Why doesn't anyone make a high capacity lightweight 1911?

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daredwit

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Why doesn't anyone make a high capacity lightweight 1911?


I am still trying to figure out why nobody makes a high capacity, Lightweight, Polymer framed commander sized 1911 in 9mm, .40 or 38 super. There would certainly be a market for one. Kimber used to make a polymer .45 and Charles Daly imports the Bul M5 from Israel but that is also in .45 (which I feel starts to get heavy on recoil with a LW plastic lower) . I would love to have a .38 super or .40 caliber lightweight 1911 with 15 or 17 rd mag. By lightweight, I am talking under 30 ounces unloaded. I love 1911s but hate their 8-10 rd capacity and their weight for daily carry. Closest I can think of is the alloy framed STI "4.15 Tactical". Seems like more weight could be shaved with a polymer lower.
 
Glad I snagged one of these Kimbers. Polymer frame with 13+1. It's been an excellent pistol. Supposedly, "real" 1911 aficionados snubbed anything 1911 and polymer and that's why Kimber stopped making it. It didn't sell well. Oh well, they missed out on a great version of a 1911!

DSC01822.jpg
 
I am still trying to figure out why nobody makes a high capacity, Lightweight, Polymer framed commander sized 1911 in 9mm, .40 or 38 super.
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Hmmm...you seem to be confused about what a 1911 is. ^__^
 
Sure, it's called a Glock, Springfield XD, S&W M&P, etc. :neener:

Several companies make "wide body" 1911s for extra capacity, but IMO this negates one of the attractions of the 1911: it's slim, trim profile that makes concealment quite easy.

Most of the guns I carry weigh north of 30 ozs loaded. I carry a 5" all steel 1911 pretty regularly with no issues whatsoever. A great gunbelt, such as a 1.5" bullhide belt from thebeltman.com makes a huge difference. So does a high quality holster; I prefer the Max Con V from Gary Brommeland. With this gear, I don't notice the weight at all. Flimsy wal-mart belts and cheap holsters just won't cut it with guns that weight more than 2 lbs.

I also carry 2" and 4" S&W Model 15s without trouble.
 
Kimber didn't make theirs - it's a BUL product. The BUL variant can still be found abroad.
 
I really don't think you would see any significant difference in perceived recoil between a
.45 and a .40 in the kind of platform you're describing. In fact, the .40 would likely have higher recoil. There are several makers currently offering hi-cap .45 1911-style autos, including SA, Taurus, Para, STI, Les Baer, and others. Most utilize an Al alloy frame, not polymer, though.
 
Why doesn't anyone make a high capacity lightweight 1911?
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As others have said, because it wouldn't be a 1911.

It would be kind of like asking why Glock doesn't make a steel frame pistol with a single stack mag....because it wouldn't be a Glock.
 
Don't have a picture of it by my Wilson KZ-45 Compact sure seems to be a lighter, polymer framed 45 ACP. This one works too.

Dave
 
Hi-cap 1911 type pistols just don't have a great reputation for reliability unless you're talking about a expensive STI, SVI race gun.
 
Most fans of the 1911 prefer the look and feel of steel. They want their 8 round single stack mags and 100 year old platform left alone. As a result some have tried to market polymer framed 1911s but without success in this country. It all comes down to capitalism. There are not enough people who want the product to make production worthwhile. If you want high capacity polymer Glock has you covered, If you want classic autopistol good looks there are many 1911s to fill your needs, if you want high power and durability you can choose a revolver, but there is no need to combine them all into one package.
 
A way to do it on the cheap. Buy a used Star PD, Be sure to change the recoil spring and plastic buffer, an easy job. Then you can get a nice 10 round after market mag.

I'm happy with mine. And the whole package was under $350 including pistol, buffer, new 14# spring and new mag.

