Free Republic

ANNISTON, Ala. —An east Alabama congressman has a plan to save taxpayers money when it comes to storing vintage firearms for the Army. The plan involves moving the weapons to the Civilian Marksmanship Program, which includes its facility in Anniston. Congressman Rogers says it's a win-win because the pistols are placed in very capable hands at the Civilian Marksmanship Program and it also saves taxpayers roughly $200,000 per year. The M1911A1 pistol was once the standard sidearm for U.S. armed forces. Rogers says a little over 8,000 of the 100,000 pistols were sold to law enforcement and transferred to foreign...

In 1985 the United States Army replaced the Colt 1911 service pistol with the Italian designed M9 Beretta. The first question that came to mind is why? Why not simply order up a few hundred thousand of the then new Series 80 Colts?

I am looking to get a 1911 45 ACP for recreational shooting, home defense and sometimes Carry. I currently have a .357 Taurus snub nose that I carry with .38 +P Personal Defense Ammo. I would like an older, used Military Pistol and am leaning toward a M1911A1. I am not interested in modern day knockoffs at this time. Anyone out there please advise pros and cons of the various vintages of 1911's. Is there a preferred Manufacturer?

Please see below:Thiswas writen by my husband, FReeper M1911A1, about his father Jack, who passed away this morning. He was 84 years old.  We have come to refer to the survivors of the Great Depression and WWII as “the Greatest Generation”. This phrase honors those, who like my father, were participants in some of the most difficult and pivotal moments in American history.  Yet, as all labels do, it masks extraordinary individual stories in a generalization.   My dad’s story is the sort that captures a boy’s imagination.  As a young boy himself, he confessed to mischief that I could...

In 1911 the U.S. military adopted a new sidearm: John Browning’s venerable .45 caliber automatic pistol. That pistol served with distinction as our armed forces’ standard sidearm into the 1980s, when it was officially replaced by the Beretta M9 9mm automatic pistol. In recent years, however, the 1911 Model .45, in a more modern guise, has been enjoying a renaissance of sorts. At the time of the M9’s adoption, it was regarded as a more modern design and thus a suitable replacement for the tried and true .45, many examples of which were very elderly and worn out, giving it...