It appears I jumped into the 1911 waters at the exact right time. Seems I didn’t get the memo that the 1911 isn’t for real social work. (I point to these posts not for the OPs’ intent {for the most part} but rather for some of the comments)*.
You know… when I was but a wee tot, the Izod was all the rage. If you didn’t possess a different fruity color for each day of the week, you were EVIL! Unless you had Polos, in which case you were absolved of your sins and allowed to hang out with a different, almost equal, click. I owned ZERO** of either. I don’t like people telling me what I should wear and what sucks. I can kinda figure that one out for myself, TYVM.
So it seems poly .45s are Izods and Polos to some and the 1911 has become the anti-Izod. The plain pullover that marks you as square. Having one means you are a stuck on stupid and can’t get with it daddy-o. Bite me. I wear/use what works for me. Being of shorter stature, I need specific things. The 1911 fits my hand and points very well. With slim grips, flat MSH, and short trigger, my 1911 will be an extension of my skeleton.
I’m sorry God didn’t make me so that Glocks (which I happen to like a lot) or M&Ps (which I’m, “meh,” on) point well for me. If I could talk to The Almighty and ask for another 6 inches (insert joke here), I would. But I don’t think He would listen.
I’m sorry I find the USPs to be funky and the XDs to be less than pleasant. I’m sorry I don’t trust the Kahr in .45 (saw a used one and was kinda appalled at the wear patterns). I’m truly sorry that the 1911 fits me and I chose to embark on a parts swap program to build a gun to MY liking, not what some other guy thinks I should settle for. Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa. Bless me Gaston, for I have sinned.
I grew up pissing off my father. I took things apart and put them back together. …Mostly they all went back together (Hence the pissing off of the father). I like a gun that I can mess about with and play erector set. I’ve put together a couple of AR-15’s and feel at home with the things I can do and know what I can’t do. I have chased the “OH SHIT! springs” hither, thither, and yon so the unpinning of an ejector holds little fear for me. Yay, though I walk through the valley of the grip bushing, I shall fear no evil, for thy tap and oversized bushings will protect me should I screw the pooch.
So when the 1911 is rightly called a “hobby gun”, I don’t really take offense. Guns are one of my hobbies. And as such, I will take some suck to make the gun I want. I have a 10 year old stock Honda Civic that gets me from point A to point B. I’m not a gear head or a ricer enthusiast. I don’t care that its muffler is, you know, small. I have an Android and not an iPhone or Blackberry, because I’m a geek and want to play with the innards. My TV is 16 years old and actually takes 5 minutes to warm up. I’m not a TV guy so I don’t care. My stereo is laughably ancient and unused. I’m not a music guy***. I don’t own an iPod; see previous statement. We all have places where we want to see the man behind the curtain and we all have places where we just want to push the button and have the whole world of ants moving and mice eating cheese hidden from us. ****
And, to make matters worse, I already have my next 2 1911 projects mapped out. And one, if God, through St. JMB, bless me so, will be in 460 Rowland for a hog back up.
YMMV. Have fun with what YOU LIKE. I will have fun with what I LIKE. My primary carry is a MK9. I have little fear that if a goblin were to phase into existence in front of me, its CorBons wouldn’t turn into half inch plus copper jacketed wads of suck in his chest and make him cease and desist forthwith. So I have some time to customize and re-part my SA lightweight, getting the grip and trigger JUST RIGHT Goldilocks.
Am I selling my Glock? Hells no. Will I be getting rid of my other handguns? Nope. Is there a chance that another non-1911 .45 ACP might follow me home? Yup. There is a place for all in God’s plan. Steel and Alloy, Poly-light, All a precious in His sight.
*And, no. I’m not purposefully ignoring the near PSH of some of the 1911 fanboys. The OPs have a point. This is not a gun for everyone. You can have just as good, if not better, guns for less money. You have a 1911 because you want or need a 1911, not because it’s the best gun for any one thing. Deal with it. JMB does not weep when someone buys a Glock. Ok… maybe he does when it’s chambered in .45 GAP.
**That’s actually not true. Someone gave me one and I spent weeks pulling the damn gator off the fracking thing before I would wear it. You want me to wear something with your name on it that I can find cheaper without your name on it? PAY ME!
*** Mainly because I played music for years and find just about everything modern to lack, in most ways, anything that could defined it as music. Did I type that out loud?
****< Sarcasm > So it bothers me not if you aren’t in the know enough to maintain a 1911. Not everyone can be 1337. Your Tupperware will get you home just fine. …even if it lacks class. < / Sarcasm>