1911 WTF?

[bwolcott]

For years the only pistols that I have owned are polymar pistols...usp's,glocks, and M&P's. But with all of the hype that I have read about 1911's over the years I decided to pick one up. I got a Kimber TLEII. Im probably going to offend some people here but I dont get what is so good about 1911's. I have never had a harder time, disassembling/reassembling a handgun in my life much less the fact that it only has 7rnd mags. Im not trying to hurt anyones feelings but could someone explain to me why the 1911 is what it is cause I think Im missing something???

I totally agree with you , Don't get me wrong I love my 1911, but I love it for what it is. I would never carry one and plus the high dollar ones are just way to much money for basically not that much differences that's just my opinion.

[cortayack]

The two 45ACPs I have are the ruger P345 and 1911GI(RIA)....Now the ruger is a good pistol. Its light and eazy to strip. I like shooting it. When I first got the 1911, it seem harder to disassemble. But after doing it couple of times and breaking it in, I'm not sure why it seemed harder! Yes, I can strip and re-assemble my Ruger faster but I'm not on a speed clock! You can always upgrade your magzs to 8rds up to 10rds....I'm not a 1911 follower but they are fun to shoot and accurate....I still like my Ruger! but my 1911 is always next to it when I go shooting.... + the conversion kits available for the 1911..
The more a shoot the 1911, the more I like it....And mine isn't match grade or high dollar one!

[ALSystems]

I'm probably going to offend some people here but I dont get what is so good about 1911's. I have never had a harder time, disassembling/reassembling a handgun in my life much less the fact that it only has 7rnd mags. Im not trying to hurt anyones feelings but could someone explain to me why the 1911 is what it is cause I think Im missing something???

You're not the only one who had trouble disassembling a 1911. This is a weakness of an otherwise solid design of Browning.

The Browning Hi Power, Beretta 92, Sig 22x I have found are all similar and easy to disassemble (field strip) compared to the 1911. The bushing on the Standard Colt Government Model 1911 that I tried was very tight and could not be disassembled by hand. This I've heard is not true of all 1911s. A special bushing wrench which I got from Dillon Precision Products helped get the bushing off. Still, I found the overall disassembly process complicated compared to more recent designs. These are my own opinions based on personal experience.

I also don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but I probably should expect a bunch of replies telling me how wrong I am. So be it.

[five.five-six]

or a GI style guide rod and plug and it won't be a hassle. If you can walk and chew gum you can disassemble and clean a 1911 with a GI guide rod.

here I'll help

[Acorn556]

I can see some of the 1911 kool-aid in here.

It's not the best firearm out there. It's a gun that doest the job every time.
If you're worried about having only 7 rounds then you should have thought about that BEFORE you bought the gun.

Honestly, this is your own fault for not looking at the differences for the gun so I'm not sure how many people are going to care. Like a man I work with says "You have two choices."

[twopatch]

I have shot a few 1911's and they were all OK, That is until I shot one in 10mm. That .45 is great for What it was designed for close up,and in your face. The 10 is a real sleeper,a real fast, hard hitting,tack driver. The only down side is you need to reload,to appreciate this ammazing round. unless you can get you'r hands on some double tap ammo.

[sker13]

Hit The nail on the head
and another thing .....

you got a kimber

^Lame...Perpetuating the Kimber BS on the interweb is beyond old. I think that most of it is someone regergitating someone elses problem in an attempt to sound knowlegable. Ask any 1911 expert who has owned many examples (8-10 or more) from many different manufacturers. Kimber will not be on the top of his list but they will freely admit that they have had problems at some point with most makers and that Kimber especially Gen 1 are a good value. Look at the Poll on this site regarding Kimbers and you will see the vast majority of owners never have a problem or if they do it was corrected. Another thing is a tight fitting 1911 is not a good gun for a novice compared to others. I believe some people buy a 1911 have a easily correctable problem but instead of fixing it or educating themselves they go on the interweb and flame. I love my 1911s and my Kimber has never failed...Not once...

[smittty]

They are a little more complicated to take-down than a Glock, Sig, etc., but not difficult. Once you learn how it's very easy.

A 1911 wouldn't be my choice for my only gun but they have enormous potential for DIY mods which makes them very fun to own.

[evidens83]

Its not the best firearm out there no doubt. I still own them though. For one, they are the baddest sweetest looking pistols out there IMO. Second, the metal frame absorbs the 45 recoil perfectly (something my polymer 45s dont do as good), and third, 1911s are the ARs of the handgun world! Hundreds of aftermarket parts to tune your 1911 to your liking. Eight round magazines are more than enough to neutralize a threat. If you need more than that you are in a f#ckd up situation and shoulda grabbed the AK! Once you work out the kinks I beleive the 1911 is an excellent sidearm.

[Greg-Dawg]

It's like owning a old classic car with today's technology.

That's it.

[Crazed_SS]

For years the only pistols that I have owned are polymar pistols...usp's,glocks, and M&P's. But with all of the hype that I have read about 1911's over the years I decided to pick one up. I got a Kimber TLEII. Im probably going to offend some people here but I dont get what is so good about 1911's. I have never had a harder time, disassembling/reassembling a handgun in my life much less the fact that it only has 7rnd mags. Im not trying to hurt anyones feelings but could someone explain to me why the 1911 is what it is cause I think Im missing something???

Hmm.. Ive had the EXACT opposite experience.

I have a Glock 23, XD9, P220, P225, 1911, and 92FS.

The 1911 > *

-Ergomonics are perfect which is odd considering the design is 100 years old
-Accuracy is stunning. It's like Im not even trying when shooting a 1911. Rounds just fly through the same hole effortlessly..
-Trigger pull. The SA trigger pull is awesome.
-Asthetics.. 1911 = most beautiful handguns
-Weight.. This might be a negative to some, but I love how a 1911 feels liek a solid block of steel.
-Recoil.. Being that the gun is so heavy, recoil isnt bad at all. I can shoot a 1911 all day. Compare that to my Glock 23 which sucks to shoot. After a box of .40sw out of that thing, Im ready to quit.
-Slim profile. It's not a fat gun. Even a full size 1911 can be tucked away nicely.

As far as ammo capacity goes, you can get 8-rd mags that sit flush in the magwell and work just as well as the 7rounders. No different from a big *** Sig P220 in that regard.

[joea]

I invited a non cgn member to a cgn bbm shoot last summer. He brought his one & only, a gloc fotay. We checked each others hg's and he said "Why is the 1911 so heavy?"


The 1911 Pistol Is Its Own Toolbox!

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/toolbox.htm

[Old4eyes]

I also wondered about the hoopla of the 1911 until I got one.
Yup, a quality 1911 is a real joy to handle and shoot.
As for complexity of takedown, go do a Ruger MK xx pistol a couple of times, the 1911 will be a piece of cake in comparison.

[Peter W Bush]

Are some people seriously having a hard time taking apart a 1911????

[Acorn556]

Yeah I love my 1911SC I bought a few months back. It's great but taking it apart isn't as much fun as shooting it. Lots of parts to clean compared to my M&P. It's also only seen about 200 rounds whereas my M&P has seen a LOT more so I'm more familiar with it. Only three moves really needed to have it stripped. 1911 just isn't one of those guns that comes apart in 3 moves. It WAS designed to be field stripped using one 45 ACP round as the only tool needed. Works pretty well too.