Why Carry a 1911? Gun Guys
- Thread starter Amp Mangum
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Before he passed I wanted to do the Jim Garthwaite class but did not have the time or the cash. 😢
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I’ve never had trouble as long as it’s chambered in .45acp.
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Yep me neither either I've been extremely lucky or other people have been extremely unlucky.
I see the horror stories and just can't figure it out
I agree with mags, mags, mags. And oil. My 9mm STI 1911 would only function properly with Wilson Combat mags. Any other I tried would never lock back consistently.
My Sig 1911 doesn’t seem to be as picky.
As far as oil, I never run any gun super dry. It’s not that hard to oil them……
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Because it is the platform I am most familiar and comfortable with. I learned with one 40 some years back and it is second nature. Sure I might have to do mag changes more often but I am way more co doing so. It might take a little more love but so does my aging body. Now push come to shove I have trained enough with other platforms be it revolver or semi-auto I can work with something else but a 1911 is allows me to concentrate more on what in front of me rather what’s in my hands.
It’s not a very practical firearm as far as price goes, but my new Wilson EDCx9 might be the solution to that 9mm 1911 problem. Damn it shoots well. It’s like a 1911 trigger mated with a CZ’s reliability. Crazy.
Yeah it should shoot well for the price I know. But it was a cheaper mid life crisis than a bike or girlfriend.
I carry various 1911 pistols of three different sizes and two different chamberings because I want to do so. That is all the justification I really need. I also carry a P365 and several J-Frames for the same reason. I have tried several others but have always come back to those mentioned above.
I generally open carry a large single or double action revolver in 44 Mag or 45 Colt when I am at the farm.
I generally open carry a large single or double action revolver in 44 Mag or 45 Colt when I am at the farm.
You don't get it because you understand that a 1911 made to specifications works as designed, while those which deviate from the specifications have a greater chance of problems.
The plain fact of the matter is that if the 1911 was really plagued with such problems, the gun wouldn't have survived for 110 years and wouldn't still be in production today.
Even better, would you please explain exactly what work is need to keep them going for the old 1911 people?
Your subsequent post doesn't describe "quirks", it describes "taking care of your pistol". Using quality magazines and properly lubricating your pistol aren't "quirks".
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Even better, would you please explain exactly what work is need to keep them going for the old 1911 people?
Your subsequent post doesn't describe "quirks", it describes "taking care of your pistol". Using quality magazines and properly lubricating your pistol aren't "quirks".
I think the misconception comes where older firearms require standard upkeep. Nothing flashy, nothing special. Just lube, clean, and take care of it.
But to people who enjoy dropping their plastic pistols in mud and sand to prove it still runs and say things like “what? We are supposed to clean these things? Harharhar” often think “standard maintenance” = quirky.
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Also the standard for "reliability" has changed. What was considered reliable for a military side arm then is considered a failure by the internet gun culture of today.
Have you met my friend the Browning Hi Power bought to you by Ted Yost....?
Or his buddy from Don Williams
I will say that my experience with the EDC-X9 has been 100% positive. I just shoot the BHP better.
Thank you. Those were done by IMHO 2 of the best BHP smiths alive. Don Williams and Ted Yost. I am lucky to own 3 Don Williams BHPs and 1 Yost. To stay on topic I also own a Don Williams 1911 and will have a Yost 1911 in early 2022. Both men are old school craftsmen when it comes to 1911s and BHPs. This is my Don Williams 1911s. #100%reliable
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And that's as good a reason to buy a gun as any!
Owned three, shot three, had three fail within the first 500 rounds. On the boutique end they are over priced and unreliable. One the entry level end they are reasonably priced and unreliable. I will not say that I will never own another one, but it is going have to run head to head with HK, Sig and Glock for the same round counts and no cleanings. If it can't do that it needs to be in someone else's safe. I have little patience for things that are not reliable.
