1911 Review Thread

[jetfire]

So for the past year now I've done literally nothing but review 1911 pistols when it comes to shooting. I posted about the test criteria in another thread, but the condensed version is every gun gets at least 2000 rounds fired through it, with every round logged. Scoring is simple: everything starts with 100 points (a perfect score) and loses points for failures, parts breakages, or failures to complete certain test protocols.

This all started because someone said I hated Taurus and was biased against them. I do a series of videos on each gun documenting various testing protocols, but everything always culminates in a final review.

Taurus PT1911 Review (http://www.gunnuts.net/2016/01/06/taurus-pt1911-torture-test-part-5-500-round-challenge/)

The Taurus review was the last one I did in a primary text based format, as I've mostly transitioned to focusing on video.

After Taurus came the Springfield Armory Range Officer, which surprisingly kind of sucked.


https://youtu.be/11Be4pzyL50

Then the Rock Island Armory Ultra FS in 9mm, which so far is the only gun to get a perfect score (that I've personally tested)


https://youtu.be/niuHLD1LjvA

Then the Kimber Pro Carry II, also in 9mm (sensing a pattern yet?)


https://youtu.be/Z2A4KD0dAFM

Followed by the Sig Nightmare Fastback in .357 Sig, which was weird, problematic, and awesome.


https://youtu.be/861grOpUiuw

And today I just finished up the Dan Wesson Valkyrie Commander, also in 9mm.


https://youtu.be/YJhqZQTxOC8

The original idea was for the guns to be cheap 1911s, but as the tests have gone on and on, I've realized that I'm just shooting whatever 1911 tickles my fancy at the moment. Now that the Valkyrie is complete, I'm working on the first .45 of the bunch, another Rock Island because I'm starting to believe the Armscor/RIA guns have some kind of magic in them.

Brands that I've had a lot of requests to test: Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Wilson Combat, and Remington. Those have all been requested heavily by viewers, so I'll work them into the testing cycle just as soon as possible.

One note, while all the guns are provided to me by the manufacturers, I don't get anything in return for the tests. Just an impartial, largely self-funded test of an ancient weapon (hokey religion not included). I'll update this thread as I do more tests with guns.

Oh, fun note? Today I fired my 35,000th round through 1911 pattern pistols.

[Nephrology]

Your writeup validates my experience with RIAs.... Mine is ugly as hell but it just runs. I am at just about 1500 rounds without failure. I really like it.

[TheNewbie]

I am intrigued by RIAs. Not that I would issue them to 500 people, but they are interesting.

[45dotACP]

I'd be very interested in a review of the Ruger.

A data point...I experimented with a Rock Island...it was a cluster from start to the very bitter end...stripped grip screw bushings, and issues with extraction which couldn't be remedied without a welding setup. Wouldn't go through a 50 round box without a failure to eject and while I can make most 1911s work with fairly little effort, it was the one gun I never could fix...Ultimately I decided if I can't trust a gun enough to carry, I'd ditch it, so down the river that gun went.

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[TheNewbie]

I'd be very interested in a review of the Ruger.

A data point...I experimented with a Rock Island...it was a cluster from start to the very bitter end...stripped grip screw bushings, and issues with extraction which couldn't be remedied without a welding setup. Wouldn't go through a 50 round box without a failure to eject and while I can make most 1911s work with fairly little effort, it was the one gun I never could fix...Ultimately I decided if I can't trust a gun enough to carry, I'd ditch it, so down the river that gun went.

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I shot a Ruger in a class, just 300-400 rounds. Had 3 failures, can't remember details. The gun only had about 50 rounds at that point through it.

[Nephrology]

I'd be very interested in a review of the Ruger.

A data point...I experimented with a Rock Island...it was a cluster from start to the very bitter end...stripped grip screw bushings, and issues with extraction which couldn't be remedied without a welding setup. Wouldn't go through a 50 round box without a failure to eject and while I can make most 1911s work with fairly little effort, it was the one gun I never could fix...Ultimately I decided if I can't trust a gun enough to carry, I'd ditch it, so down the river that gun went.

