A Nighthawk and a Colt

[zeleny]

I’m not a 1911 guy at all, but this is the impression I’ve got from watching the Chambers Custom Patreon channel.

Whatever you’re paying for, it generally doesn’t seem to be better fit, at least by the metrics (this one apparently controversial builder) considers important. He acknowledges his “mathematical reviews” are anecdotal and not necessarily representative. He also hasn’t reviewed every brand. I don’t think I’ve seen a current production SA or Colt, for example. Based on what I’ve seen, I’d strongly consider RIA, and maybe Ruger, in the budget plinker range, DW in the mid tier, skip the $2-4k semi custom range, or go big with a full house bespoke.

I have three “full house bespoke” handguns: the aforementioned 1967 AMU National Match M1911A1 pistol tuned by David Sams, a 6" 10x25mm SVI Infinity widebody pistol most recently updated to their pivoting extractor, and my main carry gun, a steel framed 9x19mm Para Beretta 92FS Centennial with an extra slide and bushed Bar-Sto barrel fitted by David Sams. Of these three, only the Beretta is fit for social work, and with the permanently fitted cone barrel bushing making its bespoke top end unfit for disassembly, I prefer to carry it in the stock configuration. Long story short, I would rather rely on stock military issue type guns for mission critical applications.

[Jim Watson]

I should have figured interchangeability on the P210s; what with accessories like "lead bullet barrels," .30 barrels, and .22 conversions.

[03RN]

I wouldn’t call my above referenced, super tight 1967 AMU National Match M1911A1 pistol tuned by David Sams “incredibly reliable”. By contraposing this claim, I would have to conclude that it wasn’t built well. “I prefer not to.”

If it's not reliable then it's not well built.

The military issued(formerly at this point?) MEU SOC guns are very tight. The rebuilt ones with Springfield custom slides even moreso.

[Robinson]

I have a brand spanking new SA Professional Operator that is pretty tight, but not ridiculously so. I will soon begin the journey to discover exactly how reliable it is. My expectations are high.

My Colt Special Combat Government was built by the Custom Shop before they started producing their recent CCS models and so was not built as tight as their current guns. It has been utterly reliable and a great shooter since day 1.

So now I can conduct a Springfield Armory Custom Shop tight gun vs. Colt Custom Shop not-so-tight gun reliability comparison project. It won't prove much but I will enjoy it.

[David S.]

What do you guys mean by “tight?”

[Robinson]

What do you guys mean by “tight?”

When speaking about custom or semi-custom pistols, it usually refers to the barrel and bushing being "hard fit" to the gun. Especially when new, it can be difficult to rack the slide until after some break-in.

Other times, people refer to a "tight" slide-to-frame fit, which has much less to do with function and accuracy -- but can give the gun a feel of quality when handling and shooting.

[SwampDweller]

I have a brand spanking new SA Professional Operator that is pretty tight, but not ridiculously so. I will soon begin the journey to discover exactly how reliable it is. My expectations are high.

My Colt Special Combat Government was built by the Custom Shop before they started producing their recent CCS models and so was not built as tight as their current guns. It has been utterly reliable and a great shooter since day 1.

So now I can conduct a Springfield Armory Custom Shop tight gun vs. Colt Custom Shop not-so-tight gun reliability comparison project. It won't prove much but I will enjoy it.

What do you consider to be reliable? In the metric, I guess, of "x stoppages" out of "y rounds fired"

My personal minimum is at least 1k rounds without a stoppage before I'd trust a gun for serious use, and really 2k is the minimum marker for "long term reliable", going off the late Todd's metric which I think is a great one.

I just like that I can pick an HK USP/HK45/Glock 21 up out of the box and it's almost guaranteed to go 1-2k rounds without a failure right off the bat, and as far as accuracy, I'd put one of my HK's up against a custom 1911 any day, and DocGKR seems to agree. But my soul still wants a 1911 fit for serious use, low capacity and all, even after I've been burned several times. What is wrong with me?

[Robinson]

What do you consider to be reliable? In the metric, I guess, of "x stoppages" out of "y rounds fired"

I feel comfortable carrying a gun if it goes 1000 rounds without a single malfunction. That has to include at least a couple boxes of the hollow points I use. All of my Colt 1911s have way surpassed that, and I fully expect the SA Pro Operator to do the same.

I've said here before that you are a bit more likely to get a Glock that is 100% reliable out of the box than a 1911. But that doesn't mean reliable 1911s don't exist or even that they are rare.

[SwampDweller]

I feel comfortable carrying a gun if it goes 1000 rounds without a single malfunction. That has to include at least a couple boxes of the hollow points I use. All of my Colt 1911s have way surpassed that, and I fully expect the SA Pro Operator to do the same.

I've said here before that you are a bit more likely to get a Glock that is 100% reliable out of the box than a 1911. But that doesn't mean reliable 1911s don't exist or even that they are rare.

I'm interested to know how your progress goes with the Pro Operator. It's one of the few 1911's I'd ever consider.

Also, I agree. There's only one maker of Glocks (well, I guess that's not true anymore, but you know what I mean), and there's dozens of 1911 makers of wildly varying quality. It would be interesting to see the numbers en masse of Springfield Pros vs Glocks in reliability

[flyrodr]

I'm another who can't seem to stay away from 1911s. My fascination (not quite an addiction) goes back to the mid '70s, when I had a Combat Commander customized by Armand Swenson. That pistol has had many thousands of rounds of SWC target "strength" loads through it, as well as a few thousand rounds of hardball, and enough JHPs of different brands to confirm reliability of each. I keep it cleaned and lubed, and change the springs occasionally. I'm sure I've had some failures to feed, but they've been few and far between, and the very rare exception. Thus a baseline was established.

Over the years, I've bought some Wilsons, and had full house customs built by several well-regarded individuals. The Wilsons, including 5-inch steel models in .45 and 9mm were built, I suppose, when Wilson was at its peak. Both have been smooth running. The full house guns, built from Colt base guns or Caspian slides and frames that had to be final fitted, yielded mixed results. Without naming the smiths, I recall one that, out of the box, locked the slide back after every shot. It was a quick fix, and quick turnaround, but surprising none the less. Another would hardly go through two magazines without failing to feed, even with hardball. Fixed, after two trips to the smith, but the luster was lost.

"Other than those", I would like to name two smiths that have built guns for me, or done various levels of work that resulted in considerable improvement to others, with outstanding results. Those are John Harrison and Ned Christiansen. Both are first class gentlemen as well!

So what do I carry? Mostly a Sig P365 with a red dot. Grandkids around all the time, so discretion is paramount. Old eyes, thus the red dot. And it runs just fine with HST. My "woods gun"? An HK45c. Bulky, but stone cold reliable. Both are tools. The 1911s . . . well, they're just special.