"Is the m1911 pistol only available in .45acp?"
It's a deliciously intricate question, when you come down to it. For those steeped in the lore of the 1911, we might name the .38 Super and the 10mm as other worthy calibers for a 1911 to be chambered in. For folks that value the 1911 platform for micro-sized conceal carry guns, they're well aware that 1911s are chambered in 9mm. For the competition shooters, the .40 S&W-based guns offer a higher power factor than the 9mm in a gun that holds a full 10 (or more) rounds.
But asking if the 1911 comes in something other than .45 ACP is a perfectly valid question. The "Colt 45" is a ubiquitous piece of Americana; as American as motherhood, apple pie, or the '57 Chevy. Thomas Magnum, Eliot Ness, Starsky, every WWII movie every made, even Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas carried a 1911 in .45 ACP. For someone not intimately familiar with the 1911 in its many incarnations, it's quite reasonable to wonder if there is any caliber other than .45 ACP for the 1911.
And then again, some of us believe that 1911s should only be chambered in .45ACP like G-d and His prophet John Moses Browning (PBUH) intended...
That is all.
14 comments:
Or the diminuative Sig P238, in .380...
1911 in 45 forever. Enough said.
See Ya
Uh oh...so you're NOT the guy to ask about my buying decision for my coveted 9mm 1911?
Blasphemy!
The "Colt 45" is a ubiquitous piece of Americana; as American as motherhood, apple pie, or the '57 Chevy.
Well yeah ... except that when you say "Colt 45" to me, I think first of the cowboy's companion, the Single Action Army in .45 Long Colt. That other one you're talking about is the 1911, M1911, Army .45, .45 Auto, Army pistol, or any of many other appellations ... but not a Colt 45.
You want a 1911 in 9mm, you are dead to me...
(just kidding)
I've got nothing against them, especially in the micro-sized 1911s (in fact, really, it seems like micro-1911s in .45 ACP tend to have more than their share of feeding issues, so perhaps 9mm is a better choice...)
The full sized 1911, as designed, was meant to shoot .45acp ball ammo. It does that well, and reliably.
When 1911s are modified, to shoot more accurately for example, reliability can suffer. The gun was designed as a combat handgun, and too much tinkering makes it finicky.
In the case of a caliber (and power) change, balancing the springs, slide weight, ramp angle, and the cartridge characteristics (such as bullet weight, bullet shape, and load) can be done. It may not be easy, cheap, or quick.
Since this is a carry piece we are discussing, reliability has to be absolute. If he has a favorite cartridge, and the time and money, perhaps in six months or so, after getting the gun set up and shooting a thousand rounds without a stovepipe or an FTF, he could start carrying it.
I would start in the other direction. What caliber is he planning on carrying? What guns were designed around that cartridge? A Springfield XD, or even a Glock, might be a more reliable choice for a gun he could take out of the box, shoot several hundreds rounds out of, and then trust enough to carry.
If he really wants a 1911, I think the Springfield Operator would be a good starting platform. It only comes in .45acp, which tells you something. That would give him, at a reasonable price, most of the modern features he'd want.
If he wants to step up, the Springfield TRP is based on the pistol that the FBI contracted, but it's about $400 dollars more.
I'll be interested to hear what he decides.
Jay,
Isn't the BHP essentially a 1911 chambered for 9x19mm plus a few refinements? Not that I'm advocating a BHP as a service pistol, but just asking.
-- Brad
He's either getting a Glock 23 or a S&W M&P for a service pistol. He just remembered shooting my grandfather's WWI 1911 and started thinking about a 1911 is all.
He was not considering a 1911-style pistol as a service weapon. It was just one of those thought questions that popped into his head while he was looking. The department has a requirement that the guns be chambered in 9mm or .40S&W, and he was wondering if there was a 1911 chambered therein...
Starsky mostly carried a Beretta 92F (or whatever it was called back then). It was Hutch that made the Colt Python .357 an American legend. I remember seeing a plated plastic Python the toy store that I just had to have. Many bags of raked leaved went into that toy.
First a link to a site that compiles guns for sale from many sites--> http://www.riverofguns.com/
Then one to a Para 1911 in .40-->
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=9373036&oh=216543
I really thought he was looking for a carry gun from the post. If he's looking for a range gun, then yes, Colt, Kimber, Para all make or made 1911s in .40, and Mecgar makes mags, at least for the single stacks.
.40? 9mm? 10mm? .38 Super? Is that really still a 1911, or is that 1911-like, kind of like those Para double-stack models? There's a philosophical question for you!
JMB graced us with the Browning Hi-Power if you want to buy a 9mm, or the 1911 if you want a .45. That is all you need.
I don't even understand how a 10mm or .40 S&W can be sold as a 1911, since those calibers didn't even exist in 1911. Shouldn't it be called something else?
It was Hutch that made the Colt Python .357 an American legend.
Andrew it was not Hutch who made this revolver a legend it was Dick Tracy in the comics in the 1930's.
Well, if he's that hard up for a 1911 and he has the cash, he could always pick up a 10mm 1911 and get a .40S&W barrel made for it. Unless I am mistaken the only thing he'd need would be a lighter spring to go with it.
"...inferno's coming, can we surviiiiive the blitzkrieg...."
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