Is 1911 bad for a first-time carry gun?

Go with what you like better. The glock 30 SF.

The Kimber is a great pistol, but it appears that you like the Glock better. I would go with the Glock.

As other said, go with what you feel good with. Although, I will be the first one to attest to the fact that while at first the field stripping procedure may be a bit daunting for a newbie to the design, once you do it a few times it becomes a snap.

Of course, I'm not familiar with the Kimber you mention, so there might be some super-tough proprietary breakdown ritual that Kimber makes you follow, but I can't imagine that it's too dissimilar from taking down any 1911.

And remember, the 1911 was designed to be used, cleaned, and maintained by soldiers. Some were very intelligent fellows, to be sure - but there were also a goodly amount of dim-bulbs. If they can tame the mechanical beast, I reckon you can too.

You will never regret getting the Kimber!

I would go with the handgun I felt best about carrying and using for that purpose. From my experience, I'm much better with guns I feel best about. I shoot them better, handle them better, and use them better for the intended purpose.

I use both, I don't see an appreciable difference in cleaning time.
The Kimber requires that you put a little tool (or bent paper clip) in the guide rod to take the recoil spring assembly out without risking it flying away. No biggy and not absolutely necessary for a quick cleanup.
The Glock strips faster but is fatter, which prints a bit more.
The Glock has no external safeties and a looong double action trigger.
The 1911s have several safeties and shoots from single action after you've racked one in, short and sweet.
The Glock carries more rounds. The 1911s have more customizability.
Flip a coin, then buy the other next time, they're both great, you won't go wrong either way.
cb

Drive up to Ogden and rent both at Impact. I'm not sure they have that specific Glock to rent but you can ask them. They have Kimbers, Baers, and a Nighthawk to rent.

I dropped my Glock and went back to a 1911. Glock triggers are gooey. 1911 triggers are the best you can get. If you don't like the guide-rod removal process on the Kimber, you can switch it out for a G.I. style rod that removes without tools. You can learn to do it with your eyes closed.

Carry what you shoot best.

I'm torn between the Kimber Custom ii which feels great but I'm really discouraged by the break-down process. I'm thinking about the Glock 30 SF which also feels great in my hands.

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OK, can someone tell me how this statement means he likes the Glock better?

Do not let the tear-down process decide which to buy. You really do need to shot both of them to make a decision. Take a couple of trips and then decide which one feels better, shoots better for you.

I like the simple 1911's without the FLGR which make them a pain in the butt to take apart.

In the end, you decide based upon which works, and concels better for YOU. They are both great pistols.

The 1911A1 pistol you remember from the army, and those being made today are often not the same animal. Current makers have added a lot of superfluous gadgets (like full-length recoil spring guide rods) and internal safeties that complicate disassembly. Browning’s original design can be detail stripped with no tools at all because as you go the parts themselves become the necessary tools. Therefore consider the few that are left that have stuck to the original design, or can be easily and inexpensively modified so that they are.

True 1911 style pistols use a single-column magazine. This makes the pistol slimmer and easier to hide then those that use a double-column magazine. A small but important point when it comes to concealment.

As a civilian, I highly doubt that you are likely to get into a situation where 8 shots (7 + 1) aren’t enough, but if this worries you carry one or two spare magazines, and learn to switch them.

If he just got out of the army, I would assume that the Beretta M9 would be more familiar to him, if any handgun was.

I recommend against single-action semiautos for first-time carry guns unless the shooter has a lot of experience with them to begin with. Mostly because of the additional experience necessary to reliably operate the manual safety and carry in condition 1 safely.

Yeah, we turned in my unit's 1911s in 1992. Most people who used one in the army are retired by now.

About the capacity.....no, not really. Think about it. When in real life are you ever going to have to fire fifteen straight rounds without reloading. We don't live in MelGibsonland. And even if you have a higher capacity magazine, and you have a break after firing several, you should reload anyway. In real life, having extra magazines is more about clearing a stoppage than having more rounds to shoot. If you find yourself in a position where you are fighting for your life, and you know 8+1 isn't enough, you should probably be using a rifle anyway.

I will disagree about the SA autos being too complicated for a first-timer. It's less complicated than his theater policy which required either empty-chamber, off safe carry, or chambered, safe and decocked, with a non-intuitive motion to switch to fire, double-action trigger pull followed by a single-action repitition. A 1911 is always off-safe to a natural firing position, with uniform trigger pull. A 1911 is never more or less safe than any other pistol following the four safety rules.

And what level of experience magically transforms someone from non-ready to ready for a 1911? He can go to Impact and familiarize all he wants.

