I own three 1911s (two internal extractor Kimbers, and an AO/Caspian
mutt gun) a bunch of HKs, and a bunch of SigSauer products, and a
few S+Ws. Two of the 1911s are the only guns I've ever had
catostrophics on. (eg, a failure that would require field stripping,
and sometimes worse, level of repair. )
By the numbers, I've seen more broken 1911s than anything else
out there. That being said.... I acknowledge that there are big
REASONS behind that....
-There are a buttload of 1911s, and virtually all of them are
different in some way or another. Even same models from the
factory can be different.
-Some manufacturers have what I consider junk designs and
poor parts quality/QC. (No, I'm not going to elaborate- I don't
want to pour more gas on THAT fire.
)
-50% of them are customized. Even when mods are done
right, some mods can compromise reliability. Anecdotally,
guns that get further away from the 5" JMB 1911A1 pattern
usually get less reliable.
-There are like 30 kinds of magazines, and only a half a dozen
types/brands which aren't junk. Also, using the wrong mag
with the wrong ammo can cause problems. Finding the mags
your particular gun prefers is paramount.
-1911s are maintenance sensitive, especially on anything that
is REALLY tight. Any lacking in this department will result in
jams/failures. I think some guns are designed a little TOO tight
for the sake of slightly reducing the group size at some really
long range.
The problem with all of the above, is that it makes it VERY
difficult to truly apply a "reliability blanket statement" to
1911s.... 1911s, as a class, are not a "monolithic" kind of
design. Chances are if you own a factory G21 it isn't much
different from your friend's G21 across town. The same
can't be said for a 1911. You might have a springfield, and
your buddy has an AO, or any number of other sub-brands,
etc. Everybody and his brothers uncle makes a 1911, only
Glocks make Glocks, etc.
I know people who have had flawless 1911s, and those who
have gotten so pissed off at them they'd swear to never buy
one again. I think the former fibs a lot and the latter just
has had a streak of bad luck. You can find a lot of either with
any handgun design. In the latter group, I've also seen a lot
of problem resolution that was approached the wrong way. (eg,
IMO, with a 1911, it is best to find a gunsmith that knows what
they're doing, sending it back to the factory, is shot in the
dark with many intermittent problems. A good gunsmith can
also replace many compromise parts that are in some 1911s. )
Just my .02.... I like 1911s... and I will likely buy more... they
have features that you simply cannot get in any other handgun-
especially the trigger, grip angle, and point-ability.
That being said, if the S hits the F, I'm grabbing a Sig or an HK,
or my G20, first. My gut instinct tells me that all of those
will work when called upon, with minimal BS. The only 1911 that I
had, that I -really- trusted was my Colt Delta Elite that I had sold
awhile ago. I do have a newer Kimber Series 70 type of gun
in the safe, though. The thing is just barely broken in, though,
and I'm not quite at my required "trust" level with it yet.
-Mike