High capacity 1911's

[biggameballs]

I'm a newb when it comes to pistols and I was wondering if somone could explain to me how they are able to make a high capacity 1911 without having a thicker grip? Why wouldn't they make all 1911's that way? There obviously must be a down side because I dont know many people that would rather have less ammo in the gun.

 

[VBVAGUY]

I am going to try and take a guess here and someone please correct me if I am wrong, but on a 1911 the grip panels can be very thick which can be used for ammo room !!!. Here is a nice comparison and review of a nice high capacity 1911. I hope this helps. God Bless

http://gunblast.com/ATI-FX45.htm

 

[Olympus]

They use a completely different frame than a traditional 1911. That's how they can get double stack mags for higher capacity. They're still thicker than a standard 1911.

 

[1KPerDay]

The doublestacks use very thin grip panels, and some run them with skateboard tape only. The thickest part of the grip can be no wider or maybe slightly wider than the widest part of a single stack with standard grips. The downside is the frontstrap is wider and the grip is boxier overall.

 

[Drail]

Double stack 1911s feel almost as clumsy in my hand as that famous plastic gun that doesn't show up in metal detectors. (I can't say that name) A single stack 1911 is "just right".

 

[Alberforth]

Jeese. Can you say "metal slide"?

I love the feel of the hi-cap 1911s. I wish there was an Officer-size one being made by someone with a solid reputation.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

They do have a thicker grip, the frame having to be wider to accommodate the magazine. There is some room to play with this, as many single-stack ones come with thick grip panels, but generally the "high-caps" have thicker and blockier grips, the front, especially, being more squared off.

 

[9mmepiphany]

Why wouldn't they make all 1911's that way? There obviously must be a down side because I dont know many people that would rather have less ammo in the gun.

They don't because it defeats a couple of the big pluses of the 1911.

1. Adaptability to shooters with small hands/short fingers as many things can be adjusted...thinner grips, flat MSH, trigger length, lowered thumb safety.

2. Index or pointability. The single stack, along with a frame sized for a longer cartridge gives better feedback of the guns index in the shooter's hand

3. A staggered magazine holding a higher number of rounds of .45ACP adds a lot of weight to that of a steel framed gun which has never been known for it's featherweight

 

[2wheels]

Double stack 1911s ruin 1911s for me. I'll admit the only ones I have experience with are Paras, but I somehow doubt anyone else can make a double stack 1911 feel like a single stack.

 

[mljdeckard]

I have one, but I don't prefer it. It is very wide, and I can shoot it just fine, but it isn't something I would recommend for someone with small hands. I think the Para-Ordnance wide frame is about as good as it is going to get. You can't shave the frame down to nothing, it still has to be reasonably stiff. But I prefer 1911s, and I do like being able to have a higher capacity.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

It is asking a lot of a magazine spring to push 12-14 heavy cartridges up in time, which is one reason the double-stacks tend to have less reliable feeding. They are also nearly impossible to fully load with just your fingers, requiring some sort of tool, and difficult to seat against a closed slide when fully loaded.

 

[Zach S]

Double-stack 1911s are about the same width as single stacks.

However, looking into the magwell of a single stack 1911, the grip panels form an oval shape. The widebody is more rectangular, so the circumference around the grip is bigger.

A more extreme comparison would be the Glock 20 or 21 vs the 1911. The width at the grip panels is about the same, but the deep backstrap on the Glock makes it feel huge in comparison. A few years ago, I looked at a Glock 20 with a grip reduction - it felt as comfortable as a Para P14.

 

[wally]

3. A staggered magazine holding a higher number of rounds of .45ACP adds a lot of weight to that of a steel framed gun which has never been known for it's featherweight

4. To cram in that many fat rounds, the transition from double stack to single stack is so abrupt as to make the magazines overly sensitive to dirt & fouling compared to others. It also causes them to have abnormally short magazine spring life.

