I notice that most revolver and 1911 guys are older.

[firestar]

Is that because these are older guns and the people that carry them are just hanging on to what they know or is it that they are more experienced and just naturally gravitate towards these guns because they are some of the best?

I find that more and more, I am becoming a revolver guy, I still don't go crazy over the 1911 or the .45acp even though i have owned several. Am I doomed to become an old fart with a S&W revolver and 1911 .45acp? I have never met an older, experienced shooter that did not respect the 1911 or the great revolvers from S&W, Colt and Ruger.

I used to hate revolvers and blue steel. I used to think that someday all these old guns will be replaced by SS autos, now I fear that day. What is worse is the plasitc craze that has been so popular as of late. I have owned a few plastic guns and I really can't stand them. Can it be that these old shooters are just more advanced than the rest of us that still think that hi-cap semi-autos are the way to go?

 

[faustulus]

Hokey relgions (cult of 1911) and acient weapons (revolver) are no match for a good blaster (Sig) at you side kid.

Dons flame suit and runs for cover.

 

[glockten]

Is that because these are older guns and the people that carry them are just hanging on to what they know or is it that they are more experienced and just naturally gravitate towards these guns because they are some of the best?

Yes.

Can it be that these old shooters are just more advanced than the rest of us that still think that hi-cap semi-autos are the way to go?

And then there are high-cap 1911s, for those of us that are even further advanced (or out there, if you prefer).

 

[SnWnMe]

I'm 37... is that considered old?

High caps are for cops or folks who plan on missing alot

You know? Shoot 14 rounds, if problem is not solved yet, use 15th round on self

 

[Hal]

I notice that most <snip> 1911 guys are older.

Ok, here's my 51 year old take on it.
- house is paid off - - .
- kids are grown and out on their own - -
- wife an I both work - -
- both of us are at the high point of our respective earnings since we've been married - -

Now, considering all that,,,,yep,,,that's what allows me to show an interest in a $200.00 gun that needs $800.00 worth of work to make it work

(just<halfway>kidding)

 

[Lone_Gunman]

Who would you rather have shoot at you???

Or another way to ask, who usually shoots worse at the range?

Old guy with 1911... or young tactical guy with a black wonderpistol?

 

[Sean Smith]

Is 30 older?

 

[SapperLeader]

I just bought my first 1911, and im shopping for my first revolver, and I have several polymer guns(XD series). Im only 23, does this fit the older guy category? I have arthritus if that helps?

 

[Zach S]

I'll be 22 soon, and my favorites are my 1911s. I'm thinking about trading my Ruger in on another.

SnWnMe, I happen to like my widebody 1911, and I'm a pretty good shot. I do have days where I couldnt shoot myself if I wanted to though, lol.

//edit: You know, I joke a lot about being 22 and having a 50yo back, does that put me in the "old" catagory?

 

[WT]

We old folks don't need hi-caps. We've learned to hit our intended targets.

 

[TallPine]

Eh ...? What was that you said, sonny?

 

[Sarge111]

"Old guys" and the secret of life....

"Can it be that these old shooters are just more advanced than the rest of us that still think that hi-cap semi-autos are the way to go?"

Well Sonny, it's like this. I'm 47 this fall, and have been a serious handgunner since I was 14. Yes, 14. That'd probably be some kind of federal felony today. I took proficiency seriously from the outset, and determined to excel at it.

I've been carrying a gun, usually a 1911, in harm's way since I was 20. For about 10 of those years I tried to teach other cops to shoot with varying degrees of success. I have seen the transition from revolvers to D/A autos to so-called D/A only, including the poly-poppers. I also got to get an up-close look at the results of a number of interpersonal exchanges of gunfire.

The good thing is that handguns and ammunition have gotten more reliable and effective overall.

The bad thing is that even the best handguns and ammo are still pretty sorry at facilitating the elusive "one shot stop" unless you land them in precisely the right spot.

(You have to be able to shoot well under pressure to do this.)

The scary thing is that we are now lousier shots overall that we were in the revolver days.

I like revolvers, because they are super-quick into action. In .357 calibers & up they hit hard and penetrate deep. When everything else is going to hell in a handbasket, they will work. I love my Sig 220 for those same reasons.
I have had a 1911 or two that qualified under those same criteria.

Pick a handgun that is reliable, accurate, and hits hard. Load it with the best ammunition you can get. Learn to shoot it with safety precision FIRST, and then start working on speed. Hits are what you need, from a gun that works every time. Whether it's a 1911 or a revolver or a Glock doesn't matter at all.

 

[sm]

I'm 48 So I don't know what that means.

Age 6 I shot my first centerfire handgun -Singer GM 1911
I guess a year or two later I shot a K frame

I have stuck with these ever since. They have history because they work, always have and continue to do so.

"Faster horses, younger women, older whiskey and more money"

 

[mec]

Sarge says it well. Some of the old phart generations affection for revolvers and 1911s is because we grew up with them. This might provide some insight into the psyche of the old phart generation:
http://www.milesfortis.com/mcump/mc11.htm

 

[ruger357]

44, and love my 1911 and revolvers.

 

[foghornl]

I have a real soft spot in my heart (or is it on my head ) for the single action revo. Favorite 'fun gun' is a short-barrel 'Sheriff's Model" Vaquero in .357Mag.

That being said, when the chips are REALLY down, I'll reach for the 1911-A1.


p.s. I am 50+ years old. Does that qualify me for elderly flatulence status ? ? ?

