What's a 1911? It's a weapon. A sidearm. A semiautomatic pistol (usually (and preferrably)) in .45 caliber.
Designed by the great genius John Moses Browning and adopted for US military service in the year 1911, it served our armed forces for three quarters of a century with only cosmetic changes, before being replaced in 1985 by an Italian-designed 9mm - replaced, not for any shortcoming or design flaw, but for the politics of international standardization. Numerous American special or elite forces, who can carry nearly any weapon they want, still choose and use the 1911. In his book Heroes: U.S. Army Medal of Honor Recipients, Barrett Tillman devotes a whole chapter to Medals of Honor earned through the use of the M1911 pistol. It is considered by many, including the design's greatest champion, the late Jeff Cooper, to be the most efficient and effective personal-defense firearm ever created. Now nearing its 100th anniversary it is more popular than ever, with several companies marketing their own versions - because it works.
Long ago I resolved to acquire one, in the appropriate .45ACP chambering, for my 40th birthday on 18 September 2007. As of January 2007, my requirements were:
The basic Rock Island M1911A1, made in the Phillipines I believe, retailing for about $350, was the initial goal, largely for reasons of economy. An enormous variety of add-ons is available for the design and customization possibilities appear endless.
Here are some reader comments I've received before I finally acquired a 1911 of my own:
I do not like the RIA/Charles Daly Phillipino 1911's. I had a CD and the frame holes were completely out of spec. The thumb-safety would creep out with use, not just when firing, but when simply putting it on and off in dry-fire practice! I've heard that improvements have been made, but they won't get any more of my money!
I bought a Kimber myself (and replaced the guide rod) but it cost me almost $600 used (Custom Royal). I also bought a bunch of the SARCO "GI" surplus .45 mags, DON'T! These were the worst mags I've ever owned, not one worked right. I now have nothing but Chip McCormick magazines (15 so far, but I'm working on getting more) with the 7rd followers and the steel floorplates. Sure they cost more, but a semi-auto without working mags is a single-shot, or a really crappy hammer! I pass on anything with a removable floorplate too, it's just another point-failure source.
UPDATE - 20 January 2008: WOO HOO! Those of you who generously donated to my 1911 fund may be pleased to know that I have in fact finally acquired a 1911! It's marked CAI and "MADE IN THE PHILIPPINES". Both front and rear sights are dovetailed; the rear is marked "LPA" and is a (relatively) low-profile adjustable type with my preferred square white outline. The front is a white dot which I've painted over entirely orange; this is my preferred handgun sight picture, a red or orange front ramp or blade with a square white outline rear. The slide has a low solid rib and is marked "ELITE - .45 ACP MANUFACTURED BY S.A.M." on the left and "Imported by: CAI Georgia, VT" on the right. It appears to be pre-Series 80 and has no firing pin safety. The mainspring housing is flat and grooved, but those are easy enough to change; I may go with checkered and a lanyard ring, though I may never use the latter (reportedly they've proven useful in the sandbox). The frontstrap is smooth and the magazine well is not beveled (yet - I might get a bolt-on well funnel, there are some different sizes to choose from). The grip safety is beavertail with a bit of speed bump, no change needed there. Grips when acquired were smooth wood and have been replaced with Uncle Mike's checkered synthetic, the same brand and composition as on my P35. The guide rod it came with was one-piece full-length and a bushing wrench was necessary to get the weapon apart; that was easily fixed with a pre-emptive show purchase of a conventional plug and guide, which dropped right in. One shortcoming so far: the thumb safety won't positively engage. Both that and the slide stop are extended "gas pedal" types but those also should be easy to change or replace; 1911 parts are everywhere. (I've read that extended slide stops may sometimes engage prematurely in recoil.) Overall the weapon is near Excellent condition and appears to have been fired little if at all; there's still plenty of blueing on the locking lugs inside the slide (which are nice and sharp as are those on the barrel), and in the bore. This barrel has conventional (if shallow) rifling, so I can use my cast bullets in it without risking catastrophic failure which some on the net have blamed on polygonal rifling, which my Witness has. The trigger is the long type, skeletonized, and smooth; I may replace that with grooved later; the pull is crisp, and light enough. Grip screws happen to be hex-key and appear to be stainless; those may be changed to blued for looks. Or not - if I start swapping controls I might get stainless parts for a bit of highlighting. (An extended magazine catch is also a possibility.) Overall, as can be seen, the weapon is a 5" full-size model, just what I was after. The frame is steel, matte-finished; the slide is blued and polished on the flats while matte elsewhere. The pistol overall may still need some breaking-in; not ready to race yet. Function seems fine with A-Zoom dummy rounds so far, but I'm worried about the slide lock engaging in recoil, or the thumb safety disengaging while holstered.
The purchase price? Grab yer hats: for the pistol, two magazines (one with a Mec-Gar body, the other a Shooting Star follower and Lone Star Ordnance bumper but an unmarked body, both 8-round, both drop-free), and a generic Doskosport case... $320.
God Bless America.
Next for purchase will be a Kydex holster, probably a Fobus roto-paddle but I'll see what Uncle Mike's has at Sportman's Warehouse, and matching magazine holders (really liking the zero-maintenance Kydex); and of course more magazines. Stay tuned for range reports.
Something I'm noticing in dry practice already: the 1911 and Witness are about the same grip size, but a noticeably different feel. The 1911's safety is more naturally placed than the Witness, I'll admit that much. And now I have to wonder what I'll be doing with the Witness. Maybe a 10mm conversion, that's 15+1 with some nifty ballistics.
UPDATE - 27 July 2009: Since acquiring this pistol, a reader has donated the handsome stag grips and the stainless magazine well funnel. Careful Dremel use has solved the thumb-safety problem. The trigger has been replaced with a grooved solid aluminum type with a stop screw, but the hammer/sear arrangement may have been Worked On by a previous owner and I'm leaving it well enough alone. A new slide lock, carefully fitted with hand filing, functions perfectly. The magazine release has been replaced with an extended version. I have an Uncle Mike's Kydex holster and one double magazine carrier. I have a total of three McCormick 8-round, one unmarked 8-round, and one McCormick 10-round magazines. I'm now fully tooled to not only load my own rounds but also to cast my own bullets. Yesterday I took this pistol, and those rounds with those cast bullets, to an IPSC shoot, and won 1st place in a field of twenty. At this writing the design is over 98 years old, and still in producton and use for competition, defense, and combat all over the world. John Browning truly was a genius.
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