Tom
 
If it is :
1- hi capacity
2- lightweight polymer
3- anything other than .45ACP

It aint a 1911
 
Because 1911 fans decided that polymer and double stack wouldnt work in a 1911 just like 870 fans decided that quality would no longer work in an 870.
 
Don't bait me into a shotgun debate, please.

Look at the original Model of 1911 spec sheet John Browning wrote. That is the "Holy Grail" of auto loading pistols for many.

I like the original 1911 because it is so flat and slim. Nothing full-sized rides inside the waistband as comfortably in my opinion. You lose that when you go double-stack.

Its as sacriligious as a Hi-Power with a magazine disconnect, or in double action.:cuss:
 
Kimber didn't make theirs - it's a BUL product. The BUL variant can still be found abroad.
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Show me EXACTLY where that's true. My Kimber Pro BP Ten II frame looks nothing like that ugly BUL polymer frame. That trigger guard looks like something from Kel-Tec.
 
For the OP, I was going to mention the STI 4.15, but I see you already know about that one :D

Show me EXACTLY where that's true. My Kimber Pro BP Ten II frame looks nothing like that ugly BUL polymer frame. That trigger guard looks like something from Kel-Tec.
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http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-709970_ITM

KIMBER ULTRA TEN II.
Publication: American Handgunner
Publication Date: 01-MAY-01
Author: Hopkins, Cameron

From the article:
Springfield Armory went to Israel for a plastic-framed 1911 with which to enter the polymer market. There they found an arms company named Bul that produced what can best be described as a plastic version of the Para-Ordnance P-14. Springfield imported the gun for only a brief time, in 1994, under the name XM4. When the Brady Bill passed in late '94, a lot of the wind fell out of the high-cap sail, and Springfield abandoned the Bul.

Kimber acquired the rights to import the Bul in 1997. It came to America under the utilitarian name of Polymer Model. No longer utilizing Para magazines, the Polymer Model utilized a Kimber 5" slide with McCormick fixed sights. Add adjustable sights and it becomes the Polymer Target Model.

A switch to a stainless slide in 1998 rendered the Kimber Polymer Stainless. Going back to a chrome-moly slide in 1999, shortening it to 4", and adding a bushingless bull barrel produced the Polymer Pro Carry. Substitute a stainless slide and it morphs into the Polymer Pro Carry Stainless. Add some target upgrades and the Polymer Gold Match materializes.

Bullish On Bul

There were, by 2000, seven versions of the Bul/Kimber pistol. Enter number six in 2001. It's by far the best version-- a small, compact, lightweight .45 ACP-- with a dedicated 10-round magazine to tuck into a bobbed grip frame. Atop rides a short, matte, stainless slide incorporating a bushingless 3" bull barrel. The slide is identical to that of the Stainless Ultra Carry in the single-stack line. McCormick fixed sights and a dovetail front sight complete the package.

Hidden from both sight and feel is the new firing pin safety that Kimber will be incorporating on all of its handguns in 2001. Unlike the spring-plunger Series 80 safety on a Colt, the Kimber system does not affect trigger pull. All Kimbers with the new firing pin safety will have a "II" appended to their name, hence the designation Ultra Ten II.

The frame is marked "Kimber, Yonkers, N.Y.," and the metal insert accommodates the gun's serial number. The frame insert is machined at Kimber's state-of-the-art factory in upstate New York and then shipped to Bul's factory in Israel, where the inserts are molded into the plastic frames.
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Yeah, what Jad said. I enjoy my 1911s and I enjoy the weight that moderates recoil. I also enjoy the fact that they are made out of steel and not plastic.

I also own XDs and an M&P. That's the light weight, high capacity gun you might want to have and which I occasionally shoot. But, with that said, a 1911 just shoots very well for me in comparison to other handguns. And I for one, though I don't discount firepower, think having 7 loaded and one in the hole for a 1911 is more than perfectly adequate. In that case, I am much more inclined to think accuracy and shot placement outweigh having a large amount of handgun bullets in ready.
 
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