Opinion on these Handguns

[357]

Originally Posted by Remo_5_0

I agree to shoot some and find out what one you like, but I can't advocate the use of a 1911 as a self defense weapon, yes they are sexy and lots of fun to shoot, but I have seen far to many of them goes toes up on the range under optimal conditions, I still don't know why some of my co-workers choose to carry those things. My .02

The US government issued them as the standard sidearm for all branches of the military for 75 years (1911-1985).

Infact, the 1911 was put through rigorous testing before it was selected:

http://m1911.org/full_history.htm

A torture test was conducted, on March 3rd, 1911. The test consisted of having each gun fire 6000 rounds. One hundred shots would be fired and the pistol would be allowed to cool for 5 minutes. After every 1000 rounds, the pistol would be cleaned and oiled. After firing those 6000 rounds, the pistol would be tested with deformed cartridges, some seated too deeply, some not seated enough, etc. The gun would then be rusted in acid or submerged in sand and mud and some more tests would then be conducted.

Browning's pistols passed the whole test series with flying colors. It was the first firearm to undergo such a test, firing continuously 6000 cartridges, a record broken only in 1917 when Browning's recoil-operated machine gun fired a 40000 rounds test.

IMO there is nothing wrong with the 1911 design. There have been improvements to them over the past century, but the basic design is still the same.