Of all the modern handguns, why trust your life with a 1911?

thai · Jan 22, 2014

I have a 1911 made by Sig. It is a GSR TTT Revolution. Got it 8 years ago pretty as hell and is more accurate than I can shoot. But having read and seen some going south on its shooter, makes me really question the reliability of 1911. I've heard heard from credible people who have taken combat pistol course where they shoot 1200 to 1800 rounds in two to three days, I keep hearing horror stories of Kimbers and a few custom 1911 malfunctioning.

Add this to my own lack of competence with changing out springs, replacing extractors and firing pins, I have an insecurity with 1911. So personally I feel modern handguns would be the best option for me. I also believe that 1911s are inherently finicky and sensitive to alot of factors that would not ordinarily affect pistols like Glocks, Sig P series or HKs.

So, if given a choice between a 1911 and a Sig or HK, which would you trust your life on? Out of the box?

clandestine · Jan 22, 2014

Of your choices currently made the HK. Glock and SIG have dropped the ball with QC.

Current production 1911s don't hold a true military spec 1911 the govt issued unless you get one custom built. Between cheaply made modern components, super tight tolerances, low skill assembly, and a massive range of ammunition types are just a few things that causes the poor reputation of the modern 1911. You'll ALWAYS be able to get parts for one in the US though.

Even though I can make a 1911 run like a raped apeN I would never carry one or have it as a go to defensive gun. I'm sick of messing with them.

Give me a polymer frame gun and I'm happy.

Evil Twin · Jan 22, 2014

I'll stick with my 1911. It's never let me down, never had a malfunction with it and it just looks so sexy. I take mine apart all the time just for the fun of it. Once you get to know it inside and out, it's quite an easy pistol to work with. I don't go all Private Pyle on it and start talking to it softly, that doesn't happen until I break down the M1A (Her name is Bobby Jo).

WheelHead · Jan 22, 2014

I trust my 1911. Its had enough rounds through it for it to be reliable. My house pistol is a Sig. Department PD I work with has carried them for years and I've found mine to work better then most right from the box.

RoadDawg · Jan 22, 2014

I own several Glocks and several 1911s. I have carried the Glocks for years as both duty and defense firearms. I trust them to do the job. They are older models and not plagued with the newer issues that I've heard about from the Gen 4 crowd. If I was to make a choice between one of the Glocks or a 1911... I would likely choose the Glock. But, if you have a 1911 that you maintain and take to the range enough that you know what to expect from it... I would not be scared of using it either. It is going to be the highly tuned, close tolerance, can't get any dirt or lint in it or it stops working firearm that I would relegate to ONLY range plinking. And even that one can be used in a pinch.

Don't discount any of them, and don't arbitrarily accept any of them as the better piece to have. Take them out and run some ammo through them to the point that they have proven to be reliable. Leave the ones that fail in your safe and carry what works.

Nothing works better for your confidence level than a tool that you have proven to yourself by using it.

coopermania · Jan 22, 2014

I never carried a 1911, I have carried either a 226 or a 229 for close to 30 years. All of my sigs are West German pistols so I cant comment on the USA built pistols. I would have to take Chads advice on that.

Chad what does Scott say about USA Sigs ?

MikeTF · Jan 22, 2014

clandestine said:
Of your choices currently made the HK. Glock and SIG have dropped the ball with QC.

Current production 1911s don't hold a true military spec 1911 the govt issued unless you get one custom built. Between cheaply made modern components, super tight tolerances, low skill assembly, and a massive range of ammunition types are just a few things that causes the poor reputation of the modern 1911. You'll ALWAYS be able to get parts for one in the US though.

Even though I can make a 1911 run like a raped apeN I would never carry one or have it as a go to defensive gun. I'm sick of messing with them.

Give me a polymer frame gun and I'm happy.

Metal frame for me. My old 'W.Germany' stamped SIG P228 is plenty reliable for me and the brand new P938 seems just as reliable.

