Thoughts on 1911s

richardoldfield

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Billy, my new shooting buddy and I were at the range yesterday and I reached the following conclusion. Once you have mastered the manual safety on a 1911 they are easier to shoot well than either a Springfield XD or a Glock. The more I shoot 1911s the more comfortable I am with them. When I started Billy on 1911s the first thing I told him to, do after racking the slide, is to put the weapon on safe. I told him to do this action as soon as he stops firing unless the slide is locked open. Once again, the more I shoot 1911s the better I like them. Regards, Richard:D
 
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In the past I have never had any desire for a 1911 style of pistol. I always seem to gravitate to the polys. Lately though they have begun to peak my interest. Not to the degree that I would initially spend allot of money on one but I am seriously considering picking up a Norinco.
 
1911's are all that I will own now. I have signed over my Glock to my wife. With so many aftermarket companies and so many clones to choose from the upgrade possibilities are limitless.

When I shoot the Glock (with upgraded trigger and Trijicon night sights) and my Les Baer PremierII back to back the results are night and day. The groups are very tight on the 1911 as compared to the Glock. The extra weight on the 1911 helps to tame recoil and yes after a little bit of practice using the thumb safety it is just as easy to shoot as a Glock. (Learn to shoot with your thumb on the safety)
 
On the range, SA only is likely fine. The relatively recent popularity of DA/SA or DAO pistols has sprung form a safety issue for LEO's where years of experience with unintensional discharges has lead many Chief's of Police to prohibit SA only sidearms for police. No matter how you cut it, "cocked and locked" is not seen as as "safe" as DA for an on-the-street service pistol.
 
JNG,

I would hope so, the Les Baer is 5 times the price! It better shoot that much better for that kind of $$$!:D

richardoldfield,

1911's ara a dream to shoot, on which one to get, there are so many good deals on them out there now, Kimber, Springifeld, Para, Colt, Bull, Norinco, the list really is endless. I have had a few and am partial to the Kimber, but a friend has a new Para single stack and it is a very nice shooting gun aswell. I do not think you would go wrong with any of them.
 
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Not me, but when other people shoot my Glock at fifteen yards the rounds are centred in the space covered by a silver dollar. This is rapid fire. I can only achieve three times the size.
1911's like any other pistol require time and practice. Unless one is putting the pistols in a shooting vice that armourers or manufacturers use to test the weapons, any shooting test done by hand are purely subjective and flawed.
 
JNG said:
1911's are all that I will own now. I have signed over my Glock to my wife. With so many aftermarket companies and so many clones to choose from the upgrade possibilities are limitless.

When I shoot the Glock (with upgraded trigger and Trijicon night sights) and my Les Baer PremierII back to back the results are night and day. The groups are very tight on the 1911 as compared to the Glock. The extra weight on the 1911 helps to tame recoil and yes after a little bit of practice using the thumb safety it is just as easy to shoot as a Glock. (Learn to shoot with your thumb on the safety)


I believe I've shot your Les Baer, and the trigger on that unit is simply the best 1911 I've ever shot. Not even taking much time, just popping 4 shots off with it from 15 yards, I had 3 shots in a inch, with the fourth opening it up to about 2". Incredible accuracy. That being said, for a duty pistol, it would not be my first choice for anyone except a dedicated shooter. Even SA/DA with a decocker isn't a great choice, (sorry sig lovers). To often under stress, officers forget to decock when the re-holster, and with 1911's forget to put the saftey on. Unless your prepared to put in a lot of time training so everything becomes unconcious, your better of with a <choke> glock......

That being said, if you do put the time in, the 1911 rewards you like nothing else:D
 
I own a few guns that a mentioned here.. I started shooting (as a civilian) with a 1911 and although I own glocks, sigs and Smiths and use them in competition I still fall back to a 1911 (and I own at least 4 different brands of these Colt, Norinco, Springfield & Kimber) for fun and it would be my choice if CCw ever came to be legal.. They just fit natually in my hand... and I find them to be a natural extension of my hand and my gold cup is super accurate...
 
nairbg said:
On the range, SA only is likely fine. The relatively recent popularity of DA/SA or DAO pistols has sprung form a safety issue for LEO's where years of experience with unintensional discharges has lead many Chief's of Police to prohibit SA only sidearms for police. No matter how you cut it, "cocked and locked" is not seen as as "safe" as DA for an on-the-street service pistol.

Actually, speaking to several American LEOs it seems that the real reason for SAO going by the wayside was the fear of litigation, the perception of a dangerous firearm and the ease of training with the DA/SAs and DAOs. As far as safety issues, I, as a 1911, owner do not see any with the pistol. As for NDs with 1911s, there were no more with them than with DAOs and DA/SAs. In fact a recent article was written on the percieved added risk of a firearm with an "inherent trigger safety" mechanism being more dangerous than the SA 1911s. It appears that a LEO in the US was finished at the range and went to holseter her firearm. The grommet on her RAID jacket got caught in the trigger guard and when she drove the pistol home it was enough to pull the trigger. She shot herself in the leg. Do I think it makes the DAO pistol more dangerous than the SAO (specifically the 1911)? Nope. The omni-safety is between your ears, we would all do well to remember to use it.
 
I will take my Wilson Combat- every day of the week. Perfect ergonomics, great trigger and reliable. More accurate than anything else I own.
 
RevolverRodger said:
The P7M8 is da best... period
:D

I agree, but I'd stretch it to P7M8 and the P7M13, but this is a 1911 thread. ;) My first pistol was a Kimber 1911, doesn't see much range time as of late, my fault. It ties for the most accurate handgun in my arsenal, beside the aforementioned P7M8, not bad for tilt barrel beside a fixed barrel.
 
Allow me to rain on this parade. I have had a dozen 1911's, mostly Colts. I have found they are out of the box sloppy and combat accurate at best. The four 9mm versions wouldn't feed anything reliably but roundnose 124gr bullets. The four commanders I had where equally finicky with flat nose bullets.
I would never trust my life to one except shooting 230gr roundball ammo, which it was designed for in the first place.
Having said this blasphemy, I am waiting for Colt to make a lightweight commander that looks like series 70 or pre-70 that reliably shoots HP 9mm ammo.
I would sell everything I had to buy one. I shoot them well and there is no prettier gun.
Colt9mmLW-1.jpg
 
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savagefan said:
How do 1911s stack up against a P90 same cal?

I don't know about the Ruger P90 specifically, but I hear that the Rugers in general are lousy for a heavy trigger pull for the DA side of the function (guy I spoke with said 14-15 lbs). Other than that he says he loves the damn thing. I am happy with my 1911A1 myself.
 
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