1911 article from Air Force Times.

[msgt/ret]

The 411 on 1911: With patience and a budget, you can own the .45 of your dreams

If you’re about to surrender to the 100-year-old call of John Moses Browning, we’re here to help. You can probably count as many Model 1911 configurations as stars in the sky, so to make sense of all the choices, we enlisted a guy who knows his way around the 1911 like Darrell Waltrip knows his way around Daytona.

As the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta’s primary firearms instructor, Larry Vickers worked in a place that put more than a million rounds a year through 1911s.

He’s a founding member of the International Defensive Pistol Association and also a member of the American Pistolsmiths Guild.

When he says he’s seen everything that can go wrong with a 1911, I believe him.

The 411 on 1911: With patience and a budget, you can own the .45 of your dreams - Off Duty, Technology - Air Force Times

Nice rundown of desirable mods to personalize a 1911. One thing I disagree with though, I would NEVER trade a 1911 for a Glock.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[azchevy]

I have traded a few 1911's for glocks. I don't regret it one bit. The 1911 is a fine weapon, everyone should own one, but the glock is so much more versatile when it comes to magazine capacity and caliber selection.

[glockman10mm]

I would trade a 1911 for a glock anyday, if I were going yo really need the reliability and maintenance free benefits. I have put my glock through things that would have caused total seize up on the 1911.
Don't get me wrong, the 1911 is one of my favorite guns. It's a classic, it has history, it's a classic. A mil spec that is a little loose and fed ball is very reliable.... But my Glocks are even more so. And they don't need to be pampered, or special care.

[QKShooter]

I'd be willing to trade some of what is in that article for a box of buttered popcorn.

[OD*]

My GOD, I am so tragically unhip.

[glockman10mm]

Well, certainly Vickers knows more about the 1911 than I do, and I actually owned one of his builds. But my own experience with them has not really mirrored whats in the article. Of the ones I have owned, high end to off the shelf, imo the regular Colt Gov model has been one of my favorites. It runs well, shoots well, and is reliable. Of course I have a definite predjudice for Colt Gov models, and feel they are the top of the line regardless of other high end makes. I do not think they demand the work to keep them running as was described in the article. Basic maintenance is all required. But, I now prefer the Glock for serious use even over my favorite revolvers due to the same reasons. Capacity, weight and rust proof.

Right now, am negotiating over a mint Colt w/parkeraized finish made in 1974. No frills, just a good solid fighting gun.

[bmcgilvray]

Me too OD*.

I'm so pitiful that stuff like this represents the .45 of my dreams. My first 1911 that I got for myself for my 21st birthday in 1978. It recently returned to duty after being out of action with a missing front sight. Do you know how hard it is to find a correct thin-blade half moon sight as would be proper on a 1918 vintage Colt 1911? It never bobbles and has never jammed but the front sight slung off after 90 years.

[dukalmighty]

I own 4 1911 pistols 3 in 45 acp one in 44 mag,I don't own any glocks,the 1911 went through 3 wars as the primary sidearm of US Troops,I also own several Tupperware pistols,SAxd9,M&P45c.I carry a 1911 all the time,but have holsters for most of my handguns

[gunthorp]

Whatever punches your primer. I must be an old fuddy-duddy. My EDC is stock. I've been spoiled behind a nice SA trigger too long. I'm not bashing, but I doubt a safe trigger could get the best of Tangle with his Kimber. Just saying...do what's right by you, and have confidence.

Nice picture, bmc!

[glockman10mm]

Me too OD*.

I'm so pitiful that stuff like this represents the .45 of my dreams. My first 1911 that I got for myself for my 21st birthday in 1987. It recently returned to duty after being out of action with a missing front sight. Do you know how hard it is to find a correct thin-blade half moon sight as would be proper on a 1918 vintage Colt 1911? It never bobbles and has never jammed but the front sight slung off after 90 years.

This is my idea of the perfect 1911.

