About one month ago we launched a brand new series here on Tactical Life, where you, the reader, make the call. In “Which Gun Would You Rather Have?”, we kicked off the series with a good one: Mossberg 500 vs Remington 870. After more than 3,500 votes, Mossberg has a healthy lead. Now it’s time to turn our attention to another hotly contested debate: the 1911 vs Glock 21.

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1911 vs Glock

As much as this one is a contest between types of gun, it might just be a contradiction between types of shooter. Because this one is about more than just comparing two companies. No, 1911s and Glocks represent something altogether different, as the very soul of the firearm is at the heart of the debate.

John Browning’s 1911

On one side, you have the most traditional semi-auto in American history, the 1911. Designed by none other than John Moses Browning himself, the 1911, strapped to the Yanks’ sides, won two world wars. From Belleau Wood to the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, few things are more symbolic to America’s great war efforts than a Government Model.

In civilian circles, the 1911 comes in countless forms and from an ever-growing myriad of companies. Though it has certainly taken on modern characteristics in recent years, with coatings, accessories and components, it will nevertheless maintain its image in its most classic form, sporting wood grips and a blue or parkerized finish. This is grandad’s pistol, your daddy’s pistol, America’s pistol.

Glock 21

On the other hand, arguably no other pistol so thoroughly represents the modern firearm industry, from duty guns, to conceal carry to competition, better than the Glock. Gaston Glock revolutionized the firearm industry like few others before him. The Glock pistol went on a tenacious run outfitting law enforcement agencies across the country.

When compared to the 1911, we zero in on the Glock 21, equal in its .45-caliber chambering, but superior in the number one can carry. With a polymer frame, interchangeable backstraps, and greater capacity, the striker-fired Glock 21 is equal to the challenge. The Glock, in any form, has become ubiquitous with law enforcement agencies, backyard plinkers, and holsters across the land.

So there you have it, the next pair of challengers square off: 1911 vs Glock. Vote which gun you’d rather have. We have a feeling this vote says as much about you, as it does about the guns themselves.