Pondering 1911s...

Paleoman

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Ever since I got a Sig P938, I was curious about the 1911 style of gun. I like the short trigger pull, SA operation, and was interested in what a lighter trigger pull would be like.

I have some questions for folks, seeking some opinions...

Besides the P938, I have a Walther PPQ (my first gun). I've been using the former for CCW and the latter for range and home defense.

I was wondering though, if I would like the 1911 trigger, and if it would be better to have a home defense gun that operationally, is similar to the P938. From training I've been taking, the operational differences with safety are noticeable.

I have questions/concerns about the 45 caliber, from a ammo cost perspective, weight, and from a recoil perspective.

The thought here would be for range and home use. I'm thinking a 1911 may not work well for me for carry purposes.

I started researching several and looking at them at stores. Key for me (with any gun), is to actually try them. I tried a Sig TacOps and Springfield 1911 A1 at Manchester Firing Line in NH, both guns in 45 ACP. I loved the trigger, and shot pretty good with them, even considering it was the first time shooting a 45. The recoil, though stronger, seemed manageable (I didn't try quick firing to see how quickly I can get back on target).

The Sig was very nice overall. The Springfield was a bit more comfortable, but the black sights were harder to see (OK at the range).

Questions...

Thoughts on reliability of these two?

Others in that price range for a similar role that are reliable?

I was wondering where else in NH I could rent from? I see Granite State has some rentals list on web site. I didn't see a Remmington R1, nor S&W E series, both I think I'd like to try. I've heard of people mentioning Colt and Rock Island too. Wondering if I'll be able to test those out.

Should I consider 9mm 1911s? If so, any suggestions on ones to research? Will the recoil be similar to the Walther PPQ in 9mm?

I'm by no means a purist, more of a practical person w.r.t. choosing guns. Top concern is reliability, and then ergonomics and functionality. But, I'd like to hear thoughts on staying with 45, vs exploring 9mm 1911s.

I know the 45 ammo is much more, although I have started reloading, so I could potentially get the dies and setup for 45 as well. Thoughts on multiple calibers?

Thanks in advance!
 
Don't fret about the cost difference. Yes it's more per FL round. Will it break the bank....no. 1911 is an exceptional platform. I'd have no issues buying any of the big name 1911s. And sight options are endless.
 
Don't fret about the cost difference. Yes it's more per FL round. Will it break the bank....no. 1911 is an exceptional platform. I'd have no issues buying any of the big name 1911s. And sight options are endless.

This.

Dont overthink it. Most of the bugs have been ironed out of the 1911 over the past 105 years. Settle on your 2-3 favorites, read some reviews with an eye toward reliability of those guns for the type of bullet you want to load (because you absolutely can and should roll your own .45 ACP), then load to factory specs and get to shootin'.

And yes, you can carry these. Plenty do. Being in NH, your options are endless. Get a commander or an officer's. Round-butt or straight;it's hard to go wrong.
 
My choice was between the Sig and the SW e-series. Even considered the Ruger.
Shot all three and loved the e-series. No regrets buying it.
 
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I like the 1911.... I have a performance center 1911 from 2008 and it's great. Also picked up one of the
"Billboard" series used for short money.... it's the one with the big ugly laser etched slide.
 
I really like my Ruger 1911. I shot the Sig also but ultimately chose the Ruger for more budget reasons.

If you get a 9mm, it should theoretically have minimal recoil due to weight vs lighter cartridges. I thought about it but my wife pointed out I should just go for .45 if I wanted it in .45. However if you want it to be uniform with other guns 9mm can work.

If your budget can fit the Sig, I would buy the Ruger and buy reloading get which brings down cost of shooting .45 but that is biased based on my own opinions. Also being in MA I only researched a subset of the 1911s available on the market.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
The OP is in NH. While the suggested S&W and Ruger are fine guns, he can by any manufacturers 1911 from any dealer without any headache

I suggest you look at the Springfield armory catalog and find the model that has the features you want. Several different options for sights, safeties, colors and finishes. You won't be disappointed in a Springfield
 
The OP is in NH. While the suggested S&W and Ruger are fine guns, he can by any manufacturers 1911 from any dealer without any headache

I suggest you look at the Springfield armory catalog and find the model that has the features you want. Several different options for sights, safeties, colors and finishes. You won't be disappointed in a Springfield
Yes, I looked at the Springfield Armory but didn't look too far due to MA. My point was more price point related than brand. A $700-800 level gun there are a number of good reliable options and leaves money on the table setup reloading for .45 caliber.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
 
Shoot a 9 mm 1911 and you will like the low recoil. I have shot my Springfield Range Officer against a S&W Pro series and felt no difference except the 300-400 dollar less I would have in my pocket.
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Forgot to add: I've owned quite a few 1911s over the years, and a Colt lightweight officers is my favorite for carry. The S&W e-series Sc is another one I fire well, but the most accurate is a 1985 Randall. It's dead-on, but it's also a collector piece.

