Next year, of course, is the centennial of the 1911. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE 1911s. Along with the Glock, they are my favorite semi-auto.

However, you know that every gun magazine will be doing cover-to-cover tributes to John Browning and the 1911 for most of 2011. Get ready for 1911 overload! (if we haven't had that already)

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Aaron Terry

Just what we need. More $2000 1911's.

GF

Lest we forget, 1911 also brought forth the 22/32 Heavy Frame Target, aka Bekeart model.

I will fire a cylinder full of standard velocity target ammo in one of the 1911 production revolvers to celebrate the century.

Bekeart

I hear MSNBC will have a special tribute to the 1911.

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Sure you did

I like how some of the manufacturers are going back to the basic original design, and my next purchase will probably be a Rock Island GI model. As much as I love the 1911 I have no interest in the tricked out guns and Jeff Cooper always said, 'the only improvemnts the original 1911 needed were decent sights, a trigger job, and a longer thumb safety'.

I was just thinking about this the other day, and yes I am dreading the anniversary as well. The 1911 already gets too much hype as it is, in 2011 it will be almost sickening. I am sure that every manufacturer that doesn't make a 1911 (if there is any left) will come out with one.

I guess I'm not that jaded. I've been into firearms of all kinds for around 35 years now and I'm excited about the 100th anniversary of John M. Browning's genius.

I wish all of the 1911 makers would put a special tribute to Browning on all of their guns made in 2011.

It amazes me that a 100 year old design is still considered (especially by me) to be a completely viable, if not superior firearm design....

The only thing I am hating is that the $2000 guns will be $2500-2750 to 'honor' the celebration.

I can't imagine a gun magazine filled with 1911 articles??!!? I've been seeing that for several years now. What I dread is an AR anniversary.

Charles Schumer will hold a celebration at the Lincoln Memorial and Obama will invite John Moses over to the White House for a beer. Dan Rather will have a documentary on the importance of firearms to personal liberty. There will be a tax holiday for the purchase of 1911 type pistols and .45ACP ammunition.

Didn't you guys get the news?

I've been dreading it for at least ten years . . .

I am looking forward to the anniversary. I am a newbi to the 1911 design, so it's all new to me. I am also a minimalist. I rarely change or add anything to a new to me firearm. I just hand load ammo and shoot and hunt. I think a lot of people will update their collection with the new models so there might be plenty of old reliable models for me to buy. Till then, I'll keep shooting my 1993 Springfield and my new RIA. I had plenty of fun at the 100th anniversary for Harley Davidson. I just rode my old 1998 model to Milwaukee.

What firearm designs are really relevant, or even superior, 100 years later?

The only ones I can think of right now, although there may be others:
1) Mauser 98 (in terms of bolt actions, still arguably the best, although some like the Winchester 70 may have surpassed it)
2) 1911
3) S&W hand ejector revolvers, still carried by so many of us

Oh, and the Marlin39A is still the best 22LR rifle, or at least the best lever action 22LR rifle

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Aaron Terry

At least it will end on 12/21/2012. The Mayans knew what they were doing.

I'll buy a centennial Colt 1911 if there's one I like. The O1918 model is sweet. Missed the O1911.

Maybe. Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC

No. Kimber > Products > Centennial Edition

Strictly speaking it's the centennial on the M1911's official adoption. IIRC the patents were issued some years earlier and I read (forget where of course) that the design was finalized by 1907 or so.

Don't be silly. Gun magazines wouldn't do that, would they?

The real question is will anybody acknowledge the 75th birthday of the .357 Magnum this month?

Hell, I bought a Canuck 1911 two years ago & I've been lookin' for a reason to shoot.

I guess I better start makin' plans, eh?

I'm not gonna worry about it til' 2017. That's when MY Colt 1911 (sn#183XXX) turns 100!
I'll take it out with my best bud's, we all have a turn shootin' it. Then drink a beer to it's retirement!

It's been the best $100 gun I ever bought.

The Browning A-5 was designed about then, as well as the Ma-Duce. That fellow laft a huge legacy.

I love the 1911 design and have owned a number of them over the years. The pistol just fits my hand and points beautifully.

I've had Springfield, Dan Wesson, Rock Island and Les Baer 1911's. My current and most favorite is a 1927 Sistema Colt manufactured in 1959. I have done some work on it and had a gunsmith do some work on it and it is an outstanding pistol. It is not a handsome pistol. It is a handgunner's pistol.

As far as buying a commemorative 1911 or whatever, I won't be doing that. I buy what I like, can afford and what works for me. JMB came up with a simple design. Who am I to try to "improve" it? I'd rather spend my money on more amminition.

They can do whatever they want just so it comes back in 7.65 Par

Oh no, don't worry. The next long count calendar starts then.. that'll take us until March 26, 2407. So we'll have plenty of time to enjoy the 1911 craziness.

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- The Federalist #46 -

Yeah, for what it's worth, the Mayan calender "ends" on that date to signal a new cycle beginning, just like our calendar ends on December 31 and a new year begins on January 1. It is only western culture and our obsession with end of the world stuff that got the association with 2012 going.

Ask the Mayans--they don't think the world will end in 2012.

However, I am still stockpiling ammo, just in case.

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Aaron Terry

I am not looking forward to the Centenial either. They 1911's are already priced crazy as it is, was looking to get one not too long ago and the cheapest used S&W I saw was nearly $70 more than I paid for my NIB 4566TSW with 3 mags--the 1911 came with 1.
Glad the post was brought up, cause it reminds me that I really need to get my equipment to start reloading 45ACP, thought ammo was scarce now, wait til we add another slew of 1911 owners.