Another 1911 Thread (Groan)

Another vote for the Springfield.How can you get hammer bite from a 1911?:confused:
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miss your grip slightly coming out of a holster and get a little high on the grip safety... have large hands...shoot with a high grip hold.... there is a very noticable difference in shot to shot split times if the beavertail grip safety is one of the upswept models that allows you to grip higher on the frame, closer to the centerline of the barrel compared to an unmodified pistol (less muzzle flip).. same with an undercut below the trigger guard
 
Les Snyder said:
miss your grip slightly coming out of a holster and get a little high on the grip safety... have large hands...shoot with a high grip hold.... there is a very noticable difference in shot to shot split times if the beavertail grip safety is one of the upswept models that allows you to grip higher on the frame, closer to the centerline of the barrel compared to an unmodified pistol (less muzzle flip).. same with an undercut below the trigger guard
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It's all a matter of practice,it should be something that comes without conscious thought.There's no excuse for missing the grip on even a stock 1911 with a stock beavertail,it's just about fool proof.If you grip a beavertail safety that high the gun will not go BANG.
 
Back in the early 70s, I was a revolver affecionado. I carried a Colt Python on duty. A friend of mine was a GMG1 (Navy Gunner's Mate, Guns First Class Petty Officer) and we were talking guns. I was young and impressionable (Dirty Harry was IT!). He took me to the armory and had me fetch loose, used 1911 parts out of bins on a wall and built a 1911 A1 out of parts in front of me. He dry-fired it a couple of times, grabbed a couple of boxes of jacketed military hardball rounds and a couple of targets and off to the range we went.

He fired several very respectable 2 inch groups at 25 yards with that parts-gun 1911. It rattled and clanked when he shook it, but it still shot 2" groups; more than adequate for anything but competition shooting... and it taught me a lesson. I became a true believer, and I've worshiped at the alter of the 1911 ever since.

I sold both the stainless '99 Defender and Y2K XSE I carried on duty for ten years last month. I'm down to a single .45 now, and it's a 1911 model 70 parts gun I built for a friend in 1995. It came back to me a couple of years ago, and has sat unused in my gun safe ever since. It's a matte, blued Essex standard government frame, parkerized Colt Model 70 Gov't slide and barrel, with a blued custom barrel bushing and some Ed Brown stainless parts. It's got Novak three-dot ramped concealed carry sights. Last week, I updated the beavertail grip safety, trigger, and mainspring housing to suit my hand (my friend had some custom work done to it some years ago to fit his hand). It's now my primary carry gun. It ain't pretty, but it's a pretty awesome performer. BTW, I'm not a gunsmith nor do I claim to be one... but a set of jeweler's files and a really smooth whetstone can do wonders for fitting parts into a gun. Remember, John Browning designed this gun to be used on the battlefield. They're simple and easy to work on or build as a do-it-yourself-er.

As long as the gun is a 'standard' 1911 using 'mil spec' interchangeable parts, (rather than custom-design proprietary internals) any 1911 is likely to be able to out-perform the hands holding it. As long as you don't have special demands for the gun, (like tack-driving exhibitions or competition range work) get the features you want at a price you can afford. They'll all perform pretty much as expected. The difference in 'mil spec' 1911s basically comes down to accessories, millwork, and finishing. Oh, and you pay premium prices for premium names... and don't get much else when it comes down to performance. The Colt Gold Cup remains the pinnacle of accuracy in a production gun... and it's been out what... fifty years now? In any event, the truth remains that most of us will never be able to shoot any 1911 to its potential.

You can pay a fortune for a really nice, gorgeous gun that doesn't shoot any better than my 'parts' 1911. Most of the advertising hype around these guns is just that... hype. The manufacturer (provided that quality materials are used) isn't of as much importance as parts interchangeability.
 
-and a Kabar will cut anything a $1000 custom will, but there's still a lot of difference between the two.
 
MVF said:
-and a Kabar will cut anything a $1000 custom will, but there's still a lot of difference between the two.
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I agree that in knives, yes... in 1911s... the differences are pretty much cosmetic. If all of the parts measure to "mil spec" for the gun, there's not much else that can vary (except maybe metallurgy... and the big players all have that down). The advertising hype is pretty much just that. It's a lot like the purported differences in the brands of AR-15s. It's a lot less than the advertising would have you believe.
 
There is differences between the different levels of finish and accuracy, the big question do you utilize them or need them.

Paul
 
I'm talking more about the satisfaction of a slide that is smooth and tight and feels like a precision machine and overall fit and finish to match- as well as 1"@25 yrds accuracy and still maintaining reliability vs. something that looks and feels slightly ratty and rattles when you shake it and MAYBE gives you 3"-6" groups- or else has been tightened up so much you get FTFs or FTEs. Sure there are exceptions to both cases, but IMO it is very much like the difference between a cheap knife and a quality one (except at least cheap knives don't usually rattle!).

There's room in the world for both.
 
All of the guns mentioned are very nice and I'm sure would serve you well. I own 4 Colts. Everyone of them is a shooter and very reliable. All the way from a Gold Cup National Match MK. IV, a stock officers model, a commander and a 1991. I had the 1991 reworked a little with novak sights and a trigger job, but I really didn't need to. I have been very happy with all of the pistols and have not had a bit of trouble with any of them. All of them have been accurate right out of the box with no jamming of any kind. Good Luck and hope you have a great time shooting.
 
Springfield is a good bet

I have a lot of mileage on my "Loaded" model with no hiccups at all.

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I have the Springfield 1911 GI and I use it for HD as well as USPSA matches with no modifications at all and have not received any hammer bite, anyone that gets hammer bite is not paying attention to hand placement thus will lead to a bad shot and maybe a bite. Just like with any pistol or rifle once you get to know her and how she is suppose to feel in your hand you will be able to adjust rather quickly. I also feel that if so many people complained about hammer bite with this GI Model then Springfield would have made a change by now--Just my 2 cents. Good Luck with your purchase.
 
You didn't mention your price range. For less then $1000 there are a lot of good choices. We see a lot of Kimbers for sight upgrades, but I don't recall any with problems.
Springfield Armory 1911s are good. One thing that kind of bothers me is that they are made in Brazil and SA has tried to hide that fact. Why? (Look under the grips)
Para Ordnance has not been mentioned. I have not shot one, but they look well made.

Which ever pistol you end up buying, consider buying one with some upgrades. After market modifications can be expensive.

I have owned half a dozen Colt 1911s from a basic Pre-1970 to a Gold Cup. They all had accuracy problems. I have a Les Baer that is 7 years old and has about
3000 rounds through it. It cost me $1000 and is the worth every penny.

If I were in the market for a new 1911, I would seriously consider the Kimber Super Carry Pro HD. I really like the Ed Brown style grip.
 
UffDa said:
Springfield Armory 1911s are good. One thing that kind of bothers me is that they are made in Brazil and SA has tried to hide that fact. Why? (Look under the grips)
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What? Since when?
I'm going to go pull the grips on my "Loaded" model and check. It's about 10 years old.
 
5.56 said:
What? Since when?
I'm going to go pull the grips on my "Loaded" model and check. It's about 10 years old.
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They have always been made in Brazil. There is nothing wrong with that. The slides and frames are made by Imbel, a highly respected firearms company. The frame will be marked Brazil or IL.
I understand that the more expensive 1911s are assembled in the USA. The XD line is made in Croatia.

Springfield 1911s used to have Made In Brazil stamped on the dust cover or under the serial number. When it was moved under the grip panel, I wondered why. Marketing? I have heard that the top of the line
pistols are made from rough forgings and don't have to be marked Imbel or Brazil.
 
Springfield gets my vote too.

I'd stay away from the G.I. though, too much work if you want to upgrade and at the low end of F&F. If a loaded (first choice) is over budget check out the Mil-spec, similar to the G.I. but with the minor upgrades that you wish the G.I. had. If a local store does not have the gun you want ask for it, some places will order the gun you want.
 
I have the following 1911's Sig, Springfield (EMP), Kimber (series I), Dan Wesson (CBOB & VBOB), and a Rock Island (CS Tactical). They are all great Guns. The only difference in any of them is some fit and finish. My $500 Rock is just as tight as the $1500 VBOB it just don't look as pretty. For home/personal defense they all perform well.
 
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I got my permit!!! Just shy of 11 months since the interview. Time to go shopping!
 
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