 

[Snowdog]

I've been around long enough to know that the 1911 is a sound and serious handgun that will serve a man his entire life. Though I won't be conceited and claim the 1911 to be the ultimate combat handgun, as questions such as these never yield answers, I will say that one can do no better than a 1911 with proficiency to use it.

 

[madhatta]

I am 31 and right now if I HAD to sell everything except 2 guns: I would keep a 1911 and .... it would be a toss-up between my python and a
3-screw Ruger SA.
I don't quite know what it is- but I find myself pulling further away from autos and am increasingly drawn to single actions...

 

[Old Fuff]

Well during the last 50-plus years I’ve seen (and done) a lot of shooting. I’ve scrutinized most everything on the market and used a lot of them. Unlike a lot of younger guys I don’t expect get into a gunfight with a half-dozen bad guys every other night. Not that a stray mugger might not come along, but I can handle that even during my “advanced years.â€

In my misspent youth I got involved in bullseye shooting, which at the time was the only handgun game around. To get anywhere one has to learn the principals of good marksmanship and practice them. It’s an old fashion concept called “hit exactly and precisely where you intend too.†In past years it was also considered a good skill to have if the target might shoot back.

Today I read that a group the size of a basketball at ten paces is acceptable “practical accuracy,†especially with a snub-nosed revolver. In ancient times it was not unknown to have a shooter put his shots into the “K†zone of an FBI silhouette target at 100 yards with a similar handgun.

Besides, I like revolvers because (1) they are usually more accurate out-of-the-box then run-of-the-mill pistols, and (2) I don’t have to bend over to pick up my brass. Happily they’re seems to be a wide range of revolvers on the used market that can be had for a fraction of what the more popular pistols cost. We old folks tend to be tight with a dollar, if you know what I mean …

John Browning’s .45 pistol is favored by this “Old Fuff†because it is a well proven design and very reliable if it isn’t messed up with aftermarket “improvements.†One of its strong points is the barrel bushing. Most recent makes and models simply support the barrel with a hole through the front of the slide, and a very generous one at that. The barrel bushing on the other hand can be fitted to the slide on one hand, and to the barrel on the other. The result is better accuracy, but when basketball-sized groups are O.K. I suppose this point is moot. The current idea is to see if one can’t make up for a lack of accuracy by putting more bullet holes inside of the bigger circle. (Don’t hit it, hose it!).

But as they say, “you can’t tech an old dog new tricks.â€

Old age gets to you, ya’ know.

 

[seeker_two]

Hokey relgions (cult of 1911) and acient weapons (revolver) are no match for a good blaster (Sig) at you side kid.

Interesting quote from a movie character who packed a Mauser C96 designed 15 years BEFORE then 1911...

There are a lot of guns that do SOME things better than a well-made 1911 (DA trigger, magazine capacity, lighter weight, etc.), but there's no autopistol that does EVERYTHING better than a well-made 1911...

And there's no handgun PERIOD that is balanced to do EVERYTHING a handgun could be called to do better than a good K- or N-frame revolver....

Can it be that these old shooters are just more advanced than the rest of us that still think that hi-cap semi-autos are the way to go?

Yep...

 

[Boiler_G]

young and wise

My first gun was a Colt 1991A1 .45 ACP! I am now 22 (1 year later) and it is still my favorite gun. It is blue with the new roll mark. Classic look along witht the history/millitary legend made it the obvious choice for me. I hadn't even shot a .45 before and still bought it. I was all set on getting a Glock 19, but figured that I would eventually get a 1911, so I just went with it. I started shooting S&W 41's, and Ruger MKII at my College pistol club and can still shoot there, that is why I didn't buy a .22 for my first. I guess I just saw the light early!

Edit: Forgot to comment on the Revolver part! By the way, my next Colt purchase will be a SAA in .45 Colt Nickle with ivory grips and a 4 3/4" bbl There is just something about holding a Colt! I need to pay off my student loans before that purchase though

 

[clubsoda22]

I'm a college student who grew up with my dads 1911. I love that gun. Then again, i'm an old guy at heart, but i'malso very diverse in my tastes. Call it practical. I realize that a polymer 9 is much better on your hip all day than a 1911, which despite being awesome, is big and heavy.

 

[themic]

i think a large amount of what-guns-you-like is also looks. not so much in the stylings themselves, but in what the looks convey to you. revolver and 1911s convey real blue steel strength, simpler designs, rugged construction, tradition. whereas some people think, when looking at the same thing: heavy, bulky, old.

the same thing happens with shotguns and rifles. There are AR-15s, and there are Remmy 700s with wood stocks. There are souped up 870s, and traditional over-unders.

you see things in terms of what you are looking for.

it just so happens that lots of old people have no taste

just kidding. me? remington 700s, trap shotguns, a 1991, and one weirdly heavy RAP 401. age? 25. it's what i've always liked, partly because i got into shooting through 22 bolt action rifles, and trap shooting.

 

[10-Ring]

One of the guys I shoot with is 20-something and most of his guns are revolvers w/ a few 1911's mixed into the mix. He inherited most of his collection & figures that his dad knew what he was doing when he chose these guns for his collection.

 

[Ala Dan]

Older Or Wiser, Or Both?

Greeting's Guys and Gals-

At 56 years old~

I don't know which group I fall into? But as far as
revolver geeks go, I think its a drawn conclusion
that fewer things can go wrong with a good ole'
revolver. Not too say that all self-loaders are
bad, but most of the time if you have
a malfunction with a revolver, just pull the trigger
again and keep on a truck'in. With that said, I still
have faith in some quality self-loaders as well!

But contrary to popular belief, I tend to use both
on a large scale basis.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member