1911 for everyday carry?

I carry my Glock 19 and Norinco M1911 interchangeably. The M1911 is actually easier to carry, as it's thinner.

The safety is a non-issue. I've been shooting M1911s since the '70s.

My Glock 22 had the NY Trigger installed when I bought it. It was nearly unusable until it was removed. My Glock 19 had some combination of 8lb. connector and trigger spring when I got it. Likewise, it was hard to shoot accurately.

Regarding magazine capacity, it's not a fetish for me. Eight rounds of .45acp is perfectly adequate for any situation I'm LIKELY to encounter. More than that, and it's probably going to be a job for my CAR15.

I simply see no reason to rabidly prefer one over the other. They're both perfectly adequate self-defense handguns and I carry both.
 
CONUS I carry a LWT Commander in .45. The threat 'matrix' if you will, is, for me, not the same here and I feel better with a reliable gun in .45 caliber that is one inch thick that I can shoot very well. But after some 45 or so years with the 1911, it is not the best gun for everyone and I know that.

OCONUS, when I carry it is a G19. Meets my needs better in a different environmemt...but when all is said and done it usually ain't the gun that is gonna win the fight. That will almost always be determined by awareness, mindset, tactics, techniques and procedures under the stress of a real encounter.

They are both great pistols and both can get the job done...if the user is up to it.
 
venomballistics said:
no other gun is quite so vast as the 1911.
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...well, other than an ar15...

;)

Also, someone mentioned not having a hammer to snag as a Glock advantage. How exactly would you snag a cocked-and-locked 1911? There are points to critique on the 1911 - capacity, weight, maintenance schedule, hand-fit parts - but I don't think snagging its hammer is one of them.

Matt
 
Sprefix said:
I have this nickel plated Jennings .22 that shoots VERY accurately and has no malfunctions.....!!?? How did this happen? They are junk.................just ask anyone. The little thing is an anomaly, I'm guessing. If it works, and it works for you, then all is good and we'll hope and pray we don't have to use them for other than fun. I have an incredible fondness for my Sig P220 (early West German with the pointed spur hammer) .45 acp. That gun has NEVER had ANY type of malfunction and is way better than tactically accurate.
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Jennings did make a few accurate guns by mistake. I have seen a 9mm whose accuracy was truly astonishing by any standard and fed flawlessly, making it doubly blessed.
it did however, fall apart after 150 rounds and refused to make it through another string of 20 without repair thus ending its career.
 
mjb99 said:
...well, other than an ar15...

;)

Also, someone mentioned not having a hammer to snag as a Glock advantage. How exactly would you snag a cocked-and-locked 1911? There are points to critique on the 1911 - capacity, weight, maintenance schedule, hand-fit parts - but I don't think snagging its hammer is one of them.

Matt
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Ive never had it happen. I can see how at first glance the hammer might look like a big snag point. Living with it however, its not the concern it appears to be at first glance the only part of the 1911 that ever made me a little nervous was its cocked and locked carry mode. Being around guns all my life i found it fairly easy to warm up to this feature since most long arms essentially operate the same way differing only in the long arms hammer being hidden from view.
your right about the AR15 .. it is at least as much of a mustang of guns as the 1911 ... just not quite as concealable :D
 
The 1911 fits my hand. The Glock doesn't. For me, the discussion is over. For others, FWIW, I will add that I have carried a stainless Colt Gov't Model in a Milt Sparks Summer Special (one belt loop) many hours at a stretch. It is not a problem. Since I wouldn't have a Glock unless nothing else were available (see above), I can't be sure, but I believe that it would not work as well IWB. I'm sure that someone makes a good belt holster that would work with it, but certainly no better than a 1911. As far as weight, I don't think it weighs much less than my Lightweight Commander, which is certainly not hard to get a good belt holster for.

Safety? The stock safety on a modern Colt disengages automatically when I draw the pistol. YMMV. I can holster a 1911 much more safely than most folks can holster a Glock, because I have a thumb on the hammer ensuring that it is not going forward no matter what the trigger runs into. And this is with the thumb safety on. Many people have had ADs while holstering Glocks that I would never have had with a 1911, even if Sarah Brady's pet mouse were hiding in the holster.

