1911 WTF?

[taloft]

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???

We get the point that you don't like the complexity of disassemby. New Kimbers are notoriously tight right out of the box. It will break in with use. Round count can be mitigated by having more magazines and learning to quickly change mags. How long did it take you to find the recoil spring and plug?

The main question is did you have a problem with it in actual use? You did fire the gun, right? Was it accurate? What did you think of the trigger? The sights? How it felt/handled?

I don't know about you but, I spend more time firing my 1911 than cleaning it. Disassembly isn't bad at all, try stripping a Ruger MKII and putting it back together if you want some real fun.

[racky]

i dunno. IMO it's kinda un-patriotic not having 1911. every gun owner needs one.

[Kerplow]

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

my buddies SA Operator was a complete bastard to disassemble the first time around.

my SS SA GI replica was pretty damned easy.


everytime i show someone my 1911 they comment on how beautiful it is. even my buddies with much higher priced 1911's seems to be awestruck with the simple beauty of my stainless 1911.

IMO: 1911=most beautiful gun ever designed.

oh yeah, and it works a treat!

[DArBad]

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???

titus,

How old are you, friend??? The reason I ask, is because I've observed over the years that younger people (meaning those born mid 70's to the 80's and later) usually gravitate to the polymer type of handguns. There are many reasons for these which I think you already know.

For the older folks like me (I will be 53 years old next month), there are myriad reasons why we like the 1911s. These reasons have been expounded ad infinitum already in almost all gun magazines you lay your hands on and written by so many respectable gun writers across several decades.

In summary, the 1911-.45 ACP offers the most effective knock-down power in a controllable package. The platform is simple, easily customizable by the owner, rugged, and easily maintainable in the field. With the 1911, you can have a super duper, accurate, precision machine OR you can have a super reliable combat-duty firearm--- with some minor tweaking you can swing from one end of the pendulum to the other, using the same gun.

Because of the above, most serious shooters have decided that whatever negative there is in the platform(higher price), is more than negated by the positive attributes. They are not hard to disassemble and detail strip---really!

And last, but not least, the 1911 is the MOST APPEALING looking semi-auto of all time. The ergonomics, the crispness of the trigger pull, the history--- all can't be beat by any polymer gun, period.

[GunNutz]

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???

As for only 7 round magazines, you can get high cap mags that hold ten.

As for disassembling reassembling, mine comes apart by simply removing a single pin. One of the easiest field strips, IMHO.

The 1911 is a simple design that offers a lot of flexibility/customization options and can be a very accurate pistol.

Plus, they are sexy.

I like the way they fit my hands - the safety provides a near perfect rest for the thumb.

But, eh, to each their own.

[k3nnex]

1911 is the only .45 I will buy.

[CSACANNONEER]

As for only 7 round magazines, you can get high cap mags that hold ten.

Ten round mags aren't normally considered "Hi-cap". Did you know that there are even bigger mags for 1911? I've seen a 75 round straight mag before. It was done just to see if it would work. There are 40 rounds snail mags being made today. Yea, this is Ca. and most of us can't buy new +10 round magsa here but, I just wanted to point out that 15, 20 and 40 round 1911 mags are out there.

[G60]

Probably easier to completely diassemble/reassemble a 1911 than it is a glock, xd, M&P, etc. and i've owned a 1911 and an XD.

i'm talking complete teardown, not a field strip.

[chickenfried]

I blame public schools combined with shop class being cut ...

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

[CSACANNONEER]

I blame public schools combined with shop class being cut ...

Yea, whatever happened to the days when "Gunsmithing" was offered in highschools in the LAUSD? Back then high school students taking the course were REQUIED to BRING A HANDGUN TO SCHOOL!

[Acorn556]

My 1911SC still is really tight but I don't worry about it. Yes. I think it's a BEAUTIFUL gun. It's going to get a bunch of rounds through it over the years as I begin to stock pile ammo and eventually get into reloading.

Kimbers have had the reputation of being tight but that's not always a bad thing. I've never had a FTF or FTE with my S&W and it's tight. To the OP I say shoot it. Take it out to the range every weekend and clean it each time. That will get you familiar with the procedure and you'll become an expert. Since I'm assuming this is your first 1911 you might stick with the full length rod and just become that much better with it.

[Ed_Hazard]

I love my 1911's and I own plenty of polymer guns as well. The takedown complexity isue can be aggrevating to some but to me its one of the aspects that appeals to me.

Cue scene from FMJ with Lawrence reassembling his rifle...

[titus7]

Ah k well it's good to see I'm not alone. And for those talkin out there butts. Trust me I have absolutley no problem hitting what I shoot at. And secondly I knew about the low rnd count mags when I bought it. I was just underthe assumption that as I squeezed off that first round the clouds would separate and the heavens would open up to the sound of angels singing...and it didn't happen. I do like the gun and I do understand and respect the history of it. I just don't think that I would buy another one. Again just my opinion and I'm a nobody. I was just wandering if anyone else felt the same.

[Thefeeder]

....

Colt 1911 = Collectability

[9mmepiphany]

you're not the only one. there are just as many 1911 kool-aid drinkers as there are Glock kool-aid drinkers.

the beauty of the 1911 platform is the combination of thinness and egros which are hard to find in modern guns.

IMO the closest, in .45 ACP, are the Sig 220 and the HK45...with the HK having the superior ergos, but the Sig winning in trigger quality. both offer superior reliability with less maintence than the 1911