How comfortable are you carrying a 1911?

[LockedBreech]

I used to entirely dismiss the 1911 as a carry option, for the usual reasons. Low capacity, heavy, older/finicky platform, etc.

Then I got my basic $330 RIA GI 1911 as a range toy. My very first magazine I shot with stunning accuracy. Comparable to the Beretta I had been shooting with for 5 years. I had never shot a 1911 before and I rang the steel almost effortlessly.

I still don't choose the 1911 for carry. I think there are better options. But I understand it, and a 1911 of sufficient quality/reliability makes total sense as a carry gun even if I don't choose it.

For all their weaknesses, that darn platform can put rounds on target easily.

 

[tuj]

Carrying with regards to safety? I would feel comfortable with a PROPERLY MAINTAINED 1911, meaning regular lubrication and spring replacement. I have had a 1911 with the 3-leaf sear spring so worn that trigger would fire at 1.75 lbs but still pass all function checks. Obviously WAY too light for carry. I have also seen problems with safety detents becoming weak.

That said, I am not afraid whatsoever of dropping a loaded 1911. I've seen the tests that usually require 6 - 11 feet to get FP inertial ignition depending on primer brand. I do not feel that a positive-safety gun is any better or worse than a passive safety (eg. Glock) system.

How would I feel about the stopping power of the 1911 combined with the single-stack design? Honestly, not that good to carry a 1911 or use one for HD. Don't get me wrong, I own two 1911 pistols and three 45acp pistols. But I will take the 16 rounds of 9mm +p barnes solid copper SDX bullets versus 8 rounds of the equivalent 45acp round. Why? It is statistically proven that 1-shot-stops are rare. It is also proven that most under stress, most people will have significantly worse performance, resulting in marginal hits or misses. A bigger caliber exacerbates the recoil-recovery time for most people.

Finally, I also want a gun my wife can handle, which means 9mm. She doesn't like .45acp.

Even Cirillo upgraded to a high-capacity gun. I think if I HAD to be in a gunfight myself, I would choose a high-capacity design and probably up the caliber and use the absolute best defensive ammo available.

 

[horsemen61]

Just picked up my first 1911 and I have to say after three straight days of carrying it, Saturday was 16 straight hours with it on took it out shooting for the first time I have to say yes I am extremely comfortable with carrying the 1911 now I have a quality leather hostler for it I forgot it was their at times the repeat reps I got with it on Saturday made me me feel comfortable with my muscle memory and the manual of arms

 

[burk]

I carried a Kimber CDP Pro in a Milt Sparks VM II for years. It was a fine gun and I had zero issues with safety or comfort that were out of the ordinary. I switched to Glock for a couple of reasons.

1) Cost, I wanted the same platform for a home SD gun and the idea of spending somewhere north of $1200 for a quality 1911 w/rail (I keep a weapons light on my HD guns) was prohibitive if not impossible for me in this fine economy. Plus a new 1911 requires about 400 rounds of ball ammo to break in, an additional cost I couldn't afford

2) I was able to sell my Kimber and replace it with a new Glock 21g4 and used Glock 30SF. The 30sf carries comparable to my 1911, I get about the accuracy with less recoil. And I get 11 round capacity with my HD gun using the same size mags so I have a 13 round back up if needed.

To me the 1911 is a great gun if you can afford it and have the time to maintain it. If I hit the lotto, I'd buy a couple of more, but I suspect I'd be carrying my Glocks.

 

[TomJ]

I have a 1911 which I think the world of. While I wouldn't necessarily feel uncomfortable carrying it, I have other options which I shoot just as well, have substantially more capacity and are lighter and therefore more comfortable to carry. With the benefits the other options offer, I've yet to carry the 1911. If a 1911 offered benefits my other options did not such as me being more accurate with it, it would be my carry piece as among the factors to consider, hitting what you're shooting at is at the top of the list.

In regards to a raised threat level, I've unfortunately had the experience of being confronted by armed individuals in areas with almost non-existent crime rates. Just as others have stated, I do my best to stay out of high crime areas as it reduces the likelihood of being in that situation, but experience has taught me that while there may be a low threat level area, i can't think of one.

 

[TestPilot]

As long as a gun works, what is high on the priority is the shooter's capability to hit and incapacitate an opponent with.

Whether if a gun is a revolver or self-loader is a secondary problem.

People get a wrong impression that self-loader is all about capacity. One of my reason for choosing self-loader is beause of ergonomics.

I would carry a 7 shot self-loader than a 8 shot revolver primarily due to ergnomics.

Before revolver fans would come in and whine, let me specify that I am saying for some people self-loaders are much more ergonomic, not that revolver is not ergonomic for all people in general.

 

[rondog]

I love my 1911's and trust them completely, I have a RIA Compact model dedicated to carry use. But I also have lumbar spinal stenosis, sciatica, and have had two lumbar surgeries. Carrying that weight on my hip is just too uncomfortable anymore, or ANY pistol for that matter. Sometimes I use a smaller gun in my pocket, but I rarely carry anymore.

 

[Valkman]

I've carried a 1911 since '03 and am completely comfortable with one. If I worried about capacity I'd carry my XD45 that holds 13+1 but honestly I don't worry about how many rounds I carry. Just a 1911 and a spare mag is good enough for me.

I had a CCW instructor, a buffoon who waved a revolver all over pointing at the whole class, who wore 2 Glocks and 4 spare mags. If I needed a load-out like that I'd seriously think about where I went.

 

[Rock185]

I'm very comfortable carrying a .45ACP 1911 with 7+1 capacity. In fact I did carry a 1911 for several years 40+ hours a week, no matter the threat level. Most of my coworkers carried Glocks, a few had SIGs. I think my coworkers considered anybody that didn't carry a Glock, or at least a SIG, to be a bit eccentric. Maybe so. I have carried other guns and calibers over the years. Some I liked better than others, but it was mostly personal preference rather than this or that type being somehow markedly better as a primary weapon than another type..........ymmv

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I would have two answers to the OP's original question. First, I do have two oft-carried CCW guns that hold the same amount of rounds as most 1911s or even less. My Ruger LCR holds five rounds and my Beretta Nano is generally carried 8+1. So capacity wise I'm no worse off with a 1911 with mags that hold eight.

The other answer is an examination of what comfortable means. Since the 1911 weighs almost three pounds fully loaded I'm not super comfortable wearing one. A good belt and holster helps but I am feeling the weight by the end of the day.

I suppose there's a third way to answer the OP, and that is being comfortable with the reliability of the gun. The 1911's I have owned have all ran well. While I don't presently own a 1911 I will say that if I did have one and it digested a few hundred rounds of ball with no issues plus one hundred rounds of my chosen carry ammo I'd be confident enough in it to carry it.

I have in the past carried a 1911 on occasion. It wouldn't be in the top 20 or so guns on my list of CCW sidearms but if it's what I had I'd carry it and not feel undergunned at all.

 

[mavracer]

Of course I feel comfortable CCWing a 1911, I usually am only carrying something that's less powerful and holds less rounds. If I feel threatened I'm gonna grab a rifle.