An open apology to 1911 owners

G

Gino

New member
For many years I've thought that the 1911 design was "less that good". I heard "unreliable", "finicky" and "costly". Who needed the headache? And they only carry 7+1 rounds! I saw all of the $500 guns that were extremely reliable right out of the box and I couldn't ever see myself getting a 1911. A Glock with 16 rounds and very reliable and durable! What was I supposed to think?

Well after getting my clock cleaned by a 1911 shooter at a recent defensive handgun course (and without any malfunctions in 400 rounds), I decided to go 1911 shopping to check them out. Maybe I was being too harsh. <BG>

Last week I bought a NIB SS Colt Government Model (1995 vintage) and I've got to say I am impressed. It didn't malfunction once in the 100 rounds I put through it. And talk about a well made gun. I put it next to my Glock and there was no comparison. It looks like there was more work put into the Colt slide than any five Glock pistols. Maybe I was wrong about the 1911? <VBG> Sorry guys, I've been going along with the 1911 bashing without any real experience with the gun. I think I'll just shut up for a while and shoot it some more...
 
Welcome to the "Enlightened Shooters Club"!

I did the same thing - went for years listening to the old war vets talking about how the "damned" 45 kicked like a mule and they couldn't "hit the broad side of a barn". I heard all the talk about jams and so on.

Now I have FIVE 1911's, and that's just a "good start"!

Mikey
 
Yo Gino! Now you have it all. Variety is the spice of life! Moderation and Tolerance in all things.
 
Thanks Gino,I love both my 1911,s as well.HMMMMM. . . Now if the Glock bashers,who have never owned or shot one will read this thread, and follow your example.Maybe then we can just all get along!
 
I too once thought the sun rose and set with Glocks. I also vowed never to own a 1911. But, for reasons unknown, I developed a serious "need" to have one. I decided on a Para P14-45 Limited. Of course when I bought it I vowed never to use it for CCW. Too big, too heavy, and everyone knows 1911's aren't reliable.

Care to guess what gun I'm wearing as I type this? :)

Don't get me wrong, I still love my Glocks and the G30 is my primary CCW piece but I no longer see 1911's as outdated antiques carried by outdated antiques. :)


[This message has been edited by Wingspan (edited January 02, 2000).]
 
I am sure that if Glock shooters would try the M1911, and M1911 guys would try the Glocks, they would find that either one represents a good pistol design.
I have both. I like both.


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Give me Liberty, or Give me Foodstamps!
 
Used to 'dis' the 45, but then I picked up a Caspian slide from a prize table, so I had to get a Bar-Sto, which meant I needed a frame so Caspian supplied me with one, custom serial and checkered front, but all those parts needed friends so Ed Brown, McCormick, Nowlin, and Ahrends all sent me stuff and all of a sudden I got a $2500 1911!

Good thing I shoot it best.....going off to Robar for NP3.......weird how it worked out; I'm a Ruger man.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Gino: When I started shooting auto pistols, and ignoring stuff smaller than the 9mm, there were really three common choices: The 1911, the Luger, and the P-38.

Even as a skinny kid, I never thought the .45 "kicked" all that much. Since I could hit coffee cans at ten yards or so with a "good-used" GI gun, I figured it was plenty accurate.

So, doing a fast-forward 35 years, to 1980, I was happy to find folks to do trigger jobs, bevel the mag well, throat and polish...Hey, why worry about "other, Brand X guns"?

At this stage, a lot of my reasons for the Gummint model is personal preference. The handle fits my hand, and I don't care for the feel of the double-stack guns. I don't like the double-action monkey motion. And the Colt's esthetics are far superior to the rest.

Since I've never had any malfunctions in a carry-Colt, how can any other brand be "more reliable"? And since I shoot better with the old slabsided devil, why change?

Have fun!

Art
 
gino!
congratulations for opening your mind to different ideas. the only reason i went to glock was because i was PISSED-OFF that none of the big 1911 companies would do a little retooling and investment to make a decent out of the box 1911 with a simple beavertail safety. "FOR GOD'S SAKE, JUST GIVE A LITTLE BACK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS AND MAKE THE DAMN .250 RADIUS AND SAVE US SHOOTERS SOME AGONY!!" was what i was thinking. my first gun was an alloy para, and i had spend more money to get a good beavertail installed (i was a student at the time so money wasn't plentiful) and then the damn frame cracked in multiple areas only after 1500 rounds! i then went to glock for a long time and was very happy with the price/performance ratio. but then kimber starts this custom/production thing, colt, springfield and para are forced to open their eyes, and now i'm able to embrace 1911's again.
:)
free market competition is a beautiful thing.
best,
joe


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www.skdtac.com
tactical accessories for self-defense and le
 
At least some guys feel the uniqueness of the 1911 though it is an antique, heavy, strong recoil etc. But when we try by a neophyte like me, I found it handy and could even shoot well with my weak hand. I did not throw my $1K for just a cold steel.
 
You all can have my Colt Mark IV Series 70 Commander...when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.
 
Welcome to the TFL 1911 Team.

Resistance is Futile.

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"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." - Sigmund Freud
 
Welcome aboard, Gino! Your sins are forgiven!

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Be mentally deliberate but muscularly fast. Aim for just above the belt buckle Wyatt Earp
45 ACP: Give 'em a new navel! BigG
"It is error alone that needs government support; truth can stand by itself." Tom Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, 1785
We don't have a chaplain here, but I don't view that as any major problem... You can rest assured
that you will not go in that bag until I've said a few appropriate words over you
R. Lee Ermy as Sgt Major Haffner, from The Siege of Firebase Gloria
If you have to shoot a man, shoot him in the guts. It may not kill him... sometimes they die slow, but it'll paralyze his brain and arm and the fight is all but over Wild Bill Hickok
 
I still like Glocks...I carried a Glock for over two years as my concealed carry gun. I liked 1911s at the time, but due to the fact they always gave me hammer bite, I couldn't practice to my satisfaction to get good enough with one to be comfortable using it as my primary defense piece. Then I bought a Kimber...and the rest is history. <g>
 
I have had a dozen 1911 style pistols and half a dozen Glocks. I like my G27 for CCW, but for competitive shooting the better 1911 pistols really put my G35 to shame. Both the 1911 and the Glock are good guns, but I am going back to the 1911 for competition.

I like the lack of external controls and the reliablility of the Glock, but the ergonomics are hideous. The only way to make a Glock shootable (for me) is to do a grip reduction and the grip reduction is not without problems.

I find it odd that seasoned shooters can switch back and forth between the Glock and a 1911 without major modifications to the grip. The Glock points unnaturally high and I must "break" my wrist downward to bring the sights into alignment. On the other hand, my Glock buddies tell me the 1911 points way too low.

Anyhow, Glocks are OK and I carry the G27 (with a grip reduction) almost daily. For recreation, plinking, and serious competition, I'll stick with the 1911.
 
One of my instructors told me many years ago, "It is the poor carpenter, who blames his tool." Attitude is eveything.
 
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