Hate to say it ... but I'm starting to like my 1911

I've always thought the 1911 design was an archaic throwback to WWI, and swore I would never touch one after buying a pair of Sigs.

That is, until I started to shoot league at the local range. Seeing most competitors were shooting .45 ACP I relented and bought a Kimber. After seeing my averages creep up 20+ points in the most recently completed competition I've finally, begrudgingly, admitted I like the darn thing.

The clean, single pull trigger is awesome. My light JSWC loads are soft. I'd never carry one but I sure like shooting one.

Any other 1911 fans out there?

It is really nice.

That isn't safe! It's dangerous. Do you realize the danger you are putting your family in?

Thanks for the chuckle!

:D

I can't wait to have a son so I can take him shooting. My house is safer with four guns in it than most houses with none.

If I could only own one handgun, it would be a 1911... nothing else comes close. Doesn't matter if it's for defense or sporting use.

it would be a .40 Glock.

Since I can own as many handguns as I want, however, I can't imagine not owning a few 1911's. :)

Break it in, keep it clean, and it will serve you well.

What is a inconsistent trigger that 19 times out of 20 times breaks nice and clean @3.75 lbs (so far I am ok - understanding ) but then has a " stacking " problem as the "sear" moves and stops part way through the pull and then requires additional pull to release the hammer (for a total of 5 lbs)????

Fellow posted this problem with Kimber factory repair (their trigger repair did not work) - and wanted advice on (I guess) how to fix at home so that he has "trigger pulls that break like the proverbial "glass rod" at the required legal weight". What is "proverbial "glass rod" " - I suspect todays military has a better larger vocabulary for these things than in my day!

http://www.1911forum.com/forums

"What is "proverbial "glass rod" = No trigger creep = "Creep is defined as a perceptible movement of the trigger after the slack has been taken up and before the hammer is released".

Put in another perspective; compare it to bending (snapping) an equal diameter wood dowel and a glass rod with the same force applied. The breaking point, or "snap" would be sudden and unexpected with the glass rod. With the wood dowel, you'll begin to feel it just before it snaps.

My own analogy; maybe not 100% accurate, but it's a simple enough explanation.

And compare that to my M1 Garand.

The PP is a nice looking pistol but the trigger is the pits.

Although I must admit that some of the pre WW2, and some of the WW2 stuff I owned has "trigger creep"

:-)

You can imagine that if you were putting pressure on a glass rod (of the right diameter) it would not bend at all, but at a certain amount of pressure, it would snap through all at once, with no warning and no movement before the break. That's considered the ideal trigger pull: pressure increased to the breaking point, and the trigger does not move at all during this phase. Once the breaking point is reached, the sear released suddenly with no warning (no dragging, resistance, no movement, etc).

In reality, I've never actually felt a glass rod breaking, so I'm just imagining. Also, in reality glass does flex some, especially thinner rods. So it's just a way of visualizing.

FYI - there is no legal requirement for trigger pull. Most companies have somehow decided that 3.5lbs is the minimum acceptable pull for safety reasons, and maybe they think there would be liability for trigger pulls less than that. It's somewhat arbitrary, but in my experience, 3.5lbs does seem about right. Maybe lighter is ok for competition use, but for defense, I would definitely want a minimum of 3.5 lbs. In fact I would want about 5lbs.

...give me my Glock 21 any day. I've put at least 5,000 rounds through it and can still count the number of misfeeds on one hand. And it's accurate as all hell.

If only because I can shoot for cheap. I like to practice, so ammo cost becomes a concern. My carry guns are the KAHR PM9 and a pair of Springfield XDs.


The KAHR
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 6 + 1, 7 + 1 (magazine with grip extension)
Operation Trigger cocking DAO; lock breech; "Browning - type" recoil lug; passive striker block; no magazine disconnect
Barrel: 3.0", polygonal rifling; 1-10 right-hand twist
Length O/A: 5.3"
Height: 4.0"
Slide Width: .90"
Weight: Pistol 14 ounces, Magazine 1.9 ounces
Grip: Textured polymer
Sights: Drift-adjustable, tritium night sights optional
Finish: Matte stainless steel slide
Magazines: 1 each: 6-round flush baseplate & 7-round grip extension


The Subcompact XD in 9mm with a three inch barrel.


The service sized XD in 9mm with a four inch barrel. Mine is identical, excepting the slide on mine is black.

