1911A1 vs. Glock 21

[RevolvingCylinder]

I disagree. My full size 1911's don't have any more "muzzle flip" than a Glock 21.

I'll have to agree with sturm. Due to the (subjective)poor ergonomics of Glock's pistols, there seems to be much more muzzle rise and subjective recoil than with a M1911A1 clone in my hands.

Both will be reliable if quality made and properly maintained. The largest difference is feel and style. Shooting all three examples("stock" M1911A1, modified M1911A1, and Glock Model 21) is the only way to make the correct choice.

 

[teknoid]

All I'll say is that if someone gave me a Glock, I'd trade it in a second for a 1911 from any reputable manufacturer. They may be a fine gun, but it fells like a brick in my hand.

As for durability, I can't believe anyone would question the 1911 design. It has gone through a very long "real world" test that the Glock hasn't. I'd say it passed with flying colors.

 

[-gunut-]

Biggest difference is recoil and muzzle flip.A Glock has much less than a 1911.the wider Glock frame makes the gun much easier to control while shooting.I grew up shooting a Remington-Rand M1911A1 and I prefer a Glock 21.

I have to disagree. I find I can get back on target MUCH faster with a 1911 and I find the 1911 is more of a pleasure to shoot (grip angle of the glock jolt my hands more than other .45 pistols with a 1911 style grip angle). That is just me though.

 

[Dgindlesperger]

Got to say the same 1911, no flip and on target every time !!!! Go out to a IPSC shoot and count the 1911's to clock ratio.

 

[Cousin Mike]

I wonder how many...

...of the guys who say that Glocks are easier to control have ever shot a nice 1911. I personally don't care for GI's (learned that the hard way)... they hurt my hands, and muzzle flip is definitely more noticeable. Flatten that MSH and slap in a beavertail, and you've got one of the softest shooting .45s available.

 

[whatbrick]

I've shot a nice 1911...a very nice one in fact with all the bells and whistles. It was an accurate firearm that felt nice in my hands and wasn't hard to control at all. However, my nearly stock Glock 21 was easier to control and felt recoil was less than the 1911.

Glocks just fit some people better.

 

[Alphazulu6]

Reliability = GLOCK
Accuracy = 1911

The choice is yours..........................................

Keep in mind the handgun you're slandering has served our military for almost 100 years. That's unprecedented. Our military doesn't keep going back to it because it looks cool.

GLOCK GLOCK and um... yep GLOCK. Reliability for a 1911 was a nightmare in the service... and just because it is or has been in the service does not mean it is some kind of elite. Just look at the M16 or M9 and then close your eyes and think of all the better weaponsystems available for military organizations... yep probably not thinking of the M16/M9 anymore are you? I for one always drooled over the Operators or Blackwater agents weaponsystems in Iraq (usually HK).

And anyone that has served in the Service during those 1911 periods would contest to the upkeep that they require to stay functional. It is not for those who could not perform some serious maintenance on their firearms with ease.. Every 1911 owner becomes a gunsmith not always by choice... haha

The Glock on the otherhand needs really nothing but a little breaking in, love, and lubricant (same as any woman) Hrm... Lubricant

Please do not bore me with your 1911 resurrection stories of how grand it was and not submit the shortcommings. I own one too and love it, but it is what it is and my statement earlier stands. Technology has gotten so much better and I for one will use it and hope that it just keeps getting better!

...of the guys who say that Glocks are easier to control have ever shot a nice 1911.

And for accuracy and feel/comfort the Kimber or Wilson Combat is AWESOME! You cannot beat the feel of a sweet 1911. But for reliability and functionability... my vote and the statistics for dependability and defense are on Glock.

Here is a picture in case you forgot what it looked like!

Just had to throw some fuel on the fire!
Take Care!!!

 

[Kevin108]

I think both are great guns.

Glock triggers leave a little to be desired. I swapped mine out for factory 3½ lb connectors and Glockmeister springs to give them a light, consistent trigger pull.

The trigger on my SA GI feels much better, at least for the first hundred rounds. After that it gets gritty feeling.

I own and carry both. I trust my Glocks a lot more as both have never had any type of failure. The 1911 hasn't been quite as reliable but the more I shoot it the better it seems to get.

 

[Geno]

Buy a 1911A1 and never look back! I have never owned the G21, but I have fired close to 1,000 rounds through one that I rented over a couple of days. No good comparison. I would take the SA XD-45ACP before the G21. Different thread.

Get a 1911...Colt.

 

[Gunsnrovers]

Time to bring this back:

 

[silversport]

I have owned both...if you want a pistol, built like a tank, needs VERY little care to keep running, need/want high capacity and feel comfortable with the grip...GLOCK is hard to beat...I am 46 today...the 1911A1 is a pistol I had wanted since I was a kid (probably from all the WWII shows as a kid...Combat, Rat Patrol...)...I have never felt a pistol that feels so natural in my hand...mine are very accurate shooters...flat and pretty east to conceal...but in my opinion...they require more care and far more than any GLOCK...I carry a 1911A1 to protect my life currently but I have done the same with the GLOCK 21 in the past...and the SIG P220 before that...and...and...
Bill

 

[Aces]

"Ask and you shall recieve".
Maybe I should soak my Springers in a bucket of water, they might run then?

