1911 or polymer 45?

[Too_Pure]

Carrying one cocked and locked without the safety on is insanity.

That would be called cocked and not locked.

To the OP: You have to get what feels right for you. If you get a cheap 1911 it will need work to be reliable, but a properly set-up 1911 is tough to beat, except on the magazine capacity side. And even there, if you find yourself in need of more than nine rounds in a SD scenario you are probably a dead man anyway.

The 1911's you mentioned are not great. So unless you want to put a few hundred into them to make them reliable I'd go with the Glock. Have you looked at the G30? Great CCW.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

If I were choosing between a 1911 and anything else, I'd take the 1911. If I were choosing between a 1911 and a Glock, other than a 1911, I'd take an XD or XDm in 45. Similar ergonomics with the benefits you get in a Glock. I just never liked Glocks. Don't worry about mag capacity, external safeties or any of the other BS people like to throw out. Bottom line is whether it's the right gun for you. If a Glock fits you, then by all means go with a Glock. If a 1911 or something else fits you better, don't let something like 2 extra rounds or a flick of your thumb scare you off one.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

If you get a cheap 1911 it will need work to be reliable, but a properly set-up 1911 is tough to beat, except on the magazine capacity side. And even there, if you find yourself in need of more than nine rounds in a SD scenario you are probably a dead man anyway.

The 1911's you mentioned are not great. So unless you want to put a few hundred into them to make them reliable I'd go with the Glock. Have you looked at the G30? Great CCW.

My $370 1911 disagrees with your opinion.

I haven't touched it and it runs absolutely perfect. As good as any I own in fact. Even with 230gr Gold Dots. If I do any work it will be because I want to, not because it needs it.

I'm curious, how many of the "cheap 1911s" does your experience come from?

 

[G23beav]

I own a glock 23, it's my first and only firearm. I've shot the .45 glocks and it's basically the same experience.

If you're buying a gun foremost to do what a gun does, you cant beat it. I was initially uncomfortable with the lack of a safety however, having handled my friends 1911's, I find it no more disconcerting than a SAO with the hammer back and safety on.

 

[bam]

Thank you for all the great replies, I more or less got the answers I was expecting. However I finally got to shoot the M&P 45 this past sunday and I was more accurate than I have ever been with a handgun. At 50 yds I was shooting 10 rd groups at about 4 inches. I know that isn't great for targets but it is more than perfect for my needs and with practice I can only get better.

 

[Too_Pure]

My $370 1911 disagrees with your opinion.

I haven't touched it and it runs absolutely perfect. As good as any I own in fact. Even with 230gr Gold Dots. If I do any work it will be because I want to, not because it needs it.

I'm curious, how many of the "cheap 1911s" does your experience come from?

Colt Combat Elite XSE
Springfield Loaded

 

[Big Boomer]

I have both and carry daily. Both are 45's. The winner is a Springfield 1911 TRP carried in a IWB VM2 by Milt Sparks (I highly recommend them) anyhow the main reason is that the polymer one is waaay to thick. Although it's not so much the gun, but it is definitely noticeably wider, it is really about the extra mags. The thin single stack mags are easy to carry a couple of extra and it doesn't stick out like a tumor on your hip concealed. If you can OC then it really doesn't matter. The 1911 wins for me.

 

[MUSICALGUNNUT45]

Id say go with a good well tuned 1911. If it's well tuned a 1911 can be just as reliable as a glock and definitley more stylish. I'd take a 1911 over a glock anyday. I just can't shoot a glock as good as I can shoot a 1911 and glocks never did fit my small hands very well. So basically I like the 1911 better in every aspect.

 

[Skylerbone]

If you prefer a heavier pistol but are unsure about carrying a 1911 then you might want to consider a few more options. An older S&W auto will give you numerous options from hammerless to exposed, fixed or protected adjustable sights, SS or alloy. They also happen to be less expensive than either of your options.

I too lack any $1,000+ 1911s but none of mine have EVER had a failure. While that may be true of my particular examples it isn't, as with any model, the rule. Any EDC must be function checked and ok'd before it's needed. What a Glock or M&P (or 3rd Gen. S&W) gets you is an excellent shot at out-of-the-box reliability for a song.

Choose what you are comfortable with and familiarize yourself with it. Good luck and stay safe.

 

[RichBMW]

I'd go with the M&P or the Glock. The M&P fits my hand better, so it's my personal choice. My 1911 is a great gun, but I never carry it.

