Why bother with a 1911/semi-auto

[chickenfried]

But the aftermath of a 1911 malfunction is much simpler and less time consuming. If your 1911 malfunctions the people around you will just shake their head and say "See what you get for using such an outdated design. Get with the times, chief." and everyone goes back to shooting.

But if a glock malfunctions. People will gather around with a confused look on their face mumbling about glock perfection. Then they'll want to perform tests on the strength of your wrists. Then video analysis of how you hold a gun. Final step being a dissection of the ammo you used, lots of measurements with a micrometer and scale. Shooting won't resume for hours.

We’re talking about handguns here, not magic wands......

Semi-auto pistols will malfunction. Revolvers will malfunction. They’re just machines.

[tacticalcity]

seriously.. "slow"? "slow to reload"???

I know that it is cool to talk about all the bad guys we are gonna put down with our mad skilz and nerves of steel and all that but...

How many of you guys have shot at even one bad guy much less 5 or six of em at once? I mean.. I have had to point a gun at someone and it was an old 1917 Smith 45 acp revolver.. I bet the end of the barrel looked like a sewer pipe.

If you can't win a gunfight with an old single action 45 or 44-40.. you probly can't win it with anything.

For most of us.. what we are gonna get in a lifetime of owning handguns is a great sport and a lot of really fun plinking and target shooting and maybe a little hunting.. We might feel a lot safer if we have one handy but it won't much matter what one it is.

If you just fired six shots at a bad guy and his pirate/zombie band and they aren't running away by then.. you are just dead anyway. You shoulda been using the shots to hit something while making your way to your rifle or out of the area.

The thing is.. pride of ownership and fun shooting times is what we are gonna use handguns for. Revolvers are more useful.

Honestly I am not sure how to respond to that.

I have no problem with you using your handgun for plinking at the range, and being fine with a basic skillset. If your focus is hunting and sport shooting and self defense is an after thought, I am cool with that - provided you have basic gun safety down. Every tool has its appropriate purpose, and for your purposes, a revolver is the right tool for the job. I agree with that portion of your statement completely. The rest however is a problem for me.

You assume the rest of us are in the same boat as you and have the same needs and mindset. Many of us are police officers, military, private contractors, security guards, or simply people who make self defense our primary focus. Our needs are very different than yours.

My guns are not for hunting - they are for killing so that I may live. The paper targets I am shooting, are merely stand ins for people trying to hurt me. This is a mindset I learned in the military, and it has stayed with me. I hope and pray that day will never come, but I train for it just the same. I train to stay alive under the worst possible conditions and do not assume I will be facing only one opponent. I train to level beyond that expected by most law enforcement agencies and the military, or at least I make every effort to, because there is no such thing as good enough.

I do this partly because I am former military, partly because I received a free trip to high end training school many years ago and got hooked on it, partly because I am not ready to put myself out to pasture and rule out the possibility of carrying a gun for living again, and partly because I do carry concealed and find it irresponsible to do so unless I am proficient to the highest standards.

We have very different mindsets based upon our backgrounds, experiences, and level of training we have received. I have no problem with that. Not sure why you do.

Oh, and while I don't expect to ever run into an imaginary zombie hoard, I do expect I would likely survive the experience (provided the head shot thing really takes them out like it does in the movies).

[M. D. Van Norman]

[Sam]

Yeah, but they're hoping they don't end up as a Kimber!

And if they're really lucky they don't grow into one of those overly tight Les Baers.

[M. D. Van Norman]

Of course, a malfunctioning all-steel handgun makes a slightly better club than a malfunctioning plastic handgun.

[tacticalcity]

The Les Baer I have tried was AMAZING!!! As in cut off your left pinky finger to pay for it amazing. Guess every shooter is different.

[tacticalcity]

Nothin’ wrong with a good revolver either.



Even 90-year-old examples.

Now that is one heck of collectors item. Still shoots as well as the day it was made. Nice gun. What is it exactly?

There are a LOT of guns I would love to own, and do own lots of different guns including a S&W .357 revolver handed down to me...and I love it. I am not exactly in a rush to buy a holster for all of them and use them for CCW. Doesn't mean they are not a heck of a lot of fun to shoot, or that they are not accurate, or that they are not well made. Its just every tool has its purpose, and I like grabbing the right tool for the right job. If I could only afford one gun, it would be my Glock 19.

[M. D. Van Norman]

[tacticalcity]

What caliber was it originally? Was it converted because the original ammo became obsolete, or just because somebody wanted a .45 ACP?

Oldest firearm in my current collection is 1950s Remintgon Sportsman 58 12GA Semi-Auto Shotgun. I used to own an old Enfield, but it had been sporterized which I was not crazy about. Most my guns are modern. The older ones where my Grandfathers and from his era or my fathers and from his era. The side of the family that is into firearms has only been here since shortly after WWI. So its not like they were allowed to bring the really old ones over from Italy with them. The side of the family that has been here as long as white people stepped foot on this soil stopped owning guns several generations ago.

Point is, if that was passed down through the family, you are a very lucky man.

[socalshooting]

Nice shootin'. She might be old but she's still got some fight left in her.

[M. D. Van Norman]

What caliber was it originally? Was it converted because the original ammo became obsolete, or just because somebody wanted a .45 ACP?

I think that these were usually converted from .455 Webley when imported to the United States. I’ve heard various explanations, but I’m sure ammunition availability had something to do with it.



Modern, safe-action pistols can certainly get the job done too.

Glocks are perfectly fine handguns. I’ve owned them in the past, but they don’t fit me well.

[Black Majik]

And if they're really lucky they don't grow into one of those overly tight Les Baers.

Haha, touche!

[23 Blast]

MD van Norman, what kind of gun is that?

BTW - nice shooting!

Back on topic of the OP, 1911's and other autopistols were developed as military arms first. Their higher rate of fire and greater ammunition capacity in the context of a battlefield were highly desirable traits. Plus, their higher tendency to malfunction compared to revolvers would be mitigated in a battlefield context because you would normally be fighting alongside your mates, not alone, and in any case, if you were having to fight with a handgun, you were probably pretty well f---ed anyway.

[M. D. Van Norman]

Which one?

The last one I posted is a Kahr Arms K9.

[mothermopar]

A well made 1911 (Colt, for example) has no equal in the handgun world. Why?

1. Reliability (if well made its as reliable as ANY modern auto).
2. Proven itself in combat on the streets and in the home
3. Caliber. 45 ACP. There's really no better SD/HD/Combat handgun round.
4. You can pound a nail into a board with it and it won't crack and still fire.
5. You can pound a turd's head with it if necessary... and still it will fire.
6. Americana factor: historical and respected worldwide.
7. Collector value of some brands (I mention Colt). It will likely be worth more when your grandkids have it than when you bought it.
8. Need we go on?

A well made revolver has similar attributes and for the more novice, is the more pratical choice.

Heck, who am I kidding... OWN BOTH!