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Thunder Chief Funditor Offline Don't Panic! Posts: 816	1911s May 21^st, 2012 at 2:50am The 1911. While it's not as primitive as we're used to, the design is over a hundred years old, so I'm gonna count it. I'm guessing there are a few folks on this forum who have one. What kind do you have and what kind of experience have you had with it? I want to join IPSC, and I'm looking for a 1911. Thanks.
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Dan

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Re: 1911s
Reply #1 - May 21^st, 2012 at 8:51am

My Dad is a big 1911 guy as am I. Nowadays it's kind of and 'old timer' gun but I still really like them.

They are heavier and have a lower mag count than pretty much all plastic pistols. However, the handle is much more comfortable, the trigger pull is way better (Shorter, lighter, and more crisp), and there's really no replacement to the 45. when it comes to stopping power in a gun fight. And they are just awesome.

For you, there's really no need to go with a Wilson or an Ed Brown. As I recal you are not an old timer, so a Springfield or Kimber will probably better meet your needs.

My expierience is mainly in combat style target shooting.

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Bikewer

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Re: 1911s
Reply #2 - May 21^st, 2012 at 10:13am

I've had two, the one the army issued me in 1965, (a Remington-manufactured item from WWII) and a really slapped-together job I bought at a gun show about 1970-ish.

The esteemed (but quirky) Jeff Cooper favored the 1911 in .45 ACP as the best combat pistol going.
Of course, most all of his writing was before the current generation of pistols.
Still, it's a great design from Mr. Browning, and though it "only" holds 7+1, each of those big 'ol slugs is likely to be a fight-stopper.
I can't comment on the current plethora of 1911 clones. Seems like every time you turn around there's a new one out from somewhere. Guys on my department seem to like Kimber...
It would be hard to go wrong with Colt though, they've been building them a long time. For competition use, you'd likely want a few "racy" features like the chamfered magazine well, good sights, and an ambidexterous safety if you're doing the "action" sort of competition.
A full-bore "race gun" will put a dent in your bank account.

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Thunder Chief Funditor Offline Don't Panic! Posts: 816	Re: 1911s Reply #3 - May 21^st, 2012 at 12:22pm I'm thinking about the Springfield Mil-Spec. It's got decent sights and it's really just a bare-bones 1911 with a couple of handy extras. I've gotten to play with a couple of Springfield Operators, and I loved them, but they're just a little out of my price range. Same story for the Kimbers.
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HurlinThom Interfector Viris Spurii Offline Leverage artillerist Posts: 1404	Re: 1911s Reply #4 - May 21^st, 2012 at 3:32pm Too bad we can no longer get the Norinco guns. Apparently the finish wasn't great but function was good. Thank you, Bill Clinton.
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Bill Skinner

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Re: 1911s
Reply #5 - May 21^st, 2012 at 4:03pm

I have several 1911A1's, a couple by Springfield Armory, one parts gun, one Colt in .38 Super and a match gun. Get the Springfield GI and go to it. I have one from the 80's, back when they copied the gawdawful issue sights. I replaced the sights, put in a heavier recoil spring and broke the edges on everthing sharp. I have put 15,000+ rounds through that gun with no problems. Unless you win the lottery, you will need to take up reloading, get the Lee Progressive, not the Dillon. Also, start casting your own bullets, get a bottom pour lead pot and a couple of gang moulds. Again, I like the Lee 6 cavity.

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Dan

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Re: 1911s
Reply #6 - May 21^st, 2012 at 4:31pm

Yeah, if you plan on shooting alot, reload. In the long run you don't actually save any money because you will end up using the money you saved on ammo to buy more reloading components and you'll shoot more, therefore expending more ammo and cash.
However, you can get more shots for your dollar if you reload, espicially with 45.

I totally agree with Bill, the man knows his stuff.

