First 1911!

kamagong

kamagong

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Jan 13, 2001
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I'm slowly but surely building up my collection of firearms. Yesterday I bought my first 1911, a Kimber Custom II with walnut grips. I was torn between this gun and a Springfield Loaded, but I found a great deal that I just couldn't pass up.

Obviously I haven't shot it yet, but my first impressions from handling it are very good. It seems to be tight and well made. I checked it out thoroughly and even broke it down at the shop. Actually one of the shop guys broke it down, I asked him to show me how to do it. Good thing too, I would have been more than a little confused had I attempted it by myself at home.

Now what to do to help me pass the time during the ten day waiting period? Go shop for mags and holsters? Or should I start by changing the grips?
 
I would not worry too much about holsters, different grips or extra mags, I would just buy lots of ammo.
 
I'm jealous. I'm still working on my first firearm of any kind.

How about some pics?

Eric
 
Yeah I know, I was just joking (sort of). I will need to buy some extra magazines though, Kimber ships their pistols with only a single mag.
 
Pick up 2 or 3 McCormick mags, and a case of ammo.
I like the 8 rd McCormicks, and no issues in our Les Baers or Rock Island
1911 pistols. Alot of folks feel the 1911 takes some getting used to, and I kind of agree. Grip it high and firm, and shoot alot. You'll come to love it. When it comes time for a holster, I really like the F.I.S.T #14, I have 3 for various pistol models.
I have them add the "body protect" option, it's worth the few bucks they charge.

DaddyDett
 
Welcome to the club. You'll find 1911 afficianados are just as devoted as khukaholics, if not more so. I hope your Kimber treats you well, they don't appeal to me but are well made. One thing you may want to consider doing is replacing the full length guide rod (if it has one) with a standard GI spring setup. It's a cheap fix, and will make teardown and re-assembly much simpler. Also, don't trust it for defense until you've put at least 200 trouble free rounds through it. That goes for ANY gun, whoever makes it. If something is going to break it will usually do so right off the bat. Best of luck to you, and happy shooting. :)
 
Get a couple of extra magazines (I use Wilson 8-rounders with no problems), but don't trouble with anything else until you've taken the pistol to the range a few times. You might decide the issue grips work fine. I agree about the full-length guide rod; those only make sense in a competition gun. You might check out 'shock buffers', little rubber rings that slip over the guide rod and cushion the whack of slide on frame when firing. They are supposed to reduce wear & tear. I don't know how true that is- my un-buffered Ruger doesn't seem to care- but the buffers are cheap and simple, so why not? Just make sure they don't shorten the slide travel too much and interfere with proper ejection (easy to test by racking the slide with a dummy round).
 
RR,

What's your preferred 1911? I was originally leaning towards a Springfield Loaded, but it was near impossible to find one. Then I came across the Custom II at a killer price and the rest is history.

Buying firearms is a much more difficult proposition than buying khukuris. When I got my first HI in 1998 they were the only game in town. Still is, as far as I'm concerned. Guns are another thing entirely? First Browning Buckmark or Ruger 22/45? Then Springfield Loaded or Kimber Custom II? Next is Remington 870 or Mossberg 590? It seems that the choices are limitless when it comes to firearms. Not a bad thing, but certainly confusing.
 
Buy a progressive press and full reloading setup....unless youre rich or rearly shoot, shooting .45 costs a ton!
 
I've read that buffer's are not worth it. They get torn up and gunk the gun up.

The full length guide rod adds some weight, no reason to replace it IMO

Wilson or McCormick mags are good.

If there's anything you want to look at, it's the mainspring housing. I think most kimber MSH's are plastic. It's a 20-50 dollar part.
Also make sure you keep your gun lubed.

1911's are the best.
HK.jpg
 
Thats a nice one.I was going the same path when an associate recommended the Sig P220 to me. Super accurate out of the box, field strip and back together in less than 60 seconds.
I took it the range I shoot at and had the range instructor give it a go, a dedicated 1911 man, also a retired LAPD range officer, said it was one of the best out of the box .45s he had ever shot. Was able to shoot a playing card in half sideways at 15 feet. Gave it a clean bill of health!!
Here she is my Black Beauty rigged with nightsights and Hogue grips,
Came with two 7 round magazines I aquirred another 6 since then.
P6130013%20%283%29.JPG
 
Nice Sig. Which shop in LA are you getting it from? I'm going there in September with my girl and am having trouble finding things to do while she is at a conference. I figured that I should just check out the local gun and knife shops.

Why did you choose the Sig over the 1911? I chose the 1911 because it felt the best to me. That and it looks damn sexy. Plus, the design is a testament to the fighting spirit of my people (I'm of Filipino descent if you didn't know).
 
march-1.jpg

Springfield Mil-spec with 4100 lumen custom light.

July.jpg

Plain Jane blued Colt.

faeda58b.jpg

Springfield Loaded.

right on
 
kamagong said:
Nice Sig. Which shop in LA are you getting it from? I'm going there in September with my girl and am having trouble finding things to do while she is at a conference. I figured that I should just check out the local gun and knife shops.

Why did you choose the Sig over the 1911? I chose the 1911 because it felt the best to me. That and it looks damn sexy. Plus, the design is a testament to the fighting spirit of my people (I'm of Filipino descent if you didn't know).
Click to expand...

I got it back in 1996 from a store that is no longer in business but was made famous in the North Hollywood shootout in Febuary of 1997 for arming our officers with something a bit more powerful than their Berettas, B&B Sales, was one of the best gun stores around.

The Sig was actually my second choice, I was going for the Colt Officers model and I expect at some later date after the kids are away at college ( another ten years or so) I'll get one or perhaps a Kings Custom.
But fit was really good, accuracy dead on, not that the Colt wasn't and the other factor was price, the Sig was $500- and the Colt $850- at the time.

I must admit I do enjoy shooting the 1911 whenever I get the opportunity, it is a Great sidearm.
 
I neglected to mention that buffers need changing periodically or they will indeed gunk things up. Keep your gun clean and change the buffer when it begins to look worn and you'll have no trouble. I'll grant that the benefits are open to argument but in my view the things are cheap insurance.
I'm with Wolf re 1911s, I was never impressed with 'custom' doodads. SiGs are nice guns, no question; if you have that much money to spend, go for it, you won't be disappointed. -But there are other guns just as nice that cost half as much.
 
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