1911's. What's so great about them?

[Captain Jack]

1911's were great in their day, but are they still great today for a design that old compared to many other new .45's out there on the market? There seems to be quite a craze for them by a lot of different people (gun collectors, shooters, etc). I just don't get it. It's a good gun, don't get me wrong, but I've handled other .45's that seem just as good, and are lighter. Any ideas?

 

[The Question]

They're tried and true, man. It's always best to go with 1. Battle-proven and 2. as standardized as possible, and the 1911 meets both criteria quite well. Evolution happens, of course -- another weapon with such a lifespan, for for the same reasons, is the M1, which evolved to become the M14 and M25 and is still evolving as the M1A.

 

[Captain Jack]

This sucks. My beautiful thread has be disgraced by being moved to a forum where it will be buried in a matter of minutes.

I have no doubts that the 1911 is a tried and true gun. But it is astonishing to see such a strong love for this model despite the fact that there are newer .45's out there that are smaller, lighter, and possibly nearly or just as good as a 1911. I guess it is like owning a Model 94 Winchester. There are better guns out there, but the 94 has a lot of history behind it.

 

[The Question]

That's part of it, too. As many practical reasons as there are for owning any piece of hardware with serious longevity behind it -- standardization, familiarity, plentiful supply of ammunition, third-party modifications/accessories and inexpensive but high-quality replacement components -- there are just as many subjective reasons to go with 'em.

 

[Captain Jack]

Is it true that 1911's are interchangeable with their parts?

 

[The Question]

If both weapons strictly adhere to the 1911 design, then yes. I've seen an old WW2 vintage 1911 take parts from a circa-1994 commemorative edition with no trouble.