Recent content by orionhawk

I have one, as well, a 686 4", hooked up with tritium sights and Pachmayr recoil-absorbing grips. My fiancée uses it as her bedside gun, loaded with Gold Dot 125's (which is basically the purpose I got it for).

slide lever, pretty much all the time. I have also tried the overhand (and the slingshot, which I didn't like), but I go back to the slide lever. Never had a problem with it yet, in probably 10 or 12 thousand rounds through 1911's (and a few thousand through other autos)

I clicked "Yes", but it's really more "maybe...". They are decent 1911's imho, but a bit tight for my liking, compared to my Springfields. My father also had one turn unreliable. And I don't like their normal grip safeties (I realise that's correctable). I'd be willing to get another, if I got a...

I had a Mil-Spec a few years back. It ate everything I fed it except Cor-Bon. I sent it back to SA for an unrelated issue, and mentioned that, and they fixed it, too. You could also try PowrBall or Federal EFMJ... both penetrate well, and reliably, although they don't expand quite as far as...

shot one at Knob Creek last October. trigger-slapped so hard I almost stopped after 2 shots, having paid for 20. it was full-auto, tho, so I don't know if that made it worse. just my 2 cents. I've seen several things online that claim to reduce the effect.

I've also used the Lansky kit, but the clamp-based arrangement makes it more of a pain than the Sharpmaker, and doesn't like to hold some of my more oddly-shaped blades (Spyderco Janich-Snody Yojimbo). I also routinely end up using the edge of a cardboard box as a hone (at work). used to know...

"How reliable is it?" should be at least as good as any other Springfield (which is pretty danged good, SA seems to have concentrated on 1911 reliability over accuracy) "Will it take other 1911 parts?" a very few. pretty much sights and grips, IIRC. "Can I get magazines w/o the "slam pad"?"...

S&W 442 with Gold Dot Short Barrel anytime I have a pocket that will hide it (which is almost always), and either my SA TRP 1911 or my SA XD40 subcompact, depending on what I'm wearing (Gold Dots there, too) and how long I will be out.

"CZ's, especially the steel framed ones, are way over built for 9mm. The Springfield P9 (a clone) was used as the base for the first 9mm major guns." I would argue that to be true of all the steel Browning High Power-based 9's and the higher pressure in a 9mm 1911 would be pretty much...

voted for the AR, especially for fun factor, but I love my CMP M1 as well, and an M1 Carbine is also awesome.

well, that defender would appear to be a .45GAP EMP. I stand corrected. (not interested, myself, tho. if I want to pack a .45, I'll stick with ACP.)

I put about 200 rds through mine with no problems beyond a sore hand. then I went and tried to fiddle with its internals and broke it, and the smith I took it too broke it differently. it also wasn't working well for its intended pocket carry (draw issues compared to the SW442 I already had)...

+1 for the Spyderco Sharpmaker. I generally just use a ceramic rod (Kyocera Ceramics makes a nice one) and a razor strop for general honing. the Sharpmaker is for heavy-duty work.

I carry with one chambered in everything I carry (1911, XD, Glock, SW442) I am quite certain I don't want to screw around with racking the slide while fending off an attacking dog or criminal. I would be happier if I had manual safeties on my Glock and XD, though.

well, if you're buying new, the gun should feed almost any major-name hollowpoint fine, as well as pretty much any range ammo with similar ballistics to the tactical stuff. I would just pick a well-known working ammo, and get whatever I could get for the range, test shoot both, and worry about...