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When did you buy this gun? I know the big issue with Rocks in the past (and potentially the present) is their QC. I know that my Rock, as I bought it, had a satin nickel finish that started to flake within the first month or ownership. Sent it back to RIA and they sent me a whole new pistol that their facility smith worked over before shipping to me.

The 2nd gun was very much still an ugly ass RIA, but it's just worked. I wonder if the newer RIAs (with the new rollmarks) have a little more stateside QC than the older ones do.

[jetfire]

I'd be very interested in a review of the Ruger.

A data point...I experimented with a Rock Island...it was a cluster from start to the very bitter end...stripped grip screw bushings, and issues with extraction which couldn't be remedied without a welding setup. Wouldn't go through a 50 round box without a failure to eject and while I can make most 1911s work with fairly little effort, it was the one gun I never could fix...Ultimately I decided if I can't trust a gun enough to carry, I'd ditch it, so down the river that gun went.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

You're not the only one. It's gotten to the point where if I can't shake a T&E loose out of Ruger soon, I'm going to just buy one with my own money.

[45dotACP]

When did you buy this gun? I know the big issue with Rocks in the past (and potentially the present) is their QC. I know that my Rock, as I bought it, had a satin nickel finish that started to flake within the first month or ownership. Sent it back to RIA and they sent me a whole new pistol that their facility smith worked over before shipping to me.

The 2nd gun was very much still an ugly ass RIA, but it's just worked. I wonder if the newer RIAs (with the new rollmarks) have a little more stateside QC than the older ones do.
It was a new roll mark... No lie the fact that it looked like the south end of a northbound horse had some influence on my decision to 86 that gun.

[SecondsCount]

Thanks for posting caleb.

Do the RIA 1911s come from the same manufacturer as the Charles Daley 1911s did? My friend had a Charles Daley and shot it in USPSA. It ate a lot of parts before he sold it.

It seems like most of them run well but he is the only one I know that had a high round count Phillipine made 1911.

[Totem Polar]

You're not the only one. It's gotten to the point where if I can't shake a T&E loose out of Ruger soon, I'm going to just buy one with my own money.

If it's the lightweight commander in 9mm, and it runs, I'll buy it from you after you're done. :cool:

You're welcome.

[jetfire]

If it's the lightweight commander in 9mm, and it runs, I'll buy it from you after you're done. :cool:

You're welcome.

You're also not the first person to make that offer.

[MVS]

You're not the only one. It's gotten to the point where if I can't shake a T&E loose out of Ruger soon, I'm going to just buy one with my own money.

I would have sent you my piece of crap one before I put $300 into it to make it run.

[Nephrology]

I would have sent you my piece of crap one before I put $300 into it to make it run.

I assume you were in touch with Ruger about your issues? What did they say? I have always heard exceptional things about their customer service so I am surprised to hear you were dissatisfied.

[45dotACP]

What intrigues me is a few high level smithies are building on Rugers....I played with one that was a public range rental....it seemed to suffer the problems of pretty much every production grade 1911.... Namely low extractor tension....in this case profoundly low. The magazine had so many empty cases dragged into the feed lips it was visually out of spec. Without being able to wrench on the gun I'd have no idea if the extractor simply cannot be tensioned enough, requires replacement, is too long, has incorrect deflection etc....and I'm not about to drop some coin on another possible flop.

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[JonInWA]

Ok. I'll take it upon myself to be Captain Rain On The Parade here....C'mn, Caleb, this is Pistol-Forum, not Bubba Gump's 1911 Truck Gun Of the Month Club here. I can see the SA, maybe the Dan Wesson and the Ruger-but some of the others just seem silly for serious hard use, considering their somewhat questionable material composition, manufacturing rep, etc. I'm not impugning your desire to test them, this just strikes me as the wrong audience, at least for some of the selections.

I understand the inclination and desire for an affordable (or at least lower-priced) 1911. So how about, say a Colt 1991 or 70 Series? Or some of the other SA alternatives, for example?

I really think that you're gonna be pretty hard-pressed to realistically come up with significant numbers of sub $1,000 1911s that are viable for hard, or harder than hobbyist, use.

I'm not trying to imply that we collectively sit around sipping sherry with our pinkys in the air, but I think that the preponderance of the form's serious users and participants have gone a bit further afield than, say a Taurus or the Philippine knock-off clones....

