HELP - Are 1911s Really This Bad?

[JohnBT]

"Polymer/Tenifer vs Steel"

Um, what do think a Glock slide is made from? It's not Tenifer, that's a metal treatment process.

John

P.S. - I honestly had no idea what a reliably great shooter my blue WWI Repro would be when I bought it. I thought it was just another Colt.

 

[1911Tuner]

John, I've heard several reports of the same. Maybe Colt decided to take a close look at the original blueprints and stick to the specs again. Hopefully, it'll catch on.

 

[ArthurDent]

Locking block vs Link...Small point...

Yes, the link shouldn't be part of the locking, but it DOES make the barrel captive to the frame, not free-floating as it is in the Glock. I wasn't quite sure what the correct terminology should be here to get that point across. The 1911 mechanism seems more elegant, but the Glock has fewer parts and it seems simpler, despite the peening on the slide that it causes.

...Tenifer, that's a metal treatment process.

Yes, that's true. Metal underneath. But, Mr. Glock's expertise is in materials, and he's quite proud of that treatment and claims it as central to the whole Glock experience.

Now, to try to un-drift the thread ... Any gun can become horribly unreliable if it is badly maintained, or worn out, or if parts are out of spec. (Or... if it's a lemon out of the box like my nightmare experience.) Is it too much to ask to have incredible accuracy AND perfect reliability with sloppy tolerances on everything? I want it ALL

 

[rikman]

I've got 5 1911's....all severely reliable & accurate....Wilson, Springfield ,Baer,Kimber,Sig.


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[Driftertank]

Got my Kimber Stainless TLE II back in '07. Wanted the thing for years. Saved my pennies (i'm a po' boy) and finally bought one.

Stripped it, cleaned it, lubed it before i ever shot it. Had a lot of the failures to feed described by the OP. Was starting to worry i'd gotten a dog. Did some research. Seems 1911's require a firm grip, like full-power loads, and often take a while to break-in, especially in stainless.
Long story short, today my kimber has several thousand rounds through it, and the only time i get stoppages any more is after a LOT of dirty ammo has gone through it without cleaning.

 

[rikman]

In my experience....I've found these high end tight guns sensitive to magazines . My wilson CQB won't function with WIlson 47D's even though many folks love them. I use the Metalforms that came with the Springfield Professional.

 

[OldCavSoldier]

Dirt + dry = eventually gonna be unreliable............especially with a steel frame/steel slide piece like the COMMANDER LENGTH .45ACP you were shooting.

 

[EddieNFL]

Seems 1911's require a firm grip, like full-power loads, and often take a while to break-in, especially in stainless.

I can only speak for the 15 or so I own or have owned. So far, I've never had to "break-in" a properly built version; I've never been able to get a properly built version to malfunction due to grip; I've shot some real slow loads.

My most recent purchase was a stainless Baer about six months ago. Six-thousand rounds later I'm still waiting (but don't expect) the first malfunction.

 

[JRH6856]

I've never been able to get a properly built version to malfunction due to grip; I've shot some real slow loads.

Try firing those real slow loads while holding the gun between your trigger finger and thumb. I can usually get at least one FTE that way.

 

[LTR shooter]

I went to one of my local ranges today and fired a 1911 for the first time.

You have to ask yourself if ALL 1911s really function like your range rental why would so many manufacturers want a piece of the action? Why would big names like SIG , Smith & Wesson and Ruger introduce their own 1911s to the market? I would not base my opinion on ALL 1911s as a whole on my first time out with a filthy range rental.

 

[BigMag]

I have a S&W 1911 that runs great. In fact I've been out with it the last three weekends! But a proper cleaning goes a long way!

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[jsimmons]

Causes:

0) A poorly maintained pistol

1) Reload ammo

I have an RIA and a Springfield, and both are superb pistols. I only shoot factory loads (Federal, Monarch, etc). If the 1911 was "really that bad", it wouldn't still be in heavy production oevr 100 years after it was introduced.

 

[vtbluegrass]

I have a fullsize SW1911 and the only failures I have had are when I was doing load development with bunny fart LSWC bullets. Never with factory or any jacketed bullets.

 

[CraigC]

Think about it like this, there are more 1911's and more 1911 manufacturers today than at any other time in its 100yr history. Would people be buying all those guns if they all functioned like your rental? Probably not. I know that I would not own my dead-reliable three from Kimber and Springfield. I'd also love to see a Glock shoot 1" groups at 25yds like my Springfield does.

 

[LeonCarr]

Mr. CraigC,

What had to be done to your Springfield to get it to shoot 1 inch groups and do it reliably?

I have a Glock 17 9mm, bone stock out of the box, that does 1.5 inch groups at 25 yards with Factory Federal 115 JHP or good handloads.

IME very seldom does a new 1911 run reliably out of the box without work. The Glock does.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Skylerbone]

I think it would be a treat to watch some of you guys shoot...one wonders how an aftermarket sprung up from either platform what with all the stock performance.

 

[Ronin6]

This seems to be the norm for 1911's. I've yet to meet someone that hasn't taken theirs to a gunsmith.

 

[larryh1108]

I've yet to meet someone that hasn't taken theirs to a gunsmith.

Don't get around much, huh?

 

[EddieNFL]

I'm tradin' up to a Hi-Point.

 

[Mal H]

I've yet to meet someone that hasn't taken theirs to a gunsmith.

That record is now broken - I have never taken any 1911 to a gunsmith nor have I ever needed to.

 

[Inebriated]

Think about it like this, there are more 1911's and more 1911 manufacturers today than at any other time in its 100yr history. Would people be buying all those guns if they all functioned like your rental? Probably not. I know that I would not own my dead-reliable three from Kimber and Springfield. I'd also love to see a Glock shoot 1" groups at 25yds like my Springfield does.

Springfields run what, $850 and up? Tell you what, you give me the extra $300 you spent on the Springfield to apply to my Glock, and I'll show you 1" at 25 yards.

 

[ExMachina]

Yes. 1911s are very bad.

Now, go boil a Glock

 

[hogrdr]

1911's are some of the best and worst guns made. and it doesn't matter about price or brand. my colt defender threw the front sight after a few rounds, had to re-peg it back in. one of my last kimbers had a front sight that got loose in the dovetail. the last cz dan i bought had light firing pin strike problems, a friend just bought an iai that won't feed anything but ball. the good thing, anyone with a whit of machinacal ability can learn to fix or tune one very easily.

 

[kb58]

Could this also be a numbers game? I mean, there's a LOT of 1911s out there, so just because they have "lots of problems" means nothing on its own, it's "problems per unit" that's important. I mean, if there are 10,000,000 1911s vs a million of whatever they're being compared to, unless the 1911s have 10 times the problems, it means they're actually more reliable. Also beware of the vocal minority that complain about problems showing up disproportionately. In general, people complain about 100 times more loudly than when they're happy about the same product, which totally skews the results.

 

[Pilot]

None of my four 1911's have ever been to a gunsmith or back to the factory.