Selling my Colt

I checked out the 1911 forums. Very good site. I found that a lot of people really like the Defender. I may end up keeping it after all the reading I have done. I may just buy a Glock 27 and have 2 carry guns!:D
 
Doom,

Excellent idea. I find uses for both styles of pistols, although my 1911 choice is the Colt Government .380 ACP. Same manual of arms so I don't have to think, but a smaller package as my work is now white-collar.

I bought the Glock 27 for the future. Tomorrow Wisconsin will attempt the Governor's veto with an override vote.

We can carry on our person's if we are at home or at work, and to a degree, that's reasonable. A farmer might have varmints as he works his acreage, and I have crazy debtors who think their foolish financial moves are somehow my fault. Of course, the rest of the time we must go 'off body.'

When we adopt the CCW law, my choice will be SOB or IWB which raises the concern of sweat. A gym locker room is sweaty (so much so that I might just fling the thing into the truck).

With the Glock's polymer receiver and tennifer slide, corrosion isn't a problem. And besides just having a gun in a gunfight, it must be operational.
 
My own opinions:

I don't like the Glock. It's boring as hell. lightweight, simple, accurate, and reliable. all it does is go "bang" every time you pull the trigger, very little learning curve required. it even requires a minimum of maintenance. How boring!:D As you can tell I DO like the Glock, and I think it's definitely one of the very, very, top choices a person can make in a personal defense pistol.

Myself being a rather jingoistic old school type of guy though, I prefer a well tuned 1911. Back in the days of yore (Pre-Kinber days) when they came from the factory unthroated, small safety, cheesy sights, no beavertail, heavy trigger, untuned ejectors, etc. I would have definitely said the 1911 is too much of a pain in the a$$ to get tuned properly. I have a Springfield that's a complete and absolute sweetheart, very accurate, utterly reliable, and feels great in the hand. Problem is that it started out with a SIXTEEN pound trigger, and all other forementioned idiosyncracies, including an extractor that threw brass directly between your eyes every time you fired it. About $1,500 and some hard lessons about who touches your guns later it's a dream. Overall, woulda been better from the get-go with a Sig, Glock, or H&K though.

But...then along comes Kimber with the idea of putting all the necessary custom touches on a 1911 from the factory, With Springfield following suit rather quickly, and the others eventually joining the pack. Now all the exact same details on the forementioned Springfield can be obtained at about half the price I'd paid. It's a value that's VERY VERY hard to beat. I prefer Springfield, and Kimber over alot of the others just for the series 70 safety, but that's kinda a Ford Vs. Chevy thing. I've had a few Series 80's that had as sweet a trigger you could ever want in a real world gun. The The 1911 is very slender, with a crisp easy to love trigger, and spare parts are all around. The 1911's track record speaks for itself. dang near 100 years of service, and it's still a serious contender for door kickin' ass whuppin' tactical bad a$$ units and such.

One thing for sure...if you get both guns, and become accomplished with them there shouldn't be too many handguns in between that you couldn't adapt to very quickly. The grip angles between the two are very opposite, and takes alot of adjusting for most of us to get used to from one to the other. (another secret reason I prefer 1911's- I'm too damn lazy to learn something completely different, at least not without a good reason)

Anyhoo, good luck!

Oh, and BTW, Fock you too!:D
 
Runs,

I know what you mean, I think. I had to force myself to buy the first Glock. But older gentlemen can learn.

Tuesdays and Thursdays my office is dark, and I usually work at home now, my personal computer is faster!;)

However, amongst the stuff in my little pile of work necessities is a Glock 27. First thing I grabbed, and I have as much confidence in it as anything else.

And I think that's the point. If your locks on the door aren't suitable, change them to something stronger. And if that 1911 is jamming, get it repaired! It might be your favorite, but if it cannot save your skin, it's a door stop.

My family didn't shoot, so I got into guns rather late, I think I was about 23. I've never been more than an arm's reach since of something that went bang. In fact, after a week of prairie dog shooting, it feels odd to buckle my jeans without a gun on my right hip. It really gets to you fast.

And I have no desire to get pounded by a debtor. I have that agape' love for my fellow man, but better the enemy hemmoraging than moi. When I verbalized that over 20 years ago, some of my closest friends termed that behavior 'paranoid.' Then about 1985, people started asking my to walk them to their cars.