(But then again, this critique is coming from one who's been known to publicly champion Ruger's P89 on this forum, so feel free to wack away at me in response...)

Best, Jon

[JAD]

Ok. I'll take it upon myself to be Captain Rain On The Parade herem

Why?

[JonInWA]

Simply because the forum has always seemed to be oriented towards the more serious/heavier user of our pistols, beyond the hobbyist/collector stage. And while it's not impossible, I don't think that it's a miss-representation that to get a credible, hard use 1911 pattern pistol you're simply going to need to swim a bit upstream, to around $1K price-wise. Otherwise, I think you're simply chasing unicorns, and wasting time, effort and money that is better spent either on another platform, or applied towards saving until you can get a viable, credible 1911.

Getting an inexpensive 1911 is, in my opinion, a bit of a fool's errand-fraught with the presumptively inevitable result of disproportionate gunsmith expenditures necessitated to achieve the desired results.

More credible people than I have qualified this in great detail, on this forum and others.

Best, Jon

[OnionsAndDragons]

I may be misreading Caleb's endeavor, but in don't think so.

I'm pretty sure this project is for general consumption, not just the hardcore P-F audience. He's simply collated it here for any that might be interested.

I also think there is value in finding the diamonds in the rough. Maybe not from a strictly combative purpose standpoint. But, there is a lot of room to make a fun shooter or good competition gun with a bit of sound knowledge and effort if there are good and low-cost base guns to be had. The only 1911 I regret getting rid of was an old Norinco I personally gutted and learned to fit parts to. The frame and slide were excellent for what I invested in it, and I was a really great gun when it was done.

[JonInWA]

And with your qualifier, I think that's a very fair perspective, OAD. And I do appreciate Caleb, and his testing. I just think that some of his subjects are a bit off the mark for this forum. But they're still worth a good read/viewing.

Best, Jon

[MVS]

I assume you were in touch with Ruger about your issues? What did they say? I have always heard exceptional things about their customer service so I am surprised to hear you were dissatisfied.

Don't have any idea about Rugers customer service. Before I ever took the gun out I had a local guy install a Wilson ambi safety. It turns out he didn't know what he was doing, so I figured I was on my own after having someone else work on it. Most of my problems had nothing to do with the safety, although I did have to have that fixed as well.

The actual gunsmith who I had work on it after that found the following.

After inspecting the gun I suggest the following

New barrel bushing $45.00 incls fitting (this is optional but it is recommended)

New Slide stop. The factory one is trash. $65.00

The rest is labor.
Trigger job using existing parts. It may not be as nice and milled bar stock parts but much nicer then it is now $50.00

The barrel bed needs lowered .005 -.008 for adequate slide clearance $40.00

Safety pin if not available $32.85

Tune ejector and rest of reliability job $45.00


I am very happy with the end result, however if I buy another 1911 it will not be low end.

(Sorry for hijacking your thread Caleb. It is interesting.)

[Drang]

And with your qualifier, I think that's a very fair perspective, OAD. And I do appreciate Caleb, and his testing. I just think that some of his subjects are a bit off the mark for this forum.

For this forum, sure. And yet, when the guy at work comes to me about the Filipino, Brazilian, or Turkish 1911 he wants to buy...

[john c]

I think it's also useful to determine where the actual floor for serious use is. Is it $1000? Or can you get a decent Springfield Range Officer for $750 and be good? I don't know the answer to this.

[OnionsAndDragons]

I think it's also useful to determine where the actual floor for serious use is. Is it $1000? Or can you get a decent Springfield Range Officer for $750 and be good? I don't know the answer to this.

I think this is a really valid question...

That isn't answerable by something like Caleb's endeavor. This sort of testing offers good, but individual, data points. This gives depth of data on individual guns from a manufacturer. To really drill into that question, we need more breadth with equal or greater depth. That's really functionally impossible without institutional testing.

The thing about Caleb's quest here is that it shows that really good guns CAN be found through less than expected channels. Learning to evaluate the fundamental characteristics of a gun that will run (and having a relationship with your arms purveyor that would allow you to conduct say an extractor test or examination) may provide you with more options of choice.