The Other "high cap" 45ACP pistols stop at 12 or 13 rounds instead of 14 rounds in a flush fit magazine (Glock, Taurus, Springfield XD) or extend the length of the grip to allow 14 rounds and a "gentler" transition to single feed (FN).

 

[Zach S]

4. To cram in that many fat rounds, the transition from double stack to single stack is so abrupt as to make the magazines overly sensitive to dirt & fouling compared to others. It also causes them to have abnormally short magazine spring life.

I never had any issues with dirt or fouling, but did experience short mag spring life with Para P14 mags, until I started downloading by one round. I've been using the last set of replacement springs for several years now.

Those of you with widebody Kimbers, Springers, and Paras have probably noticed that some aftermarket magazines are one round shy of OEM magazine capacity.

 

[JHenry]

you could always just buy an extended mag for the single stack, i think 10 rounds is a nice compromise between extra rounds(good) and added length(bad)

 

[Hossfly68]

You could try a full size, steel framed Witness. Ten plus one and it's the most comfortable pistol I ever shot. Bout the same size as a 1911, just a bit thicker. Ability to carry cocked and locked or hammer down and safety on. Best of both worlds

 

[pekosROB]

Is there any reason in particular you want a high capacity 1911? My only gripe would be I need to reload mags more often but I'll cure that with buying more mags.

If you say it's for self defense, I would hope you're never in a situation (or anyone else for that matter) that requires you to shoot your gun more than 2 or 3 rounds! Regardless of .45 ACP or .22LR!

 

[CWL]

I own 2 larger capacity M1911 pistols.

One is a ParaOrdnance P13, and I also have a Wlison Combat KZ45.

One big flaw with the Para P13 is unreliable mag springs. Something about the design makes it too much work for the mag spring to reliably push 13 rounds out the top. I used to replace springs religiously with Wolf +10%, but even these had FTE problems. The FBI gave up on Para pistols also, they just couldn't get their double-stacks to work reliably as a carry pistol.

The Wilson KZ45 has a reliable 10-rd magazine. These mags were designed so the top is narrowed from doublestack to single stack width to prevent bullet feed issues common with other double-stacks. Very reliable, but is limited to 10-rd magazines.

Neither of these, nor any other doublestack M1911s have ever felt good in my hands compared to the classic M1911 slim grip feel.

Nowadays, I just work on hitting what I aim at, and in reloading.

Check out the reload speed in this Hilton Yam video. 0.6 seconds!
http://youtu.be/ScNa3mwX7e4

 

[Dane17]

I'm a big man- 6'5" 260. The RIA doubles stack with hogue grips (made for the p14 slightly altered) fits my hand beautifully.

In fact it's probably the cheapest gun I own out of at least 2 dozen but actually one of my favorite handguns.

It just works. My only complaint is the crude 1911 sights suck.

 

[schmeky]

Dane17,

You sound like me. I have struggled to get the grip on a SS' 1911 right for me. Then I bought an Enterprise High cap frame with a Colt slide. Where ya' been all this time, honey?

I really like mine. I don't carry, never will, but having 14+1 of my favorite caliber makes me sleep well . . . . .

 

[DHart]

At 6'1" and 185 lbs. I am, perhaps, slightly larger than the average... but I find the STI Edge 2011 and Springfield GI Widebody 1911 fit my hand wonderfully.

The STI in .40 offers a considerable gain a capacity. The STI Edge is a superbly made, highly accurate, and reliable variant of the 1911.

Of course, I love standard 1911 configurations, but in my view, the capacity is less than I would like to have on hand if I found myself in a life and death defense situation. That's why despite my love of 1911's, Glocks are my primary choice for carry and home defense duty. Capacity can easily be the make or break factor when the chips are down. And reloads of lower capacity firearms, while a good thing, can't always come together quite as effectively as having higher capacity to begin with.

1911's were once my first choice for defense duty, but they no longer are. I love them, however.