So, my plain, vanilla, so-perfect-it's-boring Glock is now riding with me more often. And what I once thought was odd, now instills confidence. Yikes, I like Glocks!
 
Scary part for me is that the 1911 is just my favorite auto. My favorite handguns period are revolvers! namely a Smith 625 and a 586. I'm only thirty! does that make me an old fart?:D
 
Runs,

:D I ask myself that every day! Last time I spent any real time in a bike shop, it was full of young, dynamic baby boomers. Where did all of these gray haired geezers come from to ride this hot new stuff? Look at the bright side, that revolver with its ancient roots will undoubtedly save your life.

All of the bugs and problems were fixed DECADES ago.:eek:
 
Originally posted by Runs With Scissors
Scary part for me is that the 1911 is just my favorite auto. My favorite handguns period are revolvers! namely a Smith 625 and a 586. I'm only thirty! does that make me an old fart?:D
Click to expand...

Id hate to say that as I am coming up on 37 in a couple of months and my favorite autos are my series 70 Colts the rest of my guns are S&W wheelguns from the 1950 - 1970's :)
 
I'm just gonna add my $.02 here. I don't have anywhere the experience, or knowledge, of some of these other posters. That being said, I have shot a few handguns, including full-sized colt and glock .45s. I prefer the 1911 for several reasons, it fits my hand better, it's beautiful vs appliance/tupperware appearance, and I can SHOOT THE CRAP out of it. I say, try 'em both (rental at the range if you need) and go with what you LIKE. For a small concealable weapon, I prefer 9mm, but again, if you prefer one, stick with it.
 
Wow, someone else has a Glock 20...:eek: I thought I was the only one crazy enough to love an obsolete caliber in a too large gun..:D If I were suddenly thrown into a 'Mad Max' de-civilized world tomorrow, I'd seriously consider this for my primary. Properly loaded, this caliber does it all.

Back on topic, my EDC is a Kimber Ultra Carry and you would be hard pressed to convince me otherwise. I would encourage you to actually SHOOT your Defender before deciding you don't like it. The .45 ACP comes with a proven heritage of stopping power and you have one of the most compact packages available for it. I, of course, prefer the Kimber as it's a better designed and implemented rendition of Samuels original intent. Having owned ParaOrdnance, Commanders and (still) Officers models, the Kimber represents a culmination of all that's been learned and a very nice piece of work.

Having a few Glocks as well, they are just a different animal. My Model 19 has a very low and long sight radius for it's barrel length, low center of gravity, high capacity (18 w/grip extension), accurate, light weight, utterly reliable, easy to disassemble/clean and a piece of modern work. I call it the Honda of handguns.

On the negatve side, its square and blocky slide make it a 'down the pants' hip carry nightmare. I don't like its plastic sights, too easily subject to damage. The grip angle is entirely wrong for my hand. This gun is not a pointer, unless you are looking to part the offenders hair. The square 'checkering' molded into the grip is downright painful after long firing sessions. The matte slide finish is fragile and easily marred. Leather holsters will polish the nose of the slide in no time. Get used to it. To my eye, it is an unsightly bugger. No, that has nothing to do with defensive practicality but... It does factor in to my equation when purchasing a new 'toy'. Finally, I am not entirely confident in the 9mm as a stopper. Properly placed hits can do the job but under the stress of life threatening circumstances, can you really count on that?

The factors YOU weigh when buying a EDC or defensive weapon are unique to you. Start with the effectiveness of the caliber and then personal ergonomics. Asthetics would/should probably be towards the last of the list. From caliber to serviceability, there is a lot of territory between. Each shooter places different weights on all the variables to be considered when buying a pistol/revolver. No gun has the best of everything. Gee... maybe that's why most have more than just a few around, ya think???

Good luck on your decision...

P.S. Been looking at a Kahr KP4044NA... Hmmm
 
Whew…sorting the wheat from the chaff here is like the hunting the needle in the hay stack.

