Hey everyone, not sure if this topic has been covered previously but its obvious that most of you know what you are talking about when it comes to handguns, I've hunted deer and waterfowl my whole life but never was into handguns until recently, so my question is what is the main differences between a 1911 and a .45 or any other pistol for that matter, i always see 1911's are highly regarded as the pistol to have if you are a true collector, just curious, thanks ahead of time!

 

Not a gun expert by any means but I have fired several handguns in my lifetime and spent 11 years in law enforcement both local and federal. The 1911 is a reliable weapon with a proven heritage. I have fired several types of 1911's from Colt, Kimber, Springfield and a couple of lesser known brands. They feel good in your hand. My father had the Glock .45 and it felt bulky, even for my hands.(palm a basketball with no problems)
It also depends on the type of 1911 you are getting. Full size or sub compact. Attached is a picture of the Ultra Compact my girl carries for personal protection. Awesome gun with little kick.
I hope this helps a bit.
Robert

 

It depends on what you want it for. The 1911 is legendary as a combat weapon, and a fine personal carry firearm. Other .45s are used for different reasons as well. I recently bought this Ruger RedHawk for bear protection while either fishing or to have in the tent when hunting moose or whatever. It's built heavy duty enough that I can load it up to hit harder than a 44 mag. Some guys also use pistols other than the 1911 to hunt deer and other wild game.

 

The 1911 is a design. Single action only. The most reliable auto there is. I own 3 1911's. 1 colt and 2 caspian (full size and officers). I use the caspian's in competition and the colt is a safe queen.

Patented by John M. Browning it was the standard issue firearm for the US military from 1911 until 1985 when it was replaced by the Beretta M9 (9mm). The 1911 is still used by some military.

Great guns with a long history of reliability and like jeeps, you can modify them until your pocket is empty.

 

A 1911 is a great gun for what it is, but as a combat handgun has seen it's day. I have used in combat and carried as a civilian. It's reliable as all get out but so are other designs. It's heavy and only carried 8-9 rounds for the gov't model (8 round mag + 1 in chamber).

.45ACP is IMO the most capable combat round and if someone is using me for downrange practice, it's what I want in a sidearm to return fire. Loved my G21 in the sandbox on my last trip.

That said, not great for CCW for reasons above. Heavy piece, limited rounds and carry guns tend to have short sight radius/ barrel to cut weight.

Okay 1911 guys, burn away.

 

Well you seem to have already made up your mind so whats the point?

I can agree for carry they aren't the greatest and thats why I sold a Kimber CDP but I love the full size and shoot with a 10 round mag.

For carry Id take a look at the .357 Sigs. They go bang real loud, have fantastic ballistics and carry well. It's the only double action I really like.

Surely some folks will agree and a ton more will have some other opinion. Thats the way it is with handguns and thats cool too 'cause then your friends should have something you don't and you get to shoot it!

 

No burning, everyone has there own opinion. As far as CCW, if I need more than 8 rounds, I shouldn't pull the gun to start with. If you hit what you aim at, 8 rounds are plenty for most CCW situations. If 8 aren't enough, 16 probably won't be either. One more thing, if it is a true CCW situation, I'll probably be within 25 feet of the perp. I don't need great ballistics, I need stopping power and faith in my gun.

 

not bashing you but horrible advice... A mob of 17 kids beat a guy almost to death on the Marta train here in Atlanta one day.. 1 bullet per perp and you still have a few standing if you know what i mean...


1911's arent carry weapons by any means. they're extremely heavy and unless you wanna just open carry to show the beauty off, I would consider something in sub compact. If you want a bear gun get you a nice 45 . In the end the amount of ammo it holds MAKES ALL the difference and could mean the difference between life and death. I've seen bears take 5-6 rounds before falling... Why risk it?

 

I'd respectfully disagree with that. Lots of special forces operators still use the 1911. Surely SFOD knows what they're doing. Yeah, we switched mostly to the 9x19 M9, but I believe that was mostly an act of contrition to the rest of the NATO countries after we pushed them to adopt the 7.62 x 51, just to turn around and go to the 5.56. That and to be uniform with the other NATO nations. Not because the 1911 is inferior. I've got nothing ill to say about the M9 though, I just believe the 1911 is every bit as capable, if not more so, in trained hands.

Also horrible advice.

First off, unless you are too frail to hold yourself up in a strong wind, you can carry a government model 1911 with no problem. You just need a decent belt and holster. A Walmart Dickies belt and an Uncle Mike's holster ain't gonna cut it. I carry a 1911 and a reload or two everyday, zero issues. It's a very slim weapon, and can be concealed under just a T-shirt with the right IWB rig. If a traditional 1911 is still too heavy for you, they make lightweight models with aluminum and other lightweight metal alloy frames, which cut down on the pistol's overall weight considerably.

Also, above you state that instead of a 1911, one should "get something in a sub compact," which is fine, I'm not knocking subcompacts, they have their place, but then you go on and say this:
How many rounds do you think most sub compacts hold?

In addition, the statement is just all out wrong. The amount of ammo you can carry means NOTHING- ABSOLUTELY NOT A DAMN THING- if you can't hit what you're aiming at. 1000 misses do not equal one hit. Sub compacts, while they do have their place, are notoriously tougher to shoot in most cases than a full size pistol. They have snappier recoil, shorter sight radius, and are harder to hold onto, especially for people with big hands.

If you want to prioritize mag capacity, it should go below, far below, shot placement in terms of importance in your list.

Jason

 

Most SF have adopted one of the DA .45ACPs, mostly H&K or Sig as a secondary weapon. Primarily for mag cap and weight considerations. HKUSP +13 rounds = 1911 A2+ 8 rounds. That's 5 free rounds.