1911's scare me...heres why

[phantomak47]

I have always wanted a 1911, but everytime I go through the motions looking into a particular firearm, I get scared off here is why.

I have a sig 226 in 9mm and I love it very much. I know that if I go with a Sig,Glock,HK,Beretta...Ect, Ect. I pretty much know what I am going to get.

But when I look into 1911's I find that there are a lot of problems with the majority of models.

Kimbers are so mixed with problems and no problems, I just cant fork the cash over to get them, even if the lapd and marines use them.

Paras have the same the same love hate mixed reviews

I know that all guns have their flaws, but so many bad reviews about 1911s.

 

[kbr80]

Bad reviews, you will find them on any firearm. You dont have to spend mega bucks to get a good 1911. Try, go look at Springfield Armory, WW2 SA can be found for under $500. Kahr/Auto Ordnance 1911 can be had at under $450, and then there is Rock Island Armory, if you look you can find them under $400. All are good, solid 1911's, and you will find, do a search on here or the 1911 forums, good reviews on all three that I spoke of.

 

[Exposure]

I know that all guns have their flaws, but so many bad reviews about 1911s.

Go to the range and rent a few different ones, then see if you can find anything "bad" about them.

There is a good reason the 1911 has been the choice of people around the entire WORLD for almost 100 years.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I must be the luckiest guy in the world. I have 3 Colts (from various periods spanning 20 years), 3 Paras, and 1 Kimber. Haven't had issues with any of them. I changed some parts (grip safety, thumb safety, and sights on my Colts), but other than fresh recoil springs, they're pretty much stock.

I think, and this was has been pointed out before, people use these forums to help them troubleshoot. You see very little of people singing praises to their particular gun. Why? b/c those threads are downright boring.

Open a thread saying that you're having a problem with this or that, then others find that interesting.

Now, I will grant you that there are more troubleshooting threads for 1911 based designs. These things have lots and lots of customizable parts, many times installed by people who aren't qualified to do much more than change recoil springs. This is where many of the problems come. Lots of people have been spoiled by Glocks and probably Sigs. You buy one of these two and you can reasonably expect to have no problems at the very first range outing. 1911s, Kahrs, and even some Berettas need breaking in.

 

[deputy tom]

Some people are destined to carry a 1911 and some are not.Carry what works for you and enjoy it.tom.

 

[DrAmazon]

Dad's wisdom about 1911s

My Dad has always compared .45s to motorcycles. He compares the 1911s to Harleys. You don't just buy it stock and ride it-you get accessories, spend money fixing the bugs, and it's all part of owning it. He likens the Sigs etc to say Hondas etc that you are just able to hop on and ride, ride em as they are, do necessary maintenance and enjoy their reliability.

If you think about the "eye candy" thread, you can see this borne out. Not many stock guns in that bunch of photos. Lots of bells and whistles and modifications. Everyone is pleased as punch about them, and considers their "quirks" (feed problems if cartridge length isn't perfect etc) part of the charm.

I shoot 1911s, but ride a BMW. Dunno what that tells about my personality...

 

[Mulliga]

It's been said before and it's true - 1911s are the ARs of the pistol world. Or is it ARs are the 1911s of the rifle world?

When set up correctly and maintained properly, both the 1911 and the AR are world-class designs and will dominate shooting competitions. When slapped together incompetently and not maintained, both are fairly vulnerable to problems (not a dig on home 1911 or AR builds, but rather a recognition of the skill necessary in crafting the firearm).

 

[goon]

I have owned a couple 1911's and shot some that others own.
They always leave me with a question...
How come my 1911 always turns out to be a POS and the other guy's always turns out to be a special ops worthy handgun?
This is why I stick with my SIG.
But deep in my heart, I would love to have a Commander sized gun with low profile sights, stainless steel, extended slide stop but with a standard safety, and with a flat and uncheckerd MSH. Some day, maybe...

 

[Graystar]

But when I look into 1911's I find that there are a lot of problems with the majority of models.

I don't believe that is an accurate observation.