From my own experience and a lot of reading, I would not be cool picking a Range Officer and calling it good. Picking one and sending it out for a small parts upgrade and reliability package, I can live with. But, at that point you might as well buy a DW. If you can evaluate a 1911 decently, you can likely vet something like a RO and determine it's worthiness on your own. That's not advice I would give just anyone, though. I'm 70% confident in my own ability to do that, so I would default to getting another pair of eyes and hands on it if I planned to carry it.

DW is the lowest I would personally go and EXPECT out of the box reliability. If I had to use it for work/duty, I would spend even more. This is a big part of why I decided 1911s aren't really for me. They are beautiful and special, but I want to spend my limited time and funds on more shooting and ammo, not so much tinkering anymore. I'm glad I did spend time on that years back, though.

[JohnO]

I'm sure the answer is already on PF somewhere, but I'm currently on my phone and using Tapatalk (yuck) which makes searching more of a pain in the butt than my laziness is willing to deal with. Anyway, empirically speaking, what are you guys looking for to determine the acceptability of any particular 1911 for "serious" use?

My personal criteria includes a visual inspection of all parts (full detail strip). I will look for correct feed ramp to barrel throat gap. The plunger tube must rock solid to the frame. I want a grip safety that disengages within the first 50% of its travel. The thumb safety must be crisp and positive. Finally the trigger pull/break must be what I consider a quality 1911 trigger. I'm a series 70 guy I want nothing to do with any other type. I might be swayed to consider a series 80 gun but certainly not a Swartz safety gun. The gun must have a GI style recoil assembly and a 17 or 18.5 Lb recoil spring (no shock buff on a carry gun).

Next comes the function testing. All my 1911's get checked with ball ammo, my 200 grain SWC reloads and carry ammo (230 gn, Ranger-T & Federal HST). I will determine accuracy and POA/POI at the same time. The gun must be able to shoot a one hole group at 10 yards. I run the 10-8 extraction/ejection test to verify performance it must pass all 10 rounds. FYI while not a hard criteria all my 1911's will feed empty cases from my magazines of choice Chip McCormick Power Mags.

If I am satisfied with all of the above I will run the gun in a monthly clinic I attend (April - November) where we typically go through approximately 350 - 400 rounds in a day. If I have zero issues and fell confident in the guns performance I will consider it acceptable for carry.

My latest a LightWeight Commander that I had the Dan Wesson Custom Shop build to my specifications went through everything I described above. Then I took it to a Mike Pannone Covert Carry class and ran the gun from a JM Custom AIWB for the class and it performed flawlessly. I feel 100% confident carrying it. I don't own a 1911 that hasn't been through at least one multi-day class. If the gun can do that it is good to go. FYI. I have had a number of instructors give me jazz about my 1911 and been told that it won't make it through the class (including Todd, god rest his soul, before he came over to the dark side) and all of them ate crow.

[Wobblie]

Crow! It's what's for dinner.

[guymontag]

Why?

Exactly. Why so serious?

Caleb is a "content creator" last I checked, and he has been a member for a long time here - I value his contributions even if it does not mesh with the serious/heavy use/tactical timmy mindset. Last I checked that guy SeanO's(?) threads with the testing on the SD9 went over okay here. I personally think that time "chasing unicorns" is more valuable than posting on the online forum because at least homeboy is out shooting the guns and not just posting online. But that's none of my business.

Anyways thanks Caleb!

[45dotACP]

JohnO, I like the way you approach 1911's.

I personally am no expert whatsoever in many things 1911. My first was a Caspian Arms which is still chugging along, and a Palmetto State frame and slide with a bunch of other parts...it started it's life without a single malfunction and has continued the trend. I since bought a Colt and a Rock Island...the Colt I watch carefully, and the Rock Island went the way of the dodo.

I think the key is to start high quality and then play around with whatever you want. The Caspian was my first ever 1911...I learned everything 1911 on that gun and because it worked, it was an enjoyable experience...but anyways, this is what I look for in a "Serious 1911"...take my advice with a grain of salt, but I've seen a few guns run and a few guns fail and they had common themes and my internal monologue to myself is always as follows.