 

[tbreed725]

i have both both are good weapons i carry the 1911 by far the most the glock goes with me on hunting trips more than anything.
http://www.theprepared.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Item
this is an interesting post that i found awhile back and makes for some interesting reading.

 

[sturmgewehr]

And anyone that has served in the Service during those 1911 periods would contest to the upkeep that they require to stay functional. It is not for those who could not perform some serious maintenance on their firearms with ease.. Every 1911 owner becomes a gunsmith not always by choice... haha

I did serve in the USMC (0311) during those transitional years and I was issued both a 1911 and a M9. I preferred the 1911 at the time and mine was superbly reliable, it's what made me fall in love with the design.

The 1911's that were issued during our life time and while we were in service were built in the 1940's. They had been in service for almost 50 years by the time I handled them, some were built even earlier. That's right, they were 50 year old handguns that had been subjected to harsh military use the entire time and yes - many were worse for wear. It's a grand testament to the design that the 1911's lasted so long without major failures and could be kept in service. The Glock hasn't been around long enough to have endured a similar test.

You're acting as though no modern military units or police SRT teams have adopted the 1911 over other designs. This may be news to you then.

The Marine MEU's have adopted the 1911 as the MEU(SOC). Force Recon has adopted the MEU(SOC) as well. Delta Force has adopted the 1911. LA SWAT issues the 1911 as does the FBI Hostage Rescue Team. Actually, there are LOTS of police departments that issue 1911's over other design, some to their SWAT teams and others to patrol officers.

Just because the Glock is relatively new doesn't mean it's more advanced in operation than the 1911 or any other handgun. The Glock's lock-up is derived from John Brownings work, the only thing remarkable about the Glock is the polymer frame, which they didn't really pioneer either, they just made it popular.

With all of that said, I'm a huge Glock fan. I own them, shoot them quite well and defend them in arguments often. I even do things to them like in the video on the first page of this thread to demonstrate their reliability. I'm by no means a Glock basher. But you can appreciate both designs without having to pick sides. I defend the 1911 as feverishly as I defend the Glock.

 

[kellyj00]

Got my SA 1911 Mil spec a year before I got my Glock 21.
The glock 21 didn't feel anything like a 1911, it felt like a GLOCK....glock's feel like glocks and shoot like glocks, no question about that.

After getting a compensated 400 corbon barrel, a ghost link trigger and 10 high-capacity magazines, the glock still wasn't as much fun as my good old SA 1911.

I sold the Glock (with all the goodies) for $400 after a year or so. It just wasn't particularly fun to shoot. It was also quite hard to sell at that price locally.... even with $900 into it.

All this stuff about Glocks being better due to reliability or length of wear...etc, I'm not feeling that. My 1911 has been re-blued about 4 times, I've taken it down and replaced springs and I keep it oiled....and it's never failed to function properly. This is my experience, your's may vary.

I've still got the 1911, and the Glock is long gone....and I've never really missed it. Also note, I've shot the 40 caliber ported version, the g17, the 40 caliber non-ported and obviously the g21 in both 45acp and 400 corbon, and I've gotta say that they all feel about the same....

g17 doesn't feel as good as the cz75 or the baretta 92
g21 doesn't feel as good as the 1911.

but that's just feel. ALL of the above are very reliable pistols if properly maintained, but I've heard you can run a glock over with a tank and run it through a forge and it still fires. Haven't seen this, just heard about it. Also, I've heard that you can sharpen a knife with the tenifer finish on a Glock...but I saw a g17 of a friends recently that was all scuffed along the top rails where *someone* had done just that....it ruined the finish...maybe he was sharpening rocks with it, who knows...but it still looked pretty bad. Doesn't affect how it shoots.

 

[kellyj00]

Here's an IDEA...check out the SA XD 45 in 4"! You may just love it.

 

[rino451]

Regarding the DA/SA nonsense. The most important characteristic of DA is the ability to cock and drop the hammer again with a single trigger pull. I don't care if there are three steps in the action to achieve that. Try that with a Glock. That said, there's no question that a Glock IS NOT DA. What you do call it, however, might be up for debate.

Regarding the original question... Hm. I like my Glocks. I did try a 1911. NICE trigger. Couldn't hit crap with it (all me I'm sure) and the weight was noticeable. Frankly, the 1911's appear to have too many parts just to go bang if you ask me. There's something (dare I use the word in reference to the Glock) elegant about being able to accomplish the same thing with, what, half the number of parts.

 

[sturmgewehr]

Regarding the DA/SA nonsense. The most important characteristic of DA is the ability to cock and drop the hammer again with a single trigger pull. I don't care if there are three steps in the action to achieve that. Try that with a Glock. That said, there's no question that a Glock IS NOT DA. What you do call it, however, might be up for debate.

Exactly.

 

[stormyone]

I remember some guy on some forum explaining that he would pick a steel 1911 over a polymer Glock because if you threw the Glock on a hot grill (along with some burgers and dogs presumably), the Glock would melt...... while the steel 1911 would probably not melt except for the inner springs and such.



Good times.... good times...

 

[TimboKhan]

I remember some guy on some forum explaining that he would pick a steel 1911 over a polymer Glock because if you threw the Glock on a hot grill (along with some burgers and dogs presumably), the Glock would melt...... while the steel 1911 would probably not melt except for the inner springs and such.

What do you mean, "on some forum"? That argument has happened in THIS forum! It's actually one of the very first threads I posted in when I joined THR...

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=2042091#post2042091