Doesnt stop top me from carrying it on special occasions, though it is heavy.
 
I really like my Ruger 1911. I shot the Sig also but ultimately chose the Ruger for more budget reasons.

If you get a 9mm, it should theoretically have minimal recoil due to weight vs lighter cartridges. I thought about it but my wife pointed out I should just go for .45 if I wanted it in .45. However if you want it to be uniform with other guns 9mm can work.

If your budget can fit the Sig, I would buy the Ruger and buy reloading get which brings down cost of shooting .45 but that is biased based on my own opinions. Also being in MA I only researched a subset of the 1911s available on the market.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
I'll have to check the 9mm too. Something to be said for having the same caliber. Was just wondering if the 9mm were not as nice for the 1911 platform.

Any issues with Ruger for reliability? A guy at the range had mentioned to be about some issues with different models they rented, I wondered if it applied to the 1911.
 
I'll have to check the 9mm too. Something to be said for having the same caliber. Was just wondering if the 9mm were not as nice for the 1911 platform.

Any issues with Ruger for reliability? A guy at the range had mentioned to be about some issues with different models they rented, I wondered if it applied to the 1911.
The only negative issues I've only heard on the Ruger was that they had a rust issue on the early model stainless 1911's. This is suppose to have been resolved by now.
 
This.

Dont overthink it. Most of the bugs have been ironed out of the 1911 over the past 105 years. Settle on your 2-3 favorites, read some reviews with an eye toward reliability of those guns for the type of bullet you want to load (because you absolutely can and should roll your own .45 ACP), then load to factory specs and get to shootin'.

And yes, you can carry these. Plenty do. Being in NH, your options are endless. Get a commander or an officer's. Round-butt or straight;it's hard to go wrong.

Will check reviews for sure.

Forgive the ignorance, are the commander and officers sizes? What is the 5" called?

With the P938, it is a super carry gun for me. Looking more for range (and maybe fall/winter carry).
 
I'll have to check the 9mm too. Something to be said for having the same caliber. Was just wondering if the 9mm were not as nice for the 1911 platform.

Any issues with Ruger for reliability? A guy at the range had mentioned to be about some issues with different models they rented, I wondered if it applied to the 1911.

Even if you get one with problems, Ruger will fix it. I've owned four Ruger 1911s, two full size, one commander, one lightweight commander. They are now the only guns my wife will shoot.

I just picked up a Remington R1 Enhanced 1911, Talo edition, and it is amazing as well.

Pretty much you can't go wrong with 99% of the 1911 options out there due to customize options available.
 
Will check reviews for sure.

Forgive the ignorance, are the commander and officers sizes? What is the 5" called?

With the P938, it is a super carry gun for me. Looking more for range (and maybe fall/winter carry).

The barrel decreases by about an inch, based on the manufacturer (a few by more like 7/8", but basically an inch). The 5" is the Government (sometimes Service) Model, 4" is the Commander's, 3" is the Officer's. The Officer's also has a shorter grip, with one fewer round in capacity.

I carry a 938 about 85% of the time, and I love it. I THINK all the 9mm issues have been ironed out by now in the larger 1911s, but I wouldn't know; I'm enough of a purist that I feel a 1911 with a full-size frame simply ought to be in .45.

Don't worry about mixing calibers. If you buy enough guns, you're going to have to do it sooner or later.
 
I'd get a Springfield Armory M1911A1 or A2. I've owned two SA M1911A1s since 1988, and they are great shooters. I won $5000 with one of them at the 1990 Winchester Grand Championship Shoot Off at the big Second Chance Pin Shoot.
 
The 1911 platform is my favorite to shoot and I have Gov't, Commander and Officer models that I shoot frequently, including a Gov't model in 9mm. I'm a 45acp fan, but I have to say 9mm out of a 1911 is a very sweet shooter. If you're looking for a single caliber I'd recommend a 1911 in 9mm for you.

Now as far as carrying, I personally hate carrying a Gov't model. I just don't carry it well. Though I do like carrying the Officer model. The 3" bbl and shorter grip make it conceal easily in the right holster. Seeing your from NH you have a plethora of models to chose from. I've shot many of them and still prefer my Colt Defender for carry and S&W E Series for range use. I've owned a Springfield Armory Champion Commander and it had an ammo problem. It wouldn't shoot 230gr rounds, but loved 185s. I reload 230s mostly so I sold the Champion and went in a different direction.

Here's the thing. If you are going to get a 1911 save up and get a good one. I personally would pass on Rock Island Armory, Auto Ordinance and a few other "low cost" models. Some have had excellent results with theirs but for every good one I've read about a bad one as well. This tends to go away when you start buying better models. In this type of handgun you generally get what you pay for. Some are diamonds in the rough while many are big pieces of crap.
 
The barrel decreases by about an inch, based on the manufacturer (a few by more like 7/8", but basically an inch). The 5" is the Government (sometimes Service) Model, 4" is the Commander's, 3" is the Officer's. The Officer's also has a shorter grip, with one fewer round in capacity.