[QKShooter]

bmcgilvray

Silly Silly You .....You didn't put a couple of thousand dollars into it in order to make it reliable. What daheck is wrong with you? You need to give that a complete update and an overhaul.
Get rid of all of those old parts! Spend some money on a nice satin bead blast Hard Chrome plating job!
I JUST NOTICED SOMETHING... ~ There is NO doggone beavertail grip safety on there. Watch out for that deadly hammer bite! No rowell hammer. No checkering on your front strap. No checkering on your mainspring housing. You didn't have your front strap modified in order to get a slightly higher grip on your pistol. No Novak rear cut? And those GRIPS they're not even AlumiGrips? I'm confused. You don't have a rail welded onto your FRAME!?!
NEXT....you're probably going to try to pull the wool over our eyes and tell us all that the original 1918 extractor is still extracting cartridges FLAWLESSLY after all these years! That's IMPOSSIBLE! And I just KNOW there ain't no extended ejector installed. And....And...how could it possibly even eject spent shell casings? Your ejection port has not been lowered and relieved and what POSSIBLE ACCURACY could you be getting without a Stainless Steel aftermarket barrel?
That has to be a real Jam-O-Matic - Come on...tell us the truth...you get...at least....at least...one FTF per magazine.

Me too OD*.

I'm so pitiful that stuff like this represents the .45 of my dreams. My first 1911 that I got for myself for my 21st birthday in 1987. It recently returned to duty after being out of action with a missing front sight. Do you know how hard it is to find a correct thin-blade half moon sight as would be proper on a 1918 vintage Colt 1911? It never bobbles and has never jammed but the front sight slung off after 90 years.

[zacii]

I guess that I'm the most ignorant of all.

I went and bought a Taurus 1911, silly me

I'm glad that I'm too stupid to know that it shouldn't work as well as it does. Over 2,000 and no malfs, yet

[OD*]

Me too OD*.

I'm so pitiful that stuff like this represents the .45 of my dreams. My first 1911 that I got for myself for my 21st birthday in 1987. It recently returned to duty after being out of action with a missing front sight. Do you know how hard it is to find a correct thin-blade half moon sight as would be proper on a 1918 vintage Colt 1911? It never bobbles and has never jammed but the front sight slung off after 90 years.

That is sweet Bryan.

Did you find an original sight, or do like most, and replace it with one off a M1903?

(Missed that it was an Augusta Arsenal, the first look. )

[QKShooter]

I also TOTALLY agree with that article that even folks who buy a Les Baer or an Ed Brown or a WILSON...will STILL have to spend yet ANOTHER thousand dollars with a qualified gunsmith in order to get their respective 1911 pistols to run properly.

Hey...I'm NOT talking out of my ass here.

You are stupid enough to buy a Les Baer or an Ed Brown or a WILSON without just automatically having that extra $GRANDE LARGE$ available in order to get it to run.

Don't even think about actually carrying it for personal protection until you sink AT LEAST an additional Thousand Bones into it.

I'm warning you all...the 1911 WILL fail on you right at that split second when your slab of bacon is Hanging In The Balance.

You may disagree with me but, please understand that I'm an expert when it comes to 1911s...so you had best heed my dire warning.

I'm just trying hard to keep you guys from earning a skull & crossbones tag on your big toe if you're unwilling to spend all of those extra beans in order to get your slab-sided firearm up to snuff.

Either spend the bucks or just keep the 1911 for informal Sunday afternoon plinking on Aunt Bessie's farm & go get a Glock for serious street business.

You probably won't believe this but, I swear it's true....I personally know of AT LEAST 8 Concealed Carry people who are now worm food and pushing up daisies because their respective high-dollar 1911s couldn't cut the mustard when the chips went down.

They would all be alive today if they had kept that pitiful, worthless, junker 1911 in the gun safe and carried a Glock.

[QKShooter]

Just got this totally embarrassing word directly from COLT Firearms.

Of all of the COLT Manufacture pistols (all variations) produced by COLT in the past 10 years an UNREAL 97% of them needed an immediate emergency trip to a custom gunsmith (with a LONG waiting list) and aproximately $10,000 in additional money sunk into each pistol in order to get them to operate as efficiently as a Glock.

How can COLT possibly stay in business with a dismal track record like that?

And furthermore...how can I possibly remain a DC forum moderator for very much longer posting BS like this?

Oh...I forgot...It's the Internet ...we can post whatever we want to type no matter if it's true or not.