The 1911 Pistol Pros & Cons: Is The 1911 Overrated or Underrated? 

“But honestly, if you were born in America and don’t like 1911s, we can’t be friends”…. Best line ever. Thank you, Chris.

I remember cleaning mine and it had a zen quality to it. It was satisfying to field strip, clean, lube and put it all back together, only to check the slide and dry fire a little to make sure everything was ok. The sound of it was reassuring and it was something that forced you to set some time apart, take your time and focus on one single thing for some minutes, what was calming and almost therapeutic.

This is a timely video. For the ladies its Pumpkin Spice Latte time of the year. For the men, its carry a full size gun time of year.

My grandfather was part of MACV-SOG and always preferred to have his Colt 1911 when everyone around him was using Browning High Powers...When asked why he said the amount of times I saw team members shoot someone even with perfectly placed shots and they would be so doped up they would just keep coming vs the knockdown power he had with the 1911 so he always was very fond of them and I was blessed to inherit his, it will forever be one of my favorite pistols.

To correct a common misconception... The .45 didn't replace the .38 Special. It replaced the .38 Long Colt and .38 Short Colt revolvers. The .38 Special is a significant step up over either, and especially over the Short Colt.

I spit my beer when you mentioned Peter North. I was like, "Did he just say that?" Yes, I'm an old dude.

Something that I found interesting as a carpenter I read that the grip angle on most cordless drills and screw guns are based on 1911 and I believe it because my Dewalt screw gun and drill feels a lot like my Springfield range officer in my hand

John Browning was a genius, the 1911 like many of his designs has stood the test of time. What really got me into the 1911 was hearing my Grandfather who was in the Army in WW II and all over Europe talk about how he carried it everywhere and it never disappointed him and that on the rare occasion when he took German soldiers as prisoners they were intimidated by the bore size of the barrel. Based on my own experience and preference my EDC is a 1911 platform pistol in .45 ACP.

Minor correction, the M1911A1 was officially replaced by the Beretta M9 in 1985. Despite that they remained in use with conventional soldiers as late as 1995.

I have had 1911s since I was 18 (Colt) 45 years ago. I have a Kimber (Original--billet). The newest being a Nighthawk Custom Agent. Love my 1911s

Love the history lesson, comparisons, pros and guns and honest outlaw opinion. Your reviews just keep getting better. That last out take was hilarious 😂 Cheers 🍻

Good video. IMO the 1911A1's rep fell a lot in people's estimations for three reasons. 1) The military manufactured ones were almost completely worn out by the early 80s through age, poor maintenance and infrequent spring replacements. They were nearly smooth bore single shot pistols in many cases. 2) Dozens of crummy companies pumped out lousy clones while the good companies pumped out expensive boutique guns the average shooter couldn't afford. The real nail in the coffin were the old Fudds who talked up the 1911 _while disparaging the Glock_ to Millennial and Gen X shooters. That last point is key. Nobody likes to be gaslit and the resentment bled over to the 1911.

The 1911 design exists to show innovators how much they have to do to come up with a genuine improvement. And yes, for most situations, a 1911 will be an effective tool for solving problems appropriate for handguns.

The trigger and the grip is why I love the 1911. I have now built 6 for myself from the ground up. Building and fitting them is as much fun as shooting them.

Totally agree! I love the 1911 and feel the positives out weigh the negatives. However, if you’re not into maintaining it, then it’s not for you.

One minor correction. The 1911 replaced the M1892 revolver chambered in .38 Long Colt, not .38 special.

Your content has only become more solid over the years. Good stuff.

