I'm Giving Up On 1911s

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I've wondered how much aggravation 1911 shooters have gone through due to parallel feed-lip mags.
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I'd be afraid to guess...and the trouble comes mostly from the too early, too abrupt release typical of wadcutter magazines. Then, there's the matter of the lack of a speed bump on the followers of the 8-round variety to keep positive control of the last round. Stir in a spring with fewer active coils than should be there, and it's a wonder that they run at all.

Stir in a half cup of Dremel Dan's Double Throwdown Ramp'n'Throat Job...and the complaints come rollin' in.

Ah, well.
 
I have an Ed Brown Executive Carry, a Dan Wesson Guardian, and a Cylinder & Slide Super Grade Commander, all brand new and unfired as of yet. Now after reading this thread, I dont think I will sleep tonight. :eek:
 
MagnumDweeb said:
I tried so very hard to become a 1911 fiend. But I'm giving up on them. Last night did it for me. A friend of mine bought one of the latest Sig 1911s (a nearby shop had a deal on them) and we met up after work to try it out. I hadn't brought my problem child Spartan (I have two, one works great, the other needs work and time I haven't been able to bring myself to put into it), instead I only brought my S&W 15-3 and Rossi 462.

My friend supposedly oiled the gun and everything so it was wet. I could feel a film of oil on the gun when I picked it up. We got two magazines into it and then the headaches started. A stove pipe, easy to clear, a few shots, then a a lock back there was an empty mag but there were rounds left. Then jam, then jam, a couple shots, then jam.

Out of a hundred rounds it jammed at least two dozen times. We got through three mags without issues and it started again. I vice gripped the damn gun thinking maybe it was limp writing but it did it on me too. Then I tried each hand to see if maybe when I was shooting left handed I was knocking the slide catch somehow.

This did not inspire confidence. My buddy hadn't shot it before last night, the mags were what came with it. Maybe he got one of the bad ones and Sig will make it right but after two different 1911s giving me problems. My faith is shaken something awful.

I flat give up on 1911s. I'm going to Glock for .45 ACP needs via a Glock 21. I'd been playing with the idea for a bit and thought about the Sig 220 but after so many easy years with my Glock 20, I'm just going to do the Glock 21.

I'm sure I'll eventually get my second Spartan running right but I won't trust it, so it'll get converted to .38 Super and used as a range toy. And I've got plenty range toys, no danger of a shortage there my friend. My Ruger 90 has been solid as a bank vault when it comes to reliability and while it's not the best shooter I've ever fired in .45 ACP, it'll still get fifty rounds on a 11"x8" piece of paper at fifty yards. Though the groupings may not be tight or pretty, the gun goes bang every time.

The pursuit of the 1911 was fun but....it wasn't me. I'm a Magnum Dweeb. It's all about hand cannons and ridiculous velocities. Spend a little more time with my Ruger SRH .454 Casull. Get a few more revolvers, and stop pursuing semis after 2014 (after getting a Glock 21 and Remington R51).

Oh 1911, I tried to love you but like a feral mutt brought in from the cold, you turned and bit me with malice where I only wanted to welcome you. So alas two of your platform shall reside in my safe. One .45 ACP, one .38 Super. And while I will take you to the range and perhaps smile after a good day of shooting. I will still in my heart, fear your unreliable streak waiting for when I should need you most and so I will not carry you to where I am not at the range. Adieu.
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Reading this post reminded me of why I purchased a used (tried and true) Springfield Champion Operator. I was originally looking at a Sig...but I was worried about this exact type of problem.
 
^^^^reminds me why I went with the old reliable glock 21 for my 45 acp needs. I don't need to take it to a smith, worry about weather it'll shoot, or have to break it in for it to work right, heck the trigger on the glock gets better after it gets broke in.
 
So you have an STI Spartan that doesnt work? Send it back. STI will fix it.
I don't know why but if a 1911 doesn't work people just bitch or try to fix it themselves, if a glock breaks people send it to glock immediately.
Yes Glocks break.
My 1911s work.
 
All of you saying they run reliably for you, do they run with hollowpoints?
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Both my Colts have thousands of hollowpoints through, my Delta, almost expressly hollowpoints. My Mark IV, every bullet type imaginable, but mostly truncated cone, which generally exhibit the most problems. In fairness, this is a custom barrel/comp system, though the original barrel was 100%. It just had underwhelming accuracy. My Kimber is an Ultra CDP and has NOTHING but hollowpoints through it, specifically Hydra-Shoks and HSTs.
 
wriggly
I have an Ed Brown Executive Carry, a Dan Wesson Guardian, and a Cylinder & Slide Super Grade Commander, all brand new and unfired as of yet. Now after reading this thread, I dont think I will sleep tonight.
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I would hope that any gun you will be using for self-defense would be test fired and broken in with a few hundred flawless rounds. If it's strictly a collector's piece or range toy, then it really doesn't matter if it is unfired or if it chokes (IMO).
 
