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1911- the perfect shooting handgun

9K views 149 replies 48 participants last post by  OD* 
#1 ·
I have plenty of practical handguns, semis and revolvers. Some are "tupperware," others are steel, most are both. I've shot many, but I don't own a 1911 (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...).

Is there a better shooting, more accurate handgun than a stock 1911 in .45 caliber? Boring ergos, heavy to carry- but is there a "better" handgun platform/caliber combo if you want to "get the job done?"

I can make the case for revolvers- a good wheel gun trumps all when it comes to simple operation and power. But for power, capacity, accuracy all rolled into one, does the 1911 win?

Start your engines....
 
#45 ·
When I carry IWB, it's usually My Kimber SIS Ultra. OWB I carry my Kimber Super Carry Custom HD. Out-of-the-box, they fired as well and accurate as any custom 1911 I've ever had or fired. I trust my life with them every day. I have (and have had) quite a number of plastic guns, but I always seem to go back to these. As for the addition weight, I just started wearing suspenders.
 
#46 ·
I guess I'll throw in my two cents. I have owned three 1911's since around 1990. All three were all steel frames with 4" barrels. I have shot the 5" versions, but not extensively. I have yet to see a 1911 that beats any of the more modern brands or good models for reliability. A friend of mine has a 5" Taurus, a Kimber, Wilson, and a Nighthawk. The Taurus has been the best. And the cheapest. Go figure. I love my Champion. But when it comes down to what I trust with my life, I carry a Beretta 92 or a Sig. 1911's are fun to shoot. But like all antiques, they're high maintenance, and questionable reliability rule them out.
 
#57 ·
Shot a few rounds over the chrono today
Dan Wesson Valor
Winchester 230 gr. FMJ @ 830 fps
Federal 230 HST @ 891 fps
Winchester 230 gr. Ranger T @ 915 fps

IMO the stainless Valor is priced very competitively considering tool steel small parts (no MIM)

Firearm Gun Trigger Gun accessory Air gun


1911 doesn't have Glock capacity, but Glock doesn't have 1911 slimness
This holster was not made for a 1911, it was a Glock 21 holster
I heated it with a hairdryer & reshaped it and put in a couple retention screws.
Frankenstein result pleases me (a lot) - pistol is canted forward, grip is tucked snug to body, rides deep getting the muzzle past (off) my hip.
1911 disappears under a untucked polo and I can lean forward quite a bit without printing.
I've worn it on casual 9 mile bicycle rides / all day long piddling, running errands, ect... no problem.

Clothing Belt Khaki Beige Dress
 
#60 ·
I have plenty of practical handguns, semis and revolvers. Some are "tupperware," others are steel, most are both. I've shot many, but I don't own a 1911 (though I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night...).

Is there a better shooting, more accurate handgun than a stock 1911 in .45 caliber? Boring ergos, heavy to carry- but is there a "better" handgun platform/caliber combo if you want to "get the job done?"
Boring ergos, heavy to carry- I wonder how can a 72 year old man carry a 5'' or 4 1/4'' all steel 1911's for CC every day? :yup:
 
#61 ·
A good "gun belt" is a must whether its a Glock or a 1911.
I've got a better belt now than in picture with 1911.
1911 seems to move (shift) less IWB than lighter guns, weight holds it still.
 
#62 · (Edited)
I accidentally dropped into the local sporting goods store today. While I was there I struck up a conversation with an older guy, probably late 60's or early 70's. He turned out to be retired military and LEO with a wealth of firearms experience.

As we covered various firearms subjects, we ended up discussing the 1911, as one invariably does. I opined that the 1911 trigger design was as good a trigger as I had ever shot and was probably the reason I shot 1911's so well. He heartily agreed with me and also felt the grip angle on the 1911 made it a great shooting pistol, too.

A little provocatively, I mentioned that they were kinda heavy. He of course saw that as an advantage, both for recoil control and for aiming when the adrenaline was flowing. I confessed that I had found the same to be true, myself. He noted that all his pistols and revolvers were steel-framed, but that his foolish son carried a titanium framed .44 as a woods gun.

We agreed that the .45ACP was a nice shooting round and an easy round to reload.

A little more provocatively, I said that many modern firearms writers and experts thought the 1911 was an outdated design, past it's prime, and largely superseded by more modern guns.

"They're just nuts!"

:yup:
 
#63 ·
I prefer the 1911 and large ol heavy bullets.

Capacity is not a or a major deal for me.
The only other gun that I like about as well is the old SAA for its grip, point ability, trigger pull and power.

I actually may talk myself out of every “ modern” gun I own at the rate I’m going.
 
#65 ·
1911- the perfect shooting handgun

Only in the hands of an expert. I've seen far too many 1911 shooters who couldn't hit a barn door from the inside. It's not the bow, it's always the indian
 
#66 ·
1911- the perfect shooting handgun

Only in the hands of an expert. I've seen far too many 1911 shooters who couldn't hit a barn door from the inside
Oh, Lord don’t get me started on that one.

I remember the time at an indoor range where a new Sig owner was telling me that although the Glock was a good-nuff for its intended purpose, it was faaarrrr inferior to his Sig.

Lets just say he had a rude awakening, and certainly didn’t allow that Sig to measure up to his braggadocio talk.

Yes, we have seen it time and time again.
 
#77 ·
Yeah, I've been lusting after a new Colt .38 Super .38.

Gotta keep OD* happy with the cartridge nomenclature so we'll tack a prefix and suffix to .38. Heh! Whatever it is it's gotta be super! Really does look like one of the better auto pistol cartridges, right there with .357 SIG though it came along first.
 
#78 ·
Brought the new 1911 home today:





Cleaned it, function checked, did a magazine feed check. All together, I'm quite pleased.

The frame to slide fit has a bit more play than I was hoping for. I'd read that Colt was making some tight slides, this one is fine but didn't need any significant lapping before leaving the factory. Lock seems good. I'll be interested how it does at the range.

To clean it, I broke it down as usual and also took out the extractor and firing pin. I will say that it was a bit of a bear to get the extractor out. I guess it is tensioned a bit more than the 45 ACP extractors are, and the claw wanted to hand onto the breech face for dear life. But, just hand checking the extractor, it seems tuned nicely.

I haven't made up my mind about the plastic main spring housing. I guess there are a few benefits to a plastic housing, so I'll probably live with it for a while.

The trigger is a very nice 3.5 pounds, but has a bit of pretravel or slack and a hint of mushiness. So after a test trip to the range, I'll try to get the slack out and crisp it up a touch. It's fine the way it is, but.....this is a 1911 so why not try to achieve a bit of perfection. What would JMB do?
 
#86 ·
Well said. :congrats:

I'd love to see that Special Forces, Scott, if you would have pictures.
Here you go, OD*. When I got it it had an EB wedge MSH and mag well and oversize mag release, I swapped in a flat checkered MSH and had the frame bead blasted to clean it up. The sights are Heines, installed by the man himself back in the '90s, and Robar applied their Roguard finish to the slide in '98. It went back to EB in 2015 for health check and had a new barrel fitted. It has seen lots of competition range time and has plenty of miles on it but it still shoots great.

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