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2WheeledSpeed
Oh the wonderful 1911... Since the 1911 was originally introduced all those years ago in (Surprise surprise!) 1911, about a million different companies have produced a million different variations of this famous pistol.
Just as an example, the 1911 I'm basing much of this review off of actually has parts from 2 different manufacturers! (The frame is Auto Ordnance and the slide is Ithaca). What I'm going to try to do, is give a generic review and description of the basic GI style 1911.1911 similar to many basic 1911s offered by companies ranging from Rock Island Armory to Colt. Remember that with so many different people making so many different versions of this gun, the 1911 you choose could be quite different from mine. There truly is no "Generic" 1911, I'm just trying to give you a basic overview of this extremely famous and popular handgun in its classic "GI" form made famous in countless war movies.
Your basic 1911 is a traditional single action semi-automatic handgun chambered in .45ACP, with a steel slide and frame, and wooden grips. The normal magazine is a single stack with 7 rounds, though 8 and extended 10 rounders are quite common. With a 5 inch barrel and full sized gripframe it'sit is a fairlyrelatively large gun,handgun, though it is considerably slimmer than many modern designs.
Being made of all steel, it's a relatively heavy handgun (Nearly 2 and a half pounds unloaded!). Because it's single action, it's designed to be carried "Cocked and locked" aka "Condition one", meaning the weapon is loaded, with a round in the chamber, the manual thumb safety is on, and the hammer is cocked.
It is not considered safe to carry a 1911 with a round in the chamber and the safety off like many double action handguns. I also would not carry the 1911 without a round in the chamber, the delay in chambering a round could end up getting you killed if you actually needed to use the gun in combat.
Notable features of the "generic" GI style 1911...
The sights
The standard sights on a typicaltraditional GI style 1911 suck to be honest. They're small and hard to see, luckily modern gun makers have stepped up and given us much better options.
The trigger
It might be a 100 year old design, but a properly tuned 1911 trigger is STILL considered to be one of the best triggers on any handgun, past or present. It's short, light, and crisp.crisp with a straight back pull. A good trigger makes accurate shooting that much easier, and the excellent trigger on the 1911 has made this gun popular with competition and bulls eye shooters. On the other hand police departments have long preferred heavier and longer double action triggers to help them to avoid lawsuits,negligent discharges (and therefore lawsuits), so the 1911 has never been popular with police departments (Aside from some elite SWAT units allowed to choose their own weapons).
The grip
Along with the trigger, the grip of the 1911 is one of the reasons the 1911 continues to be such a popular design. The single stack magazines allow for a slim grip that fits most hands quite comfortably, unlike many fatter double stack guns. The angle of the grip in relation to the barrel is also said to be perfect, and allows for the gun to "point" very naturally when brought up to a target. I know this is true for me. It takes me a second longer to adjust my aim with a Glock because of the different grip angle.
The safeties
The 1911 has two external safeties, the passive grip safety that is deactivated simply by naturally gripping the gun, and the manual thumb safety. Many people consider the single action 1911 to be dangerous when compared to more "modern" designs like the Glock. But I say that with multiple external safeties that have to be deactivated before the gun can be fired, the 1911 is a perfectly safe design. You must have your hand on the grip, switch off the thumb safety, and pull the trigger. The Glock? Only needs the trigger to be pulled.
As a side note, the original 1911 design was not drop safe. What I mean by that is, with a round in the chamber there was a chance that the gun could fire if it was dropped and hits the ground hard enough. Many modern manufacturers have solved this problem in different ways,ways andincluding firing pin safeties (notably the Series 80 Colts), however I along with many other 1911 fans don't consider it to be a serious issue in the first place, but just be aware that not all 1911s are considered "drop safe".
Shooting the 1911
The .45ACP round has a reputation for being quite a kicker (At least compared to the 9mm), but the heavy steel frame of the 1911 does a good job of taming the .45ACP. I have no problems running a couple hundred rounds through my 1911 at a time, it's not punishing after shooting a couple boxes of ammo like my much smaller and lighter Colt New Agent. My 1911 is not the most accurate gun I own, but it's certainly acceptable for my needs. Overall 1911s have a very good reputation for accuracy.
