You asked for information from revolver people. How about the other view. I love 1911's and have used them for well over 30 years. I have 2 j frame revolvers. One that I just recently bought, a 3" j frame which I am really liking and carry it around my place every day since I got it. The other is a 649 that was customized by a gunsmith in Portland, OR. It is a wonderful pistol and I doubt that I will ever let it go. I carry it at times, but the bottom line is I carry a 1911 if at all possible. While others are correct, you do have to learn a new system, but that comes pretty easy. A little while and it all comes natural. I don't even think about the safety and haven't for almost as long as I have owned 1911's. It just seems natural.
wheel gunners thoughts on 1911 EDC
- Thread starter kpla51
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Without reading the other posts my two cents is that 1911s are fine to carry if you do it OWB and can conceal them and not very fine to carry IWB, concealed or not.
As for carrying in Condition 3, cocked and locked, unless you train and train I don't recommend it. YMMV. Big Arm has obviously accomplished that. If you want to EDC a 1911 for 30 years then train.....and train.....because they are different in so many ways from wheelguns or even TDA pistols that you need to get a boatload of muscle memory going. Good luck if you decide to do it.
I sold mine, but since I did buy a Hi-Power I can't say I don't like single action pistols. But, as a rule, I'm using a wheelgun for EDC or a TDA pistol.
***GRJ***
As for carrying in Condition 3, cocked and locked, unless you train and train I don't recommend it. YMMV. Big Arm has obviously accomplished that. If you want to EDC a 1911 for 30 years then train.....and train.....because they are different in so many ways from wheelguns or even TDA pistols that you need to get a boatload of muscle memory going. Good luck if you decide to do it.
I sold mine, but since I did buy a Hi-Power I can't say I don't like single action pistols. But, as a rule, I'm using a wheelgun for EDC or a TDA pistol.
***GRJ***
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tacreload
Member
Try as I might I can't do this with a revolver.That's at 10 yards,pretty rapid fire with several mags.I'm a revolver guy but this is what I shoot best.
eveled
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I have been watching this thread with interest, because it mirrors my own experiences. I like double action revolvers, a lot. I also like 1911's a lot, they are just awesome and iconic.
I want to be the 1911 guy, but it just doesn't fit quiet right for EDC.
What I have found for me, is that two j-frames are easier to carry concealed than one 1911. Ten shots plus a speed loader is pretty significant.
If I want to carry more firepower, I my go to is my SIG P-250. Before you laugh listen to the facts. It is a true double action hammer fired semi auto, it has the nicest long double action trigger of any of my revolvers. The Compact version in .45acp holds 9+1 plus a ten round reload by way of a full size magazine. The sub compact holds 6+1 and can use the full size mag for a reload as well.
The P250 is a modular design, the serial number is on the trigger group, so you can mix and match sizes and calibers at will. I almost bought a 40 cal conversion when I could not find .45acp during the ammo scare.
The P250 comes with night sights, no safety levers, is absolutely reliable, easy and safe to carry, and cheap, around $400 new.
If you want more firepower, night sights, easy concealable, and still have a gun that shoots like a revolver, The sig is a real winner. It literally shoots like a big flat revolver.
Of course my 1911's aren't going any were either!
I want to be the 1911 guy, but it just doesn't fit quiet right for EDC.
What I have found for me, is that two j-frames are easier to carry concealed than one 1911. Ten shots plus a speed loader is pretty significant.
If I want to carry more firepower, I my go to is my SIG P-250. Before you laugh listen to the facts. It is a true double action hammer fired semi auto, it has the nicest long double action trigger of any of my revolvers. The Compact version in .45acp holds 9+1 plus a ten round reload by way of a full size magazine. The sub compact holds 6+1 and can use the full size mag for a reload as well.
The P250 is a modular design, the serial number is on the trigger group, so you can mix and match sizes and calibers at will. I almost bought a 40 cal conversion when I could not find .45acp during the ammo scare.
The P250 comes with night sights, no safety levers, is absolutely reliable, easy and safe to carry, and cheap, around $400 new.
If you want more firepower, night sights, easy concealable, and still have a gun that shoots like a revolver, The sig is a real winner. It literally shoots like a big flat revolver.
Of course my 1911's aren't going any were either!
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Very good thread that shows no two people are alike!
