Why bother with a 1911/semi-auto

[Greg-Dawg]

Get a Glock.

[robert101]

Maybe a non-1911 is the answer. I'm a 1911 owner. I know the feeling of ownership and how better the 1911 makes me shoot. I'm just trying to be open minded and not be guided by emotion or brand loyalty. I've had a half dozen failures to fire ammunition from my revolvers. That's +-6 failures in 20 years. I've had 6 failures in one range visit with (2) 1911's. So statistically, for me, I see a potential danger in that type of weapon not firing when I need it. And, I've only shot maybe 1,500 rounds total in my 1911. Is my objectivity the problem or maybe the two 1911's I've purchased? I'm all for an alternative semi-auto if it can perform almost flawlessly - say 5 malfuntions in 1,000 rounds.

[RolinThundr]

I think the answer is simply to have a well rounded and diverse collection. I have a couple of revolvers, a 1911, an XD, and a Sig...haven't had any problems with any of them so far and enjoy shooting them all. My 1911 is my favorite, but that doesn't mean it has to be everyone's favorite, although I do think a good collection should contain at least one- and you don't have to spend a fortune on it. Hopefully the issues with yours will be resolved to your satisfaction very shortly.

[lazs]

I own a Kimber and a Witness in 45 acp and like both guns.. both are extremely reliable and have a good feel and pride of ownership.

Both are fairly accurate at short ranges (under 100 yards) but neither can compete with any of my revolvers.

I would rather load for the revolvers. I like the versatility of the revolvers and they are very dependable but.. as was said.. anything mechanical can fail.. the revolvers won't fail from sitting in the drawer loaded for a few years tho.. they don't have magazine problems and.. unlike a plastic gun.. the dog can't chew em up.

I like the power and accuracy of revolvers and like the fun of shooting the 1911 once in a while.

I realize that this is a very glock centric board with some VERY thin skinned glockophile phanbois but the reality is that most of us will never shoot at a bad guy.. we for sure will not get into a prolonged gunfight where capacity is an issue.

We will hunt and plink and shoot outdoors at all sorts of ranges and we will take out our guns and fondle em and show em. We will get a rush out of the power of the round 100 yards downrange from time to time and shoot at targets of opportunity even farther away.

Outdoors.. some of us will be shooting guns with sights meant for less than 25 yards and walking around in a crouch most of time looking for brass (except the slobs..of which a lot of semi auto guys are) and the some of us will be shooting at things hundreds of yards away and dumping our brass into our hands.

Some may play combat games where the latter does not apply. All short range with speed of hits on multiple targets and who cares about the brass.

If you like guns and shooting I would say a revolver is number one with the 1911 and some other all steel semi's next and with plastic guns last.

If you are certain to be attacked fairly regularly by hordes of close range zombies who don't use cover or you are a competitor in some gun fite game.. Plastic guns would be number one with 1911's next and revolvers dead last.

[Beelzy]

Embrace the 1911.

[CZ9]

Personaly I actually like revolvers more than 1911s, but i have had my revolver fail on me. It was actually the ammos fault (little yellow crumbs getting stuck behing the star extractor) which caused me not to close the cylinder on the reload. I had to wipe the back of the cylinder clean several times that day just to close the gun back up.

[tacticalcity]

Get a Glock.

You are looking at the wrong gun for your purposes. Right tool for the right job and all that.

A 1911 is like a Ferarri. To get one that is worth the effort you need to spend $5k. Spending $1500 on a 1911 means you got a bargan basement 1911 and expected it to run like a $5K 1911 then complained when it didn't. Les Baer and Nighthawk are examples of truly excellent 1911s, but like all 1911s they are going to require maintence as the round count builds up. Just like a Ferarri you have to expect it to spend lots of time in the shop. Its going to take lots of fine tuning to keep it running right. Lots of attention, cleaning, and tweaking. Unless you spend $5K upfront, you cannot expect it to run 100% perfect right out of the box like you can with the Les Bauer or Nighthawks. You may need some tweaking right from the start. However, when you shoot a $5K 1911 immediately after firing a $1.5K 1911 - the difference is beyond obvious. As in full on wood, if it where a woman you would fly it to Paris, obvious. You truly get what you pay for with a 1911. For self defense, it may not be the best tool for the job - unless you are an extremely anal person who can keep it that finely tuned all the time.

If you want a gun you can abuse, and not have to worry about being your own mechanic or constantly sending it off for maintence you get a Glock. While I do clean it after every training session, which is usually weekly, I really don't need to. I have a good 2K rounds through it and have had maybe 4 malfunctions (in a row) which I determined was a result of a bad magazine, not the gun itself. The metal lip of the magazine had become disfigured due to a really fast forcefull reload during training. I tossed it hard to the ground and it hit a rock and dented. I got rid of that mag, no malfunctions since. It is possible has twice that amount of rounds through it since I bought it used, but probably not since it was in such great shape. My point being...a Glock is a no muss no fuss semi-auto handgun perfect for self defense not only because of its durability but also because of its excellent trigger system and quickness with which it can be reloaded. Same pull every time, only 5.5lbs pull, short trigger rest, and no need for a traditional safety make it ideal for self defense.