Feeding the 1911
This gun was designed before hollowpoint rounds were around, so it still works best when it's running FMJ (aka "Ball") ammunition. Still, many modern 1911s (Including bothall 4 of mine) are perfectly capable of feeding modern JHP (Jacketed hollow point) ammunition with zero problems. It's smart to run at LEAST a couple boxes of your chosen hollowpoint ammunition through your gun to ensure it feeds reliably. If you find your 1911 doesn't like hollowpoints after trying several different brands, aI'd QUALIFIEDgo gunsmithstraight mayback beto ablethe tomanufacturer makeand minorask modificationsthem to yourfix gunit toor replace it with a solve1911 that problem.will feed JHPs.
My 1911 has been extremely reliable with both 230gr. FMJ and Remingtonseveral Goldenbrands Saberof 230gr. JHPs, it'll be my sidearm of choice should the SHTF until I save up for a fancier tactical 1911 I have my heart set on owning someday.
The not so generic 1911...
As I said earlier, there are so many different variations of the 1911 that it will make your head spin! You can spend under $500 on a 1911, or several thousand! And then you can go crazy with the modifications, there is a huge market for 1911 modifications and accessories that allow you to create a truly custom gun.
If there are some things you don't like about the 1911, it's probably been solved by someone somewhere...
Not enough bullets for you? Double stack 1911s exist that allow you to carry a lot more rounds (at the cost of a fatter grip).
Don't like .45ACP? 1911s can be found in plenty of other calibers! Including the ever popular 9mm and .40S&W.
Too heavy for you? Aluminum framed 1911s exist to cut down on the weight a little.little, there are even poly frame 1911s out now believe it or not...
Too big? "Commander" and "Officers" sized 1911s have been around for years.decades. The "Commander" usually has a 4.25 inch barrel, and the "Officers" normally has a 3.5 inch barrel and a shorter frame. See my review on the Colt New Agent for an "Officers" sized 1911 (It's also pictured above to compare sizes with my full sized 1911).
Don't like single action guns? Double action 1911s do exist, though personally I'd recommend that if you prefer double action guns you may be more interested in other handgun designs.
Oh the wonderful 1911... Since the 1911 was originally introduced all those years ago in (Surprise surprise!) 1911, about a million different companies have produced a million different variations of this famous pistol.
Just as an example, the 1911 I'm basing much of this review off of actually has parts from 2 different manufacturers! (The frame is Auto Ordnance and the slide is Ithaca). What I'm going to try to do, is give a generic review and description of the basic GI style 1911.1911 similar to many basic 1911s offered by companies ranging from Rock Island Armory to Colt. Remember that with so many different people making so many different versions of this gun, the 1911 you choose could be quite different from mine. There truly is no "Generic" 1911, I'm just trying to give you a basic overview of this extremely famous and popular handgun in its classic "GI" form made famous in countless war movies.
Your basic 1911 is a traditional single action semi-automatic handgun chambered in .45ACP, with a steel slide and frame, and wooden grips. The normal magazine is a single stack with 7 rounds, though 8 and extended 10 rounders are quite common. With a 5 inch barrel and full sized gripframe it'sit is a fairlyrelatively large gun,handgun, though it is considerably slimmer than many modern designs.Being made of all steel, it's a relatively heavy handgun (Nearly 2 and a half pounds unloaded!). Because it's single action, it's designed to be carried "Cocked and locked" aka "Condition one", meaning the weapon is loaded, with a round in the chamber, the manual thumb safety is on, and the hammer is cocked.
It is not considered safe to carry a 1911 with a round in the chamber and the safety off like many double action handguns. I also would not carry the 1911 without a round in the chamber, the delay in chambering a round could end up getting you killed if you actually needed to use the gun in combat.
Notable features of the "generic" GI style 1911...
The sights
The standard sights on a typicaltraditional GI style 1911 suck to be honest. They're small and hard to see, luckily modern gun makers have stepped up and given us much better options.