 

[Ankeny]

At 50 yds I was shooting 10 rd groups at about 4 inches. I know that isn't great for targets but it is more than perfect for my needs and with practice I can only get better.

Depending on the shooting discipline, that kind of accuracy is better than what is required to win a National Championship.

 

[JROC]

My Colt Combat Elite is my .45ACP gun, but my G20SF is what I carry. It's a 10mm, but the same size as a G21SF. I prefer the Glock, it is just a great gun for almost anything and it don't scuff up easy and stays looking clean and new.

For a sexy toy I vote 1911. For a tool you use to put in work I feel a Glock is a better choice especially for the money spent on one. I think of my Glock kind of like my truck, and my 1911 kind of like my Mustang Cobra.

If someone(in person) dared me to throw my Glock in the mud and pick it up and shoot it I would probably do it.(then I would go home and clean it really well) If someone dared me to do the same thing with my 1911 I'd tell them to kiss my butt even if the 1911 would work just fine dirty I just wouldn't ever feed a 1911 the same abuse and risk scaring it up as I would a Glock. Glocks weather and handle abuse and stay looking new better than any other gun I have experience with.

If you don't mind a big gun you may also look at a FN FNP45. That gun will house a lot of .45ACP.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Colt Combat Elite XSE
Springfield Loaded

These are the cheap ones that need a few hundred to run right?

 

[Too_Pure]

I used to be under the influence of the 1911 kool-aide. But my own 1911 had a lot of little failures. It took a long time, but I finally came to accept that a production assembly line 1911 will require reliability work to be a carry gun. So I quit feeling sorry for myself, accepted the fact that I want to carry a 1911, and sent it in for reliability work/tuning. It cost a few hundred dollars, but I want to carry my 1911 with confidence. I could've just started carrying something else, and I do carry a G30 sometimes, but I love the 1911 platform. It's like a fine pocketwatch. But to get the best of both worlds, i.e. a 1911 that is reliable, you have to spend some cash.

I have read a hundred times on the internet about how so-and-so's 1911 ran "flawlessly". I am unphased by such claims. I cannot carry a sidearm that I expect to malfunction, as is the case with so many 1911's before they have basic work performed including:

Correct and polish breechface
Tune the extractor
Ramp and throat the barrel
Lower and flare the ejection port (most already have this done)

Reading things like "200 rounds flawlessly" makes me laugh. It means nothing other than you had fun at the range. It's when you're not at the range shooting WWB 230 gr that you need it to work.

 

[Too_Pure]

These are the cheap ones that need a few hundred to run right?

It was a direct answer to a direct question. What don't you understand?

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

I have never really understood the argument for 1911's being "thin".

Yes, the slide is thin, but the slide is not the part you need to conceal - its it the handle that sticks out of your holster, and the grip of most any 1911 is just as fat, if not fatter in than the grips of the polymer autos.

I don't see any carry advantage at all between the two categories, provided similar frame size or barrel length. Perhaps one of the wise 1911 gurus will explain it.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

It was a direct answer to a direct question. What don't you understand?

No need to get snippy.

What I don't understand is how your experience with two 1911s translates to your generalization that you can't get a good 1911 on the cheap. You also stated the 1911s he listed "are not great" and yet they were absent from the list of cheap 1911s you have experience with. I'm wondering what you have to support your claim.

 

[mavracer]

But my own 1911 had a lot of little failures. It took a long time, but I finally came to accept that a production assembly line 1911 will require reliability work to be a carry gun. So I quit feeling sorry for myself, accepted the fact that I want to carry a 1911, and sent it in for reliability work/tuning. It cost a few hundred dollars, but I want to carry my 1911 with confidence.

It's a dang shame you feel that way after less than a year of gun ownership.
Both Colt and Springfield have great customer service and if they don't run they'll fix it.

Correct and polish breechface: BS it doesn't need polished and corrections should be handled by the factory.

Tune the extractor: Try again I've seen properly built 1911s run without an extractor.

Ramp and throat the barrel: people parroting this is more often than not why they don't feed, cause somebody screws up the ramp angles with a dremel.My bone stock 1911A1 colt repo hasen't been touched and not only will it feed any bullet profile it feeds empty cases.

Lower and flare the ejection port: that only helps to keep from dinging brass for reloading. remember a 40+ year old 1911A1 with the small GI port is the only gun that passed the early 80s US trials torture test.

