With John Wick: Chapter 4 due in theaters soon, there’s been a lot of talk of 2011 model semi-auto pistols. The biggest difference between it and the classic 1911 design seems to be a separate polymer grip that better isolates the shooter’s hand from perceived recoil.
Here’s Joe Rogan shooting a Pit Viper, which is evidently the 2011 model Wick shoots in the film:
“That is the smoothest gun of all time. It doesn’t move. Like it literally doesn’t move, there’s no recoil.”
It does indeed look pretty cool and easy to shoot, but before you rush out to buy one, keep in mind that: A.) It’s not going to be available for sale until May, and B.) It’s going to set you back about seven grand.
Here Colion Noir interviews a rep for Staccato about the differences between the 1911 and the 2011.
Staccato is in Texas, and their 2011 models start at a somewhat more reasonable $2,499.
(Aside: I like Noir, but he does the “yeah,” “uh-hu” noise thing that tells the person he’s talking to “Yes, I’m following you,” which he needs to learn not to do for filmed interviews.)
Is there significant enough difference between a 1911 and a 2011 to justify the nomenclature change? I’m slightly skeptical, but I’ve never fired a 2011. Maybe the difference is night and day.
Would I buy a 2011? Not right now, mainly because I just picked up a Sig Sauer P365 Micro Compact 9mm as a carry gun last year, and even $2,500 is considerably more than I want to spend on a gun right now. But if the prices drift down to around $1,000 over the next few years, I’d definitely give them a more serious look.
Tags: 2011 Pistol, Colion Noir, Guns, Joe Rogan, M1911A, Staccato, Taran Tactical, Texas
LOL. Like I give a shit about Joe Rogan’s gun opinions.
I shoot more in a month than he’s shot in his life.
I do believe that the 1911 is 7 (or 8) in the mag and the 2011 is double stack (14-15?). Since the grip is larger to accommodate the thicker mag, the stocks have to be thin.
STI was the primary 2011 maker, and provided them to CAG, (or so I’m told). Para Ordnance had its double stack as well.
I carried a Detonics Combatmaster for years (.45) now, like you I’m carrying the P365.
Bought two Browning Hi-Powers for less than that one 2011. Even with new cerrokotes for both, I got two classic pistols for the price of one 2011.
Believe I did better.
When I was 12 a serious cop told me if I lived with a gun I’d have a 1911 and snub .38. This was over 50 years ago. I’ve had a lot of guns over the decades and yet, that was solid advice to this day.
(he might have added a .22 but that was probably understood)
Second what “Bones” said (don’t know about CAG). In addition, there is Rock Island Armory which has some double-stack models which they don’t designate with any different model name designation. But they’ve got 14 round .45, 16 round 10mm, and 17 round 9mm models–all for less than $1k. See: rockislandarmoryusa.com.
I can’t vouch for the quality, since those are only on my wish-list.
Tatan Tactical makes great pistols I’m sure; but that is more than I paid for my first new car. I can do without one.
By the time you finish mastering the P365 (including figuring out how to hold it so that you don’t get a blister on your support-side thumb), you’ll never complain about the recoil of a full-size, metal-frame 1911. Seriously, I don’t see how making a given firearm lighter by making the frame out of plastic can help with the perceived recoil, but I’m not going to argue with somebody who thinks it is sensible to pay $7K for a pistol.
The 2011 frame was created in the mid 1990’s, and pistols built on that frame dominated USPSA pistol competition for the next 10 years or so. They were dismissed by “serious tactical shooters” as unsuitable for duty use. 30 years later, the company now rebranded as “Staccato” has somehow convinced an army of youTube gun industry “influencers” that the 30 year old design is now the New Hotness. Taran Butler, who does all the firearms training for the Wick films, was a top tier national competitor back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s, which is likely why the 2011 is in Wick’s hands in the movie (combined with the 2011’s resurgugence in popularity and approval from the Tactical crowd.) Austin PD SWAT team was carrying STI 2011 .40 caliber pistols as duty guns in the late 1990’s.
[…] 1911 vs. 2011. “That is the smoothest gun of all time. It doesn’t move. Like it literally doesn’t move, […]
2011 looks great, but its a range toy, not a carry piece unless you really want to dress around your gun, and get weird looks when you pick up your kid at T ball.
I carry a P365XL and/or a Ruger LCP II. I can actually conceal them with normal clothes. When I used to walk my dogs in the city (I’m in the burbs now) I used to strap a Glock 30S in my winter coat.
In 1964, my assigned Army weapon was a real 1911, probably made many years before I got it. It was of course great fun, but it had some other aspects too. Its parts made a pleasing threshing-machine sound after firing a round – you could hear each individual bit of hardware on its own timing and voice, as it served up the next one from the clip. And despite my aiming precision (very good on other weapons), it had a ‘cone of fire’ of perhaps five degrees deflection from the projected line of the sights. I suppose it would have been great as a movie prop, or in a gang fight, but there were much better weapons for self-defense, say a bayonet.
Just another fad…. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
I’ve owned ’em all.. and I see people swoon over 15,17,20 etc… shot pistols.
I’ve seen ’em tout 9mm, .40, .357 Sig, .45, etc…. as being the be-all, end-all cartridge.
I tell you folks, it ain’t the 10th or 15th or whatever shot that matters… it’s the first few. And while I prefer larger caliber guns it is the shot placement that matters the most.
Wick’s gun? Oh hum. Glock 43… Sig 365… S&W 66 snub… and yea a Kimber Stainless Classic MK i .45. I even tend to use a S&W J .38 with wadcutters! Notice none of them hold a ton of ammo. Shooting strait matters so much more than shooting a bunch of ammo at ’em.
7G’s? A Barrett of handguns. Perhaps much of the tech will filter down to affordable alternatives for us cheapskates.
Looks nice tho’.
He’d be better advised to buy a Glock something-something, and spend the rest of that money on ammo and some training.
The man maketh the gun; not the other way around.
“I shoot more in a month than he’s shot in his life.”
While watching Pornhub.
“Now you can get sixteen or seventeen rounds of 9mm…”
A double-stack 9mm single-action pistol was developed nearly ninety years ago: John Moses Browning’s P-35.
A minty T-Series can be purchased for about $1,500, which is substantial less than a 2011 from Wilson Combat, arguably the best example of this breed.
Remember this folks, there is nothing new under the sun.
I’ll admit– I’m far better off paying ~$1,000 for a solid reliable pistol and the other $6k on training and ammo. I think that will get me a lot better at maximizing my capability than spending $7k on one pistol.
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Neither my wife (P365) nor I (P365XL) have had any problems shooting our Sigs. Maybe our grips were correct from the beginning? They are certainly the easiest to shoot (and shoot well) of any 9mm in their size class that we’ve tried, though the Sig has competitors now. I only wish it had a trigger as crisp as my Walther PPQ (and a slightly easier to manipulate magazine eject). There’s no way in hell I would spend multiple grand on a pistol. Never conceal-carry a pistol you can’t afford to lose.