specifically for combat which has its own special needs there are better options.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,598
    Glen Burnie
    :thumbsup:

    I think people are getting hung up on "obsolete" and forgetting the specifier of "combat"

    in no way are they obsolete for general use, designs have been tweeked over the years to help modernize them, compact versions for carry etc. but specifically for combat which has its own special needs there are better options.
    I didn't wade through the whole thread - just the first page - but I was thinking the same thing. "For combat" changes things, because there are guns that are specifically designed for combat and have a better track record of reliability. CC isn't really a factor when considering "for combat" - that's a whole other matter.

    I'm not sure the 1911 will ever become obsolete - it's still going strong 118 years after its adoption by the US Army, so JMB must have done something right. As I type this, I know that my plans for my next firearm purchase is a 1911, for whatever that's worth.
     

    Cornelius

    Trust Me, I Sell Cars
    Mar 5, 2019
    152
    MD
    First things first. Your avatar is fvcking awesome.

    2nd off. If you are in combat and using a pistol, shit went sidewards long ago.

    Thank you, I knew when I found it, it was the one.

    I agree. If you need your pistol in combat, it's already gone sideways. The concept for me still holds though. If SHTF, and I'm carrying a loaded sidearm and 2 spare mags, I'd rather have 45rds of 10mm than 21-24rds of .45acp.

    But I'm also not very smart.
     

    Occam

    Not Even ONE Indictment
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 24, 2018
    20,239
    Montgomery County
    Given an eruption in disposable income, I'd sure as hell pick up a work-of-art grade 1911 to own. Purely out of respect for its place in history and its appealing aesthetics. For the same reason I'd spend some of a large pile of found money on a 50's-vintage Chevy pickup and someone to make it stop rusting and run safely. Pure Americana. But I wouldn't put either of them to everyday use, given all of the better options. I think of my current 1911 as a piece of living history. But I don't carry it because I also don't dress like I'M a piece of living history, complete with a trench coat big enough to hide the thing.
     

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