Of course, I'm not familiar with the Kimber you mention, so there might be some super-tough proprietary breakdown ritual that Kimber makes you follow, but I can't imagine that it's too dissimilar from taking down any 1911.

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The Kimber requires that you put a little tool (or bent paper clip) in the guide rod to take the recoil spring assembly out without risking it flying away. No biggy and not absolutely necessary for a quick cleanup.

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Nobody mentions with the Kimber Series II models you have to be careful not to depress the grip safety when removing/ installing the slide. Failure to do so may cause the slide to shear off the Swartz safety piston, rendering the pistol inoperable. I'd also swap out the FLGR with a GI one so you can field strip the pistol without a bushing wrench.

mljdeckard said:

About the capacity.....no, not really. Think about it. When in real life are you ever going to have to fire fifteen straight rounds without reloading. We don't live in MelGibsonland. And even if you have a higher capacity magazine, and you have a break after firing several, you should reload anyway. In real life, having extra magazines is more about clearing a stoppage than having more rounds to shoot. If you find yourself in a position where you are fighting for your life, and you know 8+1 isn't enough, you should probably be using a rifle anyway.

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QFT. if you need more than 8 rounds or so, especially of .45acp, to solve the problem you are in a world of crap.

as for the guns, pick the one you are most comfortable with. both guns shoot reliably, so you just need to shoot the one you like and learn its quirks.

I am able to break down my kimber without the bushing wrench. The wrench makes it alot easier but you don't have to use it.

I think somebody is ready for a 1911 when they've shot one long enough to be comfortable with it. *shrug* Maybe that takes one range session, maybe they're never comfortable with it.

I do not recommend single-action semis to someone who is completely new to handguns and CCW, though I concede it's not that hard to become reasonably comfortable with one. After all, you make an excellent point... if you can figure out how to carry an M9 under Army regs... you should be able to figure out a 1911.

I used to carry a USP .40, 13+1

I now carry a SA 1911 which is 7+1

I am in no way concerned about the difference in amounts, I just carry more spares for the 1911(2 as opposed to 1 w/ the HK)

A 1911 was my first carry piece, and it's not difficult to disassemble. The two-piece guide rod system would make it easier, but to each their own.

I believe it's worth the work to get the 8 rounds from a 1911. There are excellent varieties other than Kimber too. I have a couple Glocks and they are great and easy to care for. Most of my weapons are range weapons. Your decision should be "do I want to enjoy shooting it", or "do I need to feel as if it will fire in an emergency". Of course, both guns will probably do so.

If you want to shoot a lot, I'd get the 1911. I actually give my 1911 a "sponge bath" after only 50 to 300 rounds. I put some cleaner or gun oil on a Q-tip or some other utensil and swab the ramp and any of the area I can see with the slide back. That's the most important part. After 300 to 400 rounds, I'll take my 1911 apart and do the more formal cleaning.

In either case, Enjoy what you purchase. I'm not sure if a Kimber 1911 is more complicated to take down than a different 1911, but it's really not that difficult. You just have to make sure some of your gun's guts don't fly across the room when you remove the takedown assemply at the barrel end of the gun.

Get a Rock Island .45 in any of it's various models to see if you really like the 1911 platform.Then,collect 'em all.

BHP's idea isn't bad at all. You might look for a used or entry-level 1911 to get yourself familiar with the platform. You might also decide that the cheap one works just fine and you don't need to upgrade at all.

And I have managed to keep a Kimber for several years without damaging the Schwartz safety. It's not that delicate and it doesn't interfere with the function of the gun at all.

M1911's are heavy brutes. They are great pistols, but sometimes gun owners end up buying big, heavy handguns for concealed carry and regret the decision later on because they are tempted to leave them at home rather than lug them around. Other gun owners don't mind the weight and bulk. I think the safer choice would be the Glock.

I disagree. To someone who has never carried a gun before, ANY gun feels heavy and uncomfortable. (YES, even the Glock.) It's a matter of your predisposition. You can take a non-gun female who doesn't like guns, and put a sub-compact Glock in her waistband, and it will feel like a bowling ball. You can take a kid who turned 21 precisely 60 days ago and got his carry permit in the mail today after years of anticipation, and hang a Desert Eagle under his left arm, and he will swear he doesn't feel it.

Small light guns are harder to shoot well. Shorter guns have a smaller sight radius and are harder to aim. Lighter guns soak up less felt recoil. It's better to start with the gun you shoot well and learn smaller guns later.

If someone tries carrying a full size and changes their mind because it's too heavy and quits carrying it, they weren't going to keep carrying anyway.