I'm looking for a new (I don't trust used 1911's...I trust other used guns, but I have bad enough luck to get the 850 dollar bubba fucked gun) Colt or SA...and probably in .45. I know 9's can be made to work, but if my 1911 is serious, I'm sticking to what is most likely to work. So...that's a start. I also am probably buying something that already has a beavertail, sight dovetails, and frontstrap checkering (if I want checkering) because the metalwork involved in doing those things is time consuming and really easy to fuck up. I don't exclude the series 80. I can do a trigger job with the gear I have at home, so no biggie. While I'm in the store, I push down the barrel hood while the gun is in battery. Did it move? If it did, the barrel is "riding the link", which is short for saying "It won't be as accurate as it should, and I'll end up needing a new barrel if I want it to be. "How accurate?" I'll get to my personal standards in a sec. While I cycle the action, I note any halts, catches, or bumps...too much can affect feeding, but a glass smooth slide/frame fit....while hallmark of a custom shop gun...isn't necessary. After all, we're looking for a working class gun here. I'll likely feel the disconnector, but the rest of the travel should be fairly unimpeded...especially when going back into battery. Any catches before going into battery can indicate either undercut or overcut lower lugs...again...no bueno. I make sure it locks back on an empty mag. I don't care about grips or trigger reach. I look for a few things right away when getting a gun home.

Reliability:
I actually don't want an ejector that is pinned in place. It's a bit of a double edged sword. I've destroyed a few roll pin punches trying to get the pin out of my Caspian so there's no way the ejector is coming loose...the only problem is....if that ejector really bites the dust (shears off horizontally) I'll be in deep shit. I like the Wilson or the Springfield take on ejectors and would pay to have Wilson install an ejector in my gun when it goes bad. It can even be a little loose or wiggly...when the slide is on the frame, the ejector sits in the channel and has no way of coming off or out. If it's an extended ejector, I don't want to see the top round hitting it. That'll break. I don't really need an extended one though, so I usually don't get them. I want an extractor of quality. I like Ed Brown and have yet to have them not work on a correctly spec'ed out firearm. EGW is known for the HD extractor and I suspect that it would lose tension somewhere in the neighborhood of never...Some high level gunsmiths like Chuck Warner sing their praise....and EGW stands by their products and has phenomenal customer service. I check it for clocking. If it clocks, I put in a new Firing Pin Stop...also courtesy of EGW. I have never needed a polished feedramp to feed hollow points or any ammo. If it feeds, it will feed....if it doesn't, it's probably not the shiny ramp you have, it's some other issue. Probably a worse issue. There are some guys who really recommend it, like Chuck Rogers...so I suspect it doesn't hurt. I need a barrel/frame ramp gap in a 2 piece setup, otherwise, it will set back, overhang the ramp and cause Failure to Feed. I like Kart Barrels...but ensure that the barrel has a correctly sized or I'm gonna have a bad time. I look for a bowtie cut vertical impact surface so the lower lugs don't shear off down the road. Recoil spring is to be a Wilson Flatwire spring...17lb is my preference, and magazines are Wilsons. Either the 7 round 47s, or service mags, or the 8 round ETMs, depending on if the gun has a magwell.

Accuracy:
I will either be fitting a new barrel if the barrel rides the link, or I'll be checking lower lug contact if it doesn't. I put marker on the lower lugs and cycle the gun a few times, then check to see if the contact on both lugs is equal. I make sure my ammo passes the "plunk test" where the case rim doesn't hang out above the barrel hood, indicating a short chamber. I check the bushing fit in the barrel. I like it tight, so a bushing wrench or a welded baseplate mag goes in my bag. I check for barrel springing. If it is there, I need to fix the bushing. I like a 4.0-4.5lb trigger for accuracy, with minimal take up, so I adjust the overtravel stop...I like fixed stops so either I adjust it and red loctite it, or I get one that is fixed and I file/assemble/test...rinse lather repeat. Most guns are capable of more accuracy than I am, so I don't usually look for a lot, but my Colt 9mm Commander has worse accuracy than my gen 2 G19 and so the replacement barrel is en route...it rides the link and the bushing is finger loose and the muzzle/bushing interface of the barrel is not tight.