I think that the vast majority of the 1911 variants available work the way they’re supposed to out of the box. I think it very likely that if you purchased one you wouldn’t have any trouble with it.

You have to remember that the 1911 is THE most customized handgun. The huge Brownells catalog devote 40+ pages of its 440+ page catalog (nearly 10%) to 1911 parts and tools. There are millions upon millions of 1911s out there. *Of course* you’re going to hear of problems...there are simply too many out there not to. But that’s not indicative of a general design flaw. Rather, it just goes to show how popular the design is.

I purchased a Springfield Mil-Spec and a Rock River Arms National Match Hardball. These guns are at the opposite ends of the spectrum...the Mil-Spec is about as basic and inexpensive as it gets, while the RRA hardball is a competition gun accurized to 2” at 50 yards. Both worked flawlessly out of the box, and continue to do so.

 

[Technosavant]

The vast majority of 1911s work great out of the box, and you never hear word one about then. Head to Glocktalk or the Sigforum, and you will find stories about how those guns have problems too.

The sure-fire way to find satisfaction in a 1911: Start with a quality gun from a maker with excellent customer service, like the Springfield GI model or Mil-Spec. They are very reasonably priced, and the lifetime warranty is handled very well by SA. Then put a couple hundred rounds through it. 1911s do take some breaking in. Also, don't buy cheapo magazines. Many issues with 1911s can be traced to $2 surplus 1911 mags, and problems disappear when used with quality magazines (Metalform, Wilson, or Chip McCormick usually work well).

Don't be afraid to join us in the 1911 lovers club. Down here, we all float.

 

[HSMITH]

Think about this: How many makers of magazines are there for the 1911? How many makers of magazines are there for Sig or Glock?

Right there we have covered at least 50% if not 75% of 1911 problems, BAD magazines!!!!!

The 1911 design is a good one, no, make that a GREAT design. Get a quality 1911, feed it with good ammo and quality magazines. Odds are very very good that it will run just fine and find a place of honor in your safe.

 

[scubie02]

3 springfield 1911's, no problems

 

[Majic]

Way to many 1911s come out the box, get stripped, and all sorts of aftermarket parts get added before it is even shot. Then the owners cuss the pistol when it won't run.

 

[Beetle Bailey]

My NRM Colt was 100% reliable .

Then I changed the mainspring to a lighter 21 lbs. and had a few FTF .

So I switched back to the original mainspring and now I'm back to 100% reliability .

BTW, I've only ever used Wilson Combat magazines in the Colt - I don't think the pistol even knows there are other magazines out there .

The only mods I've done are a King's trigger and a MSH from a friend's Springfield Loaded (sans the lock of course). That, and a triggerjob from a local gunsmith. I might make a few more changes down the road, but even with just these minor mods I'm quite pleased with my Gub'mint Model.

Let's see. . . how can I describe the joy to you. . . well, last week I was dry-firing my Colt and the thought occurred to me that I actually enjoyed dry-firing it more than I enjoyed firing some pistols with live ammo !

 

[PO2Hammer]

I'm rolling the dice with a new 1911 in 9mm no less. I understand where you're coming from though, after eight years of flawless 1911 performance in the Navy, I bought a $700 Kimber that refused to feed hollowpoints. It turned me off of 1911's for 15 years.
Now I'm jumping back into it with a S/A loaded 9mm. I decided I'm not even going to worry about reliability untill I reach the 1,000 round mark.
Besides, my Glock 17L will be my go-to 9mm untill the Springer takes over.

 

[PCGS65]

Think of it like buying a car. Clean it, lube it, and don't abuse it and it will last a very long time. Just my 2c worth.

 

[DHart]

No SIG, Glock, HK, Beretta, etc. will ever compare to a 1911. The 1911 is in a class all by itself and it's a class nothing else can enter. Once you have a nice 1911 you'll understand. As the saying goes, "If I have to explain it to you, you won't understand."

Just get over your fear and buy one... chances are excellent that you'll be just fine and if the gun should need a little tweaking for some reason, that's your first opportunity to get more intimately acquainted with the world of the 1911.