But where can I buy a new one for under $1000.00 I have been looking everywhere for the Regent copyHave you met my friend the Browning Hi Power bought to you by Ted Yost....?
Or his buddy from Don Williams
They have gotten crazy expensive. People now consider them "collectible" because they are no longer being made but the reality is they are one of the most prolific guns ever produced. I was talking to Mr. Yost about them the other day and I said there are caches of them all over the world and they will keep finding them and importing them forever. They are valuable but they are not rare. He replied "After a nuclear apocalypse they will find cockroaches living in Browning High Powers all over the planet." I just laughed because it is true.
The Regents are all gone and do not over pay. The Turks build guns in batched much like Colt and CZ. They piggyback commercial guns on large Govt contract orders. You will not see Regent/Tisas BHPs back in the US until someone places a large contract order. Then they will run some for the US market. The same think was true of the MKE/Zenith MP5 Clones.
The reality is that with BHPs you need to have $$$ in hand and you need to watch a lot of auctions. You need to know what you are looking at and when to walk away. For example this was a decent deal.
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100% sure it was a Coles Distribution Surplus gun but it was in decent condition. Send it to Novak or someone to get the slide milled and new sights installed with a sear hammer and trigger job and you would be good to go under $1000.
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They are one of the most prolific designs ever put into production. The numbers of 1911s produced vs the number of FN BHPs and their clones is not even a contest. I would estimate there are at least 5 BHPs in existence for every 1 1911. Don't get me wrong I love them both. They are both ahead of their time. The locked breech design of the BHP is the design what most modern semi auto pistol are built on. We live in a Glock world but before there was a Glock we lived in a Browning World. IMHO
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Touche' lolEven better, would you please explain exactly what work is need to keep them going for the old 1911 people?
Your subsequent post doesn't describe "quirks", it describes "taking care of your pistol". Using quality magazines and properly lubricating your pistol aren't "quirks".
They arent really "quirks" in that sense... just stuff people dont seem to be willing to do.
Some others beat me to it as you may have seen
The day someone in the mid-market range ($800-$1,400) makes an optics-ready 9mm Commander, I might dip my toes back into 1911s.
I have a decent little cache of 9mm Wilson ETMs, but the old Colt Commander I have has the early internally-lightened slide… so no meat for optic milling.
If I’m being completely honest with myself, I’ll probably still get a Glock 48 MOS instead.
I have a decent little cache of 9mm Wilson ETMs, but the old Colt Commander I have has the early internally-lightened slide… so no meat for optic milling.
If I’m being completely honest with myself, I’ll probably still get a Glock 48 MOS instead.
Those are two beautiful guns but the Yost really is stunning. just need some ivory with that blue!Have you met my friend the Browning Hi Power bought to you by Ted Yost....?
Or his buddy from Don Williams
Have you met my friend the Browning Hi Power bought to you by Ted Yost....?
Or his buddy from Don Williams
Purty and all, but probably not as easy to carry.
Have you met my friend the Browning Hi Power bought to you by Ted Yost....?
Or his buddy from Don Williams
No, but I’ll PM you my address so you can drop them off. 😁
That's sort of where I'm landing on it. A decently built 1911 is a joy to shoot, but between most manufacturers (even top-tier ones) being unable to fit lower and upper barrel lugs, barrel links, and extractors with any modicum of consistency... and no consistency between manufacturers' barrel ramp setups... and no factory optics anywhere in the midmarket? I'll deal with less-perfect triggers every day so I don't have to keep a gunsmith on retainer for a carry gun.
5" .45s not included in those gripes, of course. They'll feed and extract just about any roundish bullet as long as they're fitted somewhat close to correctly and stuffed with a quality magazine. But, I cannot justify carrying a skinny big-bore revolver that weighs over 40 ounces.
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Honestly it all comes down to the trigger. 100+ years later everyone is still chasing JMBs ghost. I don't carry one anymore but dollar for dollar it is still the best design in the safe for me. They are the trigger that all others are judge against. YMMV
