1911's - are they THAT finicky?
- Thread starter Triggernosis
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I cast my own 230 grain RN tumble lube bullets and load all my own ammo. When I first got my Springfield Loaded Target 1911, there were some failure to fully go into battery. After some experimenting with COL and taper crimp I got it right. It now runs perfect at around 800-825 FPS. I got two mags with the gun and bought two more Springfield mags from Midway, they all function perfect. hdbiker
JR24
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Isn't it blasphemy to get a 1911 in anything other than .45acp?
It's been available in other calibers (like .38 super) almost as long as it's existed
WVsig
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“The 1911 chambered in 45 ACP is the Worlds Finest Close Quarters Sidearm… and...King of feedway stoppages.” -Ken Hackathorn
Most people today who make 1911s treat JMB's spec and design as more of a suggestion vs a blue print. They are stuffing more rounds into it. Multiple calibers. Beavertails, extended safety, shock buffers, full length guide rods etc.... Then we can move on to the magazines with different followers etc....
In general the 1911 platform as it was intended runs just fine. The problem is that there are so many manufacturers makes "versions" or interpretations of the platform. Some get it right and some don't. It is not as standardize as a Glock 17 so it is impossible to make blanket statements.
In general if you get one in 45 ACP and you feel it quality ball ammo with a quality mag it will run. If it was built correctly it does not have a choice it is a machine. When it is not built correctly then all bets are off. Now 1911s in 9mm are a whole different story. For me it is still my favorite platform for 45 ACP. I find myself going back to it time and time again.
Most people today who make 1911s treat JMB's spec and design as more of a suggestion vs a blue print. They are stuffing more rounds into it. Multiple calibers. Beavertails, extended safety, shock buffers, full length guide rods etc.... Then we can move on to the magazines with different followers etc....
In general the 1911 platform as it was intended runs just fine. The problem is that there are so many manufacturers makes "versions" or interpretations of the platform. Some get it right and some don't. It is not as standardize as a Glock 17 so it is impossible to make blanket statements.
In general if you get one in 45 ACP and you feel it quality ball ammo with a quality mag it will run. If it was built correctly it does not have a choice it is a machine. When it is not built correctly then all bets are off. Now 1911s in 9mm are a whole different story. For me it is still my favorite platform for 45 ACP. I find myself going back to it time and time again.
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You can get a basic RIA or Girsan 1911 and shoot it till you run out of money. You MIGHT have to swap to a different magazine.
Magazines are the weak point in the 1911. There are dozens of companies that make them. Find the magazines your 1911 likes and you're golden. Just remember to change those mag springs every 10k rounds or so.
As an example, I bought a RIA 9mm 1911. The magazine that came with it wouldn't feed. I bought two other brands of mags, same problem. Found some inexpensive Zenith mags on CDNN and tried those. They run 100% in the pistol.
Magazines are the weak point in the 1911. There are dozens of companies that make them. Find the magazines your 1911 likes and you're golden. Just remember to change those mag springs every 10k rounds or so.
As an example, I bought a RIA 9mm 1911. The magazine that came with it wouldn't feed. I bought two other brands of mags, same problem. Found some inexpensive Zenith mags on CDNN and tried those. They run 100% in the pistol.
Isn't it blasphemy to get a 1911 in anything other than .45acp?
.38 Super is acceptable.
WVsig
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RIAs ship with Mecgars IIRC. 1911 mags are the only bad mags Mecgar makes IMHO. The Zenith marked ones in 9mm are Metalform which are pretty good 1911 in 9mm mags. These days my go to mags are Wilson 47s (Not the 47Ds & Tripp Research in 45 and 9mm. They work all the 1911s in the safe.
jdh
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fireside44
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Ain't that an example of finicky though? No offense intended but I been torn on a 1911 or a CZ instead and this might just make my decision for me. I have played the finicky mag game with a rifle once. It was a headache, and a somewhat expensive one to get squared away. Actually turned me off to it in the end. I can't say I want to play that game again, especially since RIA is the maker I was browsing most.
JR24
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Probably worth noting that 9mm 1911s have also been in production for 70 years, longer than many venerable 9mm platforms.
WVsig
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And they have been somewhat sketchy the entire time. IMHO
ClickClickD'oh
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It's a form of finicky that strikes any gun that has multiple manufacturers of magazines. Buy a CZ and run it on ProMags and you will have trouble. Run it on Mec-Gar and you won't have any problems.
For what it's worth, I run a Citadel (rebranded RIA) 9mm 1911 on the $19 Metalform magazines and it runs perfectly.