If I were you, I'd buy a Colt 1991A1 Government model in blue or stainless or a Colt XSE Government model in blue or stainless. They're superb 1911's from the company that started it all and have been building them for going on 100 years. The 1991 goes for around $700, the XSE for around $800. Best quality production-grade 1911 there is. Reliability right out-of-the-box is nearly certain. (Note that I have made a few minor mods to these guns... to personalize them to my liking, not out of necessity.)

Colt 1991A1 NRM Government Model

Colt XSE Government Model

 

[Shootcraps]

All you are hearing about is the less than one percent of guns that had a problem (and half of those are probably people who just love to whine).

I have (lemme see.....) nine 1911s (don't tell my wife) and I've never had a problem with any of them.

 

[Murphster]

I agree with what I believe your point is. I like 1911's more than any other pistol. They fit my hand. They're fun to shoot. But. You take your chances with any pistol. Experience has led me to believe I'm going to be taking a slightly bigger chance when I buy a 1911. Every manufacturer has a problem gun slip through every so often. All the Sigs and Beretta's I've owned ,however, have been pretty much flawless in fit and function. I've owned five 1911's. Three ( two SA's and a Dan Wesson) had minor feeding or cosmetic issues. One was flawless (a Kimber) and one (a Kimber) was the most flawed, shoddy pistol I've ever owned or looked at. Go figure. Again, I'm a huge fan of 1911's, and by no means an expert, but I'm only batting 200 on getting what I believe I should be getting for my money.

(But, of course, I'll end up buying another one. Hope springs eternal.)

 

[Graystar]

I bought a $700 Kimber that refused to feed hollowpoints. It turned me off of 1911's for 15 years.

Did it have a feed ramp integrated with the barrel? When claiming that a 1911 has trouble with hollowpoints, one should always note if the feed ramp is integrated.

phantomak47, it's a general rule that 1911s based on the original barrel design will not feed hollowpoints reliably. Sometimes they will, but many times they won't. In this case, there's nothing wrong with the gun, since it was originally designed to work with ball ammo. Like anything else, reliability comes when used as designed to be used. 1911s with an integrated feed ramp will feed hollowpoints reliably.

 

[JohnBT]

Henrico County, Virginia police recently got rid of their Sigs because of problems. There was an article in the Washington Post yesterday about the Arlington Police complaining of problems with their Sigs. You just never know.

John

 

[Coronach]

1911s get a bad rep for a few reasons:

1. So many different manufacturers make them, to so many wildly varying specs, that you're going to get some less-than-ideal products. This probability is multiplied when you start mixing and matching stuff.

2. Most of the "finnicky" 1911s are ultra-tight competition guns. If you take a design and crank down the tolerances and clearances to the absolute minimum, trying to eek every millimeter of performance out of it, surprise! You make it less reliable.

Formula One engines would make dirt-poor daily drivers for the same reason. It is a high-tech, delicate machine designed for a game. It is not designed for daily use and abuse.

The "milspec" or duty-grade 1911s from quality manufacturers tend to be boringly reliable. There are lemons, but every design and every maker has lemons. There are more makers of 1911s than probably any other handgun. Hence? More potential for lemons than probably any other handgun.

3. "mini" 1911s are, apparently, somewhat questionable in reliability. Apparently the 1911 action does not translate well into smaller designs. Or, at least, it is more difficult to get right.

Mike

 

[pauli]

Go to the range and rent a few different ones, then see if you can find anything "bad" about them.

 

[Father Knows Best]

1 Colt, 1 Kimber, 2 Paras ... 0 problems.

 

[Berg01]

Don't worry about defect statistics related to ("fill in the blank's") production, your concern should be the one(s) you actually own. I take good care of my SW1911, I keep it cleaned & oiled, I use good mags and ammo, therefore, I have no problems with it. If I had problems with it, I would take it to my pistolsmith & get it fixed. No big deal.

The 1911 is the small-block Chevy of handguns, basically very dependable if taken care of, and any problems that come up are easily identified and fixed.