Why Carry a 1911? Gun Guys
- Thread starter Amp Mangum
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The best self defense / combat handgun ever made.
The Number 1 person that loves them The most...Ken Hackathorn....he calls it.....The King Of Feedway Stoppages......not a problem with me.
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And he still carries one everyday.
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This is the one I don't get.
I've shot one for years, ipsc, idpa and if it was unreliable I'd have given up on it years ago but then again I run ball ammo
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Interesting video. I love 1911s. My favorite platform with no doubt. Followed shortly by my CZ hammer guns.
But my one gripe is the absolute vast majority of the video is saying the main reason itâs still relevant is because bad guys canât figure out how to use it.
I mean, yeah, thatâs certainly a plus. But it isnât a unique plus. Itâs just the nature of firearms with safetyâs.
To me, there are plenty of reasons to carry one, but in my opinion I am of the âcarry what you are best withâ camp. If you can drill what you want consistently with a flint lock pirates pistol, then rock the old girl. If you are a dead eye with a single action colt, then skin that smoke wagon and get to work. If the 1911 is like a third hand to you and you can work it in the dark while upside down then slap it on and let the Yankee fist fly. But if you have been weaned on wonder nines and have practiced over and over with one and feel safe with it, then there you go.
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But my one gripe is the absolute vast majority of the video is saying the main reason itâs still relevant is because bad guys canât figure out how to use it.
I mean, yeah, thatâs certainly a plus. But it isnât a unique plus. Itâs just the nature of firearms with safetyâs.
To me, there are plenty of reasons to carry one, but in my opinion I am of the âcarry what you are best withâ camp. If you can drill what you want consistently with a flint lock pirates pistol, then rock the old girl. If you are a dead eye with a single action colt, then skin that smoke wagon and get to work. If the 1911 is like a third hand to you and you can work it in the dark while upside down then slap it on and let the Yankee fist fly. But if you have been weaned on wonder nines and have practiced over and over with one and feel safe with it, then there you go.
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Oddly, sometimes I think with 1911s it can be the opposite. I know some folks with bone stock Colts, Rugers, and even Rock Islands that never give them a hiccup. But the ultra tuned high end guns get real picky. I assume itâs due to their âcustomâ high tolerances.
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Until they break or go out of tune again.
Last time I carried a 1911 was to the car in a box to sell it. One of the best decisions I ever made. Was able to sell most of my tools to work on those antiques as well...bonus!
A lot depends who is doing the work. Lots of people think they can just drop in parts and then they wonder why it does not run. Magazines are also very important to the 1911s proper function.
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I love how he says you can't ware out the frame or slide then immediately say "but don't run nato ammo!"
I love to shoot a 1911 at a range. It is a fantastic functional piece of history. I would hate to carry one. No thanks.
I love to shoot a 1911 at a range. It is a fantastic functional piece of history. I would hate to carry one. No thanks.
We keep The Real El Prez set up here in perpetuity. Best time ever here is 11.5. I hear all the time how folks shoot 4 to 6 second El Prezs...no they don't! Not from 33 feet with targets set 9 feet apart edge to edge. Remember Every round out of the A adds one second!
Vicker's Best Time Ever 7.8 plus 1 sec down for an 8.8...smoking!
Vicker's Best Time Ever 7.8 plus 1 sec down for an 8.8...smoking!
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If you are relying on a safety that the bad guy may or may not know how to operate, you have already failed with your personal defense strategy. You got to love Massad talking about the merits of the 1911 and then gives an example of a S&W. Admittedly, Iâm not a Massad Ayoob fan. So please take my criticism of him with a grain of salt. Like @B00ger said above, to me itâs personal choice. What works for me may not work for someone else. What works in one situation may not work in another. Thatâs why we run the gun that best works for us and why we have a full toolbox.
Only reason to carry a 1911 in .45 is because they don't make a 1912 in .46.
All of my 1911s are 10MM. It appeals to me as a platform because it's a way to conceal carry 10MM without having a gigantic gun and without having too light of a gun for the cartridge.
Also, my Ruger SR1911s have never had a stoppage. My DW is the picky princess.
All of my 1911s are 10MM. It appeals to me as a platform because it's a way to conceal carry 10MM without having a gigantic gun and without having too light of a gun for the cartridge.
Also, my Ruger SR1911s have never had a stoppage. My DW is the picky princess.
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I carry single stack 45s. But I don't carry 1911s. They are too high maintenance, for me and finicky about mags, ammo......the weather.. , in my experience. 
Make mine a S&W 4566. YMMV and probably should. Regards 18DAI
Make mine a S&W 4566. YMMV and probably should. Regards 18DAI
Only Inside The Gates here...
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Guess I'm lucky in that my 'nostalgia' carry gun from back in the days I started carrying (1992) is a Gen 2 G23. When I want to go old school I just load up the exact G23 with the exact same golden saber rounds I was carrying back then.. from the same lot!... and away we go. It's not only period correct, it's period. Swap the ammo with something not old enough to vote and it's no different than any modern reliable carry gun, no excuses required (except for the caliber bois).
EDIT: still have the original 90s OWB leather holster sporting the FBI cant, and my galco fanny pack. I hear those are making a come back.
EDIT: still have the original 90s OWB leather holster sporting the FBI cant, and my galco fanny pack. I hear those are making a come back.
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I love my 1911's but, there is no way I can carry them. At 5'3" and +/- 100#, I would be walking in circles all day unless I carried a couple of loaded mags on the other side to balance the weight.
Blue Slab Sides and IVORY................Ken knows style.....
Bladeandbarrel
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You could do a lot worse than a good 1911 or 3..
But then again I am biased and "Old at heart"...
Checkered ivory is hard to photo...
But then again I am biased and "Old at heart"...
Checkered ivory is hard to photo...
Sounds like a great excuse to carry two spare mags đ
Anyway, Ive come to the conclusion that they arent for everyone, and I do not encourage a 1911 as a first pistol these days... they are simply not as easy to tear down and maintain as most modern options and require care and specific attention to detail that most are unwilling to do.
That said, you put a 1911 that runs well into the hands of a new shooter who wants to learn, and isnt afraid of the weight, or the caliber <_< and they will 9 out of 10 times absolutely love shooting it.
Just dont ask them to tear it down quickly or easily, or understand such "black magic" such as which ( and why) certain magazines, springs, components, etc work as a system.
There IS something to be said for a pistol you can pull out of a box, fresh from shipment, load a magazine, and be pretty darn sure it WILL work, and at the end of that day, tear down without any tools ( or practice doing it without tools), and oiling it with "whatever" and knowing it will be fine for however long it sits.
That pistol is likely a Glock 17 ( gen 1-4, maybe 5.... haven't decided on that one...).
(These days...) 1911s are for people who are willing to put in the work to keep them going, and enjoy, as im sure many will agree, its truly amazing trigger action and superlative ergonomics.
I seldom am without atleast one pistol, and that pistol is almost always a 1911 of some variety. In the cases where it is not, it could be A Glock, or perhaps a CZ, maybe a revolver.
But Id say better then 99% or the time its a 1911. I feel I'm not terribly underarmed.
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Anybody can transition from a "spoing" trigger to a 1911 trigger.
It ain't easy the other way around.......I finally gave in about 20 years ago and committed to learning the Glock trigger. I put a .22 conversion on a G17 and went to work. After about 3 months and 5,000 rounds of ammo I had it whipped [I still occasionally Make it go Bang instead of Letting it go Bang].
The transition to a Glock trigger to me having been on a 1911 trigger for many years [1965 to 1986] was and is a work in progress. If you Start on a Glock you can transition to anything.
It ain't easy the other way around.......I finally gave in about 20 years ago and committed to learning the Glock trigger. I put a .22 conversion on a G17 and went to work. After about 3 months and 5,000 rounds of ammo I had it whipped [I still occasionally Make it go Bang instead of Letting it go Bang].
The transition to a Glock trigger to me having been on a 1911 trigger for many years [1965 to 1986] was and is a work in progress. If you Start on a Glock you can transition to anything.
Try to get your hands on a LCP Max....it makes a Glock trigger feel like a post war National Match Colt. AND pinches the crap outta yo hand!
I cut my teeth on a Sig P228 DA/SA gun. I used to shoot DA decock and shoot another DA. I tried to keep the number of DA rounds to SA round about even. I then moved to SAO 1911s and BHPs. I can run a Glock I just don't love them. If I am honest with myself I don't really like striker fired guns even ones with really good triggers.
The 1911 can be a crutch. It can be setup as an on off switch with very little take up and a super short reset. I personally don't set mine up like that but many people do. I like to be within reach of 3.5 lbs. A little over or a little under is ok but much below that is too light for my intended uses.
Edited to read 3.5 Lbs which was my intent.
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4 is perfect, 3 is better, 5 never. Jeff Cooper
It really does not take a lot IMHO. You need to start with high quality mags. From there you need to keep them clean and lubed properly. You also need to know how to tweak their extractors.
As people have tried to improve JMBs design to get more accuracy out of the gun they have made the fit and the finish tighter. It makes them more prone to running dry and dirt fouling causing stoppages. There is a reason that old Colts have bit of play. The most overrated "fit" on a 1911 is the slide to frame fit. People obsess about it but it really is secondary to how the barrel locks into the gun. The 3 items in bold below are the most important. Too many people sacrifice reliability for a tight slide to frame fit. IMHO
"The Colt .45 Automatic a Shop Manual, by Jerry Kuhnhausen; Section II, Shop Work; page 116.
Mechanical Accuracy / Mechanical Repeatability
Basic mechanical accurizing improvements and estimated individual effectiveness -
1. Minimize frame / slide clearance -- 15%
2. Install match grade barrel -- 10%
3. Fit / install accuracy bushing -- 20%
4. Minimum chamber headspace -- 10%
5. Eliminate rear barrel side play -- 20%
6. Consistent full barrel lug engagement -- 20%
7. Beyond reach -- 5%
Yup. For me I want some resistance but not too much. There is a typo in that statement I meant 3.5 Lb not 3. For me when you are in the 4-3.5 lb range clean and consistent are more important than a few ounces. This is true for me on other platforms as well even DA/SA but I am just a duffer with nice clubs so what do I know? #doesntmakethecut
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( when I say work, I dont mean sitting around "blue printing" it)
Well, its simple....
Ive watched a person purchase a $1500 1911, And put Promags in it because it was "cheaper".
Ive also had people bring them in unable to disassemble one for cleaning. Or in pieces oddly enough.
They do not seem to like being "dry" and will not tolerate it, from what I typically see... Ive had many brought in bone dry with a statement that "Thats how I keep my Glock/Etc"
Its just a case of treating it like what it is: An all steel ( sometimes aluminum... saw a poly frame once) pistol, that has certain proclivities due its status as the last "early" semi still in common use... they are just not Glocks.
Find the good mags it likes and keep them around and well maintained. Learn how to take it apart, and be comfortable doing so. Keep it properly oiled with something that "sticks", ESSPECIALLY if your carrying it IWB.... a little grease on the rails ( I love old-school gunslick, just never use it on aluminum frames if you luck into some... any decent grease works well.) Is a good idea, but not strictly necessary if you have it oiled well.
Learn how to keep an eye out for the little "ticks" they have... a clocking extractor can be irritating, but is typically not hard to fix. Alot of people these days may take it to a "gunsmith" that throws in some other extractor, with no regard to its tension or what not, and then when it still doesnt work, the owner is now soured on it.
BUT, a solid functional 1911 that runs well, as long as you give it good mags, and that receives proper care and the owner learns its quirks, it is a fine handgun.
Its just not as "simple" as a "modern" handgun.
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