I carry a 938 about 85% of the time, and I love it. I THINK all the 9mm issues have been ironed out by now in the larger 1911s, but I wouldn't know; I'm enough of a purist that I feel a 1911 with a full-size frame simply ought to be in .45.

Don't worry about mixing calibers. If you buy enough guns, you're going to have to do it sooner or later.
Thanks for the decoder ring on the sizes!


sent from my phone.
 
If you want a 1911 for home and range, get an all steel Government model. They range in price from $350 to $6,000, but price isn't necessarily an indicator of quality (for some definitions of "quality"). For a bullseye gun, be prepared to start at the top end of that range, and then spend more.

If you want it to be 100% reliable with anything you feed it, go cheap. Go Philippines. RIA or any of the other labels they manufacture. I personally carry a Citadel, which has a beavertail grip safety, ambidextrous thumb safety (which I'm going to change out to right-only), and Novak-cut sights. The stock mags are blued steel and work fine; I save them for the range. I carry Chip McCormick PowerMags (8+1 in the gun, two 10s on my weak side).

They're available for under $600, sometimes under $500, almost everywhere.

Yes, it's heavy. The two spare mags serve as counterbalance as much as anything. In NH, I don't worry about concealing, but grip length is more of a problem than barrel length when it comes to concealing, no matter where you are.

http://www.legacysports.com/catalog/citadel/citadel-m-1911-government-pistol/
 
I love my ruger 1911, even enjoyed the remington 1911 enhanced. Heck even used to carry an original Ithaca ww2 1911a1 someone put modern sights on. Never a issue with any of them for reliability or accuracy.
 
Are there other places in NH, where I can rent 1911's to test them, besides Manchester Firing Line and Granite State?
 
Had a chance to go to Granite State Range today. Surprise was that they are having free rentals all this month!!! Only had to pay for ammo (and a carrier card - they are not using cardboard target holders any more - only cost $5).

Tried a Remington R1, Springfield TRC, 4" and 5" Magnum Research Desert Eagles (though they had modified trigger, sear, etc), and a Springfield Champion Operator 4". It was fun to try each of them. I have to analyze the targets tonight to see how they compare for accuracy (for me :)).

The TRC grip was a bit aggressive. The Remington was more comfortable, and the Magnum Research ones were the most comfortable (but not by much). All had comfortable grip safeties. The thumb safety on the Magnum Research was really easy, seemed like I could inadvertently move it. The sights were black on almost all of them and somewhat hard for me to see at the range. The Magnum's were really hard to see. The trigger on the Magnums were really light (though they were modified).

At first glance, I seemed to be most accurate with the Remington, of these. I had the worst accuracy with the Springfield 4". I need to compare to the Sig and Springfield A1 I tried before.

Overall though, I shot pretty well with them (at 15' and 20'). I only did 20 rounds per gun, as I had limited time today. $75 to try 5 guns!
 
More than welcome to try my Springfield Range Officer in 9mm this weekend or next tues during the day. Andover Sportsmans Club
Thanks for the kind offer! I've got some business travel coming up, but maybe in a few weeks.


sent from my phone.
 
Had a chance to go to Granite State Range today. Surprise was that they are having free rentals all this month!!! Only had to pay for ammo (and a carrier card - they are not using cardboard target holders any more - only cost $5).

Tried a Remington R1, Springfield TRC, 4" and 5" Magnum Research Desert Eagles (though they had modified trigger, sear, etc), and a Springfield Champion Operator 4". It was fun to try each of them. I have to analyze the targets tonight to see how they compare for accuracy (for me :)).

The TRC grip was a bit aggressive. The Remington was more comfortable, and the Magnum Research ones were the most comfortable (but not by much). All had comfortable grip safeties. The thumb safety on the Magnum Research was really easy, seemed like I could inadvertently move it. The sights were black on almost all of them and somewhat hard for me to see at the range. The Magnum's were really hard to see. The trigger on the Magnums were really light (though they were modified).

At first glance, I seemed to be most accurate with the Remington, of these. I had the worst accuracy with the Springfield 4". I need to compare to the Sig and Springfield A1 I tried before.

Overall though, I shot pretty well with them (at 15' and 20'). I only did 20 rounds per gun, as I had limited time today. $75 to try 5 guns!
This is a good start. I'd still try out some more to see what others feel like.
 
[flak jacket] you should probably just pick up a G19 and be done with it [/flak jacket] /sarcasm, hehehe!
 
I've 7 1911s 4 in 45 auto 2 Rugers Govt model and a commander,2 S&W 1 is an E series.
2 9mms Springfield Armory and a RIA and a S&W 1911 Pro series that I had converted to 9x23 Win.
All have been extremely reliable wit both factory and handloads. The RIA had to have the spring that controls the trigger and grip safety replaced as it broke all the others no problems what so ever.
 
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