I like your Kahr. It looks alot like mine. :) The trigger is quite nice: long, but light and clean-breaking.

My new PM40:

Caliber .40 S&W
Capacity 5+1, 6+1 (magazine with grip extension)

Essentially the same size and weight as your PM9, but in .40 caliber.

Kahrs are great guns.

Love my Kahr MK9 for when I need 'deeper' concealment.

HS2K Gen.1...

My personal favorite.

BHP's are nice. Browning designed some nice firearms, didn't he. :)

I don't own a BHP yet, but one is on my short list of firearms to be acquired next.

I do have one new one in 357Sig (Novak Conversion) Received it about a 4 weeks ago.

My only Browning is a Belgian-made Browning Auto-5 in 12ga.

Don't have any Browning Shot guns, most of mine are Winchester s/s and o/u. Old hi-powers are my favorites in auto pistols.

an old Browning Hi-Power 9mm with 2 hicaps made in Belgium. Found it at an estate sale and picked it up for virtually pennies. Thing looks mint.

I used to shoot it in competition but I found that I just couldn't get any faster with it. The trigger reset is imperceptable and that was frustrating.

I shot a H&K full-size USP for a while but don't really like the trigger on that either for combat competition. Then I picked up a custom 9mm 1911 and it's a real hoot to run. And cheap to feed, too. Even cheaper when I get off my butt and order my caliber conversion kit so I can load for it.

Not long ago I picked up really nice Springfield Loaded 1911 in .45 ACP and I really like it, too. (I don't like shooting in the Minor class and I don't like the 9mm round for 'social' situations. It's strictly for run-and-gun games.) Anyway, I'll be shooting the Springfield a lot more once I get tooled up to load ammor for it.

And.... just yesterday I picked up a REAAAALLLLLY nice S&W Model 610 that'll eat either 10mm or .40 S&W. I'll be shooting that in competition, too, but I got to get a holster, some full-moon clip carriers and various other sundries.

WOOT!!!

Totally dismantled and customed from the ground up. Slide and fram eare the only original pars left on it. The thing shoots wonderfully, and it is the gun that I shoot IPSC with. I could never use it for carry or self-defense though, the 2 pound trigger is just too light for me to use in a self defense situation.

Overall, my Glock 20 10mm rules the roost for every application other than IPSC. Tons of power and reliable, period.

The slides and frames were excellent, and the guns sold for around $300. The rest of the parts were mostly junk, but you could throw them away and replace them with all custom parts and still have spent a lot less than you would on a Les Baer, Kimber, etc.

When I bought it. Kimber was barely into 1911 and had to recall some pistols due to mfg problems. The 1911 custom jobs you see now weren't all that prevalent back then. Ed Brown and Les Baer would only work on Springfields, Colt and Norincos. Custom meant paying a smith to do the work, but I digress...

Nowadays you can get the same gun from Springfield or Kimber for about half of what I have in my Norinco. Still I wouldn't trade it for anything.

12,000+ rounds later and the slide to frame fit on that Norinco is still as tight as the day I got it. Wonderful pistol!

which is a basic, run-of-the-mill carbon copy of the venerable Colt 1911 military sidearm.

I own a 1911 made in 1917 which my pop carried in Vietnam. That relic is almost too precious to fire, so Imight invest in the new 1911 just to have a shooter.

Personally, I love the old-school look of the vintage 1911's. As far as accuracy is concerned, their okay at under 25 yards which is adequate for what this gun is made for. With the .45 ACP it's all about the stopping power.

....you should check out Colt's 1911 replica they are producing right now.

Here is a detailed review of one.

http://usgi1911.tripod.com/ww1replica/

The Colt will cost twice as much as the Springfield. The Colt is all American made. The Springfield is made in Brazil.

P220ST in .45ACP.

Toughest pistol I've ever seen. Had a unique experience with a 220.
Got called out on a weekend, was in my jeans and t-shirt. When i went out to the patrol car my dog jumped in and didn't want to come out. I put my Sig on top of my car and picked up my dog and put him in the house. While i was driving into town i heard a strange sound, as if something was falling off my car. I looked in my rear view mirror just in time to see my Sig doing cartwheels down the interstate at about 70 mph. The grips exploded the hammer had a bad ding and the frame was scratched all to hell. I took the pistol out to the range and it still functioned perfectly, just looked like shit. Sent the Sig back to the factory, they fixed it at no charge.