My Gov't Model is not a .40 S&W, so I'm not worried about the throated barrel.

Other than that, I suppose it's personal preference.
 
I'm going to say this, and this is truly how I feel. 1911's are for people that are a little further along the learning curve. If your going to throw something on and never practice with it, a GLOCK fits the bill. (just be careful putting it in the holster, that's usually when it shoots you back). Although in that case, a revolver is a better option.

If your going to take the time to learn how to gunfight, you'll eventually gravitate over to the 1911 or one of the big revolvers. There not "target" guns, although people try to make them that way. Amusingly, I hear people all the time talk about reliability issues with 1911s. I own 7, from different makers, and the only problems I've ever had were ammo related. My most recent purchase was a RIA copy of a mil spec 1911. I didn't replace any springs, polish anything or open up the ejection port. (I did change the magazine). It goes bang every time I pull the trigger and on a B27 out to 100 yards they will all be torso hits if I do my part. What more could you want?

Just to be fair, I own several glocks, all in .40. I would have no trouble trusting my life to one. But I personally choose a 3" 1911 for EDC. That choice was made before GLOCK was even invented. You pick what works best for you. As far as you and you glock doing better than those other guys shooting 1911s, would you have changed your opinion if they had out shot you?
 
If you can successfully completely conceal a 1911 my hat is off to you. I sure couldn't.

The largest of my Glocks that I can properly conceal are my 30 or my 36, depending on what I'm wearing. But they take a little effort and thought. A lightweight J-frame is a no-brainer, usually.
 
I shot my first 1911 in 1955 in the military. I've owned a number of them over the years and I currently have 4 keepers.

I normally carry a 640-3 in my pocket, loaded with .357 but when I go to the urban areas at night, I have a 1911 with me. They are heavy but with the right belt and holster, no problem. I use an OWB pancake the most but I also use a Galco shoulder rig if I have to wear a coat.

I own a Glock 30 .45 but I just feel more comfortable with a 1911.
 
DonDee said:
If you can successfully completely conceal a 1911 my hat is off to you. I sure couldn't.

The largest of my Glocks that I can properly conceal are my 30 or my 36, depending on what I'm wearing. But they take a little effort and thought. A lightweight J-frame is a no-brainer, usually.
Click to expand...

I carry mine in an OWB holster made by Ray Cory. With a loose shirt or sport jacket, completely hidden. (of course, I could conceal an RPG) :D
 
DonDee said:
If you can successfully completely conceal a 1911 my hat is off to you. I sure couldn't.

The largest of my Glocks that I can properly conceal are my 30 or my 36, depending on what I'm wearing. But they take a little effort and thought. A lightweight J-frame is a no-brainer, usually.
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your not trying hard enough :p
Ive successfully and completely concealed a 629 with 8 3/8" barrel and a red dot sight rather regularly ... having done that, I find the 1911 to be a breeze
 
Why worry about what other people carry? You carry your glock and that is fine with you, others carry their 1911 and that is fine with them. When I get my 1911, I will carry it in rotation with my other heavy gun, a 357mag and my lighter gun, the Sigma.

As long as it works for the shooter, that is all that matters.
 
Marcus88 said:
Why worry about what other people carry? You carry your glock and that is fine with you, others carry their 1911 and that is fine with them. When I get my 1911, I will carry it in rotation with my other heavy gun, a 357mag and my lighter gun, the Sigma.

As long as it works for the shooter, that is all that matters.
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100% correct.

It does not matter what others carry since they do so for their own reasons. I have about every popular handgun a person would carry and have carried several over the years and very successfully. Yet, after many thouusands of rounds thru a 1911, a lot of hours of training by the US Army and then 30 yrs of wisdom developing inside my mind, I now carry a 1911 for many reasons and not just personal ones.

I suppose the popularity of a 100 yr old gun to young shooters might give a hint to those that never learned to shoot one properly.
 
I carried a stainless Gold Cup for several years in a pancake holster. I liked it and it concealed well under a sports jacket.

I also shot it better than any gun I've ever owned.

I am a proponent of carrying what you shoot best.
 
