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by Nate Chamberlain
There are countless firearms that are worthy of a good review, however I find one particular pistol standing above the rest, the 1911. A product of one of the most (if not the most) renowned and accomplished weapon designers in the world; John Moses Browning. Officially introduced into military service in 1911 and designated the M1911, this new magazine fed pistol was revolutionary in its day, and paved the way for many features found in modern platforms.
Chambered in the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol), this “Autoloading” pistol was a force to be reckoned with. With a seven round capacity magazine, this weapon could be both quickly and easily reloaded, a feature that was rare in the early 1900’s but was quickly gaining popularity. The 1911 frame and slide was built using steel, like most weapons of the time. The standard 1911 featured a 5 inch barrel, and was typically found with wood grips.
The pistol also offered two safeties, the first being a grip safety found on the back of the tang that would be operated when the shooter grabs the grip of the weapon. The second, a manually operated slide safety found on the left side of the frame. The slide safety could be switched on or off with the thumb of the right hand. While engaged, the frame safety also locked the slide in place, preventing both the weapon from firing, and the ability to rack the slide.
The 1911 is renowned for being tough, easy to operate, accurate and incredibly reliable. One would assume being a gun over 100 years in design, and the fact that its a common military firearm, it must have a terrible trigger. This is most certainly not the case. The 1911 has one of the best factory triggers (if not the best) for any military firearm ever made. A 1911 trigger is a “Single action” Trigger, meaning far less moving parts, making it a much more simple operation.
The military service record of the 1911 pistol is extensive. Officially serving in the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985, when it was replaced by the Beretta M9. However, several US forces (including special forces) continue to operate the weapon in combat. In addition, several US Law Enforcement officers and Correction Officers still use some variant of the weapon to this day.
Just like anything else that’s been around 100 years or more, the 1911 has been modified, adapted, adjusted, made long, made short, made smaller, bigger, and changed in so many ways. It comes in a nearly countless variety of calibers, as small as a .22LR and as big as a .50AE. The sighting system has also become available in several different options, as well as RMR (or similar) cuts on the frames, giving the ability to mount micro red dots.
Different materials have also been used for the frames. Polymer, aluminum and even titanium are popular options. The entire design of the frames have also been modified to include picatinny accessory rails for mounting lights, lasers, and other devices. Another common change to the frame is a widened/oversized magazine well, giving the ability to use higher capacity double stack magazines, these pistols are often known as the 2011.
It’s hard not to fall in love with the 1911, even as a gunsmith. They’re an echo of the cowboy era in which they were conceived, using very similar parts to the revolvers of the day. That being said, the platform is simplistic (by this gunsmiths standards) and very easy to work on. The parts are straight forward and robust, no silly decockers or double action triggers to fuss things up. Though disassembly to the beginner can be very foreign and strange, any gunsmith knows the simplicity and ease of disassembly; that is unless there’s a compensator on the front of it. Those things can really suck.
Factory and aftermarket parts are widely available. From hammers to triggers, and everything in between, however there have been some issues with so-called “plug and play” parts still needing to be fitted to specific models. Another issue is the iron sights. There are several different styles and cuts for iron sights. G.I. blade sights are still very popular, as well Novak style cuts.
Grips are also widely available, made out of all kinds of materials and styles. There is a potential issue while installing new grips, if you have a flared magazine well, you’re likely to find fitting issues. This can be easily corrected by buying pre-fit grips, specifically designed to work with oversized/flared mag wells.
Admittedly, a 1911 is one of the very first pistols I’ve ever fired, so there is a small level of nostalgia regarding the platform. Keep in mind, this review is covering the whole of the 1911 design, and though unfair, this will be a generic review of the full size government 5 inch barrel 1911.
I’ve always found the 1911 frame comfortable and easy to shoot. The grips fit my massive paws, and the trigger has always been easy to manage. Personally, I’ve never had issues running the slide, though on occasion I’ve seen shooters with less upper body strength struggle with racking the slide.
Personally, I’ve owned a few different brands of full size 1911 .45 pistols, including; Girsan, Firestorm, Taurus, Rock Island, Ruger, Remington, and SIG. Even the cheapest 1911 (either the Firestorm or the Girsan) have been excellent pistols operating consistently and accurately. The biggest issues I’ve seen between the variety of 1911s is the fit and finish, but each of them have been solid and reliable.
As a gunsmith, I've had the privilege and honor to test fire the legendary Colt 1911 as well as Springfields, Nighthawk, and several others. Between the low end and high end, each of them have been reliable and ate whatever ammo I fed them. Hollowpoints, FMJ, frangable, lead cast, it doesn’t matter. Each gun ate all of it..