Excellent video. Probably the most honest perspective I've seen presented on the internet. I've been a devout 1911 guy since 1973 when I was introduced to them in the Army. I was a light weapons and demolition specialist on a Special Forces A Team, so I got to disassemble, assemble, shoot and train others with A LOT of different firearms. Since that time I've shot and owned many different pistol platforms, but my favorite remains the 1911. It fits me best ergonomically and I am most accurate with it. For me the maintenance truly is a labor of love and I'm willing to do it so I can enjoy all of the "Pros" associated with it. And when properly maintained, they are extremely reliable regardless of ammo type. Thanks for the presentation. - Hawk

Between this channel, Humble Marksmen, and Sage Dynamics... I was itching for a 2011. Two weeks ago I got to rent an Atlas Athena. Within 12 hours, I was placing an order for my own Athena. Chris is a enabler. LOL

You definitely nailed all the pros and cons of the 1911. Never seen it so well laid out before! You just helped me go ahead and purchase a 1911 over a beretta M9 and a Sig 229. I think the trigger and accuracy of the 1911 wins!

My Dad taught me how to shoot pistols using a 1911. Since then, I've show striker-fired and DA/SA pistols of almost all brands. When I got into competitive shooting, it was full circle back to 1911/2011. For pure performance, 1911/2011 all day long. If its the Zombie Apocalypse or some other unlikely dystopian scenario, Glock or HK.

As I was watching this video, my Staccato P was sitting on the couch next to me after being carried all day, and my Colt Commander was safely stored upstairs. Great presentation, as always.

This certainly was a very well done video. My fondness for the 1911 goes back to its use in WWll. My father served in the Army at that time. Again a very informative post. Cheers!

Great video I carry a full size 1911 only had revolvers growing up went into the Marines and fell in love with this weapon it just fits hard to miss with keep her clean and she will do the job thanks for the video and all the hard work

The new versions are head and shoulders above the old GI model, which I carried in the mid '80's. Just got the new PSA Admiral model with the rail. So far, so good. It runs well with Chip McCormick magazines.

Thanks Chris, I still carried an Army issue 1911 in Desert Storm. Love it. I own several 1911s to include a Wilson Combat every day carry and several Stryker fire pistols. But I still prefer my 1911s.

1911's are a little to more to maintain and require a little more cleaning and turning, but worth the effort. Been shooting 1911's for forty years, always will be my favorites.

Pro's and cons. From Pancho Villa to Granada and everything in between. One thing I think we can all agree on. Enduring legacy . Great video.

I love mine, great shooter, easy to hit a target, big heavy bullets are always fun. And a very interesting piece of history. It's no 23 round race gun, but it can be in no way over-rated. I would argue a glock is more over-rated, people get on their knees for them, even if they have a crappy trigger and a bad grip, not to mention ugly as it gets. By the way, mine is a very basic springfield milspec, cost me about 600 bucks. And in about 1500 rounds it has yet to have a single failure. I do clean mine, but we should all be doing that anyway.

Bought my first 1911, a tisas 4.25 in .45 with the ed brown bobtail cut. Amazing carry gun. Nobody ever told me how thin a 1911 is for carry. I'll be looking into a 2011 soon enough

Love the video presentation! The first gun I took apart was the 1911 back in 1985 when my LTC left his in my 73 commo van. It was piece of art to me.

I am in almost total agreement with you where the 1911 and 2011's are concerned. The gun that I have had in my personal armory the longest is a Springfield Armory Champion. Ammo finicky as all hell, but I will never get rid of it. Love my 1911's. But love my CZ's also. Glocks in a gun competition to me are like having a matchbox derby car in an F1 race. Love your channel. Keep doing what you do.

Im a big 1911 junkie! I probably have ten of them! I always have my eye out for another one to add to the collection. Great video! Thanks!

I went from a G19 Gen3 as my EDC to a Springfield 1911 Mil-Spec with the 5" barrel as my EDC and I absolutely love carrying it. I have ALWAYS loved the 1911s ever since I got into guns at a young age.

I've had four 1911s. I loved them all, including a Colt AND a Taurus. I didn't have trouble with my Taurus. My favorite is a Tisas Carry in stainless. My next new gun will either be a cz, the s&w FPC, or....another 1911. Nice video.

Definitely holds a special place in our hearts. 1911s just feel great in my hands. Great video.