Was it loaded at the time? Just curios if the safety mechanisms functioned. Some have said that handguns with no manual safety are inherently more dangerous.

and I believe it is a very safe gun. It's been drop tested like crazy and never misfires.

The squeeze safety is also a pretty revolutionary concept-- that's one classy gun.

What is "Cocked and Locked"

Is the means of carrying the 1911 "ready to go". With a round in the spout, you cock the trigger back and then 'lock' it with the safety. This is one of the reasons I DON'T like SAO pistols like the 1911. Just seems inherently dangerous to me.

Both my Sigs (P226 and P239) are DA on the first round, single thereafter.

But the system is less tollerent of stupidity and they're certainly not for beginners. As I said above, I carry a BHP daily and have no problems with it at all. I'll probably carry my Springfield 1911 on a regular basis too once I get a suitable IWB holster for it.

Of all the systems out there, the Glock type is the most simple to use - it's like a flat revolver. I've come to really dislike the manual decocking pistols, whether the decocker is frame or slide mounted. It was a worth while concept but too many things can go wrong under pressure that keep the gun from going BANG when you need it to and, in point of fact, was a contributing factor in many depts AD statistics.

Long story short, SAO suits me just fine.

When did they take it off.

.

.

assumed the poster was serious. I have fired some slabsides, but havented owned one.

The hammer had to be replaced. The weapon did not discharge.
I personally feel a dedicated safety is dangerous on a duty weapon.

Trading my wondernine for a P220. The P220st that I got last year has a decocker I am more comfortable with. It caatches the hammer rather than dropping it. Probably no more safe, just feels better to me.

I have doubts about the efficacy of requiring manual safeties and magazine disconnects. Some weapons seem so complex already that you need a checklist or an accident to fire them.

Kimber makes some darn good handguns and the .45 is, IMHO, the finest self-defense round ever. Period. As for the concerns with manual safeties the real safety is between your ears. Properly handled and respected that .45 will serve you, safely, for as long as you care to own it...and beyond. Mr. Browning knew what he was doing when he designed that one.

You're liable to get ignored around here sporting that green NJ.

For carry I prefer my Sig P239. It's only 9 MM, but then I'm a pretty good shot ;)

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Love it.

Like a good woman, slightly more expensive to take out and has lots of accessories.

BUT WORTH EVERY PENNY AND MINUTE!

The SA GI edition is a fine pistol. a few weeks ago, with my birthday near, I decided to treat myself to a 1911, I used to own a colt series 80, I got rid of it about 10 years ago and really regretted it. I moonlight at a shooting range as a Range Safety Officer, a place called Turners Outdoorsman (a gunshop / sporting goods store) was having a sale on the SA GI 1911's for $399.99 and there have been many guys up here with them. I fired quite a few and found I really liked this pistol. So, I ended up at a local gun shop that had several models of the SA 1911, I was fondling the GI 1911 when the dealer pulled the "Mill spec" which is a mid way between the GI and "loaded" 1911, I spent a while fondling both pistols, I came in witht he intention of buying the GI, however, the lowered ejection port, beveled mag well with the higher combat sights of the "Mil spec" bit me and I ended up buying that one.

I took it out to the range twice this week when I went to work and I love it. I wish I had bought another 1911 a long time ago, I forgot just how much fun these pistols are to shoot. The 1911 bug bit me HARD this time, now, I'm thking accessories! Lets see, a wilson highrise beavertail grip safety, wilson speed trigger, a skeletonized speed hammer, an extended thumbsafety, match grade barrel and smooth coco bolo grips are on my up coming purchases, don't ask me why, but I've got this idea of building a race gun out of this pistol and entering some matches.

Yet, here we go, I'm still thinking about the GI edition, if nothing else, I have to have one, I don't think I will accessorize the GI, I'm thinking I want it in it's pristine condition. I really find the wood grips with the "US" makes the pistol very attractive. Ahh, there's always next month as I coaxed the wife into the idea of yet another 1911. She only agreed to it if I buy her the colt 1991 pistol. Oh well, she's been a good sport about things, might as well make it an x-mas present.

And I love it. Its a great and functional collector piece.



on edit - added the picture

i dont like the AE6's trigger and i havent fired a 19

Norinco, Springfield, Auto Ordnance, Colt, Remington (WW II), Singer (WW II),. I also have a .30 carbine (WW II) made by the Rock-Ola Jukebox Company - just for the heck of it. Non-1911's: Taurus 145, Ruger P90, Colt Defender. The defender and 145 are my main carry guns.

