Gun Play

[Fly Navy]

So I'm messing around with my Springfield Mil-Spec 1911, dry-firing and whatnot. This thing points very nicely. I can raise the pistol to a random target and when I look down the sights, it's pointing right where it should be. I'm starting to become a real believer in the 1911.

 

[batman527]

maybe someone's just getting better at pointing his pistol rather than the pistol pointing nicely for the shooter? Just kidding Fly, but I couldn't resist.

 

[metro]

That's basically how it happened when I "switched" from SIG P-series pistols to 1911s. Just felt more natural. Then I took it to the range, shot better than I've ever shot before, then did the same thing two weeks later. I was sold.

 

[A4sForever]

If you could only have ... ONE: it would/could/should be John Browning's finest --- a 1911 in 45 ACP. Born @ 100 years ago --- it has been copied, imitated, "improved upon", and "modified". Most modern designs trace their lineage to the 1911. Show me another pistol that will STILL be made in @ 100 more years and I'll eat it. Other than the 1911, of course ....

 

[AllAmerican75]

Wow, that is one banged up 1911. I've always loved the 1911 and I always will. Wish I could own one right now. At least I'll be able to own rifles here in about a month.

 

[metro]

It's for a lanyard, but not for your magazines...it's so you can attach a lanyard to your person, i.e., a belt, and not worry about losing the pistol itself.

Also, MAN I would love to find an old school M1911 like that, not a 1911A1, which is all I can ever seem to find.

 

[squeeze]

It's for a lanyard, but not for your magazines...it's so you can attach a lanyard to your person, i.e., a belt, and not worry about losing the pistol itself.

He's not referring to the lanyard loop on the mainspring housing. He's talking about the loop on the mag base.

 

[metro]

Ah, gotcha squeeze. Misunderstood.

 

[A4sForever]

Wow, that is one banged up 1911. .

Actually .... this particular sample was one of the first 50 shipped to the US Army. It's value ??? --- hard to calculate. Depends on the market, which keeps going UP and UP all the time for USGI pieces. At least 5 figures. Funny thing --- it you were to "restore" this particular pistol to issue condition --- you would DESTROY it's collector and monetary value. It ain't like cars .....

The "lanyard loop"??? It was quite common on military pistols and other equipment in the horse calvary days. The reason (some think) that the Model M1911 had a lanyard loop on the magazine as well as on the butt is --- when the 1911 came into service --- the "standard" lanyard loop was the M1905 Pistol lanyard. It did not "fit" too well on the relatively small profile butt loop built into the mainspring housing of the new Colt semi-automatic. A lanyard loop was then added to the magazines as a temporary "fix". This is also thought to be the reason that magazine lanyard loops disappeared @ 1917 when the M1917 loop came into being --- and "fit" the Colt 1911 butt lanyard loop. No more need for magazine loops -- plus, in any case, they were never too practical. They "hurt" your hand to a degree when rapidly slamming a fresh magazine home into the pistol magazine well.

The lanyard loop fell out of general favor as the calvary faded away -- in the 1930's -- but has recently seen a rebirth on modern military handguns, especially in the SPECOPS, and civilian tactical units. Handgun retention always commands a premium while repelling, fast-roping, or performing various and sundry other tactical endeavors -- ergo the "new" lanyard loop. The more things change ....



Colt 1911 with butt lanyard loop and magazine lanyard loop (L) and Colt 1911A1 without magazine lanyard loop (R)


Come'on now ... ain't she beautiful ???

 

[batman527]

Come'on now ... ain't she beautiful ???

She's more than beautiful. She's GORGEOUS!

 

[metro]

Speaking of lanyard loops, Nighthawk Custom has a cool little idea that they use for theirs...instead of sticking out from the bottom of the pistol under the mainspring housing, it is recessed into the mainspring housing so as not to stick out uncomfortably and interfere with reloading. Nice little "evolution not revolution" concept.

 

[metro]

Didn't know that had been around for awhile. The only ones I ever saw were on the Nighthawk Customs.