Springfield 1911 pistols offer precision and reliability making them a solid choice for homeowners.
In this article, Dr. Will Dabbs examines the handgun in this context.
1911 was a pretty big year.
The 1911 may be the best handgun for home defense. Springfield Armory offers a number of pistols that offer great ergonomics and tactical features.
That turned out to be a fairly big deal.
That made his the worlds first airmail flight.
In December of that year, Roald Amundsen led the first expedition to the South Pole.
The M1911 pistol served soldiers in two world wars, proving its effectiveness as a personal defense weapon. It is equal to the task for home defense.
All that stuff was undeniably groundbreaking.
How could anything in common use for 113 years really retain much relevance today?
The M1911 went on to serve in this capacity for roughly 75 years.
A responsible gun owner securely stores a Springfield Armory handgun in a home lock box, ensuring it’s safely out of reach yet accessible for home defense.
Service rifles got sleeker, smaller and faster.
Within the realm of handguns, frames gradually came to be made from high-tech thermoplastics rather than forged steel.
The end result was lighter and more environmentally resistant.
The author demonstrates preparedness with his Springfield 1911 pistol equipped with a weapon-mounted light.
Advances in engineering and design also increased magazine capacities.
Lets break them apart.
At 2 pounds 7 ounces empty, the steel-framed M1911 is an undeniably heavy gun.
The author moves up the stairs in his home to investigate a strange noise with a Springfield Armory 1911 pistol in hand.
Physics is the same today as it was back in 1911.
Mass times velocity in one direction will always equal mass times velocity in the other direction.
Thats not just a good idea, thats the law.
The extra weight of a tuned 1911 actually helps minimize felt recoil and mitigate muzzle flip.
But wouldnt you expect machines to become more reliable over the course of 113 years?
Thats a reasonable question.
That action was simpler though not necessarily better than that of its predecessor, the M1911.
How about magazine capacity?
A single-stack M1911 in .45 ACP will usually carry up to eight rounds in the magazine.
By contrast, even an abbreviated polymer-framed .45 ACP pistol like the Springfield Armory XD-M Compact will carry 10.
Is that a big deal?
Profligate ammunition expenditures when friendlies are about is simply not an option.
If 26+1 of 9mm wont solve your problems, you are facing some very tough problems.
Caliber selection is also a consideration.
Its not tough to find a 1911 pistol in 9mm.
Springfield Armory offers dozens of different models from which to choose, and they are divine on the range.
However, Uncle Sam had John Browning dream up the .45 ACP for a reason.
The M1911 in 9mm shoots like a dream.
However, the gun was designed around the .45 ACP.
Its tough to find a nicer-shooting .45 than a steel-framed 1911.
Additionally, the single-stack M1911 architecture is like Goldilocks to me.
Its not too big, and its not too small.
That particular design fits my hand just right.
Most all modern polymer-framed pistols are cut to accept accessories on the dust cover and optics on the slide.
Back in 1911, dust covers were something you might lay across the sofa and optics were eyeglasses.
However, Springfield Armory offers M1911 variants with railed frames and optics-cut slides with the Prodigy.
For ages Springfield Armory supplied M1911 pistols to the FBIs elite Hostage Rescue Team.
I can think of no higher accolade.
Ruminations
When it comes to home defense handguns, the world is your oyster.
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