1911

[J. M. Stovall]

Just so this valuable info about the 1911 pistol doesn't get buried in the other closed thread, I'm going to cut and paste it here .

 

[J. M. Stovall]

If one wanted to aquire an M1911, what would be the best source? Local gun show, gun shop? And I know others made the 1911 besides Colt, are any of them wort

 

[J. M. Stovall]

From Diamondback

Speaking as a 1911ista, best source and best makers are both highly subjective. Nobody makes 'em precisely as they did in WWI or WWII, or even in the '50s. (This is part of why I plan to make my own, so I know they're done right.)

Sorry about the non-answer, but there are as many different opinions as 1911 owners.
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[J. M. Stovall]

From carebear

1911 has several options. Any of the major major manufacturers will offer a quality product. Colt, Springfield Armory, Kimber, Rock River. Heck, Smith & Wesson and Taurus have 1911 copies available.

Pretty much any major manufacturer will have a 1911 that will work just fine out of the box.
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I don't have opinions anymore. All I know is no one is better than anyone else, and everyone is the best at everything.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from story


Register here and ask questions, they'll help you find what you want.
http://forums.1911forum.com/
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The winning side would have paid you much better.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from HoosierDaddy

Hi J.M.Stovall
Yes there are several 1911 style handguns that are more than worth a flip! I've carried a .45 acp for years. On the range...I tend to shoot well with one. The sound and recoil of a .45 seems unique. More of a boom rather than sharper crack. More push than sharp recoil...or perhaps only personal perceptions of my caliber of choice. The "Gun List" is a popular newspaperlike catalog source of dealer and many personal sellers. Probably can be found on the web for subscription. Next would be local gun shows. Most of my gun collection has been accumilated those two ways. Either way..you meet others with advice. Gun shops are often retail or near retail..but not always.
In the past ..I collected Colt 1911 of all varieties and sizes. Colt is a fine semi auto handgun. Especially some older models..or even just slightly slicked-out newer ones. However...I tried out my friend's ParaOrdnance P-12 at the range years ago. A small 12 shot 1911 style handgun. Wider grip to hold more rounds. At 25 yards I put all twelve rounds in an area the size of a dime (one kicker)....consistently. Needless to say..I talked him into selling it to me. It's in my pics(two toned,engraved slide). After that..I purchased all ParaOrdnance's other models...had the throats polished...and sold my Colt 1911s..since I only keep what I enjoy carrying or shooting very well.
The ParaOrdnance is practically the same idea as the 1911 colt...but ..instead of 7-8 shells...they hold...12-13 and up..depending on the size of gun.
I've owned Colts..Kimbers...S&W...and customs. The Canadian made Ps style is my fav. Polished and smoothed..it can be a dependable tack driver hurling alot of stopping power.
HD

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from Fatdutchman

My 70's style Springfield Armory .45 auto. The 1911 is just not as amenable to my hand as revolvers are.

I've never cared for the slanted grip grooves on the slide, but just about everything has them now.
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[J. M. Stovall]

from story

Quote:
Originally Posted by J. M. Stovall
Great, thanks! I've always wanted one of my own since it was my issued sidearm as a tanker. This was back when we still wore steel pots and used M60A3s.

Yeah, and you can get one that rattles far less than the ones they handed us 19Es.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from Diamondback

Mr. Stovall, a caution on Paras: they don't fit some smaller hands very well. I'm 5'4" and had difficulty wrapping my hand around one, so if you've got a smaller frame it's something to watch out for. For those with the hands, though, the improved time between reloads seems to be worth it...
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[J. M. Stovall]

from up196

J.M., If you're in Houston, stop by Collectors Firearms on the corner of Richmond and Fondren. You'll be able to look at 1911 style pistols from the earliest Colt's to the latest offerings from many manufacturers. Helpful folks there, too. If you're not set on a vintage piece, take a good look at the Sig Sauer version of the 1911.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from story

Quote:
Originally Posted by J. M. Stovall
All of you fellas are being real helpful!

Enablers, JM, we're being enablers.
http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from HoosierDaddy


FD
Another good .45 shooter! May I suggest...for a more comfortable "feel" in the hand..try having a curved mainspring housing installed(flat piece along back of grip frame on yours)...and perhaps a set of fingergroove grips. Can make all the difference....
HD

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from John in Covina

1911
I think there is a special 1911 issue of one of the magazines currently on the newstand.

There are many makers these days so you can pick from some winning levels of upgrades on production guns. If you prefer something less specialized and more old school your best bet is to find a well cared for used one.

