On Historical Significance, Influence, and the Venerable .45

When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to turn 21. Not because I was super excited to buy beer (although I did do some of that), but because my parents weren’t too keen on purchasing me a handgun, so I knew I was going to have to do it myself. There was one handgun in particular that had captivated my imagination since I had first tuned into the History Channel: The Colt 1911 .45ACP semiautomatic pistol, designed by John Moses Browning.

Keep in mind that this was back in the days when the History Channel had shows about actual history, as opposed to the reality TV and farcical drivel they provide these days. Back then shows like Modern Marvels, Mail Call, Tales of the Gun, and Wild West Tech ruled the line-up. So as a young boy, watching shows like Tales of the Gun, and seeing the 1911 being used “in the hands of hero and villain alike.” I was hooked, and I wanted one.

It is easy to see why too. A young boy with a fascination with firearms, eagerly consuming any and all historical materials off of the television. The 1911 had, and still carries, a certain romanticism for me. The gun was carried by heroes like Alvin York as he used his 1911 to kill 7 Germans with 7 shots in WWI, taking captive 132 other German soldiers. In the interwar years, it was used by gangsters like Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde, as well as the forces of justice that pursued them. The 1911 was called upon again to serve our forces in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and every conflict up to now, and probably beyond.

But why? Why this gun in particular, out of all the numerous firearms, or even all the other handguns? For many others, our military included, I assume it has a lot to do with the round it fires (.45 ACP) and familiarity (it has been around for over 100 years now). For me, it boils down to three things: Longevity, Adaptability, and Beauty.

When you look at all the variants and prototypes of the 1911, the gun has been around for well over 100 years. 1911 denotes the year in which the pistol was adopted by the US, but the gun has it’s roots stretch back as far as the later 1890’s. There have been various variations and improvements to the 1911, but it has remained relatively unchanged throughout the century plus of it’s development. When I first started saving up money to buy a handgun, I wanted a 1911, and I wanted the best, coolest looking one I could find. So after doing some shopping around online, I came to this conclusion:

The Nighthawk Custom had every representation of the evolution of the 1911 from bare bones service pistol to highly customized variants you see on the market today. Enhanced beaver tail grip, added tactical rail for accessories, improved sights, and a threaded barrel for mounting a suppressor. The gun has it all, and a price tag to boot.

For me, that was part of the allure of the pistol from the beginning. Highly customized fighting tools that were personalized for each man who carried one. I was, however, easily swayed after raising nearly enough money to buy ten guns for the price of this one. While this gun was expensive, it does represent an important tenet of the modern day 1911: The gun is highly adaptable. There are variants out there for just about every role you can imagine. Models in different caliber, from .22 Long Rifle to .357 Magnum and even .50 caliber versions. Versions designed to shoot one ragged hole in a piece of paper shot after shot after shot. 1911s with shortened grips and barrels to make them easier to use for concealed carry. The list goes on. What I ended up going with was something more plain, more classic, than I originally intended.

I purchased a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911A1, and opposed to the $3,000+ the Nighthawk would have cost me, this piece cost me a little over $500 at the time. Besides simple economics, the reasoning was simple: when I thought about how I first became enamored with the pistol, I fell for the original models. While the Springfield I purchased is not necessarily the “original” styling, it was close enough for me and my taste. But take awhile to just look at the gun. It’s classic looking. Wood checkered grips, the old style grip safety and spur hammer, old-school trigger. No frills, no excess, just a bare bones pistol, and I love that about it. I love the way this gun looks, I think it’s beautiful, a piece of machined art.

While this pistol may be beautiful to look at, adaptable, and pretty much timeless, it is not without its flaws. First off, it is very heavy. Much heavier then the new polymer framed handguns that companies like Glock, Smith and Wesson, and even Springfield Armory produce. This weight makes it a pain to carry around, especially as a concealed carry piece. You can still do it, and I often do, but it is a bit more fatiguing than say, a Glock 19. That really is to be expected though.

Furthermore, the round most 1911s fire is expensive, sharp recoiling, and depending upon who you ask, unnecessary. The .45ACP has an almost cult-like following with American Shooters. Most people who own more than one pistol own at least one chambered in .45ACP. Rumored to be a “man-stopper” and thus more effective than its 9mm or .40S&W counterparts, the round has a vicious recoil, especially with a fatiguing round count. Is it totally unmanageable? No, of course not. But try putting a couple hundred rounds of .45 downrange, and then try a couple hundred rounds of 9mm. You’ll see the difference. When you try this experiment, keep in mind that .45ACP prices sometimes creep up around $0.50 a round, where as 9mm tends to stay more in the $0.20-$0.30 range.

So is the gun perfect? No, no it is not. If you’re looking for something to carry with you everyday, that’s easy to shoot and cheap to feed, then try one of the plastic fantastics out there from Glock, Smith and Wesson, or many others. But if you are looking for a piece of firearms history, a gun you can appreciate now and pass on to your kids/grandkids later, then this is the piece for you.

Shoot safe,

Spencer

If you have 33ish minutes, watch this video from TacTV.