For what it's worth my pistols all run fine with $12 Joe's 1911 Mag Mania (Check-Mate) Mags. The Ed Brown $10 (with junk mag trade ins) Mags work well in the Kimbers. I haven't tried them in the Colt or DW.
You will find the magazine height is different in different brands of pistols.
Mags don't have to be expensive just good quality and matched to the pistol.
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JR24
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My 9mm DW CCO runs just fine with cheap metalform 8 round mags as well, I believe that is what DW itself uses, just rebranded.
It also runs very well with Wilson 9 and 10 round ETM mags, as well as CMC 10 round mags (for full size, so range and careful reloads only).
All my .45 1911s run Wilson ETM, 47D and Chip McCormick (shooting starts, I think) perfectly. Also, 8 round flush fitting Checkmate mags work in my VBob perfect, never tried them in anything else.
The supplied mag with 2 out of 3 Kimbers I have bought were unusable garbage right out of the box, only bad mags I've ever had.
fireside44
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I wouldn't buy anything with the words pro-mag on it to begin with so that's a straw man. Also, the post I quoted he said you MIGHT have to get different than factory mags, RIA, to get it running right. So basically when I buy a RIA 1911 pistol I should expect junk factory mags and factor buying yet more mags into the cost of the gun? Not a deal breaker as it seems RIA has decent reputation but it's nice to know I'm in for a couple additional mags to replace the "might" junk they ship with the gun. Not exactly a selling point.
Triggernosis
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So if I were to buy a Ruger 1911 I might have to buy another brand of magazine in order for it to run properly?
Triggernosis
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"It varies" darned sure sounds finicky to me. 
deadeye dick
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I have a Taurus .45 ACP PT 1911 that I bought about 8 yrs. ago. After the first 50 or 60 rounds the ejector fell off. sent it back to the factory. After 6 weeks I got it back and it has worked fine since. I have the factory mag that came with the gun. I probably have about 1000 rounds through it with no problems. I shoot 200 Gr. RN, SWC RNFP lead and a ocasionally HP. I'm happy
JR24
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My Ruger ran perfect with the supplied mags.
Trey Veston
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But the problem with firearms is that there are no sources for reliability data, which I find ludicrous. I can find a few sources that confirm that Jeep Wranglers are unreliable and exactly what issues they tend to have.
With firearms, we have nothing but biased information and have to choose what to believe. My dad owns two Jeep Wranglers and I had one a couple of years ago. Neither of us had any issues with our vehicles (knock on wood) but we both subscribe to Consumer Reports and are well aware of their poor reputation. I had another friend that owned a Jeep and had major transmission and electrical issues. If it wasn't for independent data on reliability, I would think they are super reliable and he would think that they are the most unreliable vehicles ever made. That is how it currently is with firearms. I've never "owned" a 1911, but I carried one and was combat qualified with one in the US Navy. Never had an issue with it. Others have had lots of issues with a variety of 1911s.
But without an independent set of data showing exactly how many firearms of a certain brand or design are reported to have issues, it is still fairly subjective. At least we have the internet these days to get somewhat of an idea of how troublesome a certain firearm is.
But there are people in this very thread that swear 1911s are extremely reliable and trouble-free, and others who say they often have issues. Who to believe? It's all subjective without hard numbers, which just don't exist.
If I was ever to be for any kind of firearms "safety" legislation, it would be for manufacturers to be required to disclose the number and percentage of their firearms that require warranty work. We have the numbers and ratings for dishwashers, but not for a tool that we may have to depend on to save our lives and the lives of others? Ludicrous.
ClickClickD'oh
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I mean, if you only planned on having one magazine for the gun... then yeah, sure.
Is that a real consideration though?
Well, mags from multiple makers using their own specs for tubes and followers... might be a reason. The gun itself is usually not the issue."It varies" darned sure sounds finicky to me.
I mean... how many types of tires can you put on your car or truck? There are lemons there, too, but the vehicle is not the problem.
"It varies" darned sure sounds finicky to me.
Not much different than anything else.
OEM mags are supplied by different manufacturers. Some are more durable than others. Some have a higher incidence of feed issues when new depending on the pistol specs they are used in. If you get Mecgar in an RIA and they feed well and are heavily built and.last in your pistol I see no reason not to buy more. If you have issues try a different brand mag before sending the pistol back.
That said I've never had a 1911 that had a mag issue with new OEM mags. I have mags made out of relatively thin metal that didn't last that long because of feed lip fatigue. Out of roughly a dozen new 1911's I've had one that needed the extractor adjusted and it was built nearly 40 years ago.
I had a Charles Daly at one time and I believe it was produced by Armscor just like RIA. Other than needing a little breaking of edges to make disassembly and shooting more comfortable I had no issues with it. The OEM mags worked fine.
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