1911 Unreliable?

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As far as ammo goes, my 1911s shoot mostly my handloads with cast 200gr SWCs. I get a malfunction a couple times in a thousand rounds (maybe). I attribute this to my own less than absolute QC (I've only been loading for about three years, at about 1000-2000 rounds per year).

When I practice with my carry rounds (factor JHPs) I get 100% reliability.

1911s aren't unreliable, Kimbers are.
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Of the 25-ish (and counting) 1911s I've owned so far, Kimber is the only manufacturer I can say has never given me any troubles. I currently own four.
 
orionengnr said:
Of the 25-ish (and counting) 1911s I've owned so far, Kimber is the only manufacturer I can say has never given me any troubles. I currently own four.
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Of the 100+ I've owned, carried or fired, almost all of those manufacturers gave me troubles at some point, including Kimbers. 9 times out of 10, the problem was fixed with a Wilson mag. I've only sold one gun in my life, and that was my Warrior. I just got tired of dealing with the gun and the company. Maybe someday I'll test the waters again, but that's not going to happen until someone else lets me down.
 
1911Tuner said:
I do have wadcutter magazines for range use. I cast and shoot 200 grain SWCs almost exclusively on the range.

All the range mags are 7 rounders with the standard steel follower, complete with the speed bump on top and driven by Wolff 11-pound springs. That bump is important, along with enough spring tension.

My carry magazines are 7-rounders, also with the standard followers with the bump on top...also driven by Wolff 11-pound springs. The feed lips are the "hybrid" type...with the gradual taper of the USGI "Hardball" magazine and a slightly later, less abrupt timed release point. A "hybrid" that provides the best of both worlds that works equally well with hardball's 1.260-1.275 inch overall length...or hollowpoint's typical 1.200-1.225 length. They also work well with the Hensley & Gibbs #68 200 SWC at 1.235-1.250 inch OAL.

My carry ammo? Hardball.
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Thank you for answering my question, just one more question. Why do you say some mags will make the extractor lose tension? I don't understand.

Checkmate/Colt are your recommended mags, right?

I have several Colt hybrid mags and have been satisfied, but also own Chip power mags and they seem to work good as well. Please elaborate.
 
I've never found 1911's to be anywhere even remotely resembling unreliable. The two I currently own have both run flawlessly out of the box and they are both relatively inexpensive models.
 
BluedRevolver said:
I want to be convinced to get another 1911, but I have problems trusting them. I know so many people with them that just aren't reliable, and my Springer Loaded wasn't reliable. I see more and more people, both on the internet and in person, say the 1911 isn't as reliable as modern designs.

Convince me the 1911 is reliable enough for self defense. I like them, I just lack confidence in them but I love a steel framed .45
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Historically 1911's were never all that reliable, they always required the attentions of a competent gunsmith to make them reliable....Nonetheless, they remain an iconic firearm worthy of great respect, one that can reach greatness with that little extra from certain gunsmiths...

BTW, Springfield Armory 1911's are lower tier productions, I've seen example after example of defective crap delivered to market by that company, particularly the so-called "loaded" models....
 
HKGuns said:
I've never found 1911's to be anywhere even remotely resembling unreliable. The two I currently own have both run flawlessly out of the box and they are both relatively inexpensive models.
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Well I've been shooting 1911's for a hell of a long time, and once upon a time they were all unreliable as they came from the box, everyone of them! Frankly, for every WWII vet singing their praise, you could find a half dozen or more who cursed them, preferring the S&W revolver especially in the pacific theatre...
 
I've read the manual that came with my Remington R1 1911 and I can't find anywhere that it says it wont work out of the box.

Been more than happy with it. Its handled everything I have shot through it using the Remington, after market, Colt, and Wilson mags.

Guess it a personal decision whether or not to carry a 1911. So far I've owned three Colts and my current Remington. All of them were/are very reliable.
 
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I have a Springfield 1911 Loaded model and have never had an issue with it cycling. However, I have had problems with three point jams at the chamber mouth when loading the first round out of the magazine. Doesn't always happen but frustrating when it does. Releasing the magazine will free the jam and allow the cartridge to feed into the chamber.
 
A point that so many Glock pundits don't consider is that Gaston's toy is essentially a 1911 copy.
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I've always said Glocks and 1911's have far more in common than any other 2 pistol types. They are my two prefered pistols and I don't see why so many guys seem to love one and hate the other.

Of the 1911's I currently own I'd trust them to be as reliable as anything made. But I've seen too many others choke and not work. Including some I've owned in the past. It is not the design, but the workmanship on individual guns. Done right, the 1911 is a fine gun. But if I had to pick up a random gun of unknown reliabilty and defend myself, and had a choice between Glock and 1911, I'd not hesitate to pick up the Glock.
 
4 of the staff just got back from a Gunsite 250 course that focused on the 1911, it being the centennial and all.
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Bet you had fun and are worn out!
 
Excellent Glock review, really liked the shook the play sand out, wiped the mud off, drained the water out, ejected the live round that didn't fire, slapped it into battery and it just worked parts. Safe handling too.

