Dilemma: 1911 or Glock 48?

[Rex G]

Some thoughts on fit, and how a pistol feels, in the hand:

As P-F member HCM often reminds us, the way a pistol feels can LIE to us. Feeling good, in the hand, is not the same thing as a proper fit.

Then, my personal thing: There are handSguns, and there are handguns. Much emphasis is placed upon a weapon that fits, with a two-handed, thumbs-forward grip. I believe that real-world carry gun should/must work well when fired one-handed, because one cannot count upon having two hands available, during a sudden fight. With hand-held lights, dog leashes, and walking sticks/canes being such common things, in my life, and the occasional toddler grandson to deal with, I am going to presume that I will have only one hand available to fire a defensive handgun. (And, that is before I factor-in that my right hand is not aging well, and is losing the range of motion necessary to assume a proper thumb-forward support position, anyway.)

[Joe in PNG]

As many people have pointed out, the 1911 is like a lot of other bits of vintage machinery. It is going to need a bit more tinkering and mechanical fiddling than something more modern- akin to vintage cars & motorbikes, ect.
And like a good many Brit motoring classics, parts aren't likely to just drop in- some filing and fitting will probably be needed.

The Glock is more akin to a modern car or motorbike. There's less needed tinkering and fiddling outside of the regular maintenance. And one can be generally assured that new parts will fit without the messing about.

And as someone who's owned both modern plastic people poppers of all sorts (plus a few modern pizzaguns), and various vintage blasters designed by the Holy Hand of St. Browning Himself, I can attest to the truth of both.

[Mark D]

Good point, though I think we could probably unstick the GEN4 ejection thread at this point. It's been four years since GEN5 guns were introduced...sure there are plenty of GEN4 guns still out there, but I'd expect at this point users have either sorted out any problems or moved along.

And a 9mm 1911 is definitely not the easy button.

I suggest we leave the GEN4 ejection thread stickied. I've used it twice recently with two Gen 3 Glocks. For whatever reason, my recently acquired Gen 3 G26 and G19 had wonky extraction and ejection issues. Both guns were purchased new, and to best of my recollection, are the first Glocks I've had issues with. I had to wonder if QAQC slipped at Glock during COVID.

[Borderland]

For me a 1911 is a 5" 45 ACP. I have several.

A 1911 is a throw back to earlier times much like a revolver. I have several of each and shoot all of them except a 1911 A1 relic from CMP.

If you want a carry I think you might be happier with a Glock although I've never owned one. I just don't like strikers like some people don't like Chevys. Mental block I guess.

[Bucky]

How the gun feels in your hand is a poor indication of whether it truly fits you. Many people gravitate to guns with grips that do not fully fill a modern two-handed, thumbs forward grip. You aren't wearing your gun like a glove, and it doesn't need to fit like one.
.

I could not agree more. I hated my Shadow 2, and the way it felt in my hand. Wanted to trade it really bad but thought I owed it to myself to shoot it in at least one match. Now I have two of them and will eventually get a third. Heck, the Shadow 2 actually hurt at first but I built up I needed Calais to deal with it.

Case #2. While the Glock finger grooves fit me kind of well on the full size models, the midsize like the Glock 19 feel a little cramped. However, I still find them effective in controlling the gun and keeping it from moving in the hand while firing. I know the rage today is the GEN five with the removal of the finger grooves, but I still shoot my Gen 4 better even though the GEN five feels better in the hand. On the other hand, still not fond of the GEN three grip, as I like my GEN 4 minus a backstrap.

[Robinson]

As someone who has been down the 9mm 1911 road multiple times, for a 9mm carry gun I would choose the G48.

With 9mm 1911s you might get one that is just wonderful, but you will still end up wondering when it will fail and if your combination of mags and ammo are the best for your particular gun. A Glock can fail, but a 9mm Glock is much more likely to be trouble free than a 9mm 1911.

All of my 1911s are 45 or 38 Super now. No drama with those guns. The 9mm guns I own were all designed around the 9mm cartridge. They function superbly.

[Baldanders]

Some thoughts on fit, and how a pistol feels, in the hand:

As P-F member HCM often reminds us, the way a pistol feels can LIE to us. Feeling good, in the hand, is not the same thing as a proper fit.

Then, my personal thing: There are handSguns, and there are handguns. Much emphasis is placed upon a weapon that fits, with a two-handed, thumbs-forward grip. I believe that real-world carry gun should/must work well when fired one-handed, because one cannot count upon having two hands available, during a sudden fight. With hand-held lights, dog leashes, and walking sticks/canes being such common things, in my life, and the occasional toddler grandson to deal with, I am going to presume that I will have only one hand available to fire a defensive handgun. (And, that is before I factor-in that my right hand is not aging well, and is losing the range of motion necessary to assume a proper thumb-forward support position, anyway.)

The G20 felt "meh" in my hand, before firing it. The bottom finger groove is in exactly the right place to be right where my pinky wraps around the grip. Far from perfect.

After shooting the best groups I have ever shot with a centerfire semi, aside from a Les Baer once, my evaluation went to "pretty damn close to perfect ." My pinky bothered me not a bit while firing live rounds.

And I have reminded myself repeatedly of this after getting excited about some new gun I have just fondled at a shop. It's all hypothesis until rounds go downrange, for me.

[HCM]

I suggest we leave the GEN4 ejection thread stickied. I've used it twice recently with two Gen 3 Glocks. For whatever reason, my recently acquired Gen 3 G26 and G19 had wonky extraction and ejection issues. Both guns were purchased new, and to best of my recollection, are the first Glocks I've had issues with. I had to wonder if QAQC slipped at Glock during COVID.

You mean you wonder if QAQC slipped at Glock's 3rd world parts suppliers during COVID ? Maybe. Plus we just had a all time high period of gun and ammo sales in the US so I would default to assuming everyone's QAQC will slip.

[HeavyDuty]

The G20 felt "meh" in my hand, before firing it. The bottom finger groove is in exactly the right place to be right where my pinky wraps around the grip. Far from perfect.

After shooting the best groups I have ever shot with a centerfire semi, aside from a Les Baer once, my evaluation went to "pretty damn close to perfect ." My pinky bothered me not a bit while firing live rounds.

And I have reminded myself repeatedly of this after getting excited about some new gun I have just fondled at a shop. It's all hypothesis until rounds go downrange, for me.

Linda’s 21.2 has always felt like gripping a 4x4 fence post (she had long fingers) but I’ll be damned if I don’t shoot it really well so long as a take a consistent grip with both palms against the side panels.

[Baldanders]

Linda’s 21.2 has always felt like gripping a 4x4 fence post (she had long fingers) but I’ll be damned if I don’t shoot it really well so long as a take a consistent grip with both palms against the side panels.

I'm trying to figure out how to fund a G21 at the moment.