1911's - are they THAT finicky?

[Triggernosis]

I mentioned to a friend of mine, who is a pistol and CC instructor, that I was interested in getting myself a 1911. He proceeded to tell me how finicky they are and how most need some work in order to be reliable with hollow-point ammo.
Are 1911's generally that persnickety?

 

[ColtPythonElite]

No

 

[AJC1]

Early versions only handed round ball ammo well until the feed ramp was changed. No issues on my kimber.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

"1911s are jam-o-matics" is the mythical internet expert counterpoint to "a .45 will blow yer dang leg off iffin you get shot in the toe"

Hearing either of those is a sure sign you can ignore anything further the person that said it offers as advice.

The guy might be your friend, but you need to find an instructor that knows what the heck he is talking about.

Counter point to my counterpoint: I once had a fine chat with the nice gentlemen that run the DPS range here in Texas. They told me the two guns they see go down the most often are 1911s and Glocks. Of course, that's just because those are the two guns they see the most of.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Not if you buy a decent one and use quality ammo.

Though my experience is limited.

 

[earlthegoat2]

No

Simple and succinct.

I am of the opinion that for a variety of reasons, and very few of them having to do with mechanical errors in 1911s, many problems are user induced. Just one example: Many first time handgun owners buy 1911s and have no idea how to shoot a handgun.

 

[AJC1]

Simple and succinct.

I am of the opinion that for a variety of reasons, and very few of them having to do with mechanical errors in 1911s, many problems are user induced. Just one example: Many first time handgun owners buy 1911s and have no idea how to shoot a handgun.

In my experience worn or junk magazines cause more issues than anything

 

[Targa]

Exactly AJC1. I have a Colt Government model, two of the Colt mags that came with it caused problems, once I swapped them out for Wilson Combat mags, the problems ended.

 

[Tallball]

I have had half a dozen or so. One was a factory lemon and now works fine after a couple of trips back to the factory. The others have been perfectly reliable.

Admittedly, I shoot them with ball the majority of the time.

 

[Balrog]

I would say that as a whole, 1911s are more finicky than some other guns because there is much more variation in the 1911.

The further you stray from a full size 1911, the more likely you are to have problems. The lower the quality of your parts, the more likely you are to have problems. The less skilled the labor, the more likely you are to have problems. The more someone has mucked around with the gun before you get it, the more likely you are to have problems.

A basic manufacturing concept is that the less variability there is in your manufacturing process, the more consistent your product will be. With so many manufacturers making so many variations of the 1911 with so much variability in parts quality and labor skill, then, of course, when taken as a whole, 1911s are much more variable than say a Glock or a Sig, and therefore as a whole are more likely to have problems than those brands.

Now, for a good manufacturer, building a 1911 to correct specs, with correct parts, and with skilled labor, then the 1911 will be on par with other guns built with the same attention to detail.

I have owned way to many 1911s over the years of various brands and quality, and I would guess that 15% of them were not 100% reliable out of the box.

 

[Rudolph31]

As others have said, magazines are the weakest link in any autoloader. For some reason, I’ve had more trouble with 1911 mags than any other. Probably because there are so many crappy 1911 magazines floating around. The 8 round Colt mags that came with my latest gun work well, as do the Wilsons. Those Sarco bargain mags are useful for jam clearing practice.

 

[M1key]

Today? Probably not. Many years ago? yes. Especially 38 Super, IMO. But what do I know. I haven't owned one for over 20 years. I've had some and seen problems others have had: extractors, ejectors, magazines, poorly done triggers by "custom shops".

M

 

[Balrog]

As others have said, magazines are the weakest link in any autoloader. For some reason, I’ve had more trouble with 1911 mags than any other. Probably because there are so many crappy 1911 magazines floating around. The 8 round Colt mags that came with my latest gun work well, as do the Wilsons. Those Sarco bargain mags are useful for jam clearing practice.

Cheap mags can be a problem, but that is easy to fix by getting new mags. The biggest problem I have had with 1911s themselves has been the extractor.

 

[94045]

Decided to inventory what I actually still shoot and own and give a more current review.

 

[drband]

I find newer 1911s to be as reliable as any other semiautomatic pistol of recent vintage. I like the fact that I can customize one to my heart's content. They are a tinkerer's dream, assuming you have some skills and know your limitations.

 

[JR24]

No.

In fact my 9mm 1911 (the most finnicky according to the internet) is less ammo picky than a few of my Glocks.

There are some things to learn and know about the 1911 to keep it going right, good magazines and how to tension the extractor* come to mind. Also keeping an eye on round counts and replacing springs on time is useful, and a bit more involved than Glocks or Sigs or whatnot.

*Extremely easy to do once you read/YouTube and some do come with too tight or loose extractors.

 

[bannockburn]

Triggernosis

Are 1911's generally that persnickety?

In my overall experience...no, not really. Had a Gold Cup that was very fussy about ammo but once I found the right load with the right bullet shape and weight, it really delivered in the accuracy department! Which was what it was designed to do in the first place. I have had some older 1911s that needed new barrels, springs, and parts in general but nothing I couldn't fix and make it right. And like others have already touched on, a great (that is reliable), 1911 mag is nearly worth it's weight in gold.

