The “I need a .45 but do I need a 1911?” thread

[45dotACP]

The Hilton Yam video was excellent.

In addition to what he mentioned, my personal magazine success recipe involves:

-Extended tubes for 8 round magazines

-Extra strength magazine springs

-Skirted followers

-I prefer carbon steel over stainless steel for tubes

Based on a recent frustrating series of jams with two 1911s with various magazines, I will totally avoid wadcutter bullets, unless the gun and magazines are specifically tuned and vetted for them.

My personal preference is for Check-Mate magazines, but realize that while it's a genuine preference, I am affiliated with them.

Best, Jon

Man, I had an issue with some wadcutters and my 1911s recently, only to find that the damn wadcutters would not run in my G21 either. I don't know what I did with that batch of handloads, but it was wrong.

Otherwise yeah the above is my usual recipe for a good 1911 mag also.

Also, don't be afraid to try different mags, you can always retrofit the ones that suck. I have a few old CMC shooting star mags that gave up the ghost because they were 8 rounders that were 7 round tubes...so I placed a few super 7 kits from Tripp and they've worked perfectly as 7 rounders instead. They're incredibly reliable.

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[Elwin]

Man, I had an issue with some wadcutters and my 1911s recently, only to find that the damn wadcutters would not run in my G21 either. I don't know what I did with that batch of handloads, but it was wrong.

Otherwise yeah the above is my usual recipe for a good 1911 mag also.

Also, don't be afraid to try different mags, you can always retrofit the ones that suck. I have a few old CMC shooting star mags that gave up the ghost because they were 8 rounders that were 7 round tubes...so I placed a few super 7 kits from Tripp and they've worked perfectly as 7 rounders instead. They're incredibly reliable.

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There's this, which I've done to a couple 47Ds, and then there's also Ed Brown's exchange program. For every mag you send them, you get one of theirs for $10. If you like Check-Mate mags (which is what EB mags are), it's a good resource for fresh mags. I just recently turned a bunch of very heavily used and worn out ETMs and a hodgepodge of old Kimber mags into a shiny new set of good 8rd mags for range use.

You want thread drift? Start talking to 1911 nerds about literally anything 1911-related.

[SW CQB 45]

I read your AAR on the Bowling Pin Shoot, sounds like alot of fun.

If you are looking to buy a gun for this event.... the plastic striker fired will be cheaper than a decent out of the box no issue 1911 style pistol in .45.

While my time with the G21 is far more extensive being issued a Gen 2 in 1993 and we carried them till 2011 (IIRC) and were replaced with G21SF till about 2016 when we went Nina.

We had placed our order for standard G21 with Glock Night sights and we were sent ambi mag release G21s which were a fail. They were easily pushing out and so we sent them back for what our original order stated.

I am not the best person to advised due to hand size and being a big guy,

maybe the G21 shot softer than a 1911, however we issued Gold Dot 230 and in both G21 (from what I recall) and my MCOP, recoil was stiff in both.

Recoil was not an issue in my book as that was my chosen platform/caliber. I will say that Gold Dot 200+P was a Grizzly Bear in the felt recoil dept. Somewhere I still have a box.

If you are looking for a used G21, use caution in E prefix G21 (going off of memory) as the rear frame tabs would pull out of the poly frame on heavy use from the impact of going into battery. These are mid to early late 90s frames.

Also, some guns we turned in had been in service for 15-18+ years (hard use) and some of the frames were warped but they still ran, however we had to use + trigger bars to make them pass the armorers checks.

I will try and find an image to show what I mean by warped.

[Evil_Ed]

A fun to shoot, accurate, soft shooting 45?

CZ97B/BD. Seriously!

It's a shame they never went back to make actual higher-than-10-round cap mags for it...As much as I love my 1911s, that thing is a hoot to shoot. It's a bit large...but man is it nice. Plus, it takes to all the standard CZ upgrades and fettling with bits in the sear cage.

P-F's own Patrick Kelley did a review of one, too...



On the upside, if you need an ambi decocker or safety, stuff that'll fit the CZ-SP01 should fit it too...

[JTQ]

Patrick has quite a few options reviewed

PX4 in 45

[JTQ]

RIA 1911

[JTQ]

Grand Power 45

[JTQ]

How ironic that this is turning into a thread about which 1911 mags to use.

I’ve probably over contributed to this thread but to your point I think what has resurrected the 2011 is STI’s reliable and decently affordable magazines. It’s always been about the magazines to be honest. It’s something you don’t really ever consider until they don’t work.

I’d recommend Tripp Cobra magazines as that’s what I have direct positive experience with. I’ve tried lots of Wilson’s and just not had the experience others have - I never tried the one with the new magazine springs though. After Tripp’s worked I stopped searching because my needs were satisfied.

He didn't start this thread, but it was probably really started to support @RJ in his quest for bowling pin gun. His questions began in the 1911 thread, but many recommended he select something other than a 1911, and to keep that thread on topic, this thread was created.

For the most part, I'm just answering RJ's questions.

[RJ]

RIA 1911

Thanks. Not exactly confidence inspiring.

[JonInWA]

Man, I had an issue with some wadcutters and my 1911s recently, only to find that the damn wadcutters would not run in my G21 either. I don't know what I did with that batch of handloads, but it was wrong.

Otherwise yeah the above is my usual recipe for a good 1911 mag also.

Also, don't be afraid to try different mags, you can always retrofit the ones that suck. I have a few old CMC shooting star mags that gave up the ghost because they were 8 rounders that were 7 round tubes...so I placed a few super 7 kits from Tripp and they've worked perfectly as 7 rounders instead. They're incredibly reliable.

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Mine was a train wreck using some NOS MagTech 230 gr FMJ SWC stuff. It would chamber, but on extraction the expended extracting round's case rim heel apparently would stumble on the shoulder shelf of the next round, yanking the extractor hook off and leaving a semi-extracted round in the gun-fortunately it didn't develop into a double feed, because the awaiting round in the magazine never actually got out of the magazine.

In discussions with Bruce Gray, he thought that part of the problem might have had to do with the magazine catch placement in my SIG GSR, as apparently they tended to be located a bit high in the frame for a couple of years until SIG corrected, so the magazine might be slightly over-inserted, with the top cartridge a bit high.

But then I had the same issue with my Colt Series 70 Reproduction-so the JonInWA default solution is "Avoid using wadcutter bullets." Especially MagTech wadcutters, but these days, I'm disinclined to spend money testing other cartridges when ball and hollowpoint cartridges are 1) Non-problematic, and 2) much more widely available commercially, anyhow.

But I got REAL good at my 1911 malfunction drill in an IDPA match a month or so ago....

Best, Jon