I've owned my 1911 for over 30 years. Great informative video. I learned a bit.

I have many different pistols both revolvers and auto loaders. I love my wheel guns but the 1911 is my favorite in large part because I carried one in the tunnels of Vietnam. Call it nostalgia but I have a great history with the 1911

To me a 1911 is a 2nd or 3rd purchase gun in this era. It's best bought after a 10+ capacity 9mm home-defense/ccw pistol. It also helps to diversify your ammo pool when you buy .45. I want to eventually build a 1911 that is effectively MEU M45 but in a gray parkerized finish.

I was still using a 1911 in 1998 when I returned from European duty with the US Army. And I would have continued to use the 1911 over the M9, had I been given the choice. The M9's we were issued were not any kind of quality (other than poor). Where the 1911's were old and tired, but very dependable and accurate. The M9's were not any of those things, especially accurate and definitely not reliable. I normally shot expert with any firearm I was handed. Usually 1st time, every time (with the exception of when I tried to qualify with multiple broken bones and a concussion). With the M9's I was issued, yes there were several. I could never qualify expert no matter how I tried, nor could any other person using the same junky M9's in my unit. The only M9 to qualify expert in my entire unit was a single officer, who was using his personally owned pistol of the same model. Not the junk we were issued. In fact I took 3 tries to qualify at all with the junk I was issued, due to some form of failure in every attempt. Qualifying at a mere marksman level, after having the M9 fail mechanically to the point armorers had to repair it overnight and allow me to qualify the following day. Where it again failed to finish the qualification course, due to mechanical failure, but after I had managed to hit enough targets to qualify. Imagine taking a pistol into combat that requires an overnight stay in the armorers shop to get it to fire a mere 2 to 3 dozen rounds, before it seized up again. Would you trust your life, and the lives of those depending on you, to a weapon like that? Well that is exactly what we were ordered to do, despite having much more dependable, and more accurate, 1911's sitting in the armory.

I just turned 24. As a young gun guy I will say the 1911 is the absolute best handgun platform in history. My first gun was a Rock Island Armory 1911 in .45 for which I paid $400. In the years I have owned it it has never jammed or failed even once and I don't even clean it that often. Since than I have owned and shot many 1911s my favorite being my brand new Dan Wesson Razorback in 10mm, the most accurate and powerful pistol I have ever owned, but any 1911 is unbeatable for trigger quality and control and for reliability provided you do the bare minimum to take care of them.

One of your best videos to date! You very accurately explained the 1911 (Wilson Combat rocks). Too many new shooters haven't experienced the wonderful trigger of a custom 1911. Striker fire is Agricultural, 1911 is precision ( similar to AK vs AR).

A 1911 variant has been my daily carry for 25 + years. From military to law enforcement to civilian....

I would love to own a good 1911, I wouldn’t mind cleaning it, I probably over clean my polymer frame canik, I was raised to keep them clean and lightly oiled. These are the most outstanding reviews on RU-vid!

I like my polymers but nothing quite feels like a 1911 and the trigger.....well it speaks for itself. 1911 will continue to be relevant in some capacity for many decades to come.

I served in 2012, and happily carried a military issued 1911 as a sidearm. We also used M9s widely, but our command had both, and I landed on the 1911 by random chance, and loved it. But the superior ammo capacity of the M9 is a huge plus.

I've always thought of the 1911s at great handguns, just outclassed in every specific niche when price point isn't a factor. I'll never knock anyone for using a 1911 for anything that's handgun applicable (depending on the manufacturer), there's just better options out there for each niche. As a general use handgun it's still easily a top 5 to 10 platform depending on your tastes

Dude, that Peter North reference was GOLD, we can be friends. Have not had a good laugh in a while...........and good flash back (58 years old so yeah flashback for me)

I have five 1911’s and love them all. My first was a Colt LOM that I installed Wilson parts on and had the Roguard finish applied with NP3 for the internals. Great video!

Outlaw I got to let you in on a little secret. Every time I start up your videos I immediately hit the like button. I've never seen a bad one yet. Keep up the awesome information you provide every time 😊😊

Great review totally agree the 1911 is both over and underrated. One slight correction, I believe the 1911 was designed to replace revolvers that were chambered in .38 Long Colt which proved inefficient in stopping the Moro Rebels in the Philippines(I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong)

I don’t think it’s overrated. It’s been around too long and has such a great legacy. Even if you aren’t a fan of them, you have to give the weapon the credit it deserves. 🤷‍♂️

For me. I have smaller hands and single stack 1911 with only 7-8 rds and more recoil make it a no go for me. I'll stick with my 9mm (it can still blow a lung out of the body). But I will admit the 45acp will blow the heart, both lungs, and the spine out while pushing your target back and out of the fight proven for over 100yrs. I inherited my grandads service Colt 1911 circa 1914 that he carried through Belgium in WWII. And I'm keeping it.

A Peter North reference in a gun review. Now I remember why I am a subscriber.

Springfield Garrison was my first 1911, my eyes were opened. Whether its in 45 or 9 that platform is very nice.

like your show. Thanks for putting the time and ammo in for the rest of us.. Man who shooting as much as you helps in my decision on purchasing especially seeing long-term reliability.

I’ve shot a lot of cheap 1911’s and I’ve found Remington R1’s to be insanely good quality in every way compared to any other $1000 and under 1911 on the market.

Another minor correction (if it hasn't already been pointed out) - the 45 Colt and 45 S&W were replaced by a Colt 1892 DA revolver chambered in 38 Colt, not 38 Special. The 38 Colt was found to wanting in the Philippians against the Moro so testing was done and the Colt 1911 chambered in 45 ACP was ultimately chosen as the official side arm, heading into WWI. It was basically an update of the old 45 Colt which was never found to be inadequate. Another great vid! Thanks!

I've never had much luck with 1911s being cursed with very small hands. Oddly enough I can just barely get my hands around an S&W 2.0 10mm double stack with a shaved small backstrap. Great video, enjoyed it much!

Carried my Rock Island double stack in .45 for years love it still today

Cleaning and maintaining a 1911 isn't a big issue . Even the weight of the guns is mute as it really depends more on the type of holster and belt you choose. While it's true that it's a weapon best suited in the hands of a dedicated gun crank that in itself is an important factor. Not just anyone can pick one up and use it.

Concise, concrete information, presented in a easy-to-follow way! Thx! ❤

A 1960 production,Colt LW Commander is in my carry rotation, set up with good sights,good magazines and a couple other "enhancements" it's just as capable as anything else, hell I've got a govt model made in 1914 that'll do the job too( yeah the sights suck, but the trigger is awesome,as is the reliability) Thank you John Browning!

nice vid, currently shopping for my first 1911

The 1911 is the only handgun credited with shooting down a fighter. Until another handgun can claim that, it is in second place.

After all these years I still carry and love my 1911. As you said the best trigger on the market

The 1911 is definitely NOT overrated and anyone who says it is, is nuttier than a squirrel turd in a pistachio factory. I own four 1911s and carried one while in uniform. It certainly takes practice to master, but in end, it will provide a very hole in any target put before it. It will be here long after the polymer guns have faded into twilight. John Browning got it right.

Not sure what’s better. The video or the shooting in the videos. Gotta step my game up for sure.

Thanks for a genuine video. You did well in coverage of the 1911. 👍 In my safe, you'll find well over a dozen single action and double action revolvers. There are only two autoloaders in there with them. Both 1911A1 in 45 Auto. NO plastic pistols. They're not allowed inside the house. The 1911A1 was my sidearm in Vietnam for three tours. That's 3 years for the younger crowd. And I engaged the enemy in several instances, winning everytime. So it's a no-brainer for me to own, carry, and use the 1911. Its simply the best autoloader pistol around. End of story.

I can see that a few folks have mentioned when the military switched out the 1911 to the Beretta -- however, as you correctly said, some of us were able to continue to carrying the 1911 through the rest of the 80s (1976-99). Eventually, I was assigned to a unit just before Desert Storm that would not let me carry my prefered 1911. I've owned several 1911s and the best for me -- so far -- is the Bul Armory Commander 9mm ($989). I've run roughly 5000 rounds through it and have only had issues with it when running REMAN, steel, and aluminum casing ammo. My Bul has a VERY Light trigger (2.5-3lbs out of the box). My RIA 1911 (slightly less price than you mentioned) runs any and everything -- but the sites suck on mine -- requiring reliance on Kentucky windage sight alignment. You are right about the Girsan recommendation. I have a Girsan Officer modeal (3.5") and it was decent out of the box --- but a bit too heavy on the trigger and the grip safety needed adjustement. I did a little trigger job and tuned the sear spring. It now has 4 lb trigger pull. I do have to say that I owned a Kimber Micro 9 --- and it sucked on a major scale ... It would not fire a full mag without 2-3 rounds screwing up -- failure to feed, failure to extract . . . I had a RAI .380 Baby Rock with the absolute worse and heaviest trigger pull I -- or anyone else -- has ever experienced as well as a grip safety that (out of the box). I do have the P226 SAO Legion -- but I'm not overwhelmed by it beyond the the double stack capacity.

I have several 1911's in 45acp and 9mm, and with 4" and 5" barrels. I love all of them. Super accurate. Very low recoil. I haven't had any reliability issues with the pistols themselves. Besides the whole single stack issue, my only big complaint is the only hollow points that will consistently feed for me is Gold Dots. Every other hollow point I've tried just slams into that really steep feed ramp and jams. I like carrying my 4" 1911's, but for reliability sake they are all loaded with ball ammo.

Wow, you pulled out a Peter North reference that’s amazing😂

I love mine. Over or under doesn’t matter. When something went bump in the night I grabbed my 45 and felt well prepared. Thankfully never had to drop the hammer but still an amazing pistol.

As a Naval Aviator deployed on a carrier in 1975 we needed to qual with the 1911. The Marine Detachment Gunny issued us standard 1911s and at the fantail of the boat told us to hit the water. We did! Now I have my S&W E Series 1911 for the range. Great Gun!

Another thing to consider is price. You can get cheaper 1911’s, but a lot of them are fairly expensive at least. And 2011’s, the superior version, are outrageously expensive.

Hey Chris, that WC just makes me drool. I'm not sure why, but I just love 1911. I've been trying for years just to feel one up. Maybe one day. Enjoy yours. Thanks for the video.

In my own opinion, I believe that it is heavily underrated, and under appreciated. The 1911 is a prime example of it is not broke, don’t fix it. The only thing now is that in order to keep up with the current times, they have had to adapt and evolve into the modern market.

I started shooting the 1911 in the 1970'and when I moved to Alaska in 1984 I was competing with it in USPSA I carried it everywhere I went including backpacking it was my go-to gun for everything I was single and could shoot a lot so I was practicing a lot and could do a El Presidency with pepper poppers turn around so they would not fall in 4.7 seconds with loads that were 180 power factor never felt like I was in danger when backpacking in one trip I saw 5 black bears, so I think it is probably the best handgun you can carrier. I can tell from your videos that you have very good technec

I think it was you who said this, and I quote it frequently to my friends: the 1911 is a lifestyle gun. You buy one because you want one, not because it's the best thing on the market.

I love both of my 1911`s .. I have a Colt Gold Cup Trophy and A R1 Remington .. Never had an issue with either pistol .. Great show by the Way !!

Definitely a deadly weapon even if unloaded. I wouldn't even want to drop it on my foot. Love 2.5 pounds of "lightness".

Awesome video my friend but the 1911 will always be my number one because it is the first handgun I fell in love with back in the seventies when I was watching Starsky and Hutch.