If you're going to conceal carry a 1911 (not just punch paper for fun at the range) you better be a dedicated enthusiast. It takes much more time & effort to properly maintain and run a 1911. If you're not going to expend those resources, other options are likely a better choice for you. ( I like the 1911 and used to CCW them for many years. ) Some guys will get their new pistol, put a couple boxes of ball target & maybe a few rounds of that expensive self defense ammo through it, and consider themselves good to go. That ain't a real test.

I could go on and on with my own opinions, but here's an article by a true expert. There are also other resources on his website on the 1911 (and other pistols):


http://www.10-8performance.com/pages/Choosing-a-1911-for-Duty-Use.html
 
1911Tuner said:
Stir in a half cup of Dremel Dan's Double Throwdown Ramp'n'Throat Job...and the complaints come rollin' in.
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1911Tuner, what are your thoughts on the new chamber geometry from Colt?
 
I own 6 Colts, ranging from a 1974 Gold Cup to a 2013 Rail Gun. Never had an issue with any of them.
 
I had two Kimber Ulta Carry SS 3" guns. Total crap.Would not funtion long no matter what was done to them. All my SA including a loaded Ultra Carry (officers size) and all my S&W 1911's have been 100%. Don't carry them often. I'm down to a S&W Gunsite Scandium and the Springfield Ultra carry. Wouldn't trade them for anything.
But I tend to carry more "modern"auto pistols. Lighter, higher round counts in whatever caliber including .45, simpler designs, less safeties, I like simple.
Pull, point, and shoot works for me. Love 1911's for all the general reasons. Flat, natural pointers, very accurate, great triggers, a real piece of Americana. And I would and have carried them. Just feel their are better choices out there for concealed carry.
 
1911Tuner, what are your thoughts on the new chamber geometry from Colt?
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If you mean the new "Dimple Throat" the majority work very well. Occasionally, one doesn't, but it's a simple matter to change it back to the old standard configuration.

The idea behind it is to insure reliable feed and RTB with a variety of bullet shapes, and provide good head support as a bonus, but if the gun is within spec to start with, the head support is a non-issue.

What I don't like is the narrowed barrel hoods and corresponding recesses in the slides. Bad show, Colt.
 
Interesting reads, I own 3 1911s, Colt Combat Commander bought new in 1980, S&W PD new in 2009 and a RIA Tactical in 9mm purchased a few months ago. All three have been pretty much flawless. I got into reloading not long after buying the Colt and it ate my rookie reloads without batting an eye. Guess I've been lucky but all three have been great.
 
Other manufacturer's w/500 round break-in

buckhorn_cortez said:
As for breaking in a 1911, the ONLY manufacturer that recommends that is Kimber. Wilson and Baer only recommend shooting the gun without cleaning it for a certain number of rounds. I have no problem with that.
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I'm certain Para-Ordnance and Rock Island also mention a 500 round break-in period.
 
Gee..... :scrutiny:

I wonder where we'd be if during World War Two (or for that matter, World War One) all of the 1911 or 1911A1 pistols produced by various government contractors had to have 500 give-or-take rounds run through them before they could be packed up and delivered for issue? :uhoh:
 
^ Which makes me wish that the 1911 design stayed in the hands of those 2-3 company's.
 
I don't know a lot about 1911s. I do know that I've owned two, and they've both been every bit as good as my Glocks. Others have a different story to tell.

I will tell you that the best bang for the buck 1911 was the Norinco I bought sometime in the early 90s. Man, that thing never failed, was accurate as hell, and actually looked pretty good (gov't model). I sold it because I had a real problem with owning a Chinese made 1911. But, man, that thing ran like a top.
 
I had a Norc, too. Reliable as can be. Accurate enough for a "duty" gun. But know what? That thing rattled (just a little) and that's probably why it ran and ran and ran.
 
Old Fuff said:
I wonder where we'd be if during World War Two (or for that matter, World War One) all of the 1911 or 1911A1 pistols produced by various government contractors had to have 500 give-or-take rounds run through them before they could be packed up and delivered for issue?
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I guess tolerances and hand-fitting made them reliable from the get-go.

OTOH, maybe they fired a mag or two before calling it GTG. I haven't read anything like that.
 
WinThePennant said:
I will tell you that the best bang for the buck 1911 was the Norinco I bought sometime in the early 90s. Man, that thing never failed, was accurate as hell, and actually looked pretty good (gov't model).
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I wish I could pick one of those up these days. I wonder if there are any LNIB ones out there and how much they go for.

Maybe Zastava in the former Yugoslavia should make them. They make new Tokarevs in both 7.62mm and 9mm. They even make a smaller one in 9mm (M88A).
 
I guess tolerances and hand-fitting made them reliable from the get-go.
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No. Adhering to blueprint specs made them reliable...and there wasn't a lot of hand-fitting done. Mostly gauging and cherry-picking which was rarely necessary during final assembly...and the guns weren't rattle trap loose when they were new. That's another myth that likely started when a slew of old, badly worn military pistols were released for sale through the NRA and the Civilian Marksmanship Program.
 
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