I have heard the endless arguments! This one is better than that one, no it isn’t, my mom can beat up your mom! The Austrians vs the Americans, the steel vs the polymers. My round can beat up your round.
The Glock, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as a Glock “Safe Action” pistol a series of polymer-framed short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed by and produced proudly in Austria. It the service of their military and police by 1982 after it was the top performer in an exhaustive series of reliability and safety tests, in Austria, by Austrians. The new kid on the block. The Glock 36 in the model in this encounter since it is chambered in .45 ASP.
The 1911, first prototype forged in 1895, the names of Browning and Marlin in its rich history, forged of steel, rough around the edges, known to take a beating. Hero of every American War since the Philippine-American War that resulted because of the Spanish-American War ending (don’t get me started.) A single-action semi-automatic, magazine-fed, recoil-operated pistol chambered for the .45 ASP. It served as the standard-issue sidearm for the US Military from 1911 to 1986.
I remember the instructors first words as I took the class in shiny, and plain, OD everything in a bleachers at Ft. Ord, California, a place that no longer exists. He held one high and stated clearly “This is the M1911AI Army-issue .45 ACP sidearm, the effective range of this weapon is 2.5 feet, the distance at which you can beat someone to death with it.” For most of us, that day, he was right. I recall being issued a S&W Model 12 .38 when I arrived “in country”. Six rounds. Period. First move, find someone with a 1911 and do some trading.
So much history. The hope that they had learned, I wanted a battle of the minds.
So, I took one of each and locked them in a room to hash it out. Hoping language did not prove to be a barrier, hoping the realization of their shared situation would stimulate communications, would allow them to talk of small things first, find some common ground and then move on to larger more complex things, and, nothing. Not a peep! Both fully loaded, cocked and armed for bear, and nothing, just nothing.
So, what does this prove? That they are as stubborn as politicians and as closed minded? As inanimate as characters in a video game, or furniture? You bet it does! And after all the rounds we sent down range together!
It also proves that, not unlike some humans, they are simply a collection of moving parts with lots of potential energy but zero kinetic energy. A finely machined lump of steel or polymers (unlike Michael Moore, not so finely tuned but inanimate and a lump just the same.) The 1911 has come a long way is craftsman ship and accuracy. The Glock started with a deeper understanding of modern firearms.
Regardless, I now question whether they can even read the laws that control them, let alone understand them. Are they laughing at us like dogs secretly do (after all, who picks up the others waste?) or merely servants always at the ready to do our bidding should the need arise? I chose the latter. Unlike a college protest you and I must bring some intelligence to the activity or else just sit in the room, as mute as the two of them. I get bored quickly. There has to be a range open somewhere.