Today, my brother Bryan and I both run full size 1911 pistols, though chambered in 10mm. Not that I have anything against .45ACP, I still love the round, but I’ve very much enjoyed the 10mm. One difference between Bryan and I, is that I prefer the SIG TacOps 1911, and he, the Springfield TRP Operator. No real reason other than I prefer German made guns. Y’all can fight me on that later. I admit that a German made 1911 is sacrilegious, but I freaking love the thing.
A small personal story: a group of friends and I used to do a challenge we would call, “The Cigarette shot”, where we would set up a cigarette anywhere from 15 to 20 yards away and see how many shots it would take for us to hit it. Most often, my buddy Devin Springer would be the first to hit it, usually within three shots. I consider myself a decent shooter, but I never really settled on any one pistol. Devin was not this way. He was always willing to try other guns, but at the end of the day, the 1911 was always his gun. It was the one he had the most rounds through and he swore by it, and for good reason.
As great as the 1911 is, it is not a weapon I would consider or offer to a first time or novice shooter. The recoil of the .45ACP is very manageable in the full size 1911, but can be loud and intimidating to the inexperienced. Additionally, the 1911 tends to be one of the heavier options for pistols, and can be difficult to manage. Another issue can be the weight of the recoil spring (factory weight being 16lbs to 19lbs), on occasion makes it difficult for some shooters to rack the slide. My brother and I both run 27lbs flat recoil springs in our 10mm 1911s, and there is definitely a stark contrast to the factory 45ACP.
Admittedly, the 1911 is showing its age. It has been around for more than 100 years, and there are solid reasons for this, however, there are many considerations to make.
Caliber: As much as I love the .45ACP, it's not the big difference in the ammo world like it was in WW2. Mind you the round is devastating and can be very accurate, but with the recoil and muzzle flip on a standard 1911, it can be a little sassy. With modern ballistics, metallurgy, and load powder, there are several contenders for being big damage dealers. .45ACP also tends to be one of the more expensive pistol calibers. Magazine capacity also suffers in comparison to more modern pistols, being restricted to 7 or 8 rounds (standard magazines) while the FN FNX-45 boasts 15 rounds in a standard magazine. Glock 21 full size .45ACP standard magazines carry 13 rounds, and my USP 45 carries 12 rounds in standard magazines.
On the flip side, 45ACP has been around for a long time and with an excellent track record. It’s a mighty powerful round and hits like a truck. The 1911 platform is excellent for managing the recoil of the .45ACP. For those of you doubting the .45ACP, consider wearing a bullet proof vest, have someone hit you in the plate with a nail hammer, then have someone hit you with a 5lbs sledge hammer. I’m sure you’ll notice a difference. The .45ACP is one of the best (in my opinion) pistol calibers to suppress, due to it being naturally subsonic.
Weight. She’s a heavy girl, but as mentioned earlier there are pros and cons to that. Most of the weight comes from its heavy frame and slide, and though reductions and weight cuts can be made, it’s still (usually) a steel framed pistol, and a big one at that. Personally I’ve carried the 1911 in a hip holster, midrise holster, drop leg holster and more recently a shoulder holster (mostly for concealed carry). With all these holsters, I definitely notice the weight and size of the pistol.
Design. I actually don’t have a lot of beef with the design. It’s simple, strong, sexy and elegant. It might not be a show pony, but that’s because it’s been built to be a work horse. Some people argue that the single action is a strike against it, but I disagree. It’s the single action that gives it a trigger that is oh so nice. One common upgrade I’ve seen is people changing out the grip safety for a much larger (and in my opinion more comfortable) beaver tail safety. Another common upgrade is ambi-dextrous safety levers, I don’t know if I’ve ever used the right side of my ambi safety, but it’s nice knowing I could!
The 1911 is an exceptional pistol. Though it might be grandpa's gun, it still holds plenty of punch to her. Personally, I would rate it 7/10 as a Duty Weapon, personal defense weapon, or home defense weapon. When considering a 1911 for a concealed carry pistol, I would rate it a 3/10, mostly for its weight and size, though the limited magazine capacity isn’t helping either. As a prepper/doomsday pistol, I would rate it a 9/10 with high marks in reliability, durability, rugged design and accuracy. It’s been designed to work in the worst conditions, and it works well.
Again, 1911 pistols are widely available, as well as factory and aftermarket upgrade parts, making the firearm one of the most customizable on the market. The fact that it’s been around for more than 100 years doesn’t hurt either. To summarize, it’s a fine weapon. It might be showing its age, but it’s still a fantastic weapon that serves a lot of purpose. If you’re shooting with buddies, or shooting at Nazi’s, the 1911 is still an exceptional piece of history.
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