My 1911 has ruined me
- Thread starter Roland Thunder
- Start date
Call it muscle memory, instinctive response, learned habit, or what you will, we all develop it to some degree, and rely on it in situations where we do not have time for conscious thought.
And it can be just the right, or just the wrong thing to do depending on the conditions.
Stepping aside from triggers for a moment, there are many people who feel a pistol with a manual safety is not for them. They are concerned that under extreme stress they will forget to take the safety off.
They lack faith in their "muscle memory" to do the right thing, every time. I understand this. I don't agree, but I understand it.
I don't see how someone would forget the safety any more than they would forget where the brake is in their car. But, apparently people do, both, so perhaps their no safety bias is right for them.
I trust my learned skills, muscle memory etc to work for me, everytime I need it. It may only be false faith, but its my faith about me, and so right for me, I think.
HOWEVER, personal experience has also taught me that the instinctive response can be the wrong response under certain conditions.
One of the most common times this can happen is when that (short) learning curve doesn't have time to become automatic. Like stepping on the clutch when the car you are in doesn't have one.
Personal story for illustration:
Friend show up, says he saw a deer up the canyon, but all he has with him is Browning 16ga auto and bird shot. Wants to borrow a rifle, go look for the deer. (in season, we're licensed, all legal, etc). I loan him deer rifle, am not all that interested in the deer. But he talks me into going with. I carry his shotgun (pheasant etc in season, too).
No deer, but on the way back pheasant flushes, lines out away, easy shot. Mount gun, punch safety off, track pull trigger. Nothing.
punch safety off again pull trigger. Nothing.
3rd time, same result, pheasant gone now.
(happened a lot faster than I can tell it)
Why did the gun not fire! My instinctive actions were exactly the right ones to have taken the bird. Exactly the right things to do, IF I had been holding my Winchester Model 12. For the Browning Auto 5, not the right things.
The point of this is that when you are at the range, or stand hunting or plinking or a number of other things, we learn and can easily switch between different guns, with different control locations, trigger pulls, etc.
BUT, when you are in a snap shot situation, hunting or self defense, those subconscious actions will only be right for ONE gun. One system. One set of control locations (safety location etc). So choose ONE system, which ever one floats your boat, and stick with it for a defense gun, so your reactions will be the right ones, when you don't have time to think about it.
DA revolver shot DA, DAO auto, no safety, DA auto w/safety SA auto w/safety, or something else pick one, focus on it. Learn it, live it, love it, as they used to say.
And it can be just the right, or just the wrong thing to do depending on the conditions.
Stepping aside from triggers for a moment, there are many people who feel a pistol with a manual safety is not for them. They are concerned that under extreme stress they will forget to take the safety off.
They lack faith in their "muscle memory" to do the right thing, every time. I understand this. I don't agree, but I understand it.
I don't see how someone would forget the safety any more than they would forget where the brake is in their car. But, apparently people do, both, so perhaps their no safety bias is right for them.
I trust my learned skills, muscle memory etc to work for me, everytime I need it. It may only be false faith, but its my faith about me, and so right for me, I think.
HOWEVER, personal experience has also taught me that the instinctive response can be the wrong response under certain conditions.
One of the most common times this can happen is when that (short) learning curve doesn't have time to become automatic. Like stepping on the clutch when the car you are in doesn't have one.
Personal story for illustration:
Friend show up, says he saw a deer up the canyon, but all he has with him is Browning 16ga auto and bird shot. Wants to borrow a rifle, go look for the deer. (in season, we're licensed, all legal, etc). I loan him deer rifle, am not all that interested in the deer. But he talks me into going with. I carry his shotgun (pheasant etc in season, too).
No deer, but on the way back pheasant flushes, lines out away, easy shot. Mount gun, punch safety off, track pull trigger. Nothing.
punch safety off again pull trigger. Nothing.
3rd time, same result, pheasant gone now.
(happened a lot faster than I can tell it)
Why did the gun not fire! My instinctive actions were exactly the right ones to have taken the bird. Exactly the right things to do, IF I had been holding my Winchester Model 12. For the Browning Auto 5, not the right things.
The point of this is that when you are at the range, or stand hunting or plinking or a number of other things, we learn and can easily switch between different guns, with different control locations, trigger pulls, etc.
BUT, when you are in a snap shot situation, hunting or self defense, those subconscious actions will only be right for ONE gun. One system. One set of control locations (safety location etc). So choose ONE system, which ever one floats your boat, and stick with it for a defense gun, so your reactions will be the right ones, when you don't have time to think about it.
DA revolver shot DA, DAO auto, no safety, DA auto w/safety SA auto w/safety, or something else pick one, focus on it. Learn it, live it, love it, as they used to say.
hi 1911
I don't know how to do a new post and what happen to me is that I build my own 1911 mine is a ramped barrel I have a 22 colt conversion kit I want to use it looks fine when I put the conversion together but I don't know if the conversion has to seat in the ramp on the frame wish I don't have or if is fine like it is I also thinking to buy an insert and screw it in my frame or put a pin on it since welding the insert is not recommendable please help thank you
I don't know how to do a new post and what happen to me is that I build my own 1911 mine is a ramped barrel I have a 22 colt conversion kit I want to use it looks fine when I put the conversion together but I don't know if the conversion has to seat in the ramp on the frame wish I don't have or if is fine like it is I also thinking to buy an insert and screw it in my frame or put a pin on it since welding the insert is not recommendable please help thank you
Welcome to TFL Areyna333!
TO start a new thread, use the button in the upper left of the subforum (semi auto /revolver/ handloading/ General / etc.) page.
As to the conversion kit, I would recommend installing it per the makers instructions, and then shooting it (or trying) before you do any modifications to it, or your gun.
It might "look wrong" and still work. FIND OUT, before you grind, stone, file, etc.
Generally manufacturers are not willing to provide warranty support if you have modified their product. If you dremel away part of their product, trying to get it to work, and then want free help because it still doesn't work (or a replacement) they are going to say "no". Because you "ruined it".
Keep the dremel, files, stones, etc in their boxes and out of the gun, until #1) you know for certain it won't work, and #2) until you know what you are doing.
Your kit may work fine with one kind of ammo, and not at all with another. .22s, especially conversion kits can be very picky.
Another path, is simply don't try to do it yourself. Take it to a professional gunsmith, have it done right, and pay for the services rendered. Sometimes, that is the cheapest route in the long run.
TO start a new thread, use the button in the upper left of the subforum (semi auto /revolver/ handloading/ General / etc.) page.
As to the conversion kit, I would recommend installing it per the makers instructions, and then shooting it (or trying) before you do any modifications to it, or your gun.
It might "look wrong" and still work. FIND OUT, before you grind, stone, file, etc.
Generally manufacturers are not willing to provide warranty support if you have modified their product. If you dremel away part of their product, trying to get it to work, and then want free help because it still doesn't work (or a replacement) they are going to say "no". Because you "ruined it".
Keep the dremel, files, stones, etc in their boxes and out of the gun, until #1) you know for certain it won't work, and #2) until you know what you are doing.
Your kit may work fine with one kind of ammo, and not at all with another. .22s, especially conversion kits can be very picky.
Another path, is simply don't try to do it yourself. Take it to a professional gunsmith, have it done right, and pay for the services rendered. Sometimes, that is the cheapest route in the long run.