I've carried a 1911 on and off over the years. I really like them and shoot them fairly well. Right now I am issued a Glock, so that is what I am required to carry. I've carried N-Frames as well. What is my preference? I like a full-size handgun, and the 1911 fits me well. Here are a couple I've carried:
I've carried a 1911 on and off over the years. I really like them and shoot them fairly well. Right now I am issued a Glock, so that is what I am required to carry. I've carried N-Frames as well. What is my preference? I like a full-size handgun, and the 1911 fits me well. Here are a couple I've carried:
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F75gunslinger
Member
I go back and forth between a S&W 642 and a Sig 1911 for EDC.Both have their strengths and weaknesses. The J frame is easier to carry and conceal, but the 1911 is more accurate ( for me ). If you know anyone who has one that you can try...by all means do that first.Also keep in mind that it is worth it to look at options and get one with the options you want ( extended slide release, beavertail safety ) as opposed to having them put in later.
da gimp
Member
back in the day I carried either a Browning High Power in 9mmp or a C series Colt 1911A1 in .45ACP as a duty gun, reverting to carrying a Colt Python when ever a new sheriff or commander demanded we use a wheel gun. Both of the semi's saw extensive off duty carry too, I'm a fairly large individual & a loose shirt or light jacket covers either easily.
Since I've developed some serious health problems....the need for having strong arms, grips & wrists for the proper functioning of a semi-auto pistol has led me to use 2 old snubs, one a Colt agent in .38spec & a backup S&W Chief's as my primary carry/CCW pieces with a S&W mod 29, .44mag ,4" using moderate .44spec loads being used if the need for serious social work is foretold..
My old revolvers will function correctly with my now weakened grip, wrists & arms........
On the primary failure of revolvers not functioning correctly being protruding primers, I've been in the habit for years of checking every round of ammo intended for use in any revolver & semi for just that occurrence, whether they are factory loads or our hand loads. I have found upside down primers in one batch of factory hollow points.
Since I've developed some serious health problems....the need for having strong arms, grips & wrists for the proper functioning of a semi-auto pistol has led me to use 2 old snubs, one a Colt agent in .38spec & a backup S&W Chief's as my primary carry/CCW pieces with a S&W mod 29, .44mag ,4" using moderate .44spec loads being used if the need for serious social work is foretold..
My old revolvers will function correctly with my now weakened grip, wrists & arms........
On the primary failure of revolvers not functioning correctly being protruding primers, I've been in the habit for years of checking every round of ammo intended for use in any revolver & semi for just that occurrence, whether they are factory loads or our hand loads. I have found upside down primers in one batch of factory hollow points.
I hope not. Striker-fired pistols SHOULD make you uncomfortable. Even the Glock, which has a pretty good safety in the trigger, occasionally runs into inept handling. With a hammer showing, you can hold it back while holstering. Not so easy to hold back a hammer that isn't there.
Just goes to show you that different body shapes or experiences will give you different answers. While I am sure that there are plenty of good OWB carry rigs out there for the 1911, I have had VERY good experience with IWB carry with a Series 80 Gov't Model and a single-loop Milt Sparks Summer Special. I carried the gun (IWB, of course) at about 3:00 o'clock inside blue jeans, or occasionally inside dress pants. A good belt was preferable but not critical. That Summer Special rig was the one that I always knew I could depend on to remain wearable even if it turned out to be a 16-hour or longer day.
BTW, I have an equally accurate LW Commander which carries very comfortably in a Mitch Rosen OWB holster with a good belt, but, much to my initial surprise, the shorter barrel is NOT comfortable IWB. The muzzle digs into my right buttock, whereas with the GM, it is only the flat slide which presses on my buttock.
I consider the 1911 an excellent and practical carry gun. I got away from it because I was carrying a revolver under slightly unusual conditions for about seven years, and was more in practice with same. When the conditions changed, I didn't want to go back to the 1911 until I was using it regularly. Meanwhile, I got used to carrying a revolver OWB, and occasionally in a shoulder holster, and kind of got spoiled by what I consider a much safer system for loading or unloading (or neither) inside my house. So I carry a revolver at present, but I would have no problem getting back to carrying a bottomfeeder. And I'd have a J as a backup, anyway.
desmodue
Member
EDC go-to's are Colt Detective Special, S&W K-Comp, and Dan Wesson ECO officer size 1911. The ECO is extremely easy to carry, thin and light at 25 oz. (empty) Cocked and locked looks scary to those unfamiliar with JMB's masterpiece. I am far more concerned with striker fired pistols and their "safe systems" There was recently a TV news report of an off-duty cop gut shooting himself while trying to stuff a striker fired pistol into a jacket pocket.
Kframerbluvr
Member
This is interesting. My Glock 22 carried in a Galco Summer Comfort IWB holster lays flat on my hip, but my issued Glock 23 jabs my buttocks.. Guess what I carry off duty now..the company gun stays at home unless I am working.
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FWIW, I'm not sure any one type of action owns the unintended gunshot issue. Back in the day, plenty of folks managed to shoot themselves in the leg while holstering a revolver. If the gun goes bang when we pull the trigger, I guess it worked. 
