The .45 makes a comeback during the war on terrorism

World Tribune ^ | 5 April 2004 | Christopher Holton

[Richard Kimball]

I had a Combat Commander (Colt), and it was pretty good, but I'm really partial to the Glock. I think that once you get to a certain quality of weapon, it depends on personal preference, and how it fits your hand. In terms of quality, I think they're pretty similar, but I liked the recoil of the Glock, and also cleaning it is a lot easier.

[Skybird]

Cocked and locked... .45 cal bump.

[Euro-American Scum]

It matters little to me what company actually manufactures any particular 1911; the beauty of the gun is that it chambers the .45 ACP (yes, I know the 10mm packs quite a wallop) and "big holes are almost always better."

Tales Of The Gun recently had a mini-marathon on The History Channel the other day. One of the episodes was the top ten firearms that changed the world. On that list were my personal choices for 1 & 2, but were not rated that highly:

In no particular order:

Mikhail Kalashnikov -- AK-47 revolutionized the way infantry weapons were perceived. Everything that followed was influenced by his design.

And. . .

John Moses Browning -- 1911 pistol had the same effect on personal sidearms. Browning was nothing less than a visionary when it came to firearm design and innovation.

If the acid test of any design is frequency of use and standing the test of time, the 1911 wins hands down. When Glock or Sig of Springfield XD or CZ or any other design you want to name has served in two world wars, one police action, that little ten-year dust-up in Southeast Asia, and on into Iraq I, then we can compare notes.

And I am a proud owner of many of the aforementioned handguns, all of which I am thoroughly pleased with. But there's only one 1911. And it stands alone.

[cmsgop]

And I'll never forget the FReeper who let me try his out!

[Professional Engineer]

Sidearm ping

[Euro-American Scum]

I had a Combat Commander (Colt), and it was pretty good, but I'm really partial to the Glock.

I have three Glocks. Love them all. For functionality, they can't be beat. They're arguably the AK-47s of the handgun world. But my 1911s shoot almost as reliably as my Glocks, and with similar accuracy.

Put it this way, if I was forced to choose between one or the other, it would be a painfully hard choice.

[45Auto]

The Model of 1911 was designed to be used by mounted cavalry. I don't think it was meant to be used much beyond 50 yards, and most combat pistols serve their purpose well inside 25 yards. For pistol shooting beyond 50 yards, I will take the Smith and Wesson Model 29 .44 mag with full house loads, or the Freedom Arms .454 Casull, or even better, the Remington LTR in .308 Win!.

[Euro-American Scum]

Beautiful. Tell me, are the SA 1911 frames manufactured in Brazil?

[The KG9 Kid]

If they ever change the awful name of their company, I might consider looking at a Kimber.

It sounds to me like a Las Vegas stripper founded the company and named it after herself.

[Euro-American Scum]

I'll keep my ParaOrdnance, thank you. .45auto X 15rnds.

I've got a P-14 Ltd. and a 12.45 LDA. They're awesome weapons. Only I'm limited to 10 rounds in the People's Republik of Kalifornia.

We're both kinder and gentler out here.

[Bobber58]

No one sells more production series M1911 pistols than Kimber. Reasonably priced and certainly the most reliable of all production series M1911 handguns, the Kimber M1911 represents a great deal of value for its relatively modest price. It has most of the attributes required of a combat .45. DVC Armaments specializes in bringing the fine Kimber M1911 up to the next level of perfection and full realization of its ultimate fighting potential. Our enhanced Kimber .45 features a checkered front strap, a “memory”- type beavertail grip safety, ambidextrous thumb safety, “tactical” cocobolo grip panels, and a custom Teflon S finish in either olive green or black or in combination. The end result is a fighting .45 worth fighting for.

The Enhanced Kimber .45

[230FMJ]

I bought my first 1911 (a Remington-Rand) for $45.00 when I was 16. (obviously before GCA68) I haven't been without one since. When the department I worked for finally authorized automatics (after the Trooper Lamonica murder) I qualified with and carried a Commander until I retired. While I have other weapons, the 45 is still my favorite and the one I reach for whenever my instincts tell me to "be prepared".

[Knitebane]

While the Beretta is a fine weapon, I refuse to trust my life to any auto-loading weapong that wasn't designed by John Moses Browning.

My only problem with the 1911 is the size. It's a lot of gun to tuck into a waistband.

I"m considering a Browning HiPower in .40SW for summer concealed carry.

[tracer]

H & K USP bump

[RKV]

I own 2 1911 Series 70 Gold Cups. They shoot GREAT. Good move to go to a proven stopper cartridge and an incredibly reliable design.

[Plutarch]

In 1911 the U.S. military adopted a new sidearm: John Browning’s venerable .45 caliber automatic pistol.

Wow, it must be some pistol if it could be venerable just as soon as it was adopted.

[CasearianDaoist]

The USMC has this special group of armory specialists and gunsmiths that just work on the 1911s some of the ones they have are not that new (or at least parts of them.) They are really into it.

[Spruce]

Kimber are excellent handguns. My father has been selling handguns for decades and the sweetest shooting 1911 that has moved through his inventory is the Kimber. He kept one for himself. The only other guns he's ever held on to are various S&W .41 mags in various flavors.

[P8riot]

You forgot the Colt Delta Elite 10mm.

And there are others. Here's a link to a page devoted to 10mm:

Link

[ExSoldier]

Nothing tops a .45. I cut and pasted this onto a WP document for printing. I think I'll "snail mail" it to Jeff Cooper. I just heard from a freeper who's currently "hanging his hat" in Fallujah, Iraq. I sure hope HE has one and I told him so in no uncertain terms. He's not in the military.

I just bought my third .45, a micro compact Springfield Armory, but I plan on getting a ParaOrdnance AND a Kimber and maybe when I hit it "big" a Wilson Combat custom model with all the bells and whistles.

The .357 sig is too loud and the 10mm generates too much muzzle flash and felt recoil for fast followup shots. HRT carries the .45 and so do the rest of SpecOps. I see none of those with anything else in the category of "bigger bang" in a handgun.

Time for me to go to Bible study. Happy Easter everybody!

HE is risen!