This is an interesting bit of graphics.  How a Handgun Works:  1911 .45.  Excerpt:

The model 1911 handgun is named for the year it was formally adopted by the U.S. Army – and while it was replaced as an official service weapon in 1985, it’s still massively popular. Various manufacturers have created their own take on the 1911, but its basic function and operation remains in place over 100 years after its inception.

Everyone who has read these pages for more than a few days knows that yr. obdt. has been and remains a big fan of John Browning’s most famous handgun design.  Loyal sidekick Rat has always shared that opinion and only recently picked up a new Remington R1 Carry, a full-size version of the 1911 produced by America’s oldest gunmakers.  Mine (pictured above) is a Rock Island mil-spec 1911A1 with what are essentially Series 70 Colt innards, while Rat’s new piece is a much more tricked up, modernized piece.  Then again, my 1911 was a nostalgia purchase, as I carried one in the years I was a Company Aidman in an Infantry unit.  Rat’s is a primary sidearm for the mountains, hunting, camping and general woods-bumming – work for which I favor revolvers.

I always have and still do love the 1911.  It’s an immortal piece of American gunmaking, and will no doubt ride American holsters for decades to come.