I was just reading back through this thread and wanted to comment about the riding the thumb safety thing. Like many things - IWB, OWB, black sights, nights sight, etc - to ride the safety when shooting a 1911 is a matter of preference, not a requirement. I've been shooting them for 40+ years and carrying them for over 30 and I do not ride the safety and have never had an issue with it engaging under recoil on any 1911 I've ever shot.
Also, a 1911 can be one of the easiest handguns to conceal and most comfortable to carry because of it's shape, they are very slim, and they are available in a variety of sizes/barrel lengths/weights/calibers to meet most folks concealment needs.
BuckeyeS&W
Member
Everybody should own at least one 1911, make mine a Colt.
with modern plastic pistols available 1911 are really not the best choice. 1911 are the king of the shooting range. My Metro Arms MAC double. stacker 45 is the most accurate pistol I have ever owned ore even seen in person and I do a lot of shooting. The picture is a 5 shoot group at 25 yards off a table.. I can't do this every time but under 1 1/4 groups are normal with my 200 gr swc loads.
Attachments
JDBoardman
US Veteran
Having significant combat experience while engaging the enemy with lethal intent, the 1911 was ALWAYS on my hip, cocked, locked and fully loaded. My long gun was, at the time, not well regarded for its reliability (that may have changed, but until I carry one in combat, I won't be convinced). My 1911 went "Bang!" every time I needed it, and it allowed me to get out of a couple of tight situations without me carrying any extra metal bits under my skin - but I can't say the same for the other guy(s).
As a result of my experiences, I carry a 1911, and will put up with the minor inconveniences of concealing it. My rationale is that if it is needed, I am back in a combat zone, and I want what I know works under combat conditions. I have, enjoy and admire my revolvers, but when in extremis, I want a 1911.
As far as the comment about clearing a malfunction while fending off a knife, hammer or tire iron with my weak hand - it really doesn't matter. If my first shot doesn't stop the attack, then I am up the proverbial sewerage estuary anyway, and getting hit upside the head with a 1911 will probably inflict more damage than the same stroke with an airweight J-frame.
As a result of my experiences, I carry a 1911, and will put up with the minor inconveniences of concealing it. My rationale is that if it is needed, I am back in a combat zone, and I want what I know works under combat conditions. I have, enjoy and admire my revolvers, but when in extremis, I want a 1911.
As far as the comment about clearing a malfunction while fending off a knife, hammer or tire iron with my weak hand - it really doesn't matter. If my first shot doesn't stop the attack, then I am up the proverbial sewerage estuary anyway, and getting hit upside the head with a 1911 will probably inflict more damage than the same stroke with an airweight J-frame.
I carry a Colt Series 70 Government IWB. I carry it because I am most familiar and confident with a pistol that I have fired many 10's of thousands of times. It is carried in condition one as it is meant to be. Your choice should be made on proficiency and confidence levels.
If you can rent or borrow a 1911, do so. Spend a lot of range time. If you choose one you must do as suggested here, and practice, practice, and practice.
Be skeptical of changing the way you are going to protect yourself and family. That way you'll know if it's the right decision.
If you can rent or borrow a 1911, do so. Spend a lot of range time. If you choose one you must do as suggested here, and practice, practice, and practice.
Be skeptical of changing the way you are going to protect yourself and family. That way you'll know if it's the right decision.
Frank237
Absent Comrade
Ed Brown in .45 acp. The picture doesn't do it Justice. A superb weapon. Reliable and crazy accurate for a 4" 1911.
I carry IWB/OWB with Milt Sparks rigs.
Please, enlighten us, what do "modern plastic pistols" offer that make them a better choice for self defense or carry than a 1911? Aside from a few rounds of capacity, I don't see where my 1911s are giving anything up to their polymer counterparts. If anything, they are better suited to the task - safer, more accurate, better triggers, slimmer and easier to conceal.
I'm a died-in-the-wool 1911 fan, but am required to carry a Glock as a duty weapon, and a Glock as a BUG or off-duty. No system is 100% perfect. For me the ergonomics of the 1911 are perfect, and the Glock feels like a 2x4. But I have never had a stovepipe or other jam in a Glock. Ever. That speaks well to their function. But I have had them break...locking blocks shear off, guide rods snap, pins fall out, sights drift in their channel, etc.
My 1911's are a bit more finicky. Once they are set up right and you find ammo that works in them, they too are like a metronome, but you have to do the initial work (or pay top dollar for a semi-custom). And 1911's break too...I've broken slide stop levers, thumb safeties, etc.
I would rather carry the 1911, but Glocks are a tremendous value that just plain work.
