Seriously considering going back to the 1911 for carry. Anyone else?

[Hunter Rose]

I get that objectively a poly 9mm makes more sense, especially for someone with a Law Enforcement background. The 1911 is just so damn fast inside 10 yards. It's essentially a point and shoot weapon to me. With only the roughest of sight pictures its easy to get hits within 1" of intended aimpoint at max speed. More drills with a timer are in order, but the 1911 is definitely not out of the running. I still feel more confident in hitting a target with it than the P30LS.

I'll be honest, I also have a hard time reconciling the fact that I'm somehow underarmed or making a poor choice with an 8+1 .45 ACP that I can confidently hit with out to 25 yards, yet all those people who carry an 8+1 9MM Shield are effectively assessing their threat environment. I'm not an LEO and I live in a low-crime safe suburb where realistically I am the only one with a pistol on their person at any given moment.

More drills with a timer are in order, but I'll admit I'm still seriously considering the 1911 and am getting more comfortable with the idea that a 1911 will work just fine for me as a primary CCW.



P.S. I also wanted to add that I am only considering hammer fired guns with manual safeties, so that limits what I am comparing the 1911 to for a carry weapon. Striker fired pistols without a manual safety are a no-go for me for AIWB carry. If HK ever releases the VP-9 with a manual safety, I'd probably be all over it.

[Hunter Rose]

A 1911 was the first pistol I shot, the first pistol I purchased, the first handgun I qualified on in the military--they were great tools, much like the 1991 Caprice Classic, Motorola Flip Phone, and Apple Lisa I also used to use....

Now I have less expensive, easier to service, more versatile tools available to me in the 21st Century....

Yet a Stradivarius still plays the sweetest music even 300 years after it was built...

...and dead Nazis!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[45dotACP]

Hmmm...why a 1911 these days.

Heh, some of y'all have never fired a 5" 1911 in 9mm and it shows

A 45 is a little slower/less accurate for me, but even according to USPSA it is still the gun I shoot best.

According to my own testing (which consists of USPSA classifiers and Gabe White's standards) I can shoot a 9mm 1911 better than any other gun I own due to how flat it tracks, how soft the recoil impulse is with duty ammo (which it feeds, fires and extracts perfectly), how easy the trigger is to manipulate and the best mechanical accuracy of any defensive semi auto handgun.

It's literally a cheat codes gun. And if I need to defend my life, then cheat codes it is.

This is all with the proviso that you know what it takes to get the gun to run, which basically boils down to owning a few tools and being a bit of a gear queer.

But honestly, who here isn't a bit of a gear queer?

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[Hambo]

A 1911 was the first pistol I shot, the first pistol I purchased, the first handgun I qualified on in the military--they were great tools, much like the 1991 Caprice Classic, Motorola Flip Phone, and Apple Lisa I also used to use....

Now I have less expensive, easier to service, more versatile tools available to me in the 21st Century....

Apple Lisa...was she a dancer at...nevermind.

I'll be honest, I also have a hard time reconciling the fact that I'm somehow underarmed or making a poor choice with an 8+1 .45 ACP that I can confidently hit with out to 25 yards, yet all those people who carry an 8+1 9MM Shield are effectively assessing their threat environment. I'm not an LEO and I live in a low-crime safe suburb where realistically I am the only one with a pistol on their person at any given moment.

Let me help you out: just do it. I'd have no qualms carrying a LW Commander in .45, and I'd definitely carry one in preference to a Shield. In fact, I might prefer it to my tuned up version of the Beretta I bought in 1988. Except that Ernest Langdon carries one so I'm a #LudditeCoolKid for the time being.

#LifeWasBetterInThe90s #My457PlanMadeMore$InThe90s #KenHackathornStillCarriesA1911

[ralph]

I've been reading this thread with a little bit of interest. I have exactly one 1911, a original 70 series Gov't model Colt, made in 1976, it still has the collet barrel bushing..I got it in a trade. It's about as plain-jane as you can get.. Anyway, I've toyed with the idea of buying a 1911, something like a Dan Wesson ECP, but then I get bitch slapped by reality.. Not to mention the $$$, $1600 for a carry gun is a bit hard for me to justify, when my $500 CZ P07 does just fine.. If I want to carry a .45, well, I've got two more that'll work without any mods needed..A HK USPc in light LEM, (traded a Glock G19 for it) and a HK 45CT, in TDA, Either one is good to go. The only complaint I have is with the 45ct, I just wish someone made a lower weight hammer spring for it, as it is the DA trigger pull is at least 10lbs, maybe more, if this thing had an 8lb DA trigger pull, it would be fantastic.. All I can say to anyone who wants to carry a 1911, go for it, as long as you understand the 1911's shortcomings, and are prepared to do little things like fit an extractor yourself, and you understand that "drop-in" parts often don't, and, that the .45acp isn't the hammer of Thor, then, like I said, go for it.. After all, you're carrying it, not me.

[Whirlwind06]

So what is base level for a carry 1911?
Is colt lw comander a good base to start from?

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[45dotACP]

If running a .45 I'd strongly advise against anything smaller than a Commander. 9mm 1911s can be made to work well in almost any frame size, and .45s are best in government frames.

I'd consider absolute rock bottom on a carry 1911 to be a Ruger SR1911 in terms of price. You get a pretty good gun with a Ruger. After that I'd say the usual suspects. Colt, Springfield, Dan Wesson, STI.

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[Robinson]

Is colt lw comander a good base to start from?

It can be. I carry a Colt Lightweight Commander 9mm, and my main practice gun is an all steel Colt Commander 9mm. I've come to like carrying and shooting Commander size guns over full size Government models, though I used to carry one of those.

A Lightweight Commander with its aluminum alloy frame, is (for me) a gun to carry a lot and shoot just enough to prove its reliability. I do most of my shooting with my steel training gun. But honestly, with good alloys these days even a Lightweight Commander will last through a lot of rounds -- especially if it's a 9mm.

Colt's obviously not the only game in town, but I've had real good luck with my 9mm Commanders. The 45s are just as good or better.

[JAD]

So what is base level for a carry 1911?
Is colt lw comander a good base to start from?

Lots of people, myself sometimes included, carry the full steel GM. The LWC though, at least for me, is the perfect balance of shootability and concealability. I think I actually prefer them in .45. Or Super.



I am also starting to think there’s no real difference in concealment between my G43 and my CCO.

[theJanitor]

Lots of people, myself sometimes included, carry the full steel GM. The LWC though, at least for me, is the perfect balance of shootability and concealability.

After 20+ years with the government model, I’m moving toward this conclusion.