Eleven. World. Wars.

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Hammer

Hammer

Well-known member
3rd Monthly Contributor
As our resident firearms historian Ron Dan recently noted, the 1911 is the only pistol to win "11 World Wars." 😂

I can't argue with the facts, and here are a few more:
  • The 1911 is the only gun fielded by the U.S. military for over a century.
  • To this day, no one has come up with a better trigger design. The 1911 still sets the standard for triggers.
  • No other design can span the spectrum from no-frills utilitarian to classic beauty to modern tactical like the genius of JMB's design can.
The 1911 to this day is America. It's freedom worth fighting for. It's Magnum P.I. and Captain Miller sending .45 ball straight up the poop-shoot of a German tank and blowing it to smithereens. It's lore, it's brilliant design and still a highly effective, relevant weapon in capable hands.

So let's see 'em - new, old, beat up, beautiful, in all their glory. This thread celebrates all things 1911.

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Here's my contribution to the thread 🤠 alas my only 1911. My Old backup gun I carried back when I was issued a full size Kimber 1911 .45 for duty use... When my department went away from carrying the 1911, I basically did too. But I've always been a fan of JMB's design, (in fact most of his firearms designs!) I have several of his shotgun designs too!
 

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Al Shifty Schultz said:
Here's my contribution to the thread 🤠 alas my only 1911. My Old backup gun I carried back when I was issued a full size Kimber 1911 .45 for duty use... When my department went away from carrying the 1911, I basically did too. But I've always been a fan of JMB's design, (in fact most of his firearms designs!) I have several of his shotgun designs too!
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I have a couple Sigs (P238 and P938) that are based off the 1911 design...
 

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Al Shifty Schultz said:
Here's my contribution to the thread 🤠 alas my only 1911. My Old backup gun I carried back when I was issued a full size Kimber 1911 .45 for duty use... When my department went away from carrying the 1911, I basically did too. But I've always been a fan of JMB's design, (in fact most of his firearms designs!) I have several of his shotgun designs too!
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That looks like a handy little Officer's model for EDC. (y)

Doug Patteson said:
Here is mine. 1944 Ithaca issued in WW2 and in continuous service until the 2000’s. Last confirmed issued for The Gulf War. 1980’s replacement slide, Israeli made, USG issued slide.
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Boy, it doesn't get more classic than that, Doug! And with real field history as well. Beautiful. :love:
 
I was 9 years old when papa let me shoot his 1911. Springfield A1 that he added an adjustable rear sight, Pachmayr grips, and some trigger that I can’t recall. I called it the “bowling pin gun” because I would watch him shoot matches at the local gun club shooting those pins.

These are the two I currently own. The Ruger is a great gun that runs flawlessly but I don’t carry it as much as the Kimber. The Kimber was my first 1911 and my first carry gun. I have more shots through this gun than anything else I own. It goes where I go.
 

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Chase Sheppard said:
I was 9 years old when papa let me shoot his 1911. Springfield A1 that he added an adjustable rear sight, Pachmayr grips, and some trigger that I can’t recall. I called it the “bowling pin gun” because I would watch him shoot matches at the local gun club shooting those pins.

These are the two I currently own. The Ruger is a great gun that runs flawlessly but I don’t carry it as much as the Kimber. The Kimber was my first 1911 and my first carry gun. I have more shots through this gun than anything else I own. It goes where I go.
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I have yet to hear a bad thing about Ruger 1911s. The usual feedback is that, "they just run, no matter what I put through it."

And there's just something so classic about old-school Pachmayr wraparound grips on a field gun. (y)
 
This is my last one, I had about a dozen of them at one time, older black army colt models (which are my Favorites) which became very valuable and had kids in college- you know the story. I bought this for $350 just the frame barrel and slide it was like a rusty crowbar, blued it myself and added all of the best parts that could be bought, it orignally was the fully loaded SA model. I shoot bowling pin with it once a month at my club and it is my finest shooting handgun in my opinion. Great Thread BTW
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HowieR said:
This is my last one, I had about a dozen of them at one time, older black army colt models (which are my Favorites) which became very valuable and had kids in college- you know the story. I bought this for $350 just the frame barrel and slide it was like a rusty crowbar, blued it myself and added all of the best parts that could be bought, it orignally was the fully loaded SA model. I shoot bowling pin with it once a month at my club and it is my finest shooting handgun in my opinion. Great Thread BTW
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Bowling pins hate to see a 1911 hit the range.
 
Hammer said:
My Springfield TRP. It's been a great gun. Although I couldn't abide by the 2-piece guide rod, so that's been replaced with a standard GI recoil setup.

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A public confession: At 16 years old I made the kind gesture to clean and lube all of my dad’s handguns. I offered mainly to handle all of the jewels that sat in the safe. All was going well until final assembly of my dad’s TRP in stainless. When going to put the pin back in, it slipped and scratched the slide. Thinking on my feet I figured I could polish it out with a Dremel tool and some light oil. Although it was small, the damage had been done. I am still thankful to this day that the old man didn’t skin me alive.
 
This Colt Gold Cup Trophy was my first ever competition gun and a gun I regularly carried on my hip when I was working the gun counter. The Sig above it was a first production year Sig GSR rocking the coveted Surefire MR07
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