Whats with Texas and 1911's?

[Timothy]

I often see links between Texas and 1911's in articels and books and am wondering what the whole 1911, amigo, border patoll, cowboy hat, ranger, 45acp, mexico thing is all about. Thanks

[DBW]

1911's are simple, reliable and good at dispatching scum to the afterlife when necessary.

[Barcelona Rick]

Well I'll give her a shot.....1911's have always been popular down here. My understanding is that the Mexicans (in Mexico) can't own anything that uses their militaries ammo. South of the border the .38 Super is pretty popular. My family wasn't into handguns much...other that the Colt SAA. When I went into the NAVY the 1911 was what we toted around on watch/security/SP and so on. So I naturally enjoy the SAA and the 1911A1 Series 70 .45ACP. The darn thing always works, is very easy to carry and generally knocks down what you need to knock down. I don't believe much in spray and pray so the limited capacity is okay. Hats are a personal choice. I prefer a silver belly Fedora made by Johnny's Custom Hats that fits my head. Texas is a pretty friendly state so we usually abide alittle teasing but the folks that have moved in from other areas aren't always Texas friendly. My moma GOD rest her soul would slap me silly if I was rude to someone or if I wore a ballcap or hat inside. I better not keep my seat if a ladies was standing. I'm in my 50's and it is still MA'AM and SIR. Now border patrol is a touchy issue but most folks relate to the border with Coahuila, Tamaulipas and Texas. Beautiful country but it can be wild. All sorts of things both good and bad take place and LEO's try to keep it safe. Rangers are the premier law enforcement branch in Texas so you might just say the world. I figure you must be from......

jumbeaux

[jhrosier]

Timothy,

Go get a copy of the movie Last Man Standing.
ETA: That's the movie with Bruce Willis.
It explains everything (Well, it did for me.)

BTW, you don't have to be from TEXAS to appreciate a .45

Jack

[kimwcook]

Jack wrote: BTW, you don't have to be from TEXAS to appreciate a .45.

Amen, brother and I'll add any of the 45's.

[Streetstar]

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=15208

Recent thread i posted from a trip to the Ranger museum if you havent seen it yet --- tons of slick 1911's. Don't know about the rest, but after visiting the museum, i could see that the Rangers basically only used the best equipment they could get -- hence the 1911's, and in later years, Python revolvers, high end saddles, 1895 rifles and tons of other trick stuff.

But on the other hand, lots of agencies loved the 1911, but Texas and Border patrol type guys are well represented in the gun rags -- , Jim Wilson, the Skeltons, the late Bill Jordan, etc. , so there is a print media tie in

[Charles]

Texas in general and the Border in particular has always been a raw sort of place. Firearms are daily working tools for ranchers, farmers, peace officers and crooks. They have always gone for practical, dependable and powerful firearms. The SAA Colt in 45 was the best available until the 1911 came along and the folks who lived with guns handy were quick to see the improvement and quickly took up the 1911. It is a tough, dependable, powerful handgun for folks who lived in the raw place. There is nothing mysterious about it. Peace officers in other places took up the DA 38 special, but Texans if they had a choice quickly choose the 1911 as it was a superior handgun.

Texas in gneral and the Border in particular is a different place and a different culture. Folks who don't understand the place, it's people and it's culture won't get the whole big hat, boots, 1911, Amigo, Border Patrol thing either. It is just the way things were and mostly still are down here. I don't get ice fishing, hocky and some of the other absurd things folks do up north. But, I will bet they don't see anything strange about it.

[20cows]

I get along pretty well with a 1911, but my hat ain't that big is it, amigo?)

[Timothy]

Thanks everyone, I supose maybe being classic or old fashioned also plays a part. The 1911 is the only gun that goes back to the end of the old west but can still be used for LE work today. So maybe its a symbol of old fashion values and principals. The SAA is too dated for LE work and the Luger would be all wrong, but that 1911's perfect.

[BwanaDave]

How about because it is so American? Like they say, 230 grains of American diplomacy. Personally I wonder about a guy who doesn't have at least one 1911.

Dave

[txpete]

it boils down to if I have to explain you wouldn't understand .
pete

[tman]

the colt 45acp 1911 probably says AMERICA better than any firearm i can think of. its big ,solid, powerful and reliable. can't ask for more .

[John in MS]

As a practical matter, the pistol and its spare magazines are flat and easy to carry. In hot weather, a 1911 can be worn IWB and conceal under light clothing easier than big DA revolvers. Oh, and it does smack bad guys a lot harder than a .38 special...
John

[piller]

A customer of mine, a Constable, carries a 1911. I asked him, and he said that he had been trained with one in the military 30+ years ago and was comfortable with something simple, boringly reliable, and slim enough to carry. On the plus side, he said that spare parts availability and the ease of putting them in himself was a bonus.

[madd-trapper]

Buddy from Texas told me the Rangers carry Sig P226's too.

[OJ]

What's not to love about these ??



Made in 1970 -



"Second generation" I bought a couple of years ago -



I adopted this waif and gave it TLC and it responded well -

Almost as American as lever guns

[txpete]

and for longer ranges it just doesn't get any better

[Charles]

Mad-Trapper... The Texas Department of Public Safety (HighWay) patrol officers carry the SIG as their duty/issue pistol The Rangers are a branch of the DPS and are issued SIGS. Unlike the Highway Patrol, the Rangers can carry personal weapons. Some do and some don't.

When I was a kid, it was not common, but neither was it rare to see some old Lawman carrying a Colt SA. Today it is not common, neither is it rare to see old Lawmen carrying the 1911. You see far more SIGs, Glocks and the like, these days, than you do 1911s ,on the hips of Border Lawmen. Time and technology catches up with us all.

[Barcelona Rick]

txpete,

Ya gotta love old school...good looking Garand...mine is an SA52 from CMP. How does that 2nd gen 1911 compare with the original series 70 ?? Was the Bell Branch Ranch in Bell Co. ?? My dad was friends with the ranch foreman and I was there several times as a little kid so I don't remember where it was located. Mom and dad are gone so it is one of those million questions I should've asked. The ranch house had a young dry doe that would lick beer out of a bowl and eat camel unfiltered cigarettes then lay in front of the fireplace on a cowhide mat. They had buffalo and an old WWII jeep........man it was fun.

jumbeaux

[txpete]

I don't know about the ranch sorry.lots of them out here I can ask some friends.
my M-1 is a 1954 and I picked up from a friend of mine.it is a 2001 cmp rifle but has had alot of work done to it.this was his match rifle.it has a douglas match barrel NM sights and op rod oh and it is in 7.62 aka 308 .

[blackhawk44]

Easy answer: for lonesome lawmen in Texas, 1911's were the first serious improvement in working handguns over the SAA. Why they're still prevalent? It's just taken this long to find anything that might even come close to taking the 1911's place in Texans' holsters. Outside the big cities, they still rule the roost.

[blackhawk44]

One reminder (most native born don't need one), today is March 6th. It was 173 years ago. Take a moment to bow your head then a few minutes to reflect.

[O.S.O.K.]

Well, when the 1911 was just coming out, Blackjack Pershing was down in Texas and Mexico doing a little varmint hunting. That I think helped to expose a lot of Texans and Mexicans to the 1911. The Texas Rangers also took to the 1911 and anything that they liked was sure to become popular in Tejas.

[BwanaDave]

There is an old saying about Rangers carrying 45s because they don't make 46s.

Dave