1911 vs glock 21

[ean909]

Greetings all. I believe this might be my first post here on this site. I was looking to get some opinions on a delima that I am facing. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Here goes. This august I will be attending the police academy and I am required to supply my own weapon. Ya ya I know cops blah blah. Don't hate on me yet. I might not be an officer. I'm Basicly doing the academy to get my post certificate because having the certificate will open a lot of doors for me employment wise. Plus it will look good with my AA in criminal justice and when I transfer to cal state it will look really good with my BA in criminal justice. anyways I have a full size s&w stainless 1911 and a glock 21 in 45 acp. I do have a fn 5.7 but the academy is expecting us to run at least 2500 round through the course of training. So in regards to 5.7 ammo that could get really expensive. So I wanted to get some opinions from other people to see if anything comes up that I haven't thought of. I am also considering a beretta 92 fs but that would required a purchase and money is not an abundant commodity for me. Plus I already have holsters for both the glock and 1911. So fire away and let me know what u think. Thanks for your time and input.

[IrishPirate]

wow, first thread/post is a Glock vs 1911 one......very ambitious!!!!

Glock. You'll put alot of rounds through it and it'll keep working, so you wont miss out on any training. Your 1911 could be just as reliable, but since i'm not familiar with your 1911, i'd say Glock. Some 1911's will spit out 1000's of rounds no problem, others can barely get through a box of ammo without needing care/cleaning to function properly.

It's good to have 2 guns in the same caliber though so that if something does happen to your primary gun you have a backup that takes the same ammo. So in your particular case, you could probably get away with switching it up and using both, but if you want to stick with one, i suggest the Glock.


welcome to calguns

[ean909]

Thanks for the reply. I have had both pistols for quite some time now and have put a lot of rounds through each of them. They are both equally reliable. I also reload 45 acp also so I have heard that reloads are not recommended in the glocks. But I have used both pistols in competition when I use to shoot ipsc matches and haven't had a problem with either.

[Heiko]

Just a thought: Many departments do not authorize 1911 for duty or off-duty carry. The academy you intend on attending may not even allow cadets to go through with a 1911.

In any event, I would recommend the Glock for a variety of reasons. One important one is that if it does break down during training, I'm sure a Glock armorer and parts are not far away, especially if your academy is sheriff or police run.

[ean909]

Nice Heiko. The booklet I received dosnt really specify a restricted firearm or round. And it is a sanctioned police academy if that makes any difference. Good idea on the armorer being close by. I didn't think of that issue yet.

[IrishPirate]

Thanks for the reply. I have had both pistols for quite some time now and have put a lot of rounds through each of them. They are both equally reliable. I also reload 45 acp also so I have heard that reloads are not recommended in the glocks. But I have used both pistols in competition when I use to shoot ipsc matches and haven't had a problem with either.

i dont think any manufacturer recommends using reloads. That has more to do with not being able to control the quality of the load (from their perspective) and not wanting to get dragged into a lawsuit if you blow your gun/hand up with a hot load. If they say it's safe to use hand loads, they open themselves up to being liable for any load any idiot creates since they can't prove exactly what was used. If they say only factory ammo is ok, then they can share the blame with someone who is supposed to have industry standards and pass the buck, or deny your lawsuit based on using the gun improperly

it's all about red tape...

[ean909]

Ya I have red that glocks have " unsupported chambers" so reloads are suppose to be not recommended. But yes I can see the law suit idea being an issue. I usually use a lighter load to keep the recoil down.

[Falconis]

Glock. For all the reasons listed and all the reasons that will be listed and some reasons that won't be listed . IMO, you're just not gonna get a more durable gun for the academy and also IMO for duty use. But that's me.

[ean909]

Looks like its gearing up to be a glock win.

[ckim34]

My academy did not allow recruits to use 1911s but that's just where I went

[ean909]

Ckim34. Or any one else who might know. Do you know what's the reasoning for academies not allowing the use of 1911 pistols ?

[ckim34]

my academy did not want recruits to use single action only pistols

[ean909]

Maybe they wanted to avoid accidental discharges. ?

[BigDogatPlay]

Thats exactly what they want to avoid, IMO.

I've not seen any of the academies in the area of the state I live in allow 1911 pattern guns for students. If it was an agency requirement / issue for a sponsored student then I suppose the academy would allow it, but 1911s are most often optional and some agencies want their people to be off probation and get specialized training before they'll allow a 1911 for on duty carry.

You'll likely be just fine with the Glock 21, and 2500 rounds isn't going to wear it out. Forget about the 5.7. It's not going to be thought of as an acceptable LE caliber for a long time. Most department policies set the floor at 9mm.

[ean909]

Good Intel big dog. Ya carrying a single action hammer up has always made me nervous. Even a glock cocked makes me cringe. Ya 57 would b fun but rounsd r too expensive and ya its not really a LE type weapon. I'm not too worried about the glock getting beat up. It's pretty durable .