The issue with revolvers is they are SLOW. Slow to reload, slow to get your shots off do to the DA trigger pull (usually), and usually have crappy sights. In a gun fight, you can never have enough ammo. You can't expect the bad guy to be alone, you have to plan for worst case scenerio, so having a revolver as your primary is definately using the wrong tool for the job. As back up gun they are acceptable, but not as a primary.

[23 Blast]

Meh. Almost all of my guns have been extremely reliable, but I will agree that my autos have had the occassional stoppage (usually late in the session when the action is all gummed up), while any revolver I've ever owned has been 100% reliable.

Oh wait - that's not exactly true either. Sometimes, when shooting hot magnum loads in my S&W M66, it loosens the screw on the mainspring which causes light primer strikes for subsequent rounds which = failure to ignite round. Again, this usually happens late in a session if I've been shooting multiple magnums in my gun.

However, I keep all my guns in clean and ready to shoot condition. I have yet to have a FTF or FTE or other stoppage on my handguns within the first 50 rounds or so. If I did, it was either a new gun in which I had the problem fixed, or it was a lemon which I sold. I won't tolerate a gun that doesn't operate reliably. To me it's as foolish as keeping a car which doesn't operate reliably.

[Peter W Bush]

And are the most over-rated pistols in the history of the handgun.

Oh really? 1911 is one of the finest examples of firearms design. It is a 100 year old design and some models will STILL outshoot just about everything else on the market. You had ONE bad experience with a Kimber (which youre trying to dump on the marketplace here) and now you think all 1911s are crap. Save it.

[Ducman]

And are the most over-rated pistols in the history of the handgun.

And this is coming from a Kimber owner, I don't blame yah !

[Steyrlp10]

I am definitely a 1911 girl... but why can't you have both -- or all???

I mean, it's only money - lol You can never have enough ammo or enough guns. Don't stress out and welcome the Dark Side.

[tacticalcity]

Oh really? 1911 is one of the finest examples of firearms design. It is a 100 year old design and some models will STILL outshoot just about everything else on the market. You had ONE bad experience with a Kimber (which youre trying to dump on the marketplace here) and now you think all 1911s are crap. Save it.

There is such a wide variety in quality and perfomance of the 1911 that neither of your comments are a statement.

Comparing between models and brands of 1911s is like comparing different brand handguns to each other, the differences between the way they perform is that vast.

The original GIs from back in day are drastically different than what we see today, largely do to modern machining practices. Strangely enough, the older ones where more reliable, but they were no where near as accurate as a lot of the models today.

The extremely tight tolerances used on the high-end 1911s make them by far the most accurate handguns on the market, but also the most tempormental. Other than the general shape of their frame, they don't have much in common with the original 1911s either. Machine practices, materials, and features have all changed. You can get a modern version of the GI model, but you are kidding yourself if think it will be as reliable. Its not the same gun, it only looks like the same gun. Not saying not to get one, just saying keep your expectations in perspective.

It is a real mistake to think that a 1911 is a 1911 is a 1911. If all you have is $1000-1500 to spend or less, a 1911 is not really the smartest handgun purchase out there. There are acceptable 1911 handguns for that price, but they tend to come with all of the tempormentalness of a 1911 with only a few of the upsides you see in the really expensive ones. They are no better a handgun than many guns at half the price. Being a 1911 does not automatically make them a good handgun or the best handgun for your money. $600 on something else will probably get you a much more reliable handgun (depending on what you get). However, if you can afford to buy a really high-end 1911, and can afford to maintain it, there is nothing else like it. It will be the smoothest shooting, most accurate firearm you have ever fired - when it is running right.

Since I cannot afford to keep a full $5K wrapped up in a handgun right now, and because reliability is extremely important to me, I carry a Glock instead. If shooting in a competition, definately would want a high-end 1911. But not when my life is on the line. I want to hear Bang, Bang and not Click!

[sigfan91]

I've had the opposite experience.

Two out of four revolvers I have ever owned had problems. One I resolved by changing a spring ($3) while the other had to be sent back to factory ($65 UPS overnight).

One of the autos I have developed a similar spring issue as my revolver. I had spare parts on hand and the repair was easy. However, the revolver was bought brand new and never had many rounds down the pipe while the auto (Sig P6) was 30 years old at the time the spring broke.

My other autos (all Sigs and a Glock) never had a single problem other than bad ammo.

I noticed a revolver actually has more parts than an auto pistol. Lots of screws and springs that can go wrong. Autos are put together with pins instead of screws. Springs are large and obvious.

I find autos are easier to maintain.

[tacticalcity]

it's only money - lol

Ah, women!

In all honesty, I take the same approach. Buy it and try it. If you like it keep it. If not sell it. Of them all, I found my ugly Gen 2 Glock 19 is the best all around gun I've ever owned, though I do love my CMMG M4.

[nn3453]

The issue with revolvers is they are SLOW. Slow to reload, slow to get your shots off do to the DA trigger pull (usually), and usually have crappy sights. In a gun fight, you can never have enough ammo. You can't expect the bad guy to be alone, you have to plan for worst case scenerio, so having a revolver as your primary is definately using the wrong tool for the job. As back up gun they are acceptable, but not as a primary.

Go to your local ICORE match. You might have to retract your statements.

They are different beasts, but with practice, you can be a fast wheelgunner.