It's no secret I'm a Glock fan. But while I play along in the Glock vs. 1911 tit-for-tat, I truly admire and respect (and some day hope to own) a classic JMB-designed 1911. For my money, those two handgun designs are hands down the best in the history of the world. Doesn't really matter which is No. 1 and which is No. 2 - because third place is a distant afterthought, IMHO.
Closest I've owned to a 1911 was a Colt Mustang about 13 years ago. Great little gun. Wanted a larger caliber and didn't have the cash at the time to keep it and buy a bigger gun. So sold it and bought my Glock 23 ($500 mistake seeing used prices/values of the now discontinued Mustangs, but oh well). My biggest issue with the Mustang was how easily the grip frame would rust after a day of IWB carry unless I oiled it religiously every night.
Glock easily solved that problem with its polymer frame. And its tenifer slide and use of a lot of other polymer parts makes the gun durable and all but rust proof. The looser tolerances also make it likely the most reliable semi-auto handgun of all time. But even I admit the grip angle, blocky design, and double-stack mag makes learning to shoot the Glock well a bit of a challenge. Just like snub-nose revolvers, shooting a Glock well takes practice and developing a firm grip and muscle memory.
The 1911 design, on the other hand is a thing of pure beauty that points better than any gun I've ever held. With no practice at all I can hit bullseyes all day long at 10 yards with a properly sighted full-size 1911. But then I think of all the trouble of cleaning and oiling a 1911, parts that wear out faster (do Glock parts really EVER wear out?), etc and I think this is a gun I "want" but don't "need" and likely won't carry because for my purposes, a Glock just makes a better carry gun.
So - FINALLY - here's my crazy idea ...
A Glock 1911! Classic 1911 design with standard Government, Commander, and Officer sizes available (maybe even a smaller 9mm design too). A polymer frame with a tenifer-finished slide - or even an all tenifer version with a tenifered steel frame. All other parts are either stainless steel, tenifer finished, or polymer. Able to accept standard 1911 mags, holsters etc.
And here's the kicker ... offer the Glock 1911 in your choice of classic single-action design OR a version with a Glock safe-action striker-fired action (with or without additional thumb safety)
Yeah, yeah I know - blasphemy ... like a Chevy F150 or a Texas A&M Longhorn ....
But maybe, just maybe, this is what the gun world needs. An olive branch to both sides. This could be the start to world peace!
Or more likely it would be the biggest flop in the history handguns as both sides reject it like New Coke.
But at least I'm trying to bridge the divide ... can't we all just get along?