Blaster229 · Jan 22, 2014

I trust my training out of the box. Gimme any pistol, I'm bringing the fight to you and fighting through it.

Never in my zillion years have I ever had any pistol not fire on the first shot, ever. This is the critical shot. I like these odds.
In the rare few times I have ever experienced a malfunction, is during numerous shots and when the pistol is cycling over and over.
Get pistols you want. Shoot them.

My Sig TTT had a "standard" problem? of some rough feeding in the beginning. I decided to not work through all that and instead gave it to Chad and he smoothed everything out.
It's wonderful. I think I have actually cleaned it once in 2k plus rounds.
I think the trigger is now a very crisp 3 pounds maybe

My favorite shooter.

MikeTF · Jan 22, 2014

Blaster229 said:
I trust my training out of the box. Gimme any pistol, I'm bringing the fight to you and fighting through it.

Never in my zillion years have I ever had any pistol not fire on the first shot, ever. This is the critical shot. I like these odds.
In the rare few times I have ever experienced a malfunction, is during numerous shots and when the pistol is cycling over and over.
Get pistols you want. Shoot them.

My Sig TTT had a "standard" problem? of some rough feeding in the beginning. I decided to not work through all that and instead gave it to Chad and he smoothed everything out.
It's wonderful. I think I have actually cleaned it once in 2k plus rounds.
I think the trigger is now a very crisp 3 pounds maybe My favorite shooter.

I think you've nailed it!

I've had one or two FTF and FTE problems with my SIG ...... .22lr conversion kit, but never on the first shot. This is out of 5K rounds through it, and the problems were in the beginning when I first bought it. 4996/5000+ times the gun functioned correctly, or 99.92% the second shot fired. 100% on the first shot and 99.92% on every shot after that: I'll take those odds, but not with the 22lr.

The 9mm slide has been flawless. But because of my experience with the 22lr conversion kit, I always carry an extra mag with me while I CCW in the event that I need to drop the mag and clear the gun. It's not likely that I would need to, but I feel better with an extra mag.

Mdeng · Jan 22, 2014

While I find the 1911 to be to heavy for everyday carry I have owned a few for several years. My first and go to 1911 is a Springfield Armory Loaded model that is 14 years old. I have fired thousands of rounds down range with this gun with only a few malfunctions.

Each and every one of these malfunctions was operator error. I've never had a problem with standard 230 grain ball ammo but when I switched to 200 grain semi-wad cutters I started to have failure to feed problems. This was corrected by increasing the powder charge for my hand loads. Then I wanted to play with the recoil spring :sad20:

I was hoping to reduce the recoil :banghead:

I was plagued with constant problems until I went back to a new standard 18 lbs recoil spring.

I made the mistake of buying cheap and then extremely expensive magazines. The floor plates on the cheap mags were not welded properly and would fail without notice. The expensive mags had such tight tolerances that if dropped in sandy soil the followers would jam up failing to feed ammo properly. To fix this I have gone to Chip McCormick shooting star 8 round magazines.

I don't carry the 1911 purely because I have better options that are more comfortable to carry all day. The 1911 is one of my favorite handguns though and I will always own one.

byf43 · Jan 22, 2014

I have complete confidence in my Colt Gold Cup NM.
I've had it since 1985 and it is definitely a shooter!!!
This magnificent pistol has had thousands of rounds through it with ZERO malfunctions.

Knowing your weapon and how it works (and how to operate it!) is just as important (IMNSHO) as knowing how to shoot it in a needed situation.

Other than the 1911, my favorite pistol is the Glock. I own a Gen2 G21 and several Gen3 pistols, and one Gen4 - a G26.

ZERO malfunctions with my Glock(s).

