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1911
Model: 1911 John Moses Browning designed a pistol to meet the US Army's requirements for a .45 sidearm. Adopted in 1911 as the Model 1911 pistol, it became one of the most wildly popular handguns ever designed, and maintains it's place even today. It is the basis for countless designs, and is one of the reasons a gun is usually described as "Browning-dropping barrel."
The pistol is described as being simple, effective, accurate, and powerful. Some military guns have been serving for over fifty years, taking hundreds of thousands of rounds in stride. When the Beretta was adopted by the US armed force in the late eighties, the Special Forces went with the Sig and the 1911, and the Force Recon Marines even built themselves new ones. Competition shooters prefer the 1911 pistol to built upon due to it's forgiving design and excellent trigger.
At the time of writing (2010), it is a single year away from a century of stellar service. It is held by many as the king of handguns, and like most Browning designs, it isn't going away as long as we rely on firearms. So what better a gun to start off with?
| Specifications: | |
| Weight: | 2.44 lb (1.10 kg) |
| Length: | 8.25 in (210 mm) |
| Barrel Length: | 5.03 in (127 mm), Government model 4.25 in (108 mm), Commander model 3.5 in (89 mm), Officer's ACP model |
| Cartridge: | .45 ACP |
| Action: | Short recoil |
| Muzzle Velocity: | 830ft/s (253 m/s) |
| Effective Range: | 70 yd (65 m) |
| Feed System: | Detachable box magazine. 7 rounds (extended magazines available) |
| Sights: | Iron |
Where to find:
Though no longer in service with the US military, the 1911 remains one of the most common designs in the United States, and a great number are in circulation worldwide. It is almost impossible not to find one. Parts are so widely available that is literally possible to built a 1911 entirely out of purchased parts. With quality 1911s running as low as 400 USD, it is quite possible to buy a a 1911 for most any use.
Complexity: The design can be take down without any tools, and detail stripping takes a single tool - the baseplate of a standard magazine. However, the single action only trigger makes the pistol somewhat unsafe for new shooters, as the pistol is best carried Condition One (mag full, chamber loaded, hammer back, safety on), or Condition Three (mag loaded, empty chamber, hammer down) so the shooter has to rack the slide for the first shot.
Size and weight:
39 ounces unloaded. Length 210mm, height 133mm. Barrel 128mm.
Action:
Semi-automatic short recoil. Browning-dropping barrel.
Caliber(s):
Originally .45 ACP. Can be found in nearly any caliber.
Magazine:
7, 8, 10, 15 round single-stack magazine. The 8 round mags are the same length as the original 7 rounders, but anything past that is extended. They drop free of the gun when the magazine release is depressed. Although the single-stack design means low cpacity, it allows for more magazines to be carried in the same space. For example, two 8-round 1911 magazines will fit into a pouch designed for a 14-round double stack 1911 magazine.
Trigger:
Single action trigger. Generally around 5 pound pull, though some competition guns have triggers as light as two pounds..
Controls:
The image to the left shows a Kimber 1911, which is fairly high class 1911, popular with Law Enforcement and civilian carriers.
The hammer must be cocked to fire or activate any of the safeties.
The thumb safety is applied to the cocked pistol by pushing upwards, and turned off by clicking it down. Some shooters may accidentally bump the safety upwards, so it may be best to have the thumbs ride on top of the safety.
The grip safety must be depressed by gripping the gun fully for the trigger to move. Notice that it has what is called a "beavertail," an extension to keep the hammer from biting the web of the thumb and index finger.
The slide stop, or slide release engages after the last round, locking the slide in the rearward position. It can be released by removing the magazine or inserting a fresh magazine and pushing down on the catch. Some find it short and depress with their left thumb, or use an extended stop. Racking the slide is also a reliable method of releasing the catch.
Loading:
Condition One, or "Locked and Cocked." Chamber loaded, magazine full, hammer cocked and safety applied.
1) Point in a safe direction. Critical step in case the gun accidentally discharges!
2) Insert the magazine into the the magazine well in the bottom of the frame, ensuring you can hear and feel the click of the magazine release.
3) Grasp the slide firmly and pull it completely to the rear, then release it. Be sure to allow it to slam shut by spring force. Riding it forward with your hand can cause a malfunction!
4) At this point, activate the thumb safety by pushing upwards.
5) The pistol can be fired after firmly grasping the frame and clicking the safety downwards.
Condition Two. Chamber loaded, magazine full, hammer down, safety off.
There is no safe way to do this on a 1911 pistol.
Condition Three. Chamber empty, magazine full, hammer down, safety off.
1) Point in a safe direction. Critical step in case the gun accidentally discharges!
2) Insert the magazine into the the magazine well in the bottom of the frame, ensuring you can hear and feel the click of the magazine release.
3) The pistol can be fired by racking the slide, chambering the first round and cocking the hammer.
Unloading:
1) Point in a safe direction. Critical step in case the gun accidentally discharges!
2) Deactivate the thumb safety.
3) Depress the magazine release, removing the loaded magazine. Be sure to do this first, or else a round may accidentally be loaded in a later step.
4) Rack the slide firmly and lock it open with the slide release.
5) Through the ejection port, visually confirm that the chamber is empty, as well as the magazine well. Use your finger to feel for any rounds.
6) Release the slide and pull the trigger. The hammer should click on an empty chamber. (Contrary to popular belief, dry firing does not destroy your gun.)
Field Stripping:
This depends greatly on the setup of the 1911. A traditional design lacking a full guide rod can be taken down two ways. Before doing anything, remove the magazine and double check that the chamber is empty.
The first method is to rack the pistol to the dissembly notch, then to push the slide stop through from the right side. The slide is then slowly slid forward off the frame, care taken to maintain a solid grip on the springs, as they can forcefully eject themselves from the gun. Then, the spring is removed and set aside. Turn the barrel bushing to the left side of the pistol (if you are facing it), until it can be pulled forward. Remove the barrel through the front of the slide.
The other way is to depress the recoil spring plug and extremely carefully rotate the bushing - the plug is under the tension of the recoil spring, and can eject quite forcefully. Then, the slide stop can be removed from the frame, and the slide removed without the resistance of the spring.Steps are simply reversed for reassembly. These apply to standard 1911s, which do not have a full length guide rod. Such a gun usually requires additional tools such as a bent paperclip or allen screw to remove, this will be covered in the 2011 entry.
Design Quirks:
1911 pistols are one of the few single action, single stack guns still in common use. As the 1911 is a design no longer owned by a single company, keep in mind that every 1911 is a different gun, and that the performance and tendencies of each will vary.
John_234 |
Latest page update: made by John_234
, Apr 18 2011, 3:56 AM EDT
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GunReaper | 1911 Variants | 16 | May 31 2011, 8:08 PM EDT by John_234 | ||
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Thread started: Mar 2 2011, 5:40 AM EST
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I recently bought a Magnum Research 1911 and have been very pleased with it. It seems to be well made however the only thing I don't like about it is that the end of the recoil spring plug has a sharp edge instead of being flat like some others I have seen. This is a small nuisance if trying to break down with some sort of hard, flat object(I used a cleaning rod) as it will cut your thumb. All in all I think that it is a good gun for the price of $625.
Anyone else have an opinion of a brand they have experience with(this is the only 1911 I have really messed with other than firing a few rounds)? |
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