Old Dog
Member
Old Fuff, with respect, I think you may have missed my (evidently somewhat lame) attempt at a witty response.
However, I do believe there's an element of truth in my statement when it comes to many of the new production 1911s -- I see far too many folks pick up new Kimbers, Springers, etc., try shooting 'em right out of the box without even a simple field-strip, examination, cleaning and lube beforehand, experience problems (almost predictable) and then give up on them before attempting to diagnose even the most simple of problems -- which are quite often related to slightly out of spec slide stops, ejectors, extractors or even poorly regulated sights --usually all situations that may be easily remedied with often only a few minutes of labor and inexpensive replacement parts (no, they should not require any rework or new parts right out of the box, that's true). Then there's the fact that some of the 1911s made now seem particularly finicky about which magazines they like and won't feed reliably even with their own brand's OEM mags ... Unfortunately, that's the reality with mass-production 1911s in this day and age -- and no, it shouldn't be this way.
Still, I've apparently had phenomenal luck with all the (numerous) production 1911s (mostly SA, Kimber, Colt's) I've picked up over the past several years, as I've never had a problem I couldn't easily fix (and I'm not the handiest of guys with tools), had to take any pistol to a gunsmith or send one back to the factory. Do I think they're reliable? I carry one almost every day ...
However, I do believe there's an element of truth in my statement when it comes to many of the new production 1911s -- I see far too many folks pick up new Kimbers, Springers, etc., try shooting 'em right out of the box without even a simple field-strip, examination, cleaning and lube beforehand, experience problems (almost predictable) and then give up on them before attempting to diagnose even the most simple of problems -- which are quite often related to slightly out of spec slide stops, ejectors, extractors or even poorly regulated sights --usually all situations that may be easily remedied with often only a few minutes of labor and inexpensive replacement parts (no, they should not require any rework or new parts right out of the box, that's true). Then there's the fact that some of the 1911s made now seem particularly finicky about which magazines they like and won't feed reliably even with their own brand's OEM mags ... Unfortunately, that's the reality with mass-production 1911s in this day and age -- and no, it shouldn't be this way.
Still, I've apparently had phenomenal luck with all the (numerous) production 1911s (mostly SA, Kimber, Colt's) I've picked up over the past several years, as I've never had a problem I couldn't easily fix (and I'm not the handiest of guys with tools), had to take any pistol to a gunsmith or send one back to the factory. Do I think they're reliable? I carry one almost every day ...