The 1911 - Still Relevant or Outdated?

It's wild, you wouldn't think that you'd get like emotional just shooting a gun, you know? All right, before we kick this video off, I know it's been a few weeks since I've done an upload. I've been busy, okay? But since we're getting back into it, I want to talk about something that's kind of been on my mind since February 14th, Valentine's Day. No, I'm not talking about love and all that type of stuff. Unless you're talking about in love with a true classic firearm, I'm talking about the 1911. And why Valentine's Day? Because that is the day in which it was patented. But let's be real. The 1911, for as long as it's been around, for as many road wars that it's managed to win, is it really still all that relevant? Is it time to go ahead and admit that the 1911 is just obsolete? Let's talk about it. For something that's over 114 years old and still a point of contention, something that is often debated, it's obviously, well, got a reputation. We've seen the 1911 pistol in countless movies, video games. We've seen them in westerns, the gangster films, and most likely in your dad's safe. But is it still relevant? Is something like a single stack .45, is it considered obsolete today? We're going to talk about that and more. But first, I want to go ahead and give a big shout out and thank you to the supporters of the channel, including Mnadnok Firearms. The homies over at Mnadnok Firearms have been supporting the channel since day number one. So be sure to check them out. They are available nationwide. And if you're not taking advantage of what's on screen right now, you should because, well, your wallet will thank you. Additionally, if you're looking at this wall behind me and you're thinking that looks pretty freaking awesome, big shout out to my friends over at Hold Up Displays, made right here in America, the provider of the highest quality walls to display all of your Second Amendment pride, just like you see here. Check them out, Hold Up Displays. And last but not least, Gun Owners of America. GOA is the only no-compromise gun lobby fighting in D.C. right now to restore our Second Amendment right. All that being said, let's get back to this video. Designed by John Moses Browning, a.k.a. one of the most influential men when it comes to firearms history ever, the 1911 has withstood the test of time. It has seen action all throughout the world for over 100 years, up until recently with the United States Marine Corps Special Operations Command. It was adopted by the United States military in, yes, 1911, served in both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and like I said, all the way up through all of the Sand Wars, and here it is today, still in front of me, still being argued about its relevancy. There's plenty online that will tell you that these plastic guns that you see behind me are weak sissy guns, and you're only a real man if you carry cold hard steel in your pants. However, there's also an argument to be made that .45 ACP is awesome, and that .45 will be greater than 9mm any day of the week. 17 plus rounds of 9mm is greater than 8 rounds of .45 ACP. Capacity is definitely the setback when it comes to the 1911. However, there is something to be said about the way this gun feels, handles, and shoots, and obviously its significance over time in the firearms world, but is it perfect? We've already talked about one of the setbacks being capacity. Another setback, it's heavy. Another setback, it's pretty complicated. A lot of modern firearms today are a little bit easier to field strip, they're lighter, and they have greater capacity. When you've got things like double-stack 1911s, like my Bull Armory Tac that you see right here, this thing has a capacity of, well, it seems to almost not stop. 19 plus rounds of 9mm, and with the advancement in technology, the 9mm cartridge has become very, very effective. Now, that also is true about .45 ACP, because when it comes to advancement in technology for the .45 cartridge, we've also seen it become more lethal and capable of doing more in defense situations. But again, capacity being a large setback, it's nice to have with 9mm. And there are 9mm 1911s that exist, but if you're like me, single-stack 1911s chambered in 9mm just feel a little anemic. However, that's not to say that they're not awesome shooters, and great in their own right, it's just if I'm going to own a 1911 that's not a double-stack, it's going to be .45 for me, personally. And if the 1911 isn't still relevant, then why are companies still producing 1911s, even newer 1911s? And something like, well, Century Arms came out with their Centurion 11. See what they did there? Centurion 11. I get it. But Century Arms importing now the Centurion 11 from Turkey, you're seeing affordable 1911s hit the market, which wasn't always the case. Especially when affordable, especially with the 1911 platform, also probably meant lacking in reliability. Something you probably stayed away from. But also, if you wanted to get into a reliable 1911, something like this Colt Railgun that you see right here, you're still looking at an over $1,000 pistol. And for that amount of money, you can find things that have, again, twice the capacity, less weight, hammer-fired over striker-fired, is that a big deal over another? Again, pros and cons to each, but I really do love the trigger of a single-action hammer-fired pistol. It's just, it's smooth, it's sweet, you're going to absolutely love it. But again, we've all kind of, well, made fun of Glock for the longest time for multiple reasons, but one of the biggest reasons was that gritty trigger. Even now, for $100 with the Glock performance trigger, it's a phenomenal upgrade and should be the standard trigger that Glock comes with because it's a night and day difference from the factory Glock