Do We Need Another 1911?
Kevin Felts 01.26.18
While browsing through SHOT Show 2018, I happened upon the Taurus display. A company representative was located and asked about new products for 2018. The representative stated something along the lines of, “The new products are on display right over there.”
So, around the corner I went, and sure enough, there were some handguns on display. One of the handguns being a 1911.
If Taurus wants to release a new 1911 for 2018, hey, more power to them. However, from a consumer point of view, do we need another 1911?
For the past 100 years, everyone and their brother and sister has made a 1911. Now it seems that not only is everyone’s brother and sister making a 1911, but also the first cousin, ex-wife, neighbor, friend of a friend and the guy who lives at the end of the road.
Walking through the 2018 SHOT Show, it was nearly impossible to travel more than a few hundred feet without seeing a 1911. The only way to not see a 1911 was to look for clothing, knives or accessories. However, as soon as you left the areas where the accessories were at, once again 1911s started popping up.
In 2015 when it looked like Hillary was going to win the presidential election, gun companies ramped up production. When Trump won the election, gun companies were left with a plethora of surplus. Gun companies were expecting a surge in gun sales shortly after the election, a surge that never materialized.
The first six months of 2016 was called “The Great Trump Slump” due to the decrease in gun sales.
Rather than innovating and releasing new and interesting products, what do various companies do? They announce a new 1911 at SHOT Show. Is there a market for 1911 handguns? Sure there is.
However, how are gun companies expecting to spur the consumer market by re-releasing a product that has been in production for over 100 years? How many times can gun companies announce a new 1911 without consumers yawning?
