Colt 1911

rbsivley

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/10/21/colt-offering-vintage-black-army-m1911-pistols-handful-lucky-buyers.html

Spk

Lucky buyers is an understatement!

I just hope to the good Lord above, that these vintage firearms find homes with buyers that truly appreciate the history in there hands.

I would give each buyer an oral 1911 history test on the spot. The first question would be, "Tell me the difference between the 1911 and the 1911A1." Wrong answers would disqualify you as a buyer!

The Colt Model 1911 .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol that John Browning dreamed up more than a century ago remains one of the most beloved sidearms in U.S. military history. Hell, there's a reason why Army Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, still rocks an M1911A1 on his hip despite the fact that the Army no longer issues them to soldiers.

'Nough said 😏

JKP

The General carrying a 1911 is supposed to mean something? Hah! That guy will never need his sidearm or any other weapon so why is his choice of a 1911 supposed to prove anything?

Ask some of the guys that might actually need a sidearm what they would choose...my $ says Glock. 

i own several 1911s but Colt supposedly building "new" history is a silly notion. Kudos to them I guess if they can put a $1k retail price on a $500 gun. 

Spk

knitepoet said:

"New limited run..."

Meh

Luckily for M1911 fans, however, 
Colt is selling off pistols from the 
new limited run for just $999. 

Dang!

I thought these were originals.

If I want a replica, I could get a RIA.

Oh well... 😡

Spk

JKP said:

The General carrying a 1911 is supposed to mean something? Hah! That guy will never need his sidearm or any other weapon so why is his choice of a 1911 supposed to prove anything?

...

I'm pretty sure he wasn't born a general.

He's had an interesting military history including 3 Bronze Stars.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_S._Miller

... 1992, Miller completed the Delta selection course and was assigned to 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment – Delta (1st SFOD-D), or Delta Force at Fort Bragg, North Carolina ...

Interpret that any way you want but I'm guessing he didn't make he choice Willy/Nilly.

JKP

He can afford to tote a three pound sidearm since he has a Captain to carry all of his other gear!

JKP

To be clear, I'm certainly not knocking the General in any way. I just think it's silly that the author of that article thinks his choice of sidearm matters in the context of hyping Colt's reproduction of a WW1 era 1911. Plus, I'm willing to bet what's he's toting isn't just any old M1911A1!

Spk

Yes, the author of that article uses the general and his choice of a 1911A1 (probably tricked out by their armorers) to hype the (unfortunately) replica 1911s.

I'm still mad about that! I was distracted by the thought these were real vintage 1911s. A real 1911, depending on model and condition, can easily be worth over a grand and some run upwards of 15 grand. Imagine my disappointment when knite pointed out they're replicas.

earlyagain

I've read a lot of cool stories about 1911's used in actual combat. The ones that captured my thoughts the most are the guys that just needed a little piece of mind to catch a bit of sleep in a hostile dangerous situation. The pistol gave them that. In my perception, more often than not, its what pistols do best.

Gene L

Herbert McBride, a WWI vet served in the Canadian Army and later I believe in the US Army.  He was a machine gun specialist, but did a number of trench raids as an Infantryman.  He carried a 1911 which his family sent him through the mail, Canada issue being the .455 revolver.  He favored it WAY over the revolvers because it was less subject to mud-fouling when crawling toward the trenches of the Germans.  He said he only fired the Colt one time on a raid, but he really needed that one time.  He wrote "A Rifleman Went to War," which is  a good read on that conflict.

McBride himself has some serious alcohol problems and died a few years after the book was published and got into trouble when he was with Canada.  During the Great War, as an impromptu sniper, he favored the Ross rifle with the Warner-Swazey offset scope, because he could look through the open sights at a target which were lined up with the WS scope. Perhaps the only praise for the WS sight I've ever read....heavy and apparently awkward.  He had to shim the scope mount up with razor blades and intentionally rust it to hold zero.