NEGATIVE 1911 experiences?

[Vividia]

One thing to remember is that 1911's were designed for ball ammo.

Hollow points come in all shapes and sizes, and there are varieties in feed ramps, too.

As with any combination of tool and material, hammer and nail, gun and ammo, practice and experimentation determine the best fit and combination of self defense ammo and gun. I, for one, would not trust my life to a combination I had not tested at the range for reliability and consistency.

This is not limited to 1911s, but to all semi-automatics. Some are more tolerant than others, but as there are horses for courses, there is ammo for different models of guns.

[WLJ]

1911s are great guns. Look great and usually shoot great. Somethin always fucks up on them though.

And some people wonder why they were replaced in service.

Note:Yes I know there were other reasons as well before I'm attacked by the 1911 fan club.

[kokopelli]

I must have the magic touch! I've had a BUL M-5 compact (poly frame double stack mag), a Colt LW Commander, Defender, New Agent and currently carrying a LW Officer's ACP, all in .45acp.

All have fed FMJ and 'blunt' HP LE/self defense rounds such as Hydra-Shock without a hiccup, as well as my low power lead round nose reloads. All were stock -or returned to stock as in the case of the OACP except the Commander, which had work done to it by Don Williams. Chip McCormick Shooting Star or factory Colt mags in them-

no stovepipes, no FTF/FTE...nothing.

Now my full size Citadel (Armscor) I have only fed WWB fmj's through it, but even with the not so steller ACT mags, I haven't had one single failure in it.

...I completely disassemble each one down to the last pin, clean and grease before breaking in, so maybe that's the secret?
I would bet my life on a 1911- carry the Officer's everyday.

[etownguy]

This thread is why I have never drank the 1911 kool aid.

[ChopperDoc]

I love 1911's. I love to shoot them. I am not a "tinkerer" so I don't build them or anything. It is a design that is over 100 years old and is still a viable option for a carry weapon.

I have run 2 handgun courses with my custom gun and it functioned flawlessly. My 'off the shelf' guns with the same magazines do not typically fair as well. If you like to tinker and 'tune' I think you would like a collection of 1911's.

I would carry (and have carried) my custom gun. I know it'll work if I need it. But for the price I paid I could have had 6 Glocks. It is a work of art that I will pass down to my offspring. The Glock is a tool that I will have no emotion in selling or trading and not worrying about keeping to pass down. It is a tool. Nothing special.

[Niceguy]

I love 1911's. I love to shoot them. I am not a "tinkerer" so I don't build them or anything. It is a design that is over 100 years old and is still a viable option for a carry weapon.

I have run 2 handgun courses with my custom gun and it functioned flawlessly. My 'off the shelf' guns with the same magazines do not typically fair as well. If you like to tinker and 'tune' I think you would like a collection of 1911's.

I would carry (and have carried) my custom gun. I know it'll work if I need it. But for the price I paid I could have had 6 Glocks. It is a work of art that I will pass down to my offspring. The Glock is a tool that I will have no emotion in selling or trading and not worrying about keeping to pass down. It is a tool. Nothing special.

I've been dying for a 1911 and think I'm about to pull the trigger so to speak...haha I want it to be a great shooter, look nice and I have no plans to carry it at any point. I want it to be a full size or standard 1911. I want it to be as least finicky as possible with ball ammo. Is my best bet to get a $700-800 Springfield and go from there or should I just drop some coin on a Wilson/AA/STI/Ed Brown,,,whatever? Sorry, this is a little bit of a sidetrack...

[ChopperDoc]

I love 1911's. I love to shoot them. I am not a "tinkerer" so I don't build them or anything. It is a design that is over 100 years old and is still a viable option for a carry weapon.

I have run 2 handgun courses with my custom gun and it functioned flawlessly. My 'off the shelf' guns with the same magazines do not typically fair as well. If you like to tinker and 'tune' I think you would like a collection of 1911's.

I would carry (and have carried) my custom gun. I know it'll work if I need it. But for the price I paid I could have had 6 Glocks. It is a work of art that I will pass down to my offspring. The Glock is a tool that I will have no emotion in selling or trading and not worrying about keeping to pass down. It is a tool. Nothing special.

I've been dying for a 1911 and think I'm about to pull the trigger so to speak...haha I want it to be a great shooter, look nice and I have no plans to carry it at any point. I want it to be a full size or standard 1911. I want it to be as least finicky as possible with ball ammo. Is my best bet to get a $700-800 Springfield and go from there or should I just drop some coin on a Wilson/AA/STI/Ed Brown,,,whatever? Sorry, this is a little bit of a sidetrack...

That depends on you. My Ed Brown, like I said, is a piece of art. I will be giving that to my son some day. I have a SIG that I have not done much testing on but it fed 10 magazines of various ammo types (2 mixed ammo types) and did great. The SIG has the external extractor, so purists will raise their noses at you.

I would say, if this is your first one, go cheaper and see if you even like the feel / shoot it well. Get some good magazines. If so then you can drop the coin on more expensive stuff later.

[ssracer]

I will always have at least one 1911 in my collection

[GPtuners]

The SIG has the external extractor, so purists will raise their noses at you.

Screw 'em.

[ssracer]

Yeah, I think the external extractor just ruins the lines of a classic design. But that's just my opinion.

[Niceguy]

I've shot a Kimber and a old Colt. I've only fondled a Springfield and nothing else. I LOVE the feel and how they shoot. The Colt is the only one I shot much. It was my grandfathers. Unfortunately I didn't get it when he passed. I don't care what anyone else thinks about it. I just want a well crafted 1911 that works and from the US, be it $700 or $2700. I don't have plans to own more than one so I want the best one I can get for the money once. Sorry for the thread jacking... Hopefully some of the questions I asked helps someone else reading this thread also.

[guncrank1]

Buds had some 1911 Turkish clones for under 500.00

[Nolan]

I still remember when the army got rid of 1911 and went to those junk ass mass produced 9 mm--carried .45 for 16 years all over the world and never had an issue with them--maybe that is why I am partial to them--carry a glock now but soon as I find subcompact 1911 that will change--my .45 full size way to big for edc--just my .02

[Mike]

My only problem is they seem to multiply at a much faster rate than AR's or other handguns.

[guncrank1]

I still remember when the army got rid of 1911 and went to those junk ass mass produced 9 mm--carried .45 for 16 years all over the world and never had an issue with them--maybe that is why I am partial to them--carry a glock now but soon as I find subcompact 1911 that will change--my .45 full size way to big for edc--just my .02

The problem with 3 inch subcompact are the fact that it has a three inch barrel.
They will not return to battery without a near death grip.
Much worse than a full size or Commander size.

The Kimber Pro Carry required me to cycle the slide enough times to wear away the Cerokote that got on the rails and this gun require a chicken chicken grip

[Mexican Kerry]

I've shot a Kimber and a old Colt. I've only fondled a Springfield and nothing else. I LOVE the feel and how they shoot. The Colt is the only one I shot much. It was my grandfathers. Unfortunately I didn't get it when he passed. I don't care what anyone else thinks about it. I just want a well crafted 1911 that works and from the US, be it $700 or $2700. I don't have plans to own more than one so I want the best one I can get for the money once. Sorry for the thread jacking... Hopefully some of the questions I asked helps someone else reading this thread also.

There are many pistols that would fit your criteria, you would have to narrow it down to decide. Basic traditional 1911, or one with modern upgrades?

If budget isn't an issue, you're in a better position than most shoppers. Decide what "options" you want and contact one of the upper tier manufacturers. I have zero experience with the big names like Baer/Wilson/Brown/etc but they all have a good reputation for providing a pistol that is supposed to be above and beyond the mass produced likes of Colt/Springfield/etc.

Personally, one of my favorite shooters is a cheapo beater Springfield Mil Spec. I've never felt it wasn't enough 1911. If you are looking for a basic traditional 1911 with good (or better than average) quality craftsmanship, I'd recommend a Colt: either a post-WW2 Government or one of the original S70 pistols.

[Toddstang]

Para has been the worst brand of 1911 I ever had. Subcompacts have never been flawless other than a Springfield Champion I owned. Rob Pinkus had a good video on YouTube about compact 1911's and how bad they fail.

[Dave1965]

I have owned dozens of 1911's over the years and never a bad experience. My first pistol was a 70's government model that I still own (mom bought for me when I was 17, those were the days). I had one Para 14 in .40 and liked it and it functioned very well, there is a reason they make those into competition guns. 1911's to me are just like a classic muscle car, timeless. Never had one throw brass to hit me on top of the head as several glocks have done that I owned over the years.

[Nolan]

Had no idea sub compacts had lots of failure problems--good info--need to do more research

[ChopperDoc]

Honestly sub-compacts are not really 1911's. They are 1911 'style' because they look the same cosmetically, but the internals are different. No barrel bushing, etc, etc. Plenty of info on the interwebz about that.

Ed Brown refuses to put his name on any 1911 with a barrel shorter than 4.25" because he says the 1911 design does not work well (for all sorts of reasons he has on his website.)

[Nolan]

Honestly sub-compacts are not really 1911's. They are 1911 'style' because they look the same cosmetically, but the internals are different. No barrel bushing, etc, etc. Plenty of info on the interwebz about that.

Ed Brown refuses to put his name on any 1911 with a barrel shorter than 4.25" because he says the 1911 design does not work well (for all sorts of reasons he has on his website.)

But damn they look good!!!!