Doomonyou, keep the Colt amigo. Folks make a mountain of a molehill regarding the care, feeding and manual of arms drills with the Colt, but in all reality, the same drills apply to most all auto pistols. A stovepipe is cleared the same on Colts, S&W, Glocks and SIGs. Failure to feed is handled the same on all the above, rap, tap, bang. The only operation the 1911 pistol has that the Glock does not, is the manual safety. The cocked and locked carry does require knowledge of the handling of a 1911. You can learn to shoot and shoot well the 1911.
Trigger management is different, but that is a learned skill on either firearm. Remember the 1911 in its infancy did not have a manual safety, just like the Glock.
The reputation the 1911`s acquired for lack reliability is largely based on the Series 70 and pre 70`s failure to feed HP and SWC ammo reliably without reliability tune up.
It is important to remember, 1911 was designed to around the 45acp, 230 gr Hardball at 855 fps. So when the trend towards hollow points started up in the 60`s the 1911 required a tuning package. (This is what gave Bill Wilson, Ed Brown and several others all the business they could handle working up the 1911 for hollow point and semi wad cutters). Prior to this the 230 gr hardball at 850 fps was the standard. It also worth noting that the only reason the 9mm even came in to the police, self defense area was the advent and availability of frangible and reliably expanding hollow point ammo. Hell, I can remember the days of shooting 9mm hollow points through 6x6`s and having little or no expansion, the 45acp was worse, remember, the 45 travels at lower velocity.


If you can find any smith that hand makes custom glocks, SIG`s , S&W`s and has folks standing in line to pay $3000.00 after a year or two wait, please post his or her name. I can name several smiths that have pistoliaros standing in line to buy $3000. 00 carry 1911 `s. I know this for fact, as I’ve been in the line and continue to stand in several others.


This is a summary of the testing of the Colt 1911 by the Army Ordnance Department
A torture test was conducted on March 3rd, 1911. The test consisted of having each gun fire 6000 rounds. One hundred shots would be fired and the pistol would be allowed to cool for 5 minutes. After every 1000 rounds, the pistol would be cleaned and oiled. After firing those 6000 rounds, the pistol would be tested with deformed cartridges; some seated too deeply, some not seated enough, etc. The gun would then be rusted in acid or submerged in sand and mud and some more tests would then be conducted. Browning's pistols passed the whole test series with flying colors. It was the first firearm to undergo such a test, firing continuously 6000 cartridges, a record broken only in 1917 when Browning's recoil-operated machine gun fired a 40000 rounds test.
My point here is that the 1911 is a reliable pistol of choice for many that carry for a living, and have a choice. Many of the Spec Ops and LEO Tactical Depts(SWAT) are going back to the 1911. This is being done due to the inherent shootablity (is that a word) of the 1911 in skilled hands.

Now all that being said, all the pistols mention in this thread are fine SD/ carry weapons. But it should be pointed out that even the Glocks do occasionally have problems. Checkout Glocktalk.com to learn about the Glocks. I have a Glock 25 that is finicky about overall cartridge length.
It depends on what pistol fits you ergonomically and price wise. Any weapon for SD work must fit the shooter. And by the same token the shooter must be comfortable with the pistol. Competent instruction goes along way toward confidence and competence on the shooters part.
Ok, now before you Glock guys line up to lynch me for heresy, I own 4 Glocks, but I own a bunch more 1911s. Guess which one I prefer… :D

Now ya’ll quit pickin on the 1911 and 45acp.


Steve
:D :eek:

Hey that was post 501
 
Steve, thanks I will more than likely keep the Defender unless someone gives me what I have in it:D I have a Glock and am very fimiliar with it. I am proud of the fact that I got my city P.D. to standardize thier weapons. My good friend is a Lt. and ranger master with the P.D. he shot my Glock and showed it to the Chief. Together they went to the city who told them to buy what ever they needed. Now they all carry Glock 23 models. The Sheriffs' Dept. soon followed with the same model. Now if I could get the State Police to change from the S+W's,hmm....... my work would be done!:D
I am looking at buying a Glock 27 also.
 
doomonyou,

My pleasure, I forgot to mention that Chuck Taylor has a Glock 17 that has been in his hands for 10 or more years. He loves it and the last report I saw....it had 175k rounds put through it with 6 or so failures. At each failure the weapon was checked out and if I remember correctly no failure was found with the pistol. They were attributable to ammo, limp wristing or mags.

Quite impressive performance.:) There that should hold off the lynch mob.


Steve
 
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