2 Week 1911 Checkup

[LloydXmas250]

So it's been two weeks since I got my Springfield stainless Mil Spec. Unfortunately I've been so busy that I haven't put many shots through it, just 150, but I've been dry firing the hell out of it.

My first impressions were good but it was a tad weird ergonomically compared to my other gun a Beretta PX4. After dry firing and working on my techniques with the 1911 I can see that it is much more natural for me. It really wasn't until I handled and dry fired my PX4 that I really figured this out.

Now I still love my PX4 and I shoot it very very well and it's still going to be my go to home defense gun until I get more proficient and adjusted to the 1911. I'm not trying to knock it at all, but going back to that gun I was surprised to see how mushy the trigger was. It doesn't feel crisp like it used to before I got a 1911. The triggers are really incomparable.

The safeties as well are night and day. I was, and still am, fine with the slide mounted safety. It doesn't bug or affect my grip or anything. But moving to the 1911 safety and then back I find the 1911 safety that much easier. The safety is where my thumb naturally goes and it's nice not having to really move my thumb at all. Only complaint about the 1911 safety is it's just the standard safety and I can tell having an extended safety would be even easier and more comfortable.

Only thing now that I'm still more partial to on my PX4 are the sights. The Mil Spec's sights, while heads above the GI sights, are still to me not that great. The dots are small and slower to pick up. Also since the rear sight is just a dove cut military sight it's fairly sharp and I have slightly scratched my palm while racking the slide. Some of those slanted sights would make it much easier and more comfortable to rack. I'm sure I will upgrade those down the road.

I guess I'm finding that this is quickly becoming my favorite gun. It just feels perfect in my hands and I'm happy I picked it up. I only wish that .45 wasn't so much more than 9mm. I may just have to spend some money and get a .38 super and convert it to 9mm in the future.

[mikaarce]

You will surely get better as you get familiar with it more, I tried different guns and the best groupings so far is from a 1911.

[kazman]

Love the 1911. The safety takes training to reliably engage/disengage in stress situations. And sometimes I watch those others with 13-17 round mags with envy.

[JanG]

and yet another converted soul.

[LloydXmas250]

Yeah. It's so weird cause I wanted one enough to buy one without being 100% in love with the ergonomics of it. Come to find that they're perfect and I just wasn't used to perfection. About my only gripe with it is that the slide stop is a little far. I do have to slightly alter my grip to engage it. I have long fingers but short thumbs.

[redcliff]

Yeah. It's so weird cause I wanted one enough to buy one without being 100% in love with the ergonomics of it. Come to find that they're perfect and I just wasn't used to perfection. About my only gripe with it is that the slide stop is a little far. I do have to slightly alter my grip to engage it. I have long fingers but short thumbs.

A common misconception by new 1911 shooters.

If using the slide stop to drop the slide on a loaded magazine you use your left hand (support) thumb to operate the slide stop assuming you're a right handed shooter. It's very natural (as well as faster) once you get used to it. Or you can sling-shot the slide. If reduced to shooting/loading with one hand you can release the slide by pushing the muzzle against a hard object.

To most experienced 1911 shooters, someone that has an extended slide release on their 1911 is a someone that doesnt understand how to properly operate their pistol.

[Speedpower]

So it's been two weeks since I got my Springfield stainless Mil Spec. Unfortunately I've been so busy that I haven't put many shots through it, just 150, but I've been dry firing the hell out of it.

My first impressions were good but it was a tad weird ergonomically compared to my other gun a Beretta PX4. After dry firing and working on my techniques with the 1911 I can see that it is much more natural for me. It really wasn't until I handled and dry fired my PX4 that I really figured this out.

Now I still love my PX4 and I shoot it very very well and it's still going to be my go to home defense gun until I get more proficient and adjusted to the 1911. I'm not trying to knock it at all, but going back to that gun I was surprised to see how mushy the trigger was. It doesn't feel crisp like it used to before I got a 1911. The triggers are really incomparable.

The safeties as well are night and day. I was, and still am, fine with the slide mounted safety. It doesn't bug or affect my grip or anything. But moving to the 1911 safety and then back I find the 1911 safety that much easier. The safety is where my thumb naturally goes and it's nice not having to really move my thumb at all. Only complaint about the 1911 safety is it's just the standard safety and I can tell having an extended safety would be even easier and more comfortable.

Only thing now that I'm still more partial to on my PX4 are the sights. The Mil Spec's sights, while heads above the GI sights, are still to me not that great. The dots are small and slower to pick up. Also since the rear sight is just a dove cut military sight it's fairly sharp and I have slightly scratched my palm while racking the slide. Some of those slanted sights would make it much easier and more comfortable to rack. I'm sure I will upgrade those down the road.

I guess I'm finding that this is quickly becoming my favorite gun. It just feels perfect in my hands and I'm happy I picked it up. I only wish that .45 wasn't so much more than 9mm. I may just have to spend some money and get a .38 super and convert it to 9mm in the future.

I like the 1911 so much, I bought more in different calibers! just buy a Springfield Loaded in 9mm instead of converting a .38 super.

[LloydXmas250]

A common misconception by new 1911 shooters.

If using the slide stop to drop the slide on a loaded magazine you use your left hand (support) thumb to operate the slide stop assuming you're a right handed shooter. It's very natural (as well as faster) once you get used to it. Or you can sling-shot the slide. If reduced to shooting/loading with one hand you can release the slide by pushing the muzzle against a hard object.

To most experienced 1911 shooters, someone that has an extended slide release on their 1911 is a someone that doesnt understand how to properly operate their pistol.

I didn't mean to make it sound like I wanted an extended slide release. Not at all. And rather than pull down on the stop, I rack it overhand. If I do release the slide with it then I do use my support hand. I can engage the stop to lock the slide back without any problem.

I like the 1911 so much, I bought more in different calibers! just buy a Springfield Loaded in 9mm instead of converting a .38 super.

Yeah I wish. That would be awesome but that would take a lot of saving on my part. If I wanted to go real cheap and get one to tinker with I could also go RIA .38 super for $450-$500 and then just the replacement barrel for $50. But that's down the road.

[redcliff]

I didn't mean to make it sound like I wanted an extended slide release. Not at all. And rather than pull down on the stop, I rack it overhand. If I do release the slide with it then I do use my support hand. I can engage the stop to lock the slide back without any problem.




Yeah I wish. That would be awesome but that would take a lot of saving on my part. If I wanted to go real cheap and get one to tinker with I could also go RIA .38 super for $450-$500 and then just the replacement barrel for $50. But that's down the road.

I"m sorry, re-reading my post it did sound like I was accusing you of that, my apologies. I just wanted to make sure you realized that using your right thumb to release the slide-stop is not the proper method, and I've seen some posts on this and other boards about people wanting to get extended slide-stops for their 1911's so I took the opportunity to elaborate.