The 1911 Government Model may be the Best Self Defense/Survival Pistol Ever
You know from time to time something comes along that just withstands the test of time. In the case of the Government Model pistol, it not only withstood the test of time, it rewrote the book on how time is measured. It is probably the single best example of a pure defensive pistol ever made. It was built with one job in mind, stopping the enemy. Which by the way it did, does and probably always will. Why is it still at the top of the game after over a hundred years, how about a couple reasons most people don’t think about.Look at the number of companies making this weapon now, think of it top of line custom gun firms like Wilson Combat, Nighthawk Custom and Ed Brown, then look to the leading firearms manufacturers in the business like Kimber, Sig, Springfield Armory, Smith & Wesson they all make and market a version of the 1911 Government Model. Just to be sure, don’t ever forget Colt, that would be the “C” in the Automatic Colt Pistol part of 45 acp. The weapon was replaced in active military service in the 80′s, but many elite military units still carry them today.
Try this out, the pistol is easy to clean and maintain without much as far a tools go. It is a rugged design that was made to be abused. The weapon itself is pretty simple, Browning knew what he was doing, he knew he needed a weapon that could keep running with minimal care in dirty conditions. This pistol has served in World War 1, World War 2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War and is seeing service in Afghanistan and Iraq today. The original government model used the now famous 45acp round, which is just a a bit under a ray gun in stopping power. Now you need to remember the military still uses only full metal jacket ammo, the old saying “they all fall to hard ball” still fits. If you need to shoot at someone with fmj ammo, 45acp is by far the way to go. So there we have a weapon design and a caliber, now we have a weapon built for speed. Once the weapon has a round chambered and the hammer is “cocked and locked”, which is the only way to carry the weapon for real, this pistol is flat out fast. It has a natural point-ability like no other pistol. The shooter who uses a 1911 many times just gets hooked on the great trigger and feel the weapon has. Jeff Cooper made the entire world change in defensive pistol shooting and he based his advice and techniques on the 1911.
Now we know the history what about the current state of affairs? Today we have more good to great 1911′s on the market than ever before. You don’t need to have a custom pistol any more to have a fantastic government model. Take Kimber for example. They offer features on their pistols once only found on custom weapons. One big improvement many over look is in the sights. Great sights are now standard on many of these pistols. Night sights are now standard for Kimber on their defensive pistols. The original government models had a little blade on the front and a plain leaf in the back, not anymore. Years ago you spent hundreds of dollars at a gunsmith just having usable sights put on. Accuracy, today these weapons are at the top of the heap in the accuracy department. Many of the top brands are looking at 1′ groups at 25 yards, what else do you want? So now we have a weapon with a big hard hitting round, its accurate, easy to maintain, easy to shoot and fast on target whats left? Reliability comes to mind. The one issue you need to watch is the magazines. Many cheap surplus deals are out there, most aren’t worth the room they take up. Mags by Wilson Combat, Kimber, Ed Brown and others make a huge difference when the chips are down. The weapon makers have worked out most of the bugs, one thing people don’t realize is that getting the pistol to feed ball ammo is the hardest thing to do. A lot of ammo varies in length and ball ammo is the worst for it. Be sure to try any magazine you intend to use for serious purposes before you depend on them. Most times, not all, a pistol that doesn’t feed well is nothing but a magazine problem.
A lot of gun people out there say why even bother with the government model, why not go with a Glock or a Sig? To be sure they are great weapons. They would and do serve well as defensive pistols. Also, if you are going to use a government model you should practice, and practice and then practice some more with the pistol. Drawing the weapon a not taking off the safety could really get ugly if you need to shoot. Trigger finger control and discipline are a must with a 1911, you can’t touch that trigger until you are ready to fire, with the short trigger stroke there is no room for error. Could holding a person at gun point be harder with a 1911? I suppose the answer could be yes, but you should never have your finger on the trigger anyway until you are ready to shoot. Look at the top SWAT teams in the country, the FBI HRT, LAPD Swat, the US Army Delta and the list goes on, what they all have in common is the 1911 government model pistol. When the US military’s SOCOM wanted a new pistol they looked at the 45acp first and last. When the US Marines wanted a harder hitting pistol guess were they went looking, at the 1911 and out came the military version of the Kimber Warrior.
With a series of pistols in all sizes to fit almost any need now, there is not much the government model really can’t do as far as a defensive pistol goes. You could do a lot worse than have a government 45, stuck to your side. Most new mags hold 8 rounds in the full size pistol which gives you plenty of firepower to take care of most situations you may find yourself in. With an extra mag or two your good to go for most adventures you may end up on. Combine a big hard hitting round with a great durable design and what you get is another 100 years of protecting Americans at both home and abroad. Until we get Captain Kirk’s phaser Americans will be carrying government models. And even then they will find a way to make it feel like a 1911.
Now we know the history what about the current state of affairs? Today we have more good to great 1911′s on the market than ever before. You don’t need to have a custom pistol any more to have a fantastic government model. Take Kimber for example. They offer features on their pistols once only found on custom weapons. One big improvement many over look is in the sights. Great sights are now standard on many of these pistols. Night sights are now standard for Kimber on their defensive pistols. The original government models had a little blade on the front and a plain leaf in the back, not anymore. Years ago you spent hundreds of dollars at a gunsmith just having usable sights put on. Accuracy, today these weapons are at the top of the heap in the accuracy department. Many of the top brands are looking at 1′ groups at 25 yards, what else do you want? So now we have a weapon with a big hard hitting round, its accurate, easy to maintain, easy to shoot and fast on target whats left? Reliability comes to mind. The one issue you need to watch is the magazines. Many cheap surplus deals are out there, most aren’t worth the room they take up. Mags by Wilson Combat, Kimber, Ed Brown and others make a huge difference when the chips are down. The weapon makers have worked out most of the bugs, one thing people don’t realize is that getting the pistol to feed ball ammo is the hardest thing to do. A lot of ammo varies in length and ball ammo is the worst for it. Be sure to try any magazine you intend to use for serious purposes before you depend on them. Most times, not all, a pistol that doesn’t feed well is nothing but a magazine problem.
A lot of gun people out there say why even bother with the government model, why not go with a Glock or a Sig? To be sure they are great weapons. They would and do serve well as defensive pistols. Also, if you are going to use a government model you should practice, and practice and then practice some more with the pistol. Drawing the weapon a not taking off the safety could really get ugly if you need to shoot. Trigger finger control and discipline are a must with a 1911, you can’t touch that trigger until you are ready to fire, with the short trigger stroke there is no room for error. Could holding a person at gun point be harder with a 1911? I suppose the answer could be yes, but you should never have your finger on the trigger anyway until you are ready to shoot. Look at the top SWAT teams in the country, the FBI HRT, LAPD Swat, the US Army Delta and the list goes on, what they all have in common is the 1911 government model pistol. When the US military’s SOCOM wanted a new pistol they looked at the 45acp first and last. When the US Marines wanted a harder hitting pistol guess were they went looking, at the 1911 and out came the military version of the Kimber Warrior.
With a series of pistols in all sizes to fit almost any need now, there is not much the government model really can’t do as far as a defensive pistol goes. You could do a lot worse than have a government 45, stuck to your side. Most new mags hold 8 rounds in the full size pistol which gives you plenty of firepower to take care of most situations you may find yourself in. With an extra mag or two your good to go for most adventures you may end up on. Combine a big hard hitting round with a great durable design and what you get is another 100 years of protecting Americans at both home and abroad. Until we get Captain Kirk’s phaser Americans will be carrying government models. And even then they will find a way to make it feel like a 1911.
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