Oh and something else...you hear sometimes about 1911s with short barrels (typically between 3" and 4"), that they're usually troublesome and difficult to get them to work right. Well I have had a number of Colt Officer's ACPs and a Colt New Agent and all of them have been just fine with no reliability problems to report. I think it's because I mainly run reduced loads and lighter weight bullets,185 gr. or 200 gr., through the shorter barrel guns, instead of the usual 230 gr. FMJ. It does seem to lessen the felt recoil and muzzle flip and I believe it cuts down on the long term wear and tear of these smaller 1911s.

 

[AK103K]

It all depends on what you have.

I've had more than a few that flat out sucked. I still have one I carried daily for over 10 years.

The only way to know what you have, is buy it and see. Personally, I think you should be able to pick a random gun off the shelf, load the mag, and be able to trust it enough to put it in your holster.

Historically for me, that hasn't been the 1911's.

 

[TomJ]

I have a Dan Wesson Guardian and Eco, both 9mm. I use Wilson Combat and Dan Wesson mags and don't remember either one having a malfunction.

 

[94045]

S70 LW Commander .38 Super
Check-Mate 9-Round Mag

S70 Combat Commander .45 ACP
Check-Mate 7-Round Mag

Kimber Custom Target .45 ACP
Check-Mate 7-Round Mag

Kimber Custom GFO SHOT Special ('19) .45 ACP
Kimber OEM KimPro Tac 8-Round and Ed Brown 8-Round

Kimber Compact CDP II (LW Officer's Frame + 4" Slide)
Wilson 47OXC (7) and 47DOX (8) Mag

Les Baer Premier II .45 ACP
Check-Mate 7-Round
(Recently traded on .404 Jeffery Rifle)

Dan Wesson Valor .45 ACP
Check-Mate 7-Round


S70 Combat Commander .45 ACP originally needed extractor tune and throating to feed Speer Flying Ashtrays.

Besides that they break an occasional small part or extractor and may need extractor tuned occasionally (thousands of rounds).

That's my 1911 horror story.

PS I usually get my Checkmates from Joe's Magmania and a bunch of Ed Brown's on the $10 Mag Exchange Deal (Had a bunch of junk mags).

 

[Pat Riot]

It’s been my experience with 1911s, in most cases, you get what you pay for and that definitely goes for the magazines as well.
Buy one made for competition or from a reliable maker you are probably going to have a decent 1911. When you go low budget you get low budget.
One thing I have learned, if the guy selling you a gun, 1911 or otherwise, and he starts telling you what you need to do to “slick it up” that is a good sign you probably aren’t getting what you are hoping for.

My 2 cents.

 

[Waterboy3313]

Keep it clean, well lubricated and clean. Did I forget to mention keep it clean and lubricated? My biggest problem with my Kimber has been extractor getting dirty. Probably from my dirty reloads. The 1911 also likes to have plenty of lubrication. I just started using a little bit of gun grease on the slide rails. I've also made it a habit of removing the extractor and cleaning very thorough after about every other trip to the range. Since these changes it's been trouble free.

 

[Riomouse911]

I personally haven't had any reliability issues with my 1911's in .45 ACP, a 5" SA Loaded 1911, a Ruger SR 1911 "Commander" and a 6" long-slide .45 Super SA V-16...and formerly a 5" Armscor (Charles Daly) 1911 that I had for a while then sold to by the SA Loaded.

The last 1911 that I saw with genuine issues was a few months ago. It was a very pricy STI 1911 9mm. The guy bought it and didn't shoot more than 100 rounds through it before trying to qualify with it. Sadly, it started jamming regularly. Swapped mags, I tried it myself to see if it was the shooter, re-lubed the gun, no luck. That gun was so tightly built I believe it needed a good 500 (or more) rounds through it to fully seat everything and put the parts into harmony to become reliable. It wasn't reliable in the least when we were at the range, so he went home with a very expensive paperweight and a duty-issued GLOCK 19 and a holster.

This last tale (true in my case) may be what your buddy was talking about. SOME 1911s, like SOME other makes and models of auto pistols, may need a bit of a break-in before they settle down and are 100% reliable. But as a rule I've found 1911 pistols to be just as reliable as anything else I own.

As with most gun-owner opinions; listen, evaluate, verify... but don't take as gospel. For every ten Fill in the blank __________ pistol lovers there are at least five Fill in the blank ____________detractors.

Stay safe.

 

[mgmorden]

Newer ones aren't specifically finicky with hollow points - if they're finicky they tend to be finicky with all ammo. FWIW, I've got an expensive STI DVC Limited (basically a double-stack 1911) that has been 100% reliable for thousands of rounds. Literally not one hiccup. I've also got an STI Spartan (much cheaper straight-forward 1911 that's actually made by Rock Island Armory) and though it's reliable now, it didn't start out that way. I had to fit a new extractor to get it to totally reliable. Prior to that with the factory extractor it'd jam once every 2 to 3 magazines (this was with high quality Wilson Combat mags).

Personally I will say that if I was going to grab a gun straight from the factory to bet my life on, I'd take any modern day plastic fantastic striker fired gun before a 1911. That said, if your'e willing to put in the time to get one, verify that it's working right, and tweak it IF needed, then there's nothing on the same level as a 1911. They are just a joy to shoot.

Also they take a little more oiling than something like a Glock. A custom 1911 pistolsmith once told me "If the oil isn't splashing you in the face every time it cycles you're not using enough.". A bit of an exaggeration yes, but there's still a kernel of truth to it .

 

[jmorris]

Often it as easy as finding the right magazine or one the particular 1911 likes.

I use empty brass like this.



Once you can feed and chamber empty cases, HP’s are not a problem.