The trigger
It might be a 100 year old design, but a properly tuned 1911 trigger is STILL considered to be one of the best triggers on any handgun, past or present. It's short, light, and crisp.crisp with a straight back pull. A good trigger makes accurate shooting that much easier, and the excellent trigger on the 1911 has made this gun popular with competition and bulls eye shooters. On the other hand police departments have long preferred heavier and longer double action triggers to help them to avoid lawsuits,negligent discharges (and therefore lawsuits), so the 1911 has never been popular with police departments (Aside from some elite SWAT units allowed to choose their own weapons).
The gripAlong with the trigger, the grip of the 1911 is one of the reasons the 1911 continues to be such a popular design. The single stack magazines allow for a slim grip that fits most hands quite comfortably, unlike many fatter double stack guns. The angle of the grip in relation to the barrel is also said to be perfect, and allows for the gun to "point" very naturally when brought up to a target. I know this is true for me. It takes me a second longer to adjust my aim with a Glock because of the different grip angle.
The safeties
The 1911 has two external safeties, the passive grip safety that is deactivated simply by naturally gripping the gun, and the manual thumb safety. Many people consider the single action 1911 to be dangerous when compared to more "modern" designs like the Glock. But I say that with multiple external safeties that have to be deactivated before the gun can be fired, the 1911 is a perfectly safe design. You must have your hand on the grip, switch off the thumb safety, and pull the trigger. The Glock? Only needs the trigger to be pulled.
As a side note, the original 1911 design was not drop safe. What I mean by that is, with a round in the chamber there was a chance that the gun could fire if it was dropped and hits the ground hard enough. Many modern manufacturers have solved this problem in different ways,ways andincluding firing pin safeties (notably the Series 80 Colts), however I along with many other 1911 fans don't consider it to be a serious issue in the first place, but just be aware that not all 1911s are considered "drop safe".
Shooting the 1911
The .45ACP round has a reputation for being quite a kicker (At least compared to the 9mm), but the heavy steel frame of the 1911 does a good job of taming the .45ACP. I have no problems running a couple hundred rounds through my 1911 at a time, it's not punishing after shooting a couple boxes of ammo like my much smaller and lighter Colt New Agent. My 1911 is not the most accurate gun I own, but it's certainly acceptable for my needs. Overall 1911s have a very good reputation for accuracy.
Feeding the 1911
This gun was designed before hollowpoint rounds were around, so it still works best when it's running FMJ (aka "Ball") ammunition. Still, many modern 1911s (Including bothall 4 of mine) are perfectly capable of feeding modern JHP (Jacketed hollow point) ammunition with zero problems. It's smart to run at LEAST a couple boxes of your chosen hollowpoint ammunition through your gun to ensure it feeds reliably. If you find your 1911 doesn't like hollowpoints after trying several different brands, aI'd QUALIFIEDgo gunsmithstraight mayback beto ablethe tomanufacturer makeand minorask modificationsthem to yourfix gunit toor replace it with a solve1911 that problem.will feed JHPs.
My 1911 has been extremely reliable with both 230gr. FMJ and Remingtonseveral Goldenbrands Saberof 230gr. JHPs, it'll be my sidearm of choice should the SHTF until I save up for a fancier tactical 1911 I have my heart set on owning someday.
The not so generic 1911...
As I said earlier, there are so many different variations of the 1911 that it will make your head spin! You can spend under $500 on a 1911, or several thousand! And then you can go crazy with the modifications, there is a huge market for 1911 modifications and accessories that allow you to create a truly custom gun.
If there are some things you don't like about the 1911, it's probably been solved by someone somewhere...
Not enough bullets for you? Double stack 1911s exist that allow you to carry a lot more rounds (at the cost of a fatter grip).
Don't like .45ACP? 1911s can be found in plenty of other calibers! Including the ever popular 9mm and .40S&W.
Too heavy for you? Aluminum framed 1911s exist to cut down on the weight a little.little, there are even poly frame 1911s out now believe it or not...
Too big? "Commander" and "Officers" sized 1911s have been around for years.decades. The "Commander" usually has a 4.25 inch barrel, and the "Officers" normally has a 3.5 inch barrel and a shorter frame. See my review on the Colt New Agent for an "Officers" sized 1911 (It's also pictured above to compare sizes with my full sized 1911).
Don't like single action guns? Double action 1911s do exist, though personally I'd recommend that if you prefer double action guns you may be more interested in other handgun designs.