Packard said:
I carried a stainless Gold Cup for several years in a pancake holster. I liked it and it concealed well under a sports jacket.

I also shot it better than any gun I've ever owned.

I am a proponent of carrying what you shoot best.
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We are in total agreement here.

A person learns to shoot best with the best gun they shoot.

Virtually anyone can fire a gun and that is exactly what many do. Learning to shoot well requires learning the gun well.
 
oldman45 said:
We are in total agreement here.

A person learns to shoot best with the best gun they shoot.

Virtually anyone can fire a gun and that is exactly what many do. Learning to shoot well requires learning the gun well.
Click to expand...

Except that Colt made no effort to dehorn the gun and it left the linings of my jackets in tatters.

That was partly because the Gold Cup was a target gun and not a carry piece, and partly because Colt does not seem to pay much attention to dehorning in the first place.
 
I own a few 1911's and just bought a Range Officer, I have carried a 1911 for CCW and felt comfortable. I also at one time carried a S&W model 25 with a 6 inch barrel and it was well concealed.

I have given a lot of thought to making the Range Officer a primary carry gun. I like the caliber and the style of the gun, though I may switch out the rear sights with a Harrison model and gold bead the front sight.

I also like the the CZ-75 which I do carry a lot.

When I bought the Range Officer almost all of the clerks said it was to big to carry and it was a target competition model and a 1911. They sell a lot of Glocks and other Polymer models I just don't prefer them. In an earlier post I said practice with what you are going to carry and get comfortable with it. For a long time I carried K frames and love them.

I like the feeling of the 1911 in my hand.

I think down the road I will buy a Commander or officer size model just because I like them. Before I carry them I will practice practice practice. I shot my first 1911 when I was about 10, it was my Dad's and we were at a farm near Wind Lake Wisconsin.

For the 1911 get a good holster and belt.
 
I carry my 1911 every day I can. I like my single action and my manual safety, if I didn't I wouldn't have chosen a 1911. It's all personal choice. I want to make my 8 bullets count instead of using a hicap plastic gun. That said a Glock is on my buying list as I am a crim justice student who will be going into law enforcement, and most of the departments I'm looking at use Glocks.
 
oldman45 said:
Doug, how often have you needed more than one magazine?

I always said if I am in a drawn out gun fight, I will go home and the others can call me once it is over. I am a big fat guy and that makes me an easy target that is slow moving. My first shot must count.
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*
Never. The County with which I have been a reserve deputy and from which I am about to retire is pretty big, and the less populated patrol districts are big. It is not uncommon to be a HARD 30 minute drive from the nearest backup, and not unknown to take an hour to get to some calls. If you don't have the stuff in your car and/or on your person, you may never get it. I also carried 3 spare mags of AR ammo even when I did not have my own carbine. Where I worked 2000-2007 as a prosecutor, and where I am now, it would not be a shock to have no cops within an hour. Large counties, low density tax base. As Pat Rogers says, policing is very regional. Visitors from Chicago/LA/and especially NYPD are aghast at the territory covered. A serious call in NY is likely to have 20 or more cops in 60 seconds.

We did have a shooting in 2005 or so in which so many rounds were expended due to the odd nature of the circumstances, a resupply had to be brought out from the armory. It was admittedly a really weird situation, but for those there, it was a huge test sample.
 
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Packard said:
Except that Colt made no effort to dehorn the gun and it left the linings of my jackets in tatters.

That was partly because the Gold Cup was a target gun and not a carry piece, and partly because Colt does not seem to pay much attention to dehorning in the first place.
Click to expand...
*
I have heard of the XSE model as being short for "Xtra Sharp Edges". Colt is infamous for this.

Glocks and KaBooms: mostly with the 40, as far as I know. They are also inconsistently prone to a variety of malfunctions in that caliber. (There are at least two LONG strings about this on 10-8, and another on LF.) I prefer the 9mm Gen2/Gen3 guns. I am not a fan of the 40 in any platform, but if I had to have one it would probably be the Smith M&Ps. The 40 is really prone to case set back, and a good rule is to chamber a round once and then shoot or discard it if you have to take it out. I tend to apply that with all auto pistols, but would be ruthless in doing so with a 40.
 
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