1911 in .45 - keep, ditch, or swap?

what do i do with my 1911 in .45ACP?

  • keep it and change the 2-3 parts, the reloaded price is nice and affordable

    Votes: 37 84.1%

  • replace it with a 1911 in .40S&W to share ammo with the Glock, and miss out on CDP class

    Votes: 1 2.3%

  • ditch it, two guns (semi & revolver) are enough for skills development

    Votes: 6 13.6%
  • Total voters
    44
BP7

BP7

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ok, i've got a dilema here. i shoot mostly for the purpose of IDPA, and currently shoot 38/357 and 40. i've got the 45 too but haven't shot it much. i'm possibly gonna start reloading soon (reluctantly), so i've got some costs jotted down but i'm not sure what to do with the rarely-used 1911 .45ACP

the 40 is staying, and the 38/357 is staying, those are for certain. the 45? hmm....

buying Wolf reloads in big volumes gives me (per 1k rounds, plus taxes)
38 = $186
357 = $280
40 = $202
45 = $267

if i reload myself, the costs come down to (per 1k rounds)
38 = $132
357 = $160
40 = $157
45 = $181


so, ok, the cost comes down for the .45ACP quite nicely, but i have to (a) buy yet another set of dies etc, (b) buy large primers cuz all the other 3 can use small primers

i shoot these once a week, and go through around 150 rounds per range day.


so.... the 1911 platform is nice, and a nice contrast to the revolver and Glock, but...

do i keep it cuz the reloaded ammo cost is kinda reasonable? if i keep it, i gotta change the sights cuz i hate them, make lighter grip spacers so that the steel ones don't DQ me in IDPA (i have big hands and the stock width is too narrow), and refinish it cuz i hate the blueing (will probably do powdercoat or similar)

or do i swap it (as in - sell it to buy another) for a 1911 in 40S&W so that it can share the Glock's ammo? cheaper ammo, less reloading equipment, but a more expensive gun (not a lot of choices until i spend >$1k) and i can't compete in CDP class

or do i just ditch it altogether and not have a replacement? this would leave me with just the Glock and the revolver.

(i buy & own guns to actively shoot and be good with, i have no safe-queens or just-once-in-a-while guns or 31-flavours-cuz-it's-not-exactly-the-same-as-the-other-cuz-this-one-is-stainless-and-the-other-is-blued)
 
hey, you can use winchester nt or federal brass and not have to switch primer sizes- mof,i did exactly that when it looked like my supply of large primered 45 acp was going to dry up- use the SAME powder charge and shellplate, just switch to the small primer punch or feed or whatever- but from the sounds of things, you've already made up your mind-granted, the sights on a standard 1911 are not the best, but i don't understand the grip thing- my hands are larger than most, and i use a set of hogues or pachmyrs - and my 9mm is a beretta- you don't get much fatter than that- what i would be looking at since you're looking at all that mod, is a 1911 in 40 with a alternate 45 top end - that way you can do whatever- if i remember correctly if you use a commander frame, you can go 9mm, 38 super, 357 sig, 40 s&w and 45 all in the same framewith the appropriate top end and magazines- you could also use a government in 38 super, but if you use a 45, you run into problems with the ejector
 
to be honest, i'm not totally decided. all 3 options are equally possible, and i'm trying to figure out if the cost is worth the extra skill (assuming that the 1911 adds things to what the Glock / revolver are gonna give me anyways), or if 2 guns are enough. or maybe that the 1911-40 is the right meet-ya-half-way gun.

so yeah... i dunno...
 
the current one is the Norc Commander. hate the sights so they'd have to get changed (too blocky), and the feed ramp would need to get tweaked so that it'll feed SWC in case my reloads use those. yeah, it's a like-hate thing with it, but i'm looking at the big picture - the calibers / ammo that i'm gonna have to feed it over and over again. with a 1911-40 i'd have a class in IDPA (ESP) but i'd be looking at a $1200 gun (albeit no extra cost in reloading supplies since the Glock needs it anyways), versus keeping the $350 gun and paying for dies & reloading components specific to the .45ACP
 
BP7 said:
the current one is the Norc Commander. hate the sights so they'd have to get changed (too blocky), and the feed ramp would need to get tweaked so that it'll feed SWC in case my reloads use those. yeah, it's a like-hate thing with it, but i'm looking at the big picture - the calibers / ammo that i'm gonna have to feed it over and over again. with a 1911-40 i'd have a class in IDPA (ESP) but i'd be looking at a $1200 gun (albeit no extra cost in reloading supplies since the Glock needs it anyways), versus keeping the $350 gun and paying for dies & reloading components specific to the .45ACP
Click to expand...

the feed thing is a 'maybe'- it depends on the pistol- my remington rand ww2 feeds swcs all day long without a hiccup- basically, anything with any hint of a nose at all- you have to TRY IT FIRST-
 
saskcop said:
Greatest handgun ever made. Everyone should have at least one.
Click to expand...

+1

That nailed it.

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
Trash the Norc - no sense arming the Chinese with Canadian dollars - and buy a Colt, Kimber or springfield. But own a 1911 in .45 ACP!
 
You could cast your own bullets to really bring down your ammo cost. I calculated it at $58.99/1000 rounds after tax using free wheel weights. This doesn't include your time of course. Keep the 1911 in .45 ACP. As others have said, it's the greatest handgun ever made :).
 
ya, there's no way i'm gonna cast my own bullets - dealing with hot toxic lead is a no-thanks for me. the press is already gonna be more "messy" than i'd normally accept, but the economics kinda justify it.

so, i spent some time sorting my brass today, separating the 40, 45, 38, and 357. WOW what a PITA!!! i'm thinking that the 45 is very likely to go bye-bye......
 
I don't see the point in owning toys you don't particularly enjoy, myself.

There will always be 1911s. You can get one down the road if you want one.

Personally I pretty much always have a 1911. 1911s in chamberings other than .45...not so much, although I did see an original series 70 in 9mm that I would have bought if I had the cash on me at the time.

Anyway, if I were you I'd get rid of the 1911 and put the money into something you want more. At some point in the future, if you've got the cash, get yourself either a nice 1911 or a Norc and do it up nicely yourself.
 
I'd go with those who recommend keeping the 1911, so what if it's a cheap Norkie. IMO, it is only 350 bucks laying idle...a small price to pay in the larger scheme of things. The 1911, the type/design, is the quintessential 45 pistol....brand can be Colt, STI, Kimber, Norkie or what not, buy what you can afford to idly keep, or shoot.

But analyzing your posts, you do not seem to be like many of us who like the "tinkering" aspect of the shooting sports.

Seems like reloading and casting bullets and all the hassle and toxic lead melting/casting, may be part of our fun, not yours.

So do whatever floats your boat. Your .357 and .40 are useful calibers. Great choices and you cannot go wrong with them. No person really "needs" a .45, but I thought the same almost three years ago, sold my 9mm and 45 to standardize on strictly 38/357 but now am back to more semi-autos than I want to admit:redface:, in the safe:D
 
I love 1911's in .45 and im in a very similar situation but im selling mine. I can always buy another that i like more and doesn't need modification in the future.
 
ya, so i decided to sell the 1911. the glock and revolver ought to be enough for IDPA for the time being, and perhaps later on i'll either add a 1911 in 40 on a Sig in 40. one thing is for sure - i HATE sorting through brass and having to separate the 40, 45, 38, and 357 stuff. so the 45 has to go.

guess i'm not quite as sentimental and old-fashioned as others! :p though i DO own a Fender Stratocaster (or at least a copy thereof), so it's not like i ditch ALL things that are from "the golden age of _____"
 
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