Even Hilton Yam one of best out there to work on 1911's says they are not for everyone. They do require more TLC and are more finicky as a whole than most of todays polymer guns. Out of the dozen or so I've owned over the years about half needed work to be reliable. As you know the 1911 is almost a religion to some folks. They don't deal with you saying things about their "sacred cow".
The guns were originally made by craftsmen sitting at a table hand fitting every part. And they were originally only made to shoot ball. Apparently they did not make the transition to mass production very easily. And if someone like S&W or SIG changes the basic design to make it easier to produce. And more reliable. And able to shoot JHP's right out of the box purists scream about J. Browning turning over in his grave.
Look even Mr. Browning in his original design did not use a grip safety. It was added becuase the U.S. Armed Forces at the time wanted a gun that if it slipped out of the hand of a hourse mounted soldier it wouldn't fire until he could retrieve it via his nice little cord hanging from his holster or belt. Been on a hrse lately with a 1911?Hell even the Texas Rangers who loved the 1911 pinned or tied the grip safety. And after W.W. I the army changed the design (1911A1) to make the gun better.
So can you trust a 1911 for self defense. Sure. But according to people that know keep up your maintenance. Test it with from anywhere from 500-1000 rounds before you're sure of it (many makers call it a break in). And find ammo it likes. I love the feel and shootability of the 1911. And it's a piece of American history. But most of my $500.00 plastic wonder guns in whatever caliber are far more reliable than the average 1911.
One more thing. Their are so many makers of 1911's, 1911 parts, and so on that use their own specs as opposed to the guns built by Remington, Colt,and so on built to the same specs in years gone by. Many are "frankenguns". Hell different lots of the same gun may contain parts from different makers. It all adds to the problems and confusion. Heck one company may make 3-4 different name brands on the same assembly line just stamped differently. The 1911 world can get very confusing.
The guns were originally made by craftsmen sitting at a table hand fitting every part. And they were originally only made to shoot ball. Apparently they did not make the transition to mass production very easily. And if someone like S&W or SIG changes the basic design to make it easier to produce. And more reliable. And able to shoot JHP's right out of the box purists scream about J. Browning turning over in his grave.
Look even Mr. Browning in his original design did not use a grip safety. It was added becuase the U.S. Armed Forces at the time wanted a gun that if it slipped out of the hand of a hourse mounted soldier it wouldn't fire until he could retrieve it via his nice little cord hanging from his holster or belt. Been on a hrse lately with a 1911?Hell even the Texas Rangers who loved the 1911 pinned or tied the grip safety. And after W.W. I the army changed the design (1911A1) to make the gun better.
So can you trust a 1911 for self defense. Sure. But according to people that know keep up your maintenance. Test it with from anywhere from 500-1000 rounds before you're sure of it (many makers call it a break in). And find ammo it likes. I love the feel and shootability of the 1911. And it's a piece of American history. But most of my $500.00 plastic wonder guns in whatever caliber are far more reliable than the average 1911.
One more thing. Their are so many makers of 1911's, 1911 parts, and so on that use their own specs as opposed to the guns built by Remington, Colt,and so on built to the same specs in years gone by. Many are "frankenguns". Hell different lots of the same gun may contain parts from different makers. It all adds to the problems and confusion. Heck one company may make 3-4 different name brands on the same assembly line just stamped differently. The 1911 world can get very confusing.
