My 1911 has ruined me

R

Roland Thunder

New member
Once upon a time, I was a pretty good shot with most of my guns. Then I bought a Colt 1911 45acp Government pistol and had a trigger job done to it. I am lights out shooting that sucker. Problem is, now, I can't shoot any of my other guns worth a hoot. While I was getting better and better with my 1911, I was getting worse with all my other guns.

I am thinking about putting my 1911 in the safe for a few months until improve with some of my other guns.

Anybody else ever had this problem?
 
You trained easy. I've fallen into the same trap. If you can shoot a crap trigger well then you can shoot a good trigger amazing. It's very much worth bringing out the DA revolver or DA/SA pistol from time to time or even more often than that. Train harder than you have to fight. It's the same mentality as a good professional athlete. I have been shooting DA a lot lately to bring my trigger control back to what it was. I still end every session with a box or more through my Glock 19, but that practice with harder triggers pays off noticeably on the target.
 
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I never had the problem, but my guns are almost all stock. I think over "customizing", can be a detriment in a lot of cases.

I still shoot my old (stock) Commander on a regular basis, but I put it in the safe for other reasons, about 15 years ago.

If you shoot all the guns that you have a couple of times a month, I'd be willing to bet, you'll be fine again soon after.
 
To me shooting a 1911 and then switching to a DAO or DA/SA gun is like practicing free throws at 14 ft and then trying to make them from 15 feet in a real game
 
To me shooting a 1911 and then switching to a DAO or DA/SA gun is like practicing free throws at 14 ft and then trying to make them from 15 feet in a real game
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I'm not 100% sure how to take that (at 5'9" basketball was never in the cards). Are you saying you find DAO or DA/SA harder or easier? Sounds like harder but internet reading can be tricky. The goal is to use a trigger system that will put more emphasis on good trigger control than a worked over 1911 where you're just touching off rounds. However if all you're going to use or carry is a 1911 then why even bother worrying about other firearms? I don't mean that to be snide but to be honest. It may frankly not matter.
 
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I love my 1911 and my ruger 22/45, they both have nice triggers and really spoil me. But I practice a lot with my j frame which really helps my pistol shooting skills.
 
If you can shoot a crap trigger well then you can shoot a good trigger amazing. It's very much worth bring out the DA revolver or DA/SA pistol from time to time or even more often than that.
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Exactly.

As the old saying goes . . .
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Whats going on here, is showing the falacy in that quote. ;)

If that one gun isnt available, theres probably not much to beware of.
 
You've made the first step

Congratulations. You have made the first step on the road to recovery. You have identified the problem.

The next step is to separate yourself from the problem. Now if you just send that 1911 my way, you will be able to focus on recovering your abilities with those other pistols. :p
 
If you have any DA guns dry or live fire away. I always said if you can master the DA trigger, you can shoot any gun well. I learned to shoot on a DA trigger, and I owe it to that to being able to pick up any gun and shoot it well.
 
I usually never shoot a gun for more than 2 or 3 range sessions in a row unless I'm testing something. So it works out that I'm fairly adaptable because I'm so used to shooting something different each trip to the range. But there is something to be said for being really good with one gun.

I'm also always on the look out to try other peoples guns, so that helps with my adaptability as well. :D
 
Get yourself a revolver with a heavy double action trigger in a lightweight, snubby package and shoot it until you are proficient. Anything else will seem easy.
 
I also do not experience a problem anything like that.

I suppose... depending how I might look at the scenario, I would also seriously not call that a "problem." If anything, I would look at it like a challenge with a goal in mind and to accept the challenge with the goal of success, it would seem to require trigger time, range time and ammo.

Just sounds like a wonderful project to tackle.
 
My 1911 has ruined me...or, "sold me"

I always wanted a .45 1911, and did extensive research for one in my budget range, with alternate bells and whistles some of it's predecessors never thought of....the War era Remington's & Colt's. I looked for the high end like Kimber, etc., great guns but just out of my budget. I found my love in the Magnum Research Desert Eagle 1911 G.

I bring this to the range every time, along with my Beretta's, and long guns (Colt Competition AR15 & Remington 45-70 Rolling Block).

Most comments on my Desert Eagle are "Wow...That trigger! Did you do a trigger job on this?" My answer was, "No...right out of the box."

I was hooked from the reviews, and it is not my favorite firearm of all.
 
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As the old saying goes . . .

Whats going on here, is showing the [fallacy] in that quote.
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Actually, he has discovered the difference between a well designed and well tuned trigger vs inferior triggers.

A well tuned SAO trigger is the best trigger for putting lead on target in combat, and the 1911 trigger is the best of the SAO designs. Other-than-SAO triggers are compromises and are more difficult to shoot well. One can compensate for a suboptimal trigger by practicing, but physics dictates that no amount of practice will make one as good with a suboptimal trigger as they can be with the same amount of practice with an SAO.
 
Actually, he has discovered the difference between a well designed and well tuned trigger vs inferior triggers.
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A trigger is a trigger. The inferior part of the equation, is usually the shooter.

Triggerphobia seems to be a common thing these days, and you usually hear the complaints about other than SA triggers, from people who are inexperienced with anything but the SA triggers, and have never bothered to learn to shoot anything else (especially when you consider that it really only takes a little time and effort to learn to shoot DAO well).

If all you can shoot well with, is a light, SA trigger, then youre only doing yourself a disfavor, and limiting yourself.

Learning to shoot DAO, will do more for your shooting overall than pretty much anything else, and that transfers to rifles and anything else, not just hand guns. Its not hard at all to learn, and what you gain pays dividends, and is is well worth the little effort it takes.

As far as a combat trigger, they are really no different than anything else, and in many cases, the light,"tuned" SA triggers can be a detriment, and even a danger, especially in the hands of someone who doesnt practice realistically, and is basing their skills on what they do target shooting. Those light, tuned target triggers, have no place on a serious use gun. Whats even scarier, is one in the hands of someone who carries one, and doesnt understand that.

I have a good buddy who fits that last part. His Nighthawks are something to marvel at, but their triggers are WAY to light and sensitive, and have no place on a gun like that if its being carried (which he does). I shoot with him a couple of times a year, and we both have doubles with them when shooting them "realistically". I usually settle down with them after a mag or two, but they are his guns and he still has them every time we shoot.

He's a great guy, but I sometimes think he has more money than brains. He also has Pythons, and a couple of really nice S&W's, and he cant shoot them DA for crap either, which is how they are meant to be shot.

Like I said earlier, you are simply limiting yourself if SA is all you can shoot well with.
 
He also has Pythons, and a couple of really nice S&W's, and he cant shoot them DA for crap either, which is how they are meant to be shot.
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If Colt and S&W meant for them to be shot DA, why do you think that they wasted all that money putting that SA crap and things like exposed hammers with thumb-cocking serrations into them?

It's not like they don't know how to make something that is meant to be shot DA. If they were meant to be shot DA, you'd think they would make them more like something that IS meant to be shot DA like a S&W 640.
 
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