Safeties/Ergos/parts that people fuck up:
I like a crisp thumb safety, and a grip safety that disengages in the first 50% of travel, much like JohnO. I don't care about grips, I will change them. If not checkered, I like the Pachmayr wrap arounds. If checkered, I like the slim rubber hogue side panels. Weird I know, but VZ grips and other G10 abrasive types really fuck up my hands because I work in a hospital and wash them about a zillion times a day and as a result, have girly soft hands. I like an extended mag catch and I make sure that no matter how hard I press it, the mags drop free. I like my grip screw bushings to be either staked or loctited in, as if the bushings strip out, you need to either put in an oversized version and tap it yourself, or take it to someone who knows how to weld, lest your frame be reduced to garbage. I like plunger tube that is staked and/or loctited because they come out easily. I'd really like an internal version, which is why Ruger interests me so. I like the plungers themselves to be smooth and even and unlikely to hang up my slide stop/thumb safety. I'll probably have a short trigger and a flat MSH, though I may be looking at the arched ones. I like magwells for games, but not for carry. I like IWB strong side in a CCC Uno or some other kydex rig...both for the speed and the heresy, and I like big, wide shelf thumb safeties for the ability to press down hard...but only single sided ones, as ambis are bulky and affect how high I grip my gun. I like sights that are flat across the top...preferably Wilson Battelsight or 10-8 rears. I prefer Novak cuts for just that reason, but Heine sights are cool too. I may go back to tritium sights, and maybe even a tritium rear for nighttime visibility, but right now I'm running fiber optics.

All my opinions and worth the price you paid for it...maybe less.

[Gary1911A1]

Appreciate your review of the Dan Wesson. I have several and like them a lot. One like you tested is on my short list as enjoy shooting the 9MM more as I have gotten older.

[OnionsAndDragons]

I like pretty much everything JohnO and 45DotACP have said on the matter. :)

I don't want to have to fit a barrel ever again or really to mess with the linkage. I'm cool with fitting a bushing or safety personally. A little less so for blending a beavertail as I don't have a blasting cabinet to access anymore. I COULD, but hand finishing the very last of it is tedious, just like getting a barrel just right. Just my opinion. I'm also cool with a little grit as far as the slide/frame as long as the fit is solid, a little lapping of the rail area is pretty easy.

The EGW extractor and other parts are really good. I ran at least 7k through that old Norinco beater after tuning an EGW extractor and it never needed a tweak. All sorts of garbage ammo, too.

I found I really liked the Magpul grip panels, as they are very easy to stipple to a desired texture and you can vary the sides based on which rides against your body if desired.

All of this really makes me want a 9mm 1911... DAMN YOU CALEB!

[RJ]

JohnO, I like the way you approach 1911's.

I personally am no expert whatsoever in many things 1911....

( snip metric ton of expert 1911 comments )



If I ever, I mean *ever*, get to own a 1911, I'd aspire to this level of knowledge.

Thanks for an informative post.

[Robinson]

I'm sure the answer is already on PF somewhere, but I'm currently on my phone and using Tapatalk (yuck) which makes searching more of a pain in the butt than my laziness is willing to deal with. Anyway, empirically speaking, what are you guys looking for to determine the acceptability of any particular 1911 for "serious" use?

I limit my 1911s to Colts as of the last few years so that streamlines my process a little. I have found American Eagle 147gr flat point FMJ ammo is a real good match for my carry ammo which is 147gr HST. Therefore, with any new Colt I always shoot several boxes of HSTs and at least 500 rounds of practice ammo through the gun in order to get a sense of its reliability. As an example, I just reached that point with a 5" 1991 of recent purchase and I am confident in the gun based on the results of the protocol mentioned above.

[jetfire]

I may be misreading Caleb's endeavor, but in don't think so.

I'm pretty sure this project is for general consumption, not just the hardcore P-F audience. He's simply collated it here for any that might be interested.


Pretty much this right here. I'm really enjoying the 1911 testing, and while it originally started as a project for mass consumption shooting the budget guns. The Filipino guns I've been generally impressed with, but I'm starting to get the itch to shoot something a little bit more top-shelf. I'm thinking maaaaaybe I should call Wilson Combat when the next test is over.

[jetfire]

I'm sure the answer is already on PF somewhere, but I'm currently on my phone and using Tapatalk (yuck) which makes searching more of a pain in the butt than my laziness is willing to deal with. Anyway, empirically speaking, what are you guys looking for to determine the acceptability of any particular 1911 for "serious" use?

For me it needs to pass the safety tests as far as hammer jump, etc. Then on the performance side it needs to pass the 10-8 Performance Test, which is 50 rounds of duty ammo. Then after that it needs to eat another 50ish rounds of duty ammo, and at least 200 rounds of practice ammo without a malfunction before I'll carry it. One of the next things about testing these guns for 2,000 rounds is that if a gun makes it all the way through the tests with a MRBF of 1:2000, I'll feel pretty good about recommending it for concealed carry.

[StraitR]

Caleb, in your Valkyrie video, during the 10-8 function test, it appears that at least one casing goes over your left shoulder. This would in fact fail the test, but you said it passed. Am I just not seeing this right?

[jetfire]

Caleb, in your Valkyrie video, during the 10-8 function test, it appears that at least one casing goes over your left shoulder. This would in fact fail the test, but you said it passed. Am I just not seeing this right?

I've seen that casing, it's a weird visual artifact that makes it look like it did that. Also, a case not going in the perfect direction isn't necessarily a fail, it's if there's a pattern of erratic ejection.

[spinmove_]

I almost pounced on a RIA 1911 at a gun show this past Sunday because of you. Thanks to the threat of the wife killing me and the fact that we're house hunting right now, I didn't end up pouncing. This thread is definitely making me want to take a 1911 armorer's course though. All this time I've been told that 1911's are quirky, generally unreliable, and a mystery to diagnose unless you have an engineering doctorate at best. I'm starting to see now that it might not actually be all that difficult, albeit not as inexpensive and easy as a Glock.

I've got at least one or two purchases that I need to get out of the way first before I go down the rabbit hole that is the 1911 platform. But when I am ready, I'd like to know all I can before taking the plunge. Any recommendations as far as armorer courses or materials that I should read up on? I'm an IT Systems Administrator by trade, so I'm very detail oriented and somewhat mechanically inclined. I'm not afraid of some fairly technical documentation that may or may not need to be consumed.

[StraitR]

I've seen that casing, it's a weird visual artifact that makes it look like it did that. Also, a case not going in the perfect direction isn't necessarily a fail, it's if there's a pattern of erratic ejection.

Yeah, I wasn't sure if I was seeing it right or what, so thanks for clarifying. As far as pass/fail, I guess it depends on how strict you want to adhere to the original test criteria.

"The empty cases must properly eject between 2 o’clock and 5 o’clock. If any cases go forward, to the left, stovepipe, into your face, or fall through the magazine well, the pistol has failed this test." - Tim Lau - Understanding the 1911 Extractor Test - Modern Service Weapons (http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=131)

[EVP]

I've got at least one or two purchases that I need to get out of the way first before I go down the rabbit hole that is the 1911 platform. But when I am ready, I'd like to know all I can before taking the plunge. Any recommendations as far as armorer courses or materials that I should read up on? I'm an IT Systems Administrator by trade, so I'm very detail oriented and somewhat mechanically inclined. I'm not afraid of some fairly technical documentation that may or may not need to be consumed.

Check out my post in the armorer section about 1911s. People gave several recommendations.

[spinmove_]

Check out my post in the armorer section about 1911s. People gave several recommendations.

Thanks! I'm off to check that out right now.

[gskip]

I've enjoyed Caleb's 1911 reviews. I've shot and owned quite a few 9mm 1911s and my most recent has been a Dan Wesson Valkryie CCO. I literally could not be happier with it. It currently fights my Roland Special (glock 19 + kkm comp + rmr) for my EDC.

I shot the Valkyrie in Single Stack minor USPSA and did pretty well for myself. Now I am just debating if I want to get a PM9 and change the trigger out (its just fugly to me) or get the Valor and swap the sights out. Or maybe get the Specialist and get rid of that ambi safety and change the sights....Or maybe.....
Decisions that keep me up at night....

[Trooper224]

Why?

Because when "1911" is mentioned on P-F, someone will squat on their mount of moral superiority and take a shit on it.