Sig.......... not a fan. They don't fit my hands very well.
HK.......... not a fan. Period.

jimbobborg · Jan 22, 2014

The only reason I don't CCW a 1911 is they're too heavy. Even the compact ones wear on me when worn for 12+ hours. I don't use a handgun for HD, I have other, better options for that.

oldsarge · Jan 22, 2014

I have carried and fired a 1911 in numerous combat zones in three different conflicts. Needless to say, I trusted my life to it. In fact, when I retired I was one of the last individuals still carrying one because I refused to give it up for an M9. Then again like Chad stated, A government 1911 is not like the modern commercial models. My combat 1911 was taken to the armorer on a set schedule for PM and refit. If anything looked slightly wrong or worn, it was fixed and/or replaced. Currently I carry on a daily basis my M&P 45 because of the weight factor and to avoid wear and tear on my original 1911 made in 1918.

Mr H · Jan 22, 2014

Of my current stable, should I have to pick up something that will go bang when I need it to, I'm grabbing (in order of preference)...

GP100
M&P .40
SIG P239
1911

Not saying one is better than another, it's just my own comfort level.

kenpo333 · Jan 22, 2014

thai said:
I have a 1911 made by Sig. It is a GSR TTT Revolution. Got it 8 years ago pretty as hell and is more accurate than I can shoot. But having read and seen some going south on its shooter, makes me really question the reliability of 1911. I've heard heard from credible people who have taken combat pistol course where they shoot 1200 to 1800 rounds in two to three days, I keep hearing horror stories of Kimbers and a few custom 1911 malfunctioning.

Add this to my own lack of competence with changing out springs, replacing extractors and firing pins, I have an insecurity with 1911. So personally I feel modern handguns would be the best option for me. I also believe that 1911s are inherently finicky and sensitive to alot of factors that would not ordinarily affect pistols like Glocks, Sig P series or HKs.

So, if given a choice between a 1911 and a Sig or HK, which would you trust your life on? Out of the box?

I have done several 400 round training days with my glocks and never had a malfuction. Some of the guys using sig and beretta had to stop and clean. Just my own experience not a statement about any brand.

Second Amendment · Jan 22, 2014

clandestine said:

Of your choices currently made the HK. Glock and SIG have dropped the ball with QC.

Click to expand...

clandestine said:
Current production 1911s don't hold a true military spec 1911 the govt issued unless you get one custom built. Between cheaply made modern components, super tight tolerances, low skill assembly, and a massive range of ammunition types are just a few things that causes the poor reputation of the modern 1911. You'll ALWAYS be able to get parts for one in the US though.

Even though I can make a 1911 run like a raped apeN I would never carry one or have it as a go to defensive gun. I'm sick of messing with them.

Give me a polymer frame gun and I'm happy.

I agree with you that SIG and Glock aren't what they used to be. I can attest to that as my recent new purchases with both have been quality disasters. I've never been a fan of the 1911's as that model is not comfortable in my hand, but I can see where people do like them.

As far as what is dependable, I can say I would trust my life with the earlier made Glocks, not the onee made in the past four years or so.

browning guy · Jan 22, 2014

Sorry Lord Chad I have too...

clandestine · Jan 22, 2014

browning guy said:
Sorry Lord Chad I have too...

View attachment 108349

I prefer a BHP.

cantstop · Jan 22, 2014

I never understood what "limp wristing", "extractor tuning", "failure to return to battery" or a 250 round "break in period" were until I bought a 1911. My other pistols had no issues like these.

BigCountry14 · Jan 22, 2014

I've had a Kimber 1911 for 8 years and my father has had one for 12. Neither one of us have ever had any issues, I've carried mine, its a bit bulky at times depending on where it is, but I would never doubt it for a minute if I needed it.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

Of all the modern handguns, why trust your life with a 1911?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Active Member

AR-15 Savant

Active Member

Head of the wheel

Nos nostraque Deo

Banned

Ultimate Member

God loves you, I don't.

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

SCSC Life/NRA Patron Life

Oddball caliber fan

Old & Crusty

Banana'd

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

SCRUFFY NERF HERDER

AR-15 Savant

Pentultimate Member

Attachments

Ultimate Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics