1911's, I dont get it.

[saints75]

I was watching a Youtube vid were some on paid $3000 for a 1911. A few weeks ago I was talking to someone who paid about $2000 for a four inch barrel 1911. I know there are people will pay that much for one. I know a lot of cops that have paid up to $2000 for one that they could use on duty. I have shot 1911s and they are nice. My father would tell me there is one gun and that is a 1911. I shoot Glocks and I think they are nice too. If I was going to buy a 45ACP I would want 10 to 14 rounds of 45, not 8 and something that did not require a Gun Smith to work on. I don't know, I cannot see me spending $2000 on a 45 when I can spend $700 on a G21 with night sights. Is it the work that makes them so expensive? What is the different between a Springfield Operator and a Wilson Combat 1911 or an Ed Brown 1911 or a S&W E Sires 1911? Is it the parts, the way it is put together, reputation? I just cannot see myself paying up $2000 for a handgun, a rifle, yes. I am not trying to start any debate on makers or way a 1911 is better them a Glock, just want to know why so much.

[F-Trooper05]

I don't own any 1911's, but I do "get it." A nice 1911 is friggin' sweet, bro. If I were wealthy, I would take the LAV 1911 armorers course and become a 1911 slut (I'd also buy a few nice watches so I could look more like Todd). But alas, I'm not wealthy and will therefore stick to plastic guns until I win the lottery.

[secondstoryguy]

I've had a long love affair with the 1911 starting when I got my first one at age 15. Since then I've owned numerous 1911s, built a few from scratch myself and have carried $2500+ guns on duty. A well built 1911 is a pleasure to shoot. The weight, sight radius, small grip circumference, and especially the trigger can make an average shooter look great. Then there is the mythology/history attached to 1911s that draw many to it. If you got the cash and time to wait for one, go for it.

I've since switched to Glocks/HKs. I switched for the same reason I use Apple computers. Apple computers, like Glocks and HKs, have a good proven recipe of what works well and you don't have to modify them to get them to work(most of the time!). I know if I use Glock/HK mags and don't change anything major with the gun it will generally run well. If I have a parts breakage I can install a factory part with no fitting required. They also hold more BBs.

I still miss my 1911s sometimes, but the for the same reason I wear a Gshock instead of a Rolex/Omega, the plastic guns are more practical tools.

[John Ralston]

I think it can be summed up like this - "If you don't get it, nothing I say is going to enlighten you".

Not a slam, but really, if you can't grasp it now, you probably don't really care. I have a custom 1911, and I think it was worth the money. I still carry my HK P30, but I can truely appreciate the craftsmanship required to build my 1911. High end production guns don't really do anything for me, but I would take a Wilson Combat over a Springfield for better parts and fitting.

My next big purchase will be a New 70 Series Colt and a whole lot of my Gunsmith's time...

[jetfire]

/me casts "Summon Tam"

[JodyH]

I feel nothing when I look at 1911's.
Walther P88's and Browning High Powers on the other hand...

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

[farscott]

A 1911 that is customized to your needs, wants, and whims is something that is worth the money -- or a big waste of money. It depends on the person and the situation. I own more than a few custom pistols from John Harrison and David Sams, and I carry a few of them in rural Alabama when I am not carrying a Glock. In an urban environment, I gravitate to the Glock. Eight rounds in rural Alabama before a reload is much more palatable to me than it is in a large city.

There is something atavistic about a bespoke 1911 as it recalls an era where weapons were purely individual products as opposed to mass-produced commodities. Funny for a weapon that was built as a mass-produced product for its original customer, the War Department. Yet, it is true as the options for a custom 1911 are limited by only your budget, your smith's skills, and your tastes. If you want the slide top flattened, it can be. If you want it round, it can be. Serrated as well in both round and flat configurations. Serrated with patterns as well. And slide top treatment is just one set of decisions. Grip treatments alone seem to be multiplying each year. Many of the choices are aesthetic as opposed to functional, but the best are both. Of course, beauty and function in a 1911 are in the eye of the beholder.

There is also the feel of and pride in ownership of a well-regulated machine as a well-built 1911 feels amazing in the hand. I have also found found nothing that is easier to shoot with amazing accuracy nor anything easier to conceal. The design is 100 years old, and it originated in an era where skilled labor was not so expensive and machinery was very expensive. Today, we live in the converse as automation is much less expensive than skilled labor.

Is the Glock or the HK P30 a better self-defense or LE tool? Yes, I believe, as either is simpler to use than the 1911 and much easier to maintain. Is the 1911 suitable for self-defense or LE usage? I think so for the person willing to put in more time mastering the gun and maintaining it.

[YVK]

I just cannot see myself paying up $2000 for a handgun

1. You can substitute what I highlighted in bold by <several grand for golf clubs>, <several grand for a watch>, <50 thousand for a car>, <thousand bucks for a pair of skis>, <500 bucks for a pair of shoes>, <200 bucks for a tennis racket> and have exactly the same discussion. None of those things are necessity, all of them have a much cheaper and equally effective substitutes. Values are assigned by sellers and agreed on by buyers, often times without any rational explanation.

2. In case of 1911s, the limitations of design/manufacturing process dictate that it has to be set up with extra attention and quality control to be deemed duty-ready. It appears that $2500 is about the price one has to pay now to get a reliable, mechanically sound, ergonomically enhanced 1911 with quality parts. Too bad it costs that much, but it costs what it costs. Some people believe that it offers what no other gun can offer and chose to pay for it; others believe that it offers nothing that's worth that much and laugh at it. An opinion of a latter group doesn't invalidate opinion of a former.

[NETim]

I'm a funny animal. I used to shoot lots of registered trap with a Remmy 1100. It was there I got used to running a high maintenance firearm. I was adamant that I would NOT drop the coin for a more expensive shotgun as I was convinced (still am for that matter) that a high dollar trap gun wouldn't break any more targets for me. All it has to do is go "BANG!" every time and put the pattern in the same place each time and I could do the rest.

Now, after my "awakening" and the realization that I, and no one else, is responsible for my life and that of my family's, I find myself buying 1911's that cost waaaayyy more than my ol' 1100. Me, Mr. Practical. In my case, I wanted a gun that I knew would run right out of the box w/o multiple trips to some gunsmith, so that's how I justified a higher end gun.

1911's feel good in my hands and they work for me. I like their look. I don't mind a little higher maintenance. I used to it and to me anyway, it's a labor of love. I don't buy 'em to make a fashion statement or to draw attention to yours truly. My 1911's are pretty dressed down and one has to look close to divine who built 'em. (In fact, I think they make work against me in some respects. Once someone finds out what they are, they have to think to themselves "But you don't shoot worth a damn!" )

I'm a funny animal.

[VolGrad]

I think it can be summed up like this - "If you don't get it, nothing I say is going to enlighten you".

This.

Same reason folks like muscle cars vs a Honda ....
Rolex vs a Casio ....
Eat steak vs a hamburger ...
Date supermodels vs a homely woman that can cook ...

They all get the job done but there is a sense of pride associated with a quality "item". I have owned some really nice 1911s. I still own one. However, I too carry a GLOCK. The plastic gun is in many ways a more practical tool ..... but I still love the 1911.