M1911 vs Glock: The Gunshop Showdown

The best reason for YOU is that YOU prefer that type of gun, and it is YOUR choice as long as YOU can use it responsibly and safely. If he persists, YOU say that YOU respect HIS choice, and HE should respect YOURS.

Jim

Jim K said:

The best reason for YOU is that YOU prefer that type of gun, and it is YOUR choice as long as YOU can use it responsibly and safely. If he persists, YOU say that YOU respect HIS choice, and HE should respect YOURS.

Jim

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Ain't it GREAT living in America??

I like is all thats needed.

He's baiting you. Don't take it.

Glocks are from Austria
Hitler was from Austria
JMB's M1911 kicked Adolf's Austrian ass

The 1911 is as prone to randomly firing as you are to get struck by lightning 5 times in one day.

Actually I think the 2 are more alike than different. Both have solid reputations for durability and accuracy. Both have the same consistent trigger pull each time you fire the gun. Although nearly 100 years apart in design, both are landmark designs.

I've owned and shot just about everything out there and if I had to defend myself in the next 2 minutes I'd grab either one of my Glocks or one of the 1911's, whichever were closer and would feel good about my chances with either.

The problem with 1911's is that they are not all created equal. There are many different brands with varying degrees of quality. Lots of folks have had bad experiences with poor quality 1911's, including myself. This is why you often hear folks shortchange the 1911's capabilities. If you ever experience how well a quality 1911 works it is easy to understand why they are still popular over 100 years later. Have to give a slight edge to the 1911 in accuacy.

Of course Glocks have their advantages as well. Hard to argue with 14 rounds vs 7-9 rounds. I have no doubts the Glock will take more abuse and still keep working either. I don't see either gun as being any more or less safe to carry than the other.

Tell him you had a Glock and it made a great carry holster with a little shaping.

Tell him to call you in 80 years.

Tell him you care enough to use the very best.

Tell him accuracy is final.

And finally: Of course it's liable to go off, that's what reliability means.

I carry both a 1911 and a Glock. Personally I'm more comfortable carrying the 1911 than the Glock, but confident in the safety of both pistols.

He then began to explain that I was fool to carry such an antiquated firearm, that the M1911 is liable to go off b/c it is single action and that I should look into a Glock.

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This makes me laugh every time I hear it. I have to re-read it a couple times between facepalms to make sure I read it right but I usually do.

In good mechanical operating condition neither of the guns are going to "go off". But lets look at safety. I'll start by saying both weapons are loaded and chambered with all possible safety features on the physical guns engaged. After all we are concerned about safety here so we should make them "as safe as can be". Pick the glock up aim it downrange, don't bother worrying about a grip safety it doesn't have one, don't worry about a mechanical safety it doesn't have one, squeeze trigger and bang.

Since we were "as safe as can be" the 1911 had to be gripped to disengage the grip safety, and the mechanical safety had to be lowered before the hammer would fall.

So the glock isn't technically single action (its striker fired) its still a simple pull of the trigger on a loaded chamber from firing. With the safety's disengaged on the 1911 your in the same place. PULL trigger, bang.

Maybe I just like my 1911 better than any glock I have shot and always felt safer from it "going off" than anything else.

The bottom line is you should have asked him what he had against the glock 30 since he wasn't trying to sell you one of them.

When I come across these blowhards, I just shrug and note that I won't be buying any 1911's at his store.

When a 1911 costs $2000+, you'd think they'd want those kind of customers?

So, any 1911 carriers have a better reason than "I like the gun" that I can give Glock-Boy.

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A Commander size 1911 gives me two more rounds than a Glock 36 in a slimmer, but otherwise identical size package. I can't get my hands around a Glock 21, even the SF. I just don't shoot Glocks as well as I shoot nearly any other handgun.

There really isn't a rational or practical reason...unlike arguing for a M&P45, Sig 220 or HK45

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Really?

M&P - Current triggers stink big time unless you install an Apex kit, or modify the stock internals to match the geometry of the Apex kit. I do love the ergos though, and even with the cost of the Apex kit they're less money than a good 1911, SIG, or HK; or only slightly more money than a Glock.

HK45 - It's a plastic framed gun that cost several hundred $ more than other plastic frame guns. For the same money I can get a forged aluminum frame SIG, or a forged frame (steel or aluminum) 1911. It's sold by HK, who has a history of not caring about civilians. It has a funky mag release that only cross trains to plastic frame Walthers & other HKs.

SIG P220 - I despise two trigger pulls on one gun, so the DA/SA decock models are out. Their SAO thumb safety models have crappy triggers. The DAK models, I'll give you, address my trigger action gripes. Still, does it do anything better than a 1911 in the same price range?

Antiquated? Yeah, I suppose that salesperson is right. Anything designed before the coming of MP3 players is certainly much too old, and should be thrown out like last weeks left-overs. We really should obsolete a lot of things that have been around just too long, home cooked meals, natural fiber clothing, leather, and the 30-06. Yup, modern is always better, just like the Gyro-Jet pistol eclipsed its metalic cartridge predecessors, and the personal jet-pack will someday eliminate automobiles.

The comparison wasn't between them and the 1911, but between them and the Glock

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I compared them to the 1911 to provide my rationale for preferring a 1911 over Glocks, and them.