trigger, which feels incredible. If you're wanting to upgrade the trigger in your 1911, which most likely already feels pretty good to begin with, you're still looking at a pretty expensive price point. And again, that's because of the complications of this gun. You've got to think about the technology around, well, the early 1900s when this gun was designed compared to today, manufacturing and just everything, a little bit more complicated. Heavier, less capacity, more complicated. Still relevant? Absolutely. Because you wouldn't see manufacturers be coming out with, again, new, just like 1911A1 style guns if it wasn't a relevant pistol. Fun to shoot. Extremely fun. Accurate and reliable. Yes, a lot of people will make fun of 1911s, you know, just because they jam, jam, jam. And I actually find that to be, in my case, not exactly the case. Simply because, well, these are the 1911s that I shoot. My Colts, especially the one that I grew up with and the first pistol I ever shot, this was my dad's Series 70 Government Model 1911 that he sent to Wilson Combat to have accurized and just upgraded way back when. And I fell in love with this pistol and have not once ever had an issue firing this gun. Same with my Colt 1911 Railgun. And as you see with my Centurion 11 here, running the crap out of it and having great success. Now, that's not to say that other manufacturers out there that had a really great name at one point in time, then started to come out with 1911s. They started lacking on their quality control. And then you started to get that peanut butter and jam with just about all of them. Looking at you, Kimber. But that's also not to say that they didn't make up for that later on. But there was a time where Kimber was like really, really good. And then all of a sudden it was like jam nation. And then it was like, they kind of fell off because of that. And then they started making like these little compact 9 mils that I don't know, but whatever. Anyway, all that being said, the 1911, I think is a great pistol. I do believe that everybody should own one. It's just one of those things where it's like when you own a 1911 pistol, you're owning a piece of history. You're owning a firearm that was an absolute trailblazer for firearms of today. And if you don't appreciate the 1911, there's most likely something wrong with you. Now, would I actually carry it? The answer is yes, but it depends in what situation. There's often times I find myself when I'm out in the yard that I'm rocking this right here. We've got a little bit larger predators in the area. And I like the capacity enough of my 1911 with my 10 round extension for chip McCormick mags. So 10 rounds plus one of 45 ACP, I feel pretty comfortable with that with my Alpha Omega Kydex holster. This is an extremely comfortable and ergonomic gun to carry. Now, on the other hand, if I knew I was going to be carrying something for concealed carry, definitely better options than a full size 1911. There are more compact 1911s, which you guys have seen with my double stack ultra light from Bull Armory, which is something that I use quite often. 15 plus one capacity, nine mil again, extremely ergonomic, very comfortable. And yes, has a rail on it so I can also mount a light and also an optic up top as you can see. 10 out of 10 would recommend, loved that. But there's also, well, when it comes to like a combat pistol, if I'm going to have a sidearm, I'm probably not going to rock my 1911 at the end of the day. Just what I'm saying. I've got, if I am going to go 45, it's going to be my FNX 45 tactical because that's at least 15 rounds of 45 in the magazine. I love the capacity. Again, mounting a red dot, threaded barrel, rail, all of the modern features that I like in, well, modern pistols that I just want. And that's all there is to it. Now, that's not to say that I wouldn't take another hammer fired gun over a 1911 style like my SIG 226, which is a great gun also. Love it. So, you know, the options are plentiful when it comes to it. And at the end of it all, I absolutely will always advocate for owning a 1911. But if it's going to be your first gun and a gun that you want to carry for defensive purposes, it's not going to be my first recommendation. That's that, guys. Let me know what you think down in the comment section below. God bless you all. And don't forget, we are so close to 100,000 subscribers. And you know what that means when we hit 100k? Okay, that's, I'll just leave it at that. God bless you guys. We'll see you next time right here. That just feels entirely way too good. This was my dad's favorite pistol, you know? I don't know if I'm going to leave this in the video or not, but it's all right. I'm only human. I know if I would have left this in the safe and never shot it, my dad would be like, what the hell are you doing, son? You know? And this part of the video is for my kids. If when I'm gone and I leave this gun to you guys, my Mark 18 and everything else, if you guys don't shoot those guns, if you don't take them out, run some drills, exercise your second amendment right and defend it, then you're doing a disrespect to my memory. But with all that being said, it's wild. You wouldn't think that you'd get like emotional just shooting a gun, you know? But I still have memories of my dad and him teaching me a lot of what I know now about firearm safety and all that with this very pistol. Take care of yourselves, guys. My dad was only 63. I was 24 and he was taken due to heart disease. He didn't really take care of himself that much, you know? He had such bad cholesterol that it started developing like pockets in his eyes, you know? It was pretty bad. You know, I wish he spent a lot more time with us, but it's all right. So to my kids, I promise I'm going to take better care of myself. All right, let's get back to this video. Sorry.