1911 - Tired, Old, Unreliable Pistol Past It's Prime?

Puller

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Many have a real or imagined romance with the 1911 .45ACP. While there is nothing wrong with the .45ACP caliber, according to Larry Vickers, you may want to find another pistol platform to shoot it from.

That's essentially the message ex- Delta Force, author and now self defense gun instructor Larry Vickers tells his students. Larry Vickers goes on to say that he has seen about every make and model of 1911 in his classes, along with every type of failure to fire, jam, and failure to feed situation that you can possibly think of with the 1911 and his end message to students is this; "Unless you have $3,500+ to spend on a well fitted and tuned 1911 as well as understand exactly what ammo it personally likes to feed & eat best then, just go buy a Glock!"

Every time I think about getting another 1911 I think about Larry Vickers message and instead turn my thoughts to a more modern designed .45 ACP that holds twice the ammo while still being nimble and, most importantly, goes "bang" every time you pull the trigger. Oh, and for $3,500 I could buy a several decked out modern polymer pistols with money left over for .45 ACP ammo versus owning a minimal acceptable 1911 while praying I can locate the exact manufacture and bullet weight my specific 1911 is reliable with (more challenging to do today with ammo shortages). Yes, there is no denying that a forged steel, hand fitted 1911 with a trigger that breaks like glass is a beautiful piece of mechanical engineering, but for serious work perhaps it's better for such 1911's to reside as vault queens in 2021 .

I wonder who has made the journey into the world of 1911 platform pistols and then left for other more modern pistol platforms which exhibit better reliability, increased ammo capacity, are less picky about ammo to feed, are more nimble and have the ability to add red dot sights, lights, etc.? Conversely, if you journeyed into the world of 1911's and decided to stay primarily with the 1911 platform, what makes you stay when the evidence seems overwhelming that a more modern pistol platform just has too many advantages to over look ?
 
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None of my 1911s are finicky. They shoot everything reliably except 185 gr jacketed wadcutters (lead wadcutters are fine), which aren't defense ammo. They are all reliable, accurate, and didn't cost $3500.

I've shot Glocks, still own 0. About the only good thing about them is they're cheap and could almost be considered disposable. Not giving up my 1911 for a Fisher-Price quality trigger.
 
Whatever gun one chooses to carry is a personal decision. Having proficiency and the right training and mindset is most important in my mind. I’ve started shooting 9mm 1911’s and enjoy them. Slightly more capacity than a .45acp 1911. With an aluminum frame Commander style guns can weigh several ounces less than 5 inch steel government model. One of the hottest guns on the market right now is the Staccato 2011 which is in essence a higher capacity 9mm 1911. Every choice is a compromise. And a personal comfort level choice.
 
Why would I care what Larry Vickers thinks?

I usually carry a revolver, but I would be equally happy with this 76 year old Remington Rand.

Is a Glock better? Of course not.
 

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I have a Sig 1911 that was a birthday present yrs ago . It has never failed to perform flawlessly . I only shoot 230 gr round ball , either plated or cast . Yes , it's only a 8 shot or 8+1(one in chamber) . I clean it after every range session . Something that I do with my revolvers as well .
If you want to talk about " jam o matics " I will tell you about what I witnessed when I took my LTC class in Dallas . The guy next to me had a Glock 19 , it was a jam-0-matic . Glocks are fine weapons so I will divest my opinion that it probably needed a good cleaning or maybe it was his ammo . He brought it in a zip lock bag so I suspicion reloads . We were told NO reloads and only bring Federal American Eagle or Winchester White Box . He must of been a friend of the instructor as he always looked the other way during the range session . My revolver , S&W 686 worked well and shot about the most accurate of the entire class . A gun is just a tool and if you don't take care of it , it will let you down , any tool . Regards Paul
 
I have owned and carried quite a few 1911s. I had a Glock for a very short time as a police officer. It had four malfunctions in one qualification shoot and I got rid of it. I went back to a 1911 and carried it until I retired. I will still carry my Ruger SR1911 sometimes. It is accurate and reliable, but it can be a little heavy. The easiest 45 I have to carry is the Shield45.
 
I have found that the 1911 is very reliable when used in the manner for which it was designed. With 230 grain ball loads, a properly made 1911 runs great. Substitute cheap, cast steel parts for things like the extractor or cheap magazines and it becomes a different story. Magazines play a vital role in the 1911's reliability. There are a bunch of different style followers and feed lips. The original design works great with ball ammo, not as well with SWC or hollow point loads. A magazine with hybrid feed lips often solves this issue. The original barrel feed ramp is perfect for ball ammo, but widening the ramp helps with other bullet profiles.

In short, the 1911 can run perfect, but with so many cheap parts and cheap magazines substituted for what should be there, it gets a bad rap.
 
Many have a real or imagined romance with the 1911 .45ACP. While there is nothing wrong with the .45ACP caliber, according to Larry Vickers, you may want to find another pistol platform to shoot it from.

I'm 80 yrs. old and as near as I can figure I've been shooting about 76 yrs. In the 60s I owned, traded and shot several military .45 autos. I only shot ball in them but I never had any kind of problem with them. In 1967 I wanted something nicer so I bought a new Colt "C" .45 auto. Since then I've used several brands of ball plus military ball and reloaded 200 gr. SWC with 6-7.2 grs. of Unique and the gun has never missed a lick. If there has ever been a better .45 auto I would like to see it.
I also own a P220 Sig. but it will go before my Colt.
My experience means more to me than Larry Vickers opinion. Larry
 
50 years from now when most of those “modern” designs have obsolete for decades and finding parts is all but impossible, people will still be marketing 1911s. And we’ll still having the same argument that finally the 1911 is no longer relevant.
 
Never heard of Larry Vickers.

I didn't buy a 1911 until I had been shooting handguns for around 45 years. Finally felt like buying one a few years ago - a Colt Competition. Many hundreds of rounds of 230 gr hardball, both factory and my reloads, and not a single malfunction.

Honestly, I haven't bonded with the gun, for some reason. It's probably the least favorite handgun in my stable. But it's also the one I shoot the best. Don't own a Glock. Don't like the way they fit my hand, or the way they feel when I'm shooting one.

And other than a Colt Peacemaker, nothing says AMERICA like a Colt 1911.
 
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I have 1942 mix and match 1911-a1 that I bought about 91-92. It was an import from Korea or the Philippines it was rough but functional. Money was tight and I was new to handguns. So I dug thru buckets of 1911 parts at gun shows to find a nm barrel and bushing. I replaced the the trigger, hammer, sear,sights and springs as time and money permitted. I’ve put 15k round thru this gun with out a hitch. It will feed a resized empty case from the mag. I’ve also used this gun to defend myself twice(no shots fired thank god). I respect Mr. Vicker opinion but he was no where to found when I had to draw my pistol.
Ps I seen 2 glock 40s&w’s detonate the slides from the frames.
 
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Never heard of Larry Vickers.



And other than a Colt Peacemaker, nothing says AMERICA like a Colt 1911.

Sing it........
DSC01696.jpg
 
I've had three. First was a very run and beat WW2 surplus 1911 (don't remember the label), back in the early 80's. Shot ok, but sold it. Bought a brand new Randall Stainless 1911. Bad trigger, only ok accuracy. Rattled and felt loose. Sold it.

Third was an impulse purchase. LGS shooting range had an RIA 1911 A1 FS, recently tagged by the owner $200 