Also if you find one either used or new that is more basic level and want to upgrade, there are few pistols that have so many upgraded parts available as well as more than competant, knowledgeable gunsmiths ready to turn an ordinary shooter into an exceptional shooter or combat pistol.

It has been a while since I was looking at parts but Brownells has many of them in their catalog.

I went with a Springfield Amory some time ago with there "Loaded" package and it is pretty nice for the price.

It is alot like the hot rodding speed shops: how fast do you want to go is answered by how much do you want to spend.

One thing is if you suspect you'd like to get serious upgrades , some gunsmiths would not work on the Thompson / Auto Ordanance 1911 as they were cast not forged and it made a difference in the ability to tighten up slide to frame aspects.

As Uncle Jed used to say: "Wellllllll Doggies!"

Anybody got the scoop on the 45 GAP cartridge?

 

[J. M. Stovall]

from Fatdutchman

I took off the arched mainspring housing. An arched one just makes the gun want to slip itself out of my hand. The flat one is better. This is just a bad spot on the grip for me. Something about it just don't jibe with my palm. The front part of the grip is fine (though I could stand to have the trigger near a half inch longer!!! If it were about where the front of the triggerguard bow is, that would be about right! ) Ed Brown does a "bobtail" job that whacks off the bottom corner of the butt, and installs a new, chopped corner mainspring housing...kind of making it into a "round butt" gun. I believe something like that would work for me, allowing my hand to get around behind the grip, and more importantly, stay there. I don't know that I like the looks of the thing, though. I also don't know if it really would prove that much better for me. The flat housing is definitely better than the arched one, and I can hold and shoot with comfort, it's just that it is not nearly so growing-out-of-your-hand natural feeling to me as a properly gripped S&W revolver.

I don't shoot the thing much either, which, of course, makes a difference!

I'm going outside tomorrow and burning through a few moon clips in my big Smith....which I can reload faster than the 1911! Who needs an automatic?


This is the age of the 1911. You can get anything, and everything you can think of and then some. From the ridiculous to the sublime. Grips, barrels, safeties, sights, hammers, magazine wells, compensators, scope mounts, blued, hard chromed, parkerized, nickeled, powdercoated, laser etched and in just about any color of the rainbow. Most of what is popular now is hardly recognizeable as a 1911.

My "ultimate" .45 auto would be pretty simple. A Colt commander (all steel, of course), with a minor, old fashioned accurizing job, flat housing, long trigger, plain old sights from Kings (I REALLY like the white outline rear, red front!), along with an extended slide stop and maybe the safety, with old fashioned skip-line checkered walnut grips....pretty much what I showed above, but a bit shorter! My late uncle had a Commander when I was a kid in the '70's with skip line checkered grips, which I REALLY liked and that's what I always wanted...

I have a bunch of old Gun Digest books from the '70's, when the custom .45 really started to take off, and this is what I remember as being cool when I was a kid, so I'm kinda stuck in that time period (in more ways than one!). I don't know much about the custom gunsmiths of today, but I know a little bit about Bob Day, Armand Swenson, Pachmayr, and Dick Heinie!

 

[J. M. Stovall]

That's it. I know the bartenders could do this better.

 

[Lincsong]

Thanks stovepipe. It would have been a waste had all this discussion got buried by the wayside.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I would take a look at the 1911 forum to see what you like and what gets generally good reviews.

If you are interested in a "vintage" style 1911 you have fairly few options. You can buy an original gun (expensive) or a reproduction/new production model which can be relatively close. Colt makes "reproductions" of several period styles of 1911 on a sort of limited edition basis. Springfield Armory makes a "close enough" version of the government WW2 model.

Both versions would require a bit of tweaking to make them more period correct. I have a Springfield and its a great gun, although if I buy another it will be an original Colt.

 

[Story]

1911 in a classic supporting screen role.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeUsIsaMGU0

 

[The Wingnut]

Auto-Ordnance makes a fairly decent WWII 1911, with exception to the thumb safety and trigger. I've had it and the Springfield offering side by side and the differences were negligible. The Auto-Ordnance blued civilian model doesn't get the slide serrations right, though.

 

[MagistrateChris]

I have a Springfield 1911-A1, the Mil Spec model. Function is excellent. I've replaced the stock grips with a set of Hogue wood grips. However, the mil-spec grip safety tears up my hand if I shoot more than 50 rounds in a session. So, when money becomes available, I plan on making this a custom gun.

What I'd really like to get is a Smith & Wesson Model 1917 revolver. It shoots .45 ACP (same as the 1911) using steel clips. That would be my preferred period piece. Or, an old Smith Victory Model (.38) like my grandfather carried in the Pacific theater.