All that video showed me is that Glocks aren't reliable when filled with "sand" and potting soil. Yes, there is a difference between Miracle Grow and Georgia Clay with a bit a rain mixed in. Yes he dropped it from a plane, into a freshly tilled cornfield. Torture test does not equal reliability test. I'm always amazed that the Internet allows people to draw conclusions about firearms based on garbage. Impressive? Sure, seen the same from M&Ps, Rugers and XDs on TV (save the plane drop).

We would have been better served with a simple video (unedited) of it shooting thousands of rounds. The rest could have been performed with a feather which would also have survived those "tortures" and never failed to tickle.

What else you got that proves 1911s are unreliable? That is after all the topic being discussed.
 
Skylerbone said:
Excellent Glock review, really liked the shook the play sand out, wiped the mud off, drained the water out, ejected the live round that didn't fire, slapped it into battery and it just worked parts. Safe handling too.

All that video showed me is that Glocks aren't reliable when filled with "sand" and potting soil. Yes, there is a difference between Miracle Grow and Georgia Clay with a bit a rain mixed in. Yes he dropped it from a plane, into a freshly tilled cornfield. Torture test does not equal reliability test. I'm always amazed that the Internet allows people to draw conclusions about firearms based on garbage. Impressive? Sure, seen the same from M&Ps, Rugers and XDs on TV (save the plane drop).

We would have been better served with a simple video (unedited) of it shooting thousands of rounds. The rest could have been performed with a feather which would also have survived those "tortures" and never failed to tickle.

What else you got that proves 1911s are unreliable? That is after all the topic being discussed.
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Rangemaster told me not to shoot reloads in Glock because it can destroy the Glock and he has seen it happen a few times.:confused::eek:
 
Remember that all Glocks are made by one company. If I had to choose a gun to trust my life to out of the box it would be an Ed Btown or Wilson 1911. The maker is as important as the design. If Jennings made a Glock clone would they be as reliable?
 
Why do you say some mags will make the extractor lose tension? I don't understand.
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Quite simple, really. First, I'll tell a short story about me and a friend of mine who finally saw the light.

Pre-Series 80 Colt Combat Commander, circa 1975 in LN condition. 500 rounds in, the OEM extractor snapped the hook flush with the breechface. Colt ships a new one....Series 80 type. Unknown round count later...snap. Colt ships a new one and advises him to look for the cause. Unknown round count later...snap again.

He calls me. Brings the gun over. Lo and behold...there they is. A half-dozen Shooting Stars in the range kit. I set him up with a new extractor and loan him 10 of my magazines. 3 months and 2500 rounds later, the extractor is still cookin'.

The explanation:

When a round...usually the last round...jumps the magazine and is chambered ahead of the extractor, sometimes the gun fails to go to battery and sometimes the claw climbs the rim and gives no indication that it's actually malfunctioning. The extractor wasn't designed to do that...so it imposes abnormal stresses on it...not only in total deflection, but impact. The older, spring-tempered extractors would tolerate it much better, but the newer ones are more unyielding...and they either lose tension or break.

To repeat:

Just because the gun is functioning is no guarantee that it's functioning correctly. The 1911 operates on the controlled feed principle. That silly little bump on the follower is there to help insure that it does that on the last round when spring tension is at a minimum.
 
I've had very poor luck with three of them, one of which was a Colt. (The other two were a Para-Ordnance and a Sig, which some might argue aren't real 1911s. ;)) I don't blame this on the design, but on poor manufacturing and quality control techniques. Some day I will get another, as - when they functioned - I haven't seen any other handgun with its combination of speed into action and accuracy. Too bad .45 Auto isn't a ten-spot for a box any more. :(
 
Research COLT 1991A1. Go shoot a COLT 1991A1. Find a black parkerized version if you can. If you still do not want one after that, get a Sig P220 or a S&W 645. You can trust all three of these all steel .45s with any ammo. Good Luck.
 
Why do the gLoCk fan boy's insist on littering every thread with their garbage?

Seriously, this is beyond old. This is a 1911 thread, not a gLoCk thread, quit crapping on every thread with your high school gLoCk crap. Go to GT if you want every thread to be about gLoCk.

There is ZERO reason to post anything about gLoCk in this thread. Stay on topic. Do you see others posting HK, M&P, S&W or other such links? No, you don't.

Looks like I have some additions to my ignore list.
 
HK...Ease up there, lad. :D

I actually like for the Glockers to invade and try to hijack the 1911 threads. It provides me with the opportunity to enlighten'em to the fact that there's more 1911 in their Glocks than they'd care to know.
 
@Skylerbone - Oh, I wasn't claiming that 1911's are inherently unreliable either. Just answering the question re: airplanes and Glocks.

I just bought a Glock 19 and a Springfield EMP. Both have had problems. :p
 
Errr, HKguns, if you are going to go off on someone about G links why not make a specific reference? Tourettes?
 
It should be more than obvious if you read the thread jackpine.

HK...Ease up there, lad. :D I actually like for the Glockers to invade and try to hijack the 1911 threads. It provides me with the opportunity to enlighten'em to the fact that there's more 1911 in their Glocks than they'd care to know.
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Yes.
 
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