 

[vail2073]

For me, its never been a question as to whether the 1911 is a good weapon or not. Its never been a question of whether its a great ccw weapon or not either. For me, its always been a question of "will the person carrying that 1911 remember to disengage the safety when drawing the pistol"? I am one of the lucky few that has had the privilege of carrying the 1911 into combat ops. I can say with utmost confidence that a properly manufactured, tested, and lubed 1911 will go bang every time.

With that said, there is a reason why so many SF units have moved away from the M1911 and moved on to other manufacturers such as Sig and HK and even Glock. It is because many of the units feel that the safety is a liability. My units went through thousands of rounds and drills to ensure that we remembered to disengage the safety. So much so that it was muscle memory. I am pretty confident to say that many of the people who holster 1911's don't have anywhere near as much practice as we had. So, I can tell you that even though the 1911 is pretty and accurate and reliable to an extent, it does have its downfalls.

And, in case anyone is curious, the M1911A1 was never "retired" from military service. It WAS replaced as the standard issue sidearm. The M1911A1 is still issued to specific military units including Marine Force Recon, Seal Teams, Delta has the option to carry it, Coast Guard units have the option to carry it too. Though, many of these units have moved on to Sig P226's, P229's, P220's and HK's. Some Green Beret units prefer to issue Glock. Pilots have the option of Glock 19's in some branches.

 

[Too_Pure]

No need to get snippy.

What I don't understand is how your experience with two 1911s translates to your generalization that you can't get a good 1911 on the cheap. You also stated the 1911s he listed "are not great" and yet they were absent from the list of cheap 1911s you have experience with. I'm wondering what you have to support your claim.

Redundant questions annoy me.

ATI and RIA are known low end 1911s. In the 1911 world you get what you pay for. I've paid enough on assembly line 1911s to know what to expect. I am not inclined to try again.

So far all you've done in this thread is argue with me. I've said my piece and supported it as best I can, based on my observation and experience. The OP asked. I gave my answer.

Now, friend, I will end this particular conversation because I have nothing left to say.

 

[Gunner442]

I'd pick a poly gun. No slam against the 1911, but is seems many have to be fluffed and bufffed and tweaked to get it to "run right"... A crappy 1911 ( Auto Ordnance) pushed me away from the 1911 platforms and to a Glock 21...HK45 and USP 45( Variant One has a decocker and a manual safety) are worth looking at.

 

[SnowBlaZeR2]

Redundant questions annoy me.

ATI and RIA are known low end 1911s. In the 1911 world you get what you pay for. I've paid enough on assembly line 1911s to know what to expect. I am not inclined to try again.

So far all you've done in this thread is argue with me. I've said my piece and supported it as best I can, based on my observation and experience. The OP asked. I gave my answer.

Now, friend, I will end this particular conversation because I have nothing left to say.

People who speak to things they have no experience with annoy me.

I'll be as direct as possible so as not to be redundant. Do you have any experience with ATI, RIA or anything other than the two you listed as your "experience" with cheap 1911s. If not, I don't see how you came to the conclusion you did, and it's a disservice to say something like that without the experience to support it. If you have, maybe you can elaborate on your opinions a little further.

 

[marine 97-03]

I own an ati fx gi 4.25 in and it runs flawless 475$ I love it

 

[VP]

I'm not throwing in a vote, but reading this thread made me dizzy.....

 

[Too_Pure]

It's a dang shame you feel that way after less than a year of gun ownership.
Both Colt and Springfield have great customer service and if they don't run they'll fix it.

I don't want to bother with shipping it back.

Correct and polish breechface: BS it doesn't need polished and corrections should be handled by the factory.

Again, they had their chance.

Tune the extractor: Try again I've seen properly built 1911s run without an extractor.

I haven't and I wouldn't.

Ramp and throat the barrel: people parroting this is more often than not why they don't feed, cause somebody screws up the ramp angles with a dremel.My bone stock 1911A1 colt repo hasen't been touched and not only will it feed any bullet profile it feeds empty cases.

What does feeding empty cases prove? Don't answer. Hypothetical.

Lower and flare the ejection port: that only helps to keep from dinging brass for reloading. remember a 40+ year old 1911A1 with the small GI port is the only gun that passed the early 80s US trials torture test.

Actually helps prevent stove pipes.

I don't know why Colts custom shop charges around 800 bucks to do these things (among others that truly aren't necessary like checkering) if it's all such a waste.

It boils down to this... The OP asked and I answered. You disagree. Fine. You trust your life to your 1911 and I'll trust my life to mine, but bickering with a stranger on the Internet is not worth the time.

Best of luck to you.