Posted on 08/27/2008 4:05:36 AM PDT by sig226
It was adopted in 1911 and is probably the longest serving military weapon ever devised. Although the English Webley revolver lasted a few more years of continous service, the Colt 1911A1 was shelved, then returned to service.
Some folks just like the caliber, others love the pistol. It was adopted because.38 caliber revolvers failed to stop the Mauro Tribesmen in the Phillippine Insurrection. .30 caliber Krag - Jorgenson rifles also failed to stop the Mauros, most likely because they ate opium, but the United States decided to standardize a larger caliber.
They first took up the Colt Model 1911 designed by John Browning. They changed it to the 1911A1 in 1924, after reviewing complaints from soldiers in World War I. This photo shows the differences.
The trigger was one of the best found on a military sidearm due to the single action fire control. It was used in Bullseye matches and a small industry evolved to modify the pistol to make it more accurate. Over the years, plenty of gunsmiths earned a comfortable living doing just this.
Of course, it evolved into the highly modified 'race guns' used in IPSC matches; pistols that have almost no practical utility at all, but are a hoot to fire on a timed course.
After the United States switched to the Beretta M9 9mm pistol, plenty of gun people thought the 1911 was destined to die an ignominious death at the hands of the 'wonder nine.' But along came Bill Clinton, who took away the high capacity magazine and thus eliminated the advantage of the 16 shot 9mm over the 8 shot .45. If you have to carry a thin gun anyway, it might as well make a big hole . . .
You can get a new 1911 for around $500.00 for a Springfield 1911 GI (the plain Jane model) all the way up to $4,000.00 if you want the top of the line from makers like Nighthawk. Or you can get your Brownell's Catalog and make your own.
I’m glad I was able to get a look at it! It is quite unique!
Ive noticed all sorts of little things in it, kinda like lookin at fossils in rock...
I love that finish.
Bet it don’t show fingerprints either . . .
I will say John Browning's guns do invariably fit the person. I like the feel of the 1911 but the Browning Hi-Power has the best feel in the grip of any pistol to me. Some of the CZ and their clones are about as good.
Yeah, that’s what I thought as well. You did say it was buried in mud, so you would have something like fossilized plants on the entirety of the gun. It’s almost something I would wait for. It also looks like it’s completely rusted.
completely rusted ??? ouchers...
I spent h-o-u-r-s with picks, dremel wire wheels, scraping & sanding before getting it back to metal... the 'blue' didnt take as well as Id liked [my first attempt] at first... when it was dark blued/black, most of the impefections were masked unless you held it at the right angle/lighting...
I ended up with a film coating of blueing, guess God wanted it that way...hehehe...but it definately aint rusty now...yet...
‘waSted’...sorry, Im not much for grammar patrol, but in a name its only polite...
It gives it kind of a rustic look to it. Makes it that much more attractive.
It looks authenticated.
Para Ordnance makes several double action models - LDA - but they’re DA only.
Takamine 12 String...it was a honey. Played really smooth, sweet, bright, and jangly (is that even a word?), like a good 12 should...miss that old girl...a cold beer, the 12, and sitting under the tree in the yard on a warm summer eve, pickin’ and grinnin’...
Still have my electrics though...old American Strat, some Ibanez’s, etc.
And as for the Beretta...well, it turned out to be good for the wife, who now inherited it from me... she likes it and is proficient with it.
Got one o’ those too...it was my Mom’s carry piece.
SW642 is very similar, but in the lightweight alloy, and has an enclosed hammer. Has Pachmayer grips on it too, to ease the recoil (doesn’t, but they say it does...)
A sweet little sidearm.
My sentiments exactly...beats a pointed stick every time...
“...Here’s Gilbo’s Series 70 Colt!...”
It has character...class...and style.
I like the ParaOrd double stackers too. Thought about getting one, but the $$$$$ is just too much.
I bought my Springfield used for $425.00. To me, that’s about all I want to pay. Put a new spring in it, and it’s been a fine, reliable piece of machinery.
AND - still kicking myself over this one - I passed up an Argentine 1911 (Argentine Colt Sistema Model 1927) that was sitting on the shelf for $225.00 around the same time...it was identical in every aspect.
I don’t know the collector value, etc., but it was a cool sidearm, and I should have picked it up when I could. had some wear and tear, scratches, etc., but it had character and probably some history too...should have gotten it. Don’t know WHAT I was thinking at the time.
As a matter of fact, come to think of it, I only bought maybe two or three of my collection brand new. Everything else was prior-owned. (probably cause I’m such a cheap b*stard...or broke...or both...)
Ok, I’m confused. How did you get that finish?
An acoustic 12 string? Nice
I dunno how an acoustic would play jangly, but I know electrics can.
Well, jangly as in 12 strings ringing together, one or two slightly out of tune (always), but sweet and sentimental...in a sort of old folky way. Probably wasn’t the best choice of adjective to describe it, but...
It had a real nice sound to it - loud and clear. I miss it. Maybe I’ll get another one one of these days, when finances lighten up a bit...or if times get better, so I can concentrate on simple things like just playing guitar again.
Present times are too perilous politically to worry about the trivial...we’re watching the potentional dismantling of our Republic unfolding right before our eyes. This crap keeps me up at night sometimes.
Probably not the best to be that way, but reality is what it is, and we can’t choose our reality - it’s kind of chosen for us. These are our times, OUR days, and we’re the ones who are put here to deal with them.
I think the answer’s in Post 24.
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