Someone talk me down from a semi-custom 1911 purchase

[DHart]

Get the Special Forces and the M&P45. Enjoy life.

 

[ugaarguy]

Polymer frames have the highest failure rate? A rather blanket, unsuported statement, I assume you contacted every manufacturer of polymer weapons, and put together these facts? or just pull them out of your...hat?

Observation from looking at gunshop repair logs & talking to smiths/armorers at high volume shops. Taurus polymer frame handguns break with far greater frequency than those manufactured by any other major brand. Their revolvers, and metal frame autos are, fortunately not vexed by the same gremlins. Thank you for questioning my integrity as well: It reveals quite a bit about your character.

Who needs more than 8 rounds? Maybe anyone that has been run on in a combat setting. Contact so and so for their deployment story? I take it that you have no first hand combat experience to share with us then?

It is a common courtesy to first present one's own credentials before asking for another's.

Granted it is rare, outside of combat, to need more than a few rounds, but situations such as the hollywood shootout do occur. I can tell you, first hand, running out of ammo in the middle of a gunfight is no fun at all.

Please tell us about your experience running out of ammo in a gunfight.

I know several officers, that have burned thru 8 rounds just dealing with one offender. Better to have it, and not need it, than need it and not have it.

A handgun is used to shoot back whilst you retrieve your your long gun. If you've expended eight rounds from a handgun before you reach your long gun, or before backup arrives, you're already a very ugly situation.

And the whole point of this thread was to talk him out of a 1911.

Says the man who doesn't understand tongue-in-cheek humor.

Also, could you please tell us, in commonly accepted firearms terminology, what an "offhand knotch" is? I'm not familiar with this feature. While you're at it, would you care to address the other points I made, such as: availability of the Mil. Std. 1913 rail on 1911 type handguns, availability of modern sights on 1911 type handguns; and please explain why SA/DA is an advantage over SAO or DAO?

 

[dom1104]

A handgun is used to shoot back whilst you retrieve your your long gun. If you've expended eight rounds from a handgun before you reach your long gun, or before backup arrives, you're already a very ugly situation.

I never bought into this. Sometimes, your handgun is all you got. For a civilian, the handgun is the primary weapon.

I am not saying 1911s are good or bad, I am saying, sometimes, a LOT of times, there is no long gun to "fight your way back to."

 

[ugaarguy]

I never bought into this. Sometimes, your handgun is all you got. For a civilian, the handgun is the primary weapon.

I am not saying 1911s are good or bad, I am saying, sometimes, a LOT of times, there is no long gun to "fight your way back to."

As an armed, non LEO, citizen, I also have no commitment to stay in a gun fight. My handgun is to defend myself with as I leave the threat area. LEOs are paid to go toward the sound of gunfire, and neutralize the threat; and for that I am grateful to them. However, I ain't them.

 

[JohnBT]

"Someone talk me down"

JUMP, JUMP

 

[DRYHUMOR]

If you had 20 1911's.... you would find you would probably shoot one the majority of the time. Just take a little time to find that one. Try to handle/shoot as many as you can before jumping into one.

 

[DHart]

If you had 20 1911's.... you would find you would probably shoot one the majority of the time. Just take a little time to find that one. Try to handle/shoot as many as you can before jumping into one.

This is a good point. I've had around twenty 1911s at one time and while I liked them all for one reason or another, most were fired very little. Not enough time or ammo to shoot them all. And you want to shoot at least one of them enough to have the utmost confidence in it's reliability.

 

[mattlove444]

Les Baer concept line or TRS is the way to go. My concept five is utterly reliable and I've put at least fifteen different types of ammo through it. From blazer to wolf to Hornady custom. Not a single malfunction.

 

[bc1023]

I can't talk you down.

I love semi-custom 1911s.

 

[Old krow]

This is easy, you want a new airplane, don't buy a biplane, buy a learjet.

What about the B52? 1911s are still used in the US MIL to this day. They may not be standard issue, but they're used, in combat, by our troops. The M14? Pump shotguns? Until recently the Mil use pumps exclusively for the most part. We still use this stuff because it works.

To the OP, since you expressed issues with past 1911s, will those experiences cause you any mistrust with a new one? If so, I recommend one of the others. If you can't trust it then there's an issue. Personally, I don't have any issues trusting mine at all. I have one, I like it, and I shoot it a lot with no malfunctions.

Granted it is rare, outside of combat, to need more than a few rounds, but situations such as the hollywood shootout do occur. I can tell you, first hand, running out of ammo in the middle of a gunfight is no fun at all.

I'm sorry that you ran out of ammo, but that means that you're either LEO or MIL. IMHO the "hollywood shootout" isn't something that crosses my mind when I buy a handgun.

 

[JMusic]

I don't know I tend to think in layers of defense. When home I would fight my way to more powerful weapons. When out I would do the same. I've had a scrape or two. Most the time you can talk your way out of it but most the time you can at least fight your way to a more appropriate weapon.

You are mistaken though if you think the initial engagement is it. Depending on their motives you could down one and still be chased. I believe thats what the other guy meant. I worked plainclothes night work for a few years at about the age of 20. I was shocked how easy it was to get in trouble.

 

[Hangingrock]

Just ignore my deleted comments. I should have looked at the date this subject started.

 

[xr1200]

If I were you I would get a STI trojan in 45, 40, 9mm for target use best target 1911 for the money by far, better than colt or kimber and are only $950-$999 and are almost equal to a baer 1911.

Then get a light weight glock, sig,sw for ccw. you could do all this for $1500 total and have both guns, you'll be farther a head than buying one these custom guns.

Try to resell one of these $2500-$3000 custom guns in the future and you wll be lucky to find some one to give you what its really worth.

I have a leas baer premier 2 that I paid $900 used unfired about 3 yrs. ago and it is now worth $1500 plus, while the gun is accurate as any old 70 model gold cup, or kimber etc.
I would not want to pay $2000 + now for one.

Even a new model colt trophy gold cup can be purchased for around $900 and the firing pin block assembly is easyly removed for target use and it can also be retained for carry use.

Back in the mid 80's before all the 1911 craze,and all the custom shops propped up, it was common that if you wanted the top 1911 carry gun alot of ppl would just take a stock gold cup and change the recoil springs out, add a commander hammer and you were good to go.

It would be great to see a test taking ten of the top custom $2000-$3000 1911's and put them against ten of the top $800-$1200 factory 1911's and then see where they all rank