Thanks for the Walther tip. And hint taken. I’ll see myself out.Originally Posted by Elwin
Thanks for the Walther tip. And hint taken. I’ll see myself out.
It wasn’t a hint, it was an apology for my own participation in the thread drift!Thanks for the Walther tip. And hint taken. I’ll see myself out.
As if that’s actually something to apologize for here…
Rich,
Both of those would be decent entry-level full-sized 1911 choices. As you are left-handed, you will need either to be fitted with an ambidextrous safety.
I would also offer up a suggestion for a S&W M&P 2.0 as a close analogy to what you are currently toting. But, conversely, you might want your .45 journey to be it's own thing, and the 1911 is perfect for that.
I'd love to hear you expound on your experience at the pin shoot and with the 1911, but that might be fodder for another thread.
"It's surprising how often you start wondering just how featureless a desert some people's inner landscapes must be."
-Maple Syrup Actual
Myself, given those two choices, I'd probably go with the Ruger.
But, let's talk Glock first. If you look at the Glock site you can do comparisons, here's a comparison between the 21, 21SF, 30SF and 41. As you can see trigger reach measures the same on all four. The 30SF is listed as being wider by .04 than the others, but I think that is a typo:
I have a Gen 3 21 and a Gen 3 30SF. I bought the 30SF to shoot Major Sub-Compact in GSSF competition. I ended up using it in Heavy Metal as I shoot it better than the full-sized 21. I use 21 mags when shooting the 30FS and it feels smaller to me. Even though I've got XL hands, the 21 has always felt clunky in my hand, the 30SF doesn't. Apparently it's the drop in circumference using the G21 mags as the bottom of my grip. I measured with my calipers and came up with:
Grip width measured under trigger guard, front to rear: G21 - 2.14 G30SF - 2.03
Grip width measured at mid-point between 1st and second finger groove (bottom groove on G30SF): G21 - 1.283 G30SF - 1.268
Trigger reach: 2.9 on both.
So, objectively, the pistols should pretty much feel the same, subjectively, to me anyways, they don't. I'd recommend hands on before you make the decision to skip from Glock to 1911.
In general, I'd say that most often the 1911 would be more inherently accurate than the Glock, but that's not chiseled in stone. All my 1911's are, though.
Being a lefty, you need to factor in an ambi safety into the cost of purchase, plus fitting if you aren't able. I'd use either of the below, with personal preference for the EGW. They both use an included special hammer pin to hold the right-side lever in place.
$139.00 https://www.egwguns.com/hd-ambi-thumb-safety-blue
$169.00 https://shopwilsoncombat.com/THUMB-S...ctinfo/192SBP/
Kind of tongue-in-cheek here's a 1911 with ambi safety well within your price point:
https://www.armscor.com/firearms-lis...d-fs-45acp-8rd
Don't laugh. I bought one of these used from a guy for $300.00. Installed an Ed Brown Drop In Barrel to see if it shot better - it did and marched on. https://www.edbrown.com/product/barrels/
Oh, yeah, also put on Dawson fiber optics (had to call them) and a set of LOK Bogey grips.
I wouldn't use it as a carry pistol, but I shoot it more than my other 1911's. Not quite as accurate as my Kimber Classic Gold Match, but good enough for what I have in it.
On a serious note, this has been a good pistol for me, no undue wear, or parts breakage, etc. But, I don't know what problems it may have had out of the box, I bought it used and it had been shot a fair amount.
My thoughts, FWIW
Adding nothing to the conversation since 2015....
The new Wilson plunger set helped somewhat, but I’m wondering if I need a different thumb safety - my initial perception is that more of the plunger sticks out on the ECP than on my other two 1911s which causes the plunger to wobble during activation, which implies the safety is undersized on the front edge. I’ll look more after the move before I do anything, measuring the plunger position and length and also the safety.
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
Warranty thru DW Ken?
"... And miles to go before I sleep".
The next step up might be the Dan Wesson Pointman 45, or 7-45. Of course they retail for $1,700, but I've seen them on Gun Broker, etc. for $1,300ish . They come with a high quality adjustable rear and FO front sight. Add a magwell and a ambi safety (because lefty) for a darn good Single Stack gun.
(I'm not a a 1911 or a Single Stack guy yet so take my comments with a grain of salt, but I'm seriously considering one of these in 45 or maybe 9mm)
ETA: In another thread 1911, @45dotACP mentioned Joe Chambers having positive things to say about Rock Island. This site a FS Ultra (includes ambi safety, fiber optic front sight with adjustable rear, and a little magwell for just over $500. Seems like a good deal if they run. I've recently bought two guns from this site without issue.
Last edited by David S.; 06-19-2022 at 04:26 PM.
David S.
I bought it used, so I doubt it. I’ll check if it looks like that might be the issue, though.
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
With all this in mind, I would strongly recommend you try a G21SF. I have what I'd call "medium" sized hands, as that is the size of hospital glove that best fits me and had no issues with either the gen 4 or the gen 3 "big butt" model Glock 21s (I liked it, I cannot lie).
The main reason is this...if you're looking for a sometimes used blaster of .45 ACP for pin shoots and just overall big bore fun times, I'd expect you don't want to spend a load of time learning to diagnose, repair and evaluate the things you'll need to diagnose, repair and evaluate for a gun that is less than $1K. You can get lucky with a good one, but you need to know the 10-8 extractor test and how to get the gun to pass it.
For most budget 1911s, I recommend a tuned extractor if you want them to work with JHP ammo, as well as good quality mags and good quality ammo. If you want it to be more accurate than a G21 (which is really the reason for a 1911) then you're gonna need more stuff done to it, because G21s are absurdly accurate. You are going to want to fit some additional stuff like a new bushing or possibly a new barrel. If you're a lefty, few 1911's come with ambidextrous safeties (some do, like the RIA). Then you're gonna want some type of skateboard tape for the frontstrap, a magwell maybe, possibly some trigger work later on down the road...you'll want the mainspring to be 21lb and the recoil spring of 18lb or more if you are shooting pin loads...you'll be tinkering a lot.
1911's are a rabbit hole...and then eventually you'll wonder "what about those 9mm 1911s that everyone is so hype about?" and next thing you know you have a safe full of the damn things and you practically have to beat back crowds of young supermodels who are drawn to men of style and taste.
It's really just so much easier to get a G21SF, some magazines, and some decent sights (if you want) and then you'll have a gun that is probably more accurate than any 1,000 dollar 1911 and handles recoil better.
All that said, I do have a Springfield RO that I've taken a few classes with, and it is a .45 government model and it's excellent. I fit a WC bulletproof extractor, an EGW angle bore bushing, skateboard tape, 18/21 recoil/mainspring combo, a fixed harrison rear sight, a fiber front, skateboard tape, a big magazine release button, and a USPSA magwell from Dawson with the baseplates for all of the Chip McCormick Powermags. The gun will produce sub 1" accuracy at 25 yards and I've used it to shoot a freestyle 100-8x on a B8 which is the best shooting I've probably ever done. I don't know that my G21 is to that level, but the gun has a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of tinkering in it.
Well, in that case I guess I’d have to learn to live with a 1911
But seriously, thanks, I appreciate the rational and well thought out argument for a G21SF. I certainly will ponder this for a bit.
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