"...the 1911 an old design that is more trouble than it is worth...."

[gb6491]

That title is a quote from an old article/rant on Yankee Gun Nuts. The feller that wrote that would later say "It was the best military sidearm of its day, and for a long time afterward. I do not dispute that. But its time has long passed."
Oh well....
https://gfycat.com/SillyEnormousIntermediateegret
Regards,
Greg

[CPTKILLER]

There are better weapons that used the Browning designed as a basis. A first good evolutionary step was the Browning HiPower. There are others that are now even better.

[Bawanna]

I watched that video a dozen times. Made my britches stick out in front. Awesome.

As for the venerable 1911, it's plenty good enough for me and I'm sticking with it for another 100 years. Then maybe, just maybe I'll see if there's anything better. I doubt there will be.

Funny yesterday the SWAT snipers went through their rifles, thoroughly cleaned, checked torques on mounts, etc. One needed a tool at my desk and then some help with a Harris Bipod mount. While helping he asked the significance of the framed photos all of 1911's hanging around my desk. I told him other than the fact that they are the finest handgun ever built they probably are wearing grips that I made.
He looked somewhat perplexed after the finest handgun ever built comment. I asked him if he was a communist......finished my help and returned to my cubicle 1911 oasis.

[Bobshouse]

That robber probably still doesn't know he's dead. He was gone before he hit the floor.

[jg rider]

Damn ! To bad he had to shoot through the display case. It could have deflected the bullet.....not!

[desmobob]

Great video. it made me get out my Combat Commander and Combat Elite and fondle them for a while. In a world full of striker-fired pistols, a nice 1911 trigger sure feels nice! I just picked up an Advantage Arms "Target" version .22LR conversion for the 1911s. I'll be trying it out tomorrow for the first time. The AA conversion I bought for my Glock 22 works wonderfully and I hope their 1911 kit is just as good.

Tight groups,
Bob

[Barth]

The 1911s are OK

WOW what timing on this - LOL!
Figured out how to field strip the V-Bob (with some trouble).
Sadly the Tripp mags will not seat?
So I ordered six low profile Wilson D47s (three 7 and three 8 round).
Still waiting on the custom grips?
EMailed for status with no response?
Maybe I should of went with our resident grip guy Bawanna?

Anyway the fit and finish on the V-Bob is outstanding.
Trigger amazing.
Feel, balance and natural pointing - it looks like a winner.
Can't wait to get it out and shoot.

BTW the unbranded night sights (Appear to be Heinie Straight Eights) have a larger front sight than my other Heinie sights?
Also the front sight is green, the rear is like a burnt orange.
It's a sweet sight picture

Also glad I went with an all stainless steel commander.
Was worried it would be too heavy - it's not.

Can see why DW has a following.
The quality is undeniable

Really wanted a Kahr K45 Stainless Elite.
But as I wait for Kahr? I'll take the V-Bob.

Barth

[Bawanna]

It's never too late for Bawanna grips. The ones you ordered kind of humbled me. They look super nice.

I got a few things to wrap up and was gonna whittle out a few. We can see where your at when I get there.

Never hurts to have several sets so you can dress appropriately.

[finpro]

I have 4 1911 pattern pistols: a custom Government model and a Commander made on Caspian frames to my design, a Dan Wesson Classic Commander Bobtail and a Dan Wesson ECO, an aluminum frame Officer size. All are .45s, except the ECO, which is a 9mm. All except the ECO needed gunsmithing to make them reliable. When new, the ECO needed a new front sight because the original sight was too tall for such a short barrel and shot way low. Once I explained the problem, Dan Wesson sent me a shorter front sight which worked well and I recommend their customer service. The first three are very accurate, but too heavy to carry in my opinion and I have rarely done so. The ECO is fine to carry and very accurate. For shooting, they are better than the other pistols I own.

For prospective defensive use, however, I prefer higher cap, 9mm striker-fired pistols with lighter-than-steel frames and adjustable grips. I feel very secure with a Glock 19 in 9mm or some other pistols with 15 or more rounds. For carry, my Kahrs do nicely, and fit my hand well, though I wish they had a faster shooting more precise trigger. (Yes. I have too many guns. My biggest fear is winning an NRA sweepstakes and suddenly having another three dozen guns.) While I do not think a defensive situation is likely for me, I believe more firepower and the ability to deliver it quickly and accurately may someday be decisive. The high cap, lightness and adjustable grip criteria speak for themselves as positive attributes. I like striker-fired pistols because it allows them to be considerably more compact and have lower bore axes, hence, easier to carry and fire additional rounds quickly. My Glock 19 is smaller than my ECO, even though the G19 has a barrel about 0.5" longer, and is lighter with each holding 9 rounds, though the G19 can carry 7 more rounds and weigh only slightly more. For that matter, a G19 is not that much bigger than a P9, though it feels much heavier. While I cannot quantify it, I would bet my G19, S&W M&P, HK VP9, or CZ P-01 would be less likely to fail than a 1911.

Like the realization that an automatic transmission can do virtually anything better than the manual transmissions that car afficionados required 40 years ago, there is a time to move on. This is CarTalk, isn't it?

[Barth]

I have 4 1911 pattern pistols: a custom Government model and a Commander made on Caspian frames to my design, a Dan Wesson Classic Commander Bobtail and a Dan Wesson ECO, an aluminum frame Officer size. All are .45s, except the ECO, which is a 9mm. All except the ECO needed gunsmithing to make them reliable. When new, the ECO needed a new front sight because the original sight was too tall for such a short barrel and shot way low. Once I explained the problem, Dan Wesson sent me a shorter front sight which worked well and I recommend their customer service. The first three are very accurate, but too heavy to carry in my opinion and I have rarely done so. The ECO is fine to carry and very accurate. For shooting, they are better than the other pistols I own.