Running out of room in that gun safe, eh? :)

Quite a collection! Bravo!

He figures that he already owns my stuff thru inheritance. Damn kids.
(But I did buy him a Colt for his birthday.)

I'm never out of room. I can always buy more safes. I'm on #4 and counting.

FYI, skippy os the fruit of my loins - and a grabby little shit, too. 26 and he "borrows" all my toys.

on edit: I went to another auction last weekend and added a couple more 1911's to my pile. One can never have too many 1911's. Now I just have more projects.

or the GSR.

Though I do like the .45ACP

I had a H&K USP and a Sig Sauer P220. Both performed flawlessly and with great accuracy. I'd like to try a 1911 though I've always strayed away since they're single action.

A USGI Ithaca M1911A1. Original parts/finish. Relatively rare and in good shape too. Only shot it once. Love the feel of the .45 compared to the 9mm.

It makes me a little nervous to hear some people say that have a gun, but wait they have two more just like it, but wait then there's the other three...

There ought to be a law. Even in you concede that the 2nd amendment means individual gun rights and not military gun rights, why would you need so many? A Crime waiting to happen if you ask me.

50 and still I don't have enough.

justify their posessions or prove need?

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I probably have about twenty rifles in my WW II collection and maybe a 9 or 10 handguns of the same era (including a 1911 of course).

None has ever hurt anybody.

I just wonder what other restrictions you think should be put on us in terms of how many of any legal product we can own?

No more than one car per household, are two radios OK?

Even if it isn't obvious from the bloody post (which it was) that the poster is a troll (which no more believed in firearms control than it could fly to the moon), it's generally wise to click on the profile of the low-count poster to see whether it's still with us, in these parts.

This one isn't. Well, not per se, as it were. Troll. Gone.

Of course, that won't stop someone else from claiming that people with its views are all over this forum ...


(edit: "posting the question" made sense, but I did mean "posing the question")

:hug:

Donut holes are, of course, the Canadian national food.

Well, apart from Smarties.










Oh look, one for you guys:

:loveya:

They're secured. They function as they are designed. I've had a loaded gun in the house for 20 years. I once pinched the pad of my thumb when I was re-assembling. A spent shell hit me in the forehead and stuck between the frame of my safety glasses and my forehead - minor cut and burn.

That's the sum total of accidents and crimes that my guns have caused.

Are guns dangerous? If they're used unsafely, obviously yes.

I have been a deep sea diver. Was that dangerous? I skydive. Is that dangerous? I drive a car, is that dangerous?

Of course, but the risk is entirely manageable.

Gun control is the odd theory that finding a woman in an alley, raped and strangled, is superior to the same woman explaining how those fatal wounds ended up in her attacker.

I started out with a glock, because of such a simple nomenclature. That was because I bought it for the purpose of carrying. I feel the same about 1911s in that I'd never carry one, but they're great for just about any range/competition use.

except that it is not a gun for a novice. It does take training and practice to use safely and effectively. Not everyone is willing to put in the time and effort to learn to operate the system proficiently. And as a piece of emergency equipment, it's a sure bet that if it ever is actually called into service, it will be in the most dire circumstances when the operator's ability to formulate a plan or act methodically has already been severely compromised. He/she will revert to training so training is imperative, regardless of the weapon system used. More complicated systems, of course, require more (and more constant) training.

It is unnecessarily complicated compared to the mechanical beauty of a Glock, but the 1911 is so perfectly designed, and has been so refined over the past 90 years that it's tough to beat. Unfortunately I live here in California so my new handgun choices are very very limited, but I'm thinking of getting a SigArms GSR as my next. Fortunately they are available here... but not in black! Our gun laws are so stupid that you can buy a silver-colored GSR, but you can't buy the exact same gun in black!

The other advantage of the 1911 (here in California) is that we don't have access to standard-capacity magazines for Glocks (and many others). Only crippled mags are available. Well, standard capacity for a 1911 is 7 or 8 rounds, which is perfect. I wish Glock would come out with a full-sized single-stack model, but that's just a fantasy at this point.

but I love Para-Ordnances. The Warthog will probably be my next gun.

Should have NEVER sold it.