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"Like tying a stone to a sling is the giving of honor to a fool" Proverbs 26:8

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bigkahuna Interfector Viris Spurii Past Moderator Offline Posts: 3699 New York, USA Gender:	Re: 1911s Reply #7 - May 21^st, 2012 at 9:04pm I've been carrying the Colt Officers Mdl for a number of years now and never had a problem. I shoot mainly 125gr. hollow points and the Colt eats them with no problem. Numrich Arms up in Hurley, New York used to put out a .45 clone called the either the bulldog or pitbull. It was inexpensive but still a decent firearm.
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Jinx

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Re: 1911s
Reply #8 - May 22^nd, 2012 at 8:38am

+1 on the Lee Progressive
RCBS rock crusher is a good single stage.
I have owned 6 kimbers- all of them were jam-o-matics when you play with the ammo.

IMHO springfield makes the best "out of the box" 1911 for the price. All 1911's are finicky, it's what makes them great. When you find one you mesh with- never let it go and just replace the barrel when the accuracy drops.

That being said, I have shot with people using guns that looked like they wont even fire, but they knew their weapon and hit their target. Just like anything else, if you do something several thousand times- you will be (atleast) proficient at it.

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Bill Skinner Slinging.org Moderator Forum Moderator Offline Slinging Rocks! Posts: 1417	Re: 1911s Reply #9 - May 22^nd, 2012 at 11:28pm I only had one that jammed a lot. It was set up to shoot 200 grain semi wadcutters and that was all it would shoot. Really accurate but I sort of figure that if I can get it in the magazine, it should feed. And that pistol jammed with 230 grain hardball!
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Re: 1911s
Reply #10 - May 23^rd, 2012 at 1:51am

My dad's a 1911A1 fan. His is a Springfield Mil-Spec with the officer's model handle slabs salvaged off of an Army surplus model. Great gun with crisp trigger pull. It is a one off with a slight defect in the baked on phosphor finish under one of the handle scales. Not enough to worry about corrosion and in a place that's non-visible. I haven't seen finish problems on any other Springfield gun, so I don't think it's indicative of anything.

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Bikewer

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Re: 1911s
Reply #11 - May 23^rd, 2012 at 9:34am

That was the one charm of the ratty old pistol I had; it would feed nearly anything. All I ever did to it was polish up the feed ramp a little.
Of course, it was a bit "loose". I was testing some .357 ammo one day shooting my old Smith model 27 off a rest. Thing was going into 2" groups at 50 yards.
I picked up the 1911 and found that it would not stay on the 25-yard pistol target at that range... Hits were...Random.

Here's a story from my army days. After the annual qualification we who were issued the pistol did, a lot of the guys complained that the issue 1911s were not accurate and "you couldn't hit the broad side of a barn" with them.
The unit armorer took 10 pistols at random from the armory and shot them all off a rest at the standard pistol target. All would stay "in the black".
It wasn't the gun....

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Jinx Junior Member Offline Rock on Posts: 81 Just west of West Gender:	Re: 1911s Reply #12 - May 23^rd, 2012 at 12:01pm So very rarely is it the weapon. Just like cars and toasters- one size does NOT fit all. If I need to prove it, just hand me a glock.
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Bikewer Interfector Viris Spurii Offline I love Slinging.org! Posts: 1413 St. Louis, Mo Gender:	Re: 1911s Reply #13 - May 23^rd, 2012 at 2:01pm I admit I love my Glock (M23)...As a combat weapon. Unsurpassed, I would maintain. However, if I were still doing general shooting, I'd likely pick something else. Hard to beat the versatility of a good .357 Magnum revolver. Easy and cheap to reload for, capable of handlling a very wide variety of loads, accurate....
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ChuckRocks Senior Member Offline Leverage Artillery Design Engineer Posts: 292 The Florida Outback, USA Gender:	Re: 1911s Reply #14 - May 28^th, 2012 at 7:17am Short story: I was issued a very shot out 1911. Couldn't qualify, too sloppy. So they took my Colt 1911 away and issued me a Sig Sauer 1911-C3-19G 45APC Qualified with all rounds within a 1" dia spread. I'm sold on Sig.
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