For prospective defensive use, however, I prefer higher cap, 9mm striker-fired pistols with lighter-than-steel frames and adjustable grips. I feel very secure with a Glock 19 in 9mm or some other pistols with 15 or more rounds. For carry, my Kahrs do nicely, and fit my hand well, though I wish they had a faster shooting more precise trigger. (Yes. I have too many guns. My biggest fear is winning an NRA sweepstakes and suddenly having another three dozen guns.) While I do not think a defensive situation is likely for me, I believe more firepower and the ability to deliver it quickly and accurately may someday be decisive. The high cap, lightness and adjustable grip criteria speak for themselves as positive attributes. I like striker-fired pistols because it allows them to be considerably more compact and have lower bore axes, hence, easier to carry and fire additional rounds quickly. My Glock 19 is smaller than my ECO, even though the G19 has a barrel about 0.5" longer, and is lighter with each holding 9 rounds, though the G19 can carry 7 more rounds and weigh only slightly more. For that matter, a G19 is not that much bigger than a P9, though it feels much heavier. While I cannot quantify it, I would bet my G19, S&W M&P, HK VP9, or CZ P-01 would be less likely to fail than a 1911.

Like the realization that an automatic transmission can do virtually anything better than the manual transmissions that car afficionados required 40 years ago, there is a time to move on. This is CarTalk, isn't it?

My personal experience is that accuracy is the difference.
I love my Hks, but shoot 1911s better.
If I can get a 1911 to run reliably?
That could be the better choice

[jg rider]

My c.c. from 1980 to the late 90's was one of my IPSC competition 1911's. I always felt if I could shoot them hundreds of rounds in a match every month plus practicing, without any failures, it was good enough to carry.

I carried a Colt combat commander and the wife carried a Colt L.W. Officers Model. Then in the late 90's we discovered 9mm Kahrs and Fed. HST & Win RA9T ammo for c.c. She now also keeps a Glock 17 in her night stand draw.

I think we have four 1911 .45's left and even though we prefer the Kahrs for c.c., I wouldn't think twice about strapping a 1911 on

[Bawanna]

My personal experience is that accuracy is the difference.
I love my Hks, but shoot 1911s better.
If I can get a 1911 to run reliably?
That could be the better choice

IF? What's with that. I have at least 8 that I can think of right off, maybe another 1 or 2 even. I'd wear any one of them any day of the week. None required much of anything to be reliable.

[finpro]

Quality 1911 pattern pistols are usually better shooters than most other stock centerfire pistols. They can have smooth light, slide triggers and provide wonderful pointing ability. For fast shooting, the longer, narrower grip of a 1911 pattern pistol helps in quickly and accurately indexing unaimed point shooting. The same is true for many single stack pistols, including Kahrs. It is easier to point something narrower, like a single stack, than more rounded, like a double stack. In the 1911s' most common .45 caliber, they are obviously very deadly and their being heavier can be shooting advantage. For most uses, I prefer thin slide single stacks, like 1911s or Kahrs. All other things being equal, they carry better for me.

The exception to my single stack preference is for the most extreme self-defense usage. Statistically, most civilian defensive shootings are at very short distances, very quick, involve few shots, and, happily, are relatively rare. In addition, most possible engagements by armed civilians end without shots fired, with just the presence of a gun. The advantage of higher cap, faster firing, lighter, smaller pistols is most obvious when several assailants are present, as might be the case with a gang or riot or mass shooting situations, as rare as these may be. I shoot in IDPA matches and I am confident in my ability to not miss often, reload quickly and cleanly as long as our cardboard targets are not shooting at me. It helps that most targets are not moving and we have walked through the course of fire and, usually, have seen others shoot it. In the messy, unpredictable, sometimes scary real world, I would rather carry a pistol that can most reliably deliver more ordnance. As wonderful as they are and as much I love mine, in 2017, that is not likely to be a 1911.

[kenemoore]

WOW what timing on this - LOL!
Figured out how to field strip the V-Bob (with some trouble).
Sadly the Tripp mags will not seat?
So I ordered six low profile Wilson D47s (three 7 and three 8 round).
Still waiting on the custom grips?
EMailed for status with no response?
Maybe I should of went with our resident grip guy Bawanna?

Anyway the fit and finish on the V-Bob is outstanding.
Trigger amazing.
Feel, balance and natural pointing - it looks like a winner.
Can't wait to get it out and shoot.

BTW the unbranded night sights (Appear to be Heinie Straight Eights) have a larger front sight than my other Heinie sights?
Also the front sight is green, the rear is like a burnt orange.
It's a sweet sight picture

Also glad I went with an all stainless steel commander.
Was worried it would be too heavy - it's not.

Can see why DW has a following.
The quality is undeniable

Really wanted a Kahr K45 Stainless Elite.
But as I wait for Kahr? I'll take the V-Bob.

Barth

I would hang on to the Tripp mags, never heard of them not seating before, sometimes they have to be really pushed into the well. I assume the factory DW mag works fine. Hmmm
If you decide to toss them, toss them my way.

[ripley16]

The 1911 is a fine design. It's four main weak spots, when compared to modern guns, are weight, reliability, simplicity and capacity. None of these speak to quality but rather to the evolution firearms has seen in the last several decades. Polymer has changed small arms. Just as the Walther PP revolutionized the small pistol world, giving us the venerable PPK, the pocket gun class has adopted polymer as the standard. We still like our steel but the ounces saved by polymers is too impressive to ignore. IMHO, our venerable steel icons are still good at what they did, just not as well suited to today's needs. If I knew I was headed for a fight, I would not take my 1911 but rather one of it's modern cousins, (a HK USP for example), and not look back.