Between them, if you remove emotion and base you decision...we'll leave out cost, as it really tilts the field...on reliable function in harsh conditions, there really is no rational reason to choose a 1911 over a Glock. Between the two, the 1911 is a maintenance hog

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Calling a 1911 a maintenance hog in comparison to a Glock is like calling an AR-15 a maintenance hog in comparison to an FN SCAR. Yes, it's true that the former pistol and rifle require more maintenance than the latter pistol & rifle. However, how far they have to be pushed to get to that maintenance differential is a pretty high threshold.

Cost is always a factor. Cost is why, crappy trigger & all, I own an M&P, and not a SIG.

I can't shoot Glocks worth a crap. I don't know if it's the funky grip angle, the blocky ergos, my short wide fingers; or a combination of all three. Whatever the case may be I, personally, cant shoot them worth a crap. Even with it's inferior trigger, I shoot M&Ps better than I shoot Glocks. I'm sure it has to do with the grip angle & ergos.

H&K, yes, they're very nice plastic frame pistols. HK also wants 1.5x to 2x what Glock and S&W want for equally reliable plastic frame pistols. Maybe I just don't get HK.

SIG, as I conceded, offers something for the money. For me, that's their DAK guns. For others it's their DA/SA or SAO guns. When it comes down to it though, I still shoot 1911s better. When I'm going to spend that kind of money, it's going to be on the gun I shoot better.

I hope that's rational enough. Lest you think I only drink one flavor of kool-aid myself , I actually like Glocks. I sold many of them when I worked in gun retail. They have pretty good triggers out of the box, they're reliable, durable, and relatively inexpensive. For folks who shoot them well, I think Glocks are a fantastic choice. I actually think Glocks are the 21st century version of the S&W K Frame: They're THE cop gun, they're reliable & durable, and LE trade ins are cheap & plentiful. Much like the K Frame, I don't think it's far fetched to think that the LE trade in market may make Glock pistols victims of their own success in the not-so-distant future.

Just tell him you're not into Tupperware.

Don

Well I choose the Glock over the 1911 for several reasons. Glocks don't rust, they have a higher mag capacity
(in full size) and they cost less. However, if somebody else wants to have a 1911 as their primary defense pistol then why would I care? To each his own. I respect the mighty 1911.

Good bad or indifferent I seldom listen to gun store employee’s that proclaim their expertise. After six plus decades of muddling my way thru life I’ve learned to live with the decisions I’ve made.

H&K, yes, they're very nice plastic frame pistols. HK also wants 1.5x to 2x what Glock and S&W want for equally reliable plastic frame pistols. Maybe I just don't get HK.

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I'd say you don't . Heckler and Koch offers cold hammer forged barrels whose developmental testing included firing through squib loads. The frames are steel reinforced polymer and they are offered with more trigger/safety/carry options than any other "plastic" pistol. You won't find any hollow voids in the frame. There's no unnatural grip angles and some of the newer models are extremely ergonomic. Yes, you have to pay-to-play, but you must also do the same in the 1911 world. Let's be honest, you need to invest a good amount of coint o have a 1911 that is utterly reliable and can be expected to hold its integrity for a large round count. Personally, I think HK's offerings are the best double action pistols currently available, price be darned.

SIG, as I conceded, offers something for the money. For me, that's their DAK guns. For others it's their DA/SA or SAO guns. When it comes down to it though, I still shoot 1911s better. When I'm going to spend that kind of money, it's going to be on the gun I shoot better.

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I would argue that SIG has royally messed up its classic series of handguns with poor QA/QC, heightened MIM parts inclusion, and focusing too much time on novelty finishes and color coordinations. This all occured at the same time that they raised their prices $200 for each model. They aren't the same guns they used to be and lots of folks, myself included, feel they are doing a disservice to the reputation the Swiss-German company spent decades earning. Strangely enough, their 1911 pistols are leaps and bounds ahead of the first GSRs from Matt McLearn and company. I will go as far as to say that the best pistols coming out of SIG in New Hampshire are their 1911s, and that's a sad state of affairs.

All that said, I carry a baby Glock daily, and have done so for the last 7 years. The little buggers work and if something happens to it I won't be heartbroken; they are a dime a dozen. My nighstand gun is an HK USP45f (12+1) with a Streamlight UTL and a spare mag. Reliability, accuracy, capacity, ruggedness, and even the lady can use it. I sleep very well at night. On special occasions, or when in the Florida woods, I carry a Colt or S&W 1911. I'm also prone to carry an HK P7, HKP2000, or SIG 239 depending on my mood and where I'm headed. Point is, I'm not a "fanboy" of anything, a spade is a spade.

Both pistols set the bar for their time. Both go boom 99.999% of the time.

Whatever floats your boat. These arguments are messier than a soup sandwich.

ExMachina: Glocks are from Austria
Hitler was from Austria
JMB's M1911 kicked Adolf's Austrian ass

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This post ends the debate.....


Reading Glock vs 1911 threads is like Coke vs Pepsi, Ford vs Chevy, Mac vs PC, dogs vs cats.............nothing to get too wound up about.

Yep, I totally respect the 1911...but I'm a southpaw and finding an entry level one that is lefty friendly is a chore.

I've been a Glock user for a couple of years and I like the cost, reliability, and lefty friendliness. I would love to get into 1911s but my budget doesn't allow that currently. I recently went full size .45 shopping. I wanted to by a 1911, but I walked out with a G21. I know Glock isn't the be all end all, but they sure work for me.