1911 Pistol: Combat Tested and Time Proven
ENG 111 F5:30
Michael Wilson
Ivy Tech Community College
April 2, 2010
John Browning was born in 1855 just outside Nashville, Tennessee. His father was a gunsmith and he was raised with a heritage of making firearms. All of Colt's automatic pistols have been based on his designs. His patents on the Colt “Government Model” .45 ACP pistol has become the most widely used and built high power auto-loading pistol of all time. What we see today as the modern 1911 pistol was first conceived by Mr. Browning 1902. After some improvement in 1909, a formal competition was held that drew several other entities including serious challenges from Luger and Savage Arms. Browning introduced his newly refined Colt pistol. The Colt shined in the competition, and with a few minor changes requested by the military in 1910—the addition of a grip safety and barrel bushing—the final prototype emerged as the model 1911 pistol. On May 5, 1911, this pistol was officially accepted as the “automatic pistol, ACP .45, model of 1911” and adopted as the official sidearm of the Army, Navy, and Marines.
The 1911 Handgun is aesthetically beautiful in both its form and function. Its symmetry and craftsmanship—a melding of polished steel and wood—and its lines make for a visual work of art. The .45 ACP bullet is unsurpassed in stopping power documented with one of the highest percentages of one-shot deterrents. The 1911 Handgun is the finest handgun in the world, due to its aesthetic value, reliability, cost, accuracy, and its stopping power.
The fit and feel of the 1911 is second to none, it is what is called a natural pointer. The relatively of the barrel and slide to the grip along with the grip angle is what achieves this. The weapon feels solid and form-fitting to the hand and the symmetry of the weapon is beautiful. Polished blue or satin finished stainless steel paired with hardwood Cocobolo or diamond-checkered walnut grips makes this weapon's appearance as a work of art. The precision fit and solid function of the controls make handling a dream. Its not only the visual beauty of the weapon, but also the feel. When this weapon is in your hand the heft and solid meld of the firearm and shooter is like an extension of the arm.
The 1911-style pistol has changed little since its inception by the United State's Military in 1911. It has been tried and proven in combat over one hundred years of military campaigns. John Browning's invention is perfect in function and simplicity. The original design allows a generous window of opportunity for the weapon to work under the most adverse of conditions. One might say the first 1911's manufactured were a little loosy-goosy, compromising a small amount of accuracy for the extra reliability required on the battlefield. The newer versions of this design with modern manufacturing techniques—such as CNC machining—have allowed for much tighter tolerances where a perfect balance between accuracy and reliability can be achieved.
In the world of modern firearms there are many options available; as a defensive firearm the 1911 is at the top of the list. A 1911 can be purchased for as little as $400 or as much as $4000. The choices are endless. To determine which pistol to choose, one might consider the following questions. What purpose will the pistol serve? Is it for target shooting, competition, personal defense, or a combination of these? How serious are the shooter's intentions? Will the pistol be a daily carry piece or a safe queen, only brought out for special occasions? My personal choice is a mid-range pistol made by the semi-custom manufacturer Kimber. It is a Kimber model compact stainless II. This firearm meets all of my criteria, it is small enough to conceal carry, accurate and reliable enough for personal defense, and its stainless steel construction makes it strong enough to stand up to the rigors of competition. The custom upgrades I find necessary and appealing are standard to this model: a skeletonized trigger and hammer, an extended beaver tail grip and a thumb safety along with a match-grade bull barrel makes this mid-range pistol my top choice at approximately $1000.
The accuracy of the 1911 greatly depends on the manufacture of the pistol. The most noteworthy makers of mid-range 1911 pistols are Colt, Kimber, and Springfield Armory. On the low- end, you have economy 1911's made by Rock Island Armory, Taurus, and Firestorm. On the high-end there are custom 1911's available through Wilson Combat, Nighthawk, Les Bear, and Ed Brown. The high-end customs are by far the most accurate, Wilson Combat being my favorite. Wilson's pistols come with a manufacturers guarantee of one inch groups at twenty-five yards. Lower end guns tend to be looser and require a lot of tweaking or gunsmithing to achieve any noteworthy accuracy. Mid-range pistols like Colt and Kimber do not come with such a guarantee and can sometimes be hit-or-miss. However the accuracy of the Kimber is exceptional with one-and-a-half to two inch groups twenty-five yards.
Stopping power is all about bullet expansion and energy transfer; the disruption of vital bodily function is the key. Fatally damage any animal's heart, lungs, liver, or central nervous system and it is not going to live for very long. .45 ACP bullets reach such organs, expanding quickly and violently, thus destroying a lot of tissue while at the same time, in hollow-point configurations, do not over penetrate limiting the possibility of threatening innocent targets. The .45 ACP is a large diameter, very heavy, 230 grain/15 gram bullet traveling at, in terms of bullets, a modest velocity of 850 to 900 feet per second. This generates approximately 395 foot pounds of energy to be expended in the target. With penetration of about 11 inches in ballistic gelatin. General John Hatcher developed a formula to measure stopping power in the 1900's. The formula is “RSP=MAF”. 'RSP' stands for relative stopping power, 'M' equals momentum of bullet in foot pounds, 'A' is the area of the bullet in square inches, and 'F' stands for the form factor derived from his personal observations. The RSP for a 230 grain .45 ACP hollow-point is 91.9 while the RSP for NATO-authorized 230 grain full-metal jacket bullet is 61.3. Anything rated over 50 is considered to have adequate stopping power for personal defence.
Because of its aesthetic value, reliability, cost, accuracy, and its stopping power, the 1911 Handgun is the best handgun ever developed. It is a beautiful firearm that is inherently accurate, durable, cost-effective, and deadly.
References
Hall, John C. (2/22/2003). “The Stopping Power of Different Handgun Cartridges”. Retrieved April 1, 2010 from freerepublic.com: 404 Not Found
Lesemann, Jeff. (12/30/09). “History and Development of the M1911/M1911A1 Pistol”. Tretrieved April 1, 2010 from The Sight website: History and Development of the M1911/M1911Al Pistol
Travis, John. (2009). “1911 Reliability Overview: Introduction to the Magazine”. Retrieved April 1, 2010 from Gunshop Finder website: http://www.gunshopfinder.com/article/1911magazinepart1.html
(2006). “.45 ACP Stopping Power”. Retrieved April 1, 2010 from handloads.com: http://www.handloads.com/misc/stoppingpower.asp?caliber=18&weight=all
ENG 111 F5:30
Michael Wilson
Ivy Tech Community College
April 2, 2010
John Browning was born in 1855 just outside Nashville, Tennessee. His father was a gunsmith and he was raised with a heritage of making firearms. All of Colt's automatic pistols have been based on his designs. His patents on the Colt “Government Model” .45 ACP pistol has become the most widely used and built high power auto-loading pistol of all time. What we see today as the modern 1911 pistol was first conceived by Mr. Browning 1902. After some improvement in 1909, a formal competition was held that drew several other entities including serious challenges from Luger and Savage Arms. Browning introduced his newly refined Colt pistol. The Colt shined in the competition, and with a few minor changes requested by the military in 1910—the addition of a grip safety and barrel bushing—the final prototype emerged as the model 1911 pistol. On May 5, 1911, this pistol was officially accepted as the “automatic pistol, ACP .45, model of 1911” and adopted as the official sidearm of the Army, Navy, and Marines.
The 1911 Handgun is aesthetically beautiful in both its form and function. Its symmetry and craftsmanship—a melding of polished steel and wood—and its lines make for a visual work of art. The .45 ACP bullet is unsurpassed in stopping power documented with one of the highest percentages of one-shot deterrents. The 1911 Handgun is the finest handgun in the world, due to its aesthetic value, reliability, cost, accuracy, and its stopping power.
The fit and feel of the 1911 is second to none, it is what is called a natural pointer. The relatively of the barrel and slide to the grip along with the grip angle is what achieves this. The weapon feels solid and form-fitting to the hand and the symmetry of the weapon is beautiful. Polished blue or satin finished stainless steel paired with hardwood Cocobolo or diamond-checkered walnut grips makes this weapon's appearance as a work of art. The precision fit and solid function of the controls make handling a dream. Its not only the visual beauty of the weapon, but also the feel. When this weapon is in your hand the heft and solid meld of the firearm and shooter is like an extension of the arm.
The 1911-style pistol has changed little since its inception by the United State's Military in 1911. It has been tried and proven in combat over one hundred years of military campaigns. John Browning's invention is perfect in function and simplicity. The original design allows a generous window of opportunity for the weapon to work under the most adverse of conditions. One might say the first 1911's manufactured were a little loosy-goosy, compromising a small amount of accuracy for the extra reliability required on the battlefield. The newer versions of this design with modern manufacturing techniques—such as CNC machining—have allowed for much tighter tolerances where a perfect balance between accuracy and reliability can be achieved.
In the world of modern firearms there are many options available; as a defensive firearm the 1911 is at the top of the list. A 1911 can be purchased for as little as $400 or as much as $4000. The choices are endless. To determine which pistol to choose, one might consider the following questions. What purpose will the pistol serve? Is it for target shooting, competition, personal defense, or a combination of these? How serious are the shooter's intentions? Will the pistol be a daily carry piece or a safe queen, only brought out for special occasions? My personal choice is a mid-range pistol made by the semi-custom manufacturer Kimber. It is a Kimber model compact stainless II. This firearm meets all of my criteria, it is small enough to conceal carry, accurate and reliable enough for personal defense, and its stainless steel construction makes it strong enough to stand up to the rigors of competition. The custom upgrades I find necessary and appealing are standard to this model: a skeletonized trigger and hammer, an extended beaver tail grip and a thumb safety along with a match-grade bull barrel makes this mid-range pistol my top choice at approximately $1000.
The accuracy of the 1911 greatly depends on the manufacture of the pistol. The most noteworthy makers of mid-range 1911 pistols are Colt, Kimber, and Springfield Armory. On the low- end, you have economy 1911's made by Rock Island Armory, Taurus, and Firestorm. On the high-end there are custom 1911's available through Wilson Combat, Nighthawk, Les Bear, and Ed Brown. The high-end customs are by far the most accurate, Wilson Combat being my favorite. Wilson's pistols come with a manufacturers guarantee of one inch groups at twenty-five yards. Lower end guns tend to be looser and require a lot of tweaking or gunsmithing to achieve any noteworthy accuracy. Mid-range pistols like Colt and Kimber do not come with such a guarantee and can sometimes be hit-or-miss. However the accuracy of the Kimber is exceptional with one-and-a-half to two inch groups twenty-five yards.
Stopping power is all about bullet expansion and energy transfer; the disruption of vital bodily function is the key. Fatally damage any animal's heart, lungs, liver, or central nervous system and it is not going to live for very long. .45 ACP bullets reach such organs, expanding quickly and violently, thus destroying a lot of tissue while at the same time, in hollow-point configurations, do not over penetrate limiting the possibility of threatening innocent targets. The .45 ACP is a large diameter, very heavy, 230 grain/15 gram bullet traveling at, in terms of bullets, a modest velocity of 850 to 900 feet per second. This generates approximately 395 foot pounds of energy to be expended in the target. With penetration of about 11 inches in ballistic gelatin. General John Hatcher developed a formula to measure stopping power in the 1900's. The formula is “RSP=MAF”. 'RSP' stands for relative stopping power, 'M' equals momentum of bullet in foot pounds, 'A' is the area of the bullet in square inches, and 'F' stands for the form factor derived from his personal observations. The RSP for a 230 grain .45 ACP hollow-point is 91.9 while the RSP for NATO-authorized 230 grain full-metal jacket bullet is 61.3. Anything rated over 50 is considered to have adequate stopping power for personal defence.
Because of its aesthetic value, reliability, cost, accuracy, and its stopping power, the 1911 Handgun is the best handgun ever developed. It is a beautiful firearm that is inherently accurate, durable, cost-effective, and deadly.
References
Hall, John C. (2/22/2003). “The Stopping Power of Different Handgun Cartridges”. Retrieved April 1, 2010 from freerepublic.com: 404 Not Found
Lesemann, Jeff. (12/30/09). “History and Development of the M1911/M1911A1 Pistol”. Tretrieved April 1, 2010 from The Sight website: History and Development of the M1911/M1911Al Pistol
Travis, John. (2009). “1911 Reliability Overview: Introduction to the Magazine”. Retrieved April 1, 2010 from Gunshop Finder website: http://www.gunshopfinder.com/article/1911magazinepart1.html
(2006). “.45 ACP Stopping Power”. Retrieved April 1, 2010 from handloads.com: http://www.handloads.com/misc/stoppingpower.asp?caliber=18&weight=all
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Brought a tear to my eye 