The 1911 has been around so long even the cliches people use to talk about them are old enough to be on Medicare.

Love the closing “we can’t be friends”!

I grew up on 1911's & BHP... and S&W Wheel guns... the 1911 is wonderful... and early Para-ordnance double stacks were also grand... love my P16-40 and for the record.. my Taurus is wonderful...

Nice and to the point rundown of the 1911 concept. Keep it up.

In a galaxy far far away the the 1911 was almost the sidearm of the Jedi. It lost to the longer lasting crystals of the light saber.🤓

I'm in my 60's, the "we can't be friends " line is how I've felt since you were a child, wish I had thought of it, first time seeing you, now I have to subscribe!!😂😂😂😂

What does a taxidermist do for fun? Stuff.

I got the reference. Yes, I am that old. I have owned 1911s since I was 19. Back then, you bought a stock Colt and got to work. I have tried lots of newer designs. And I must say that 1911s in 9mm, my preferred caliber, haven’t always been as wonderful as they now are. Hard to beat a 1911 in 9mm from a good maker these days. We are spoiled, perhaps, by a wealth of accurate, reliable handguns in this era. But I can hit predictably with a good 1911. And l’m not alone.

The 1911 is like that refined pretty lady that takes acting like a gentleman, roses, dinners and plenty of our attention to score a home run. The Glock is like that loose biker girl, with a six pack, AC DC blasting and a bag of pork rinds you're knocking it out of the park. Both will do depending on your level of commitment I guess.

Love my Rock Island, changed out some springs and put the rounded mainspring housing on and can't be happier. Plus I enjoy maintaining my weapons. I love the smell of solvent and gun oil. When my friends and family come over and they catch a whiff of Hoppes they know I am a happy boy :D I will admit though I wish I had one that I could air rack like your buddy.

Can you overrate 2 world wars?...

2 world Wars !

Excellent reviews. Straight up information.

I inherited my grandfathers .38 Super Colt Commander some years ago and i love shooting it at the range. Just how smooth it operates shows the level of craftsmanship that went into these pistols as a tried and true design

I’m one of those weirdos who loves both the polymer 9’s, as well as a variety of 1911’s. The high capacity plastic fantastics are ultimately more practical, but there’s just something special about when you pick up a 1911 and send some big 45 rounds down range!

My Man!!! (As a 45ACP & 357Mag Fanboy) I deeply appreciate your unbiased, fact based observations. You're not selling anything. Please keep em' coming. btw,.... I have a few 9's too.

I’ve been a Glock 19 guy for 9 years. Mainly because apart from the M9, it was the only sidearm I ever had any training on. Also, when I was in lumber sales, I kept the pistol in my desk constantly. We had a fire and the whole building was destroyed. Next morning, I went into the store and pulled my Glock 19 out of the ashes that were left of that desk, took it home, charged it, and fired the magazine’s worth of ammo that was still in it without a failure. Yet my heart desired to know the 1911 and about 6 months ago, I bought a Springfield Mil Spec 45 ACP. The mag capacity (less than half the bang bangs) and frankly the cost of rounds (less bang bangs to practice with) makes me say I’ll always prefer my Glock as a platform that’ll give me the best probability of survival in an EDC situation and therefore will be my preferred carry. BUT, I’ve shot over a thousand rounds through my Springfield in the 6 months or so I’ve owned it and there’s no comparison in the experience of shooting the 1911. It just feels Murica af. I even enjoy cleaning it. You described it as a labor of love, and that’s the best I’ve heard it described. Even disassembled on your kitchen table, the gun just screams freedom. So if you’re someone like I was seduced by the practicality and logic of polymer pistols, let yourself live a little and get a Rock Island or a Springfield. Small price to pay for what will become your favorite gun to shoot and put back in the safe or glovebox.

Great info on this video 👏 👏. Unfortunately no mention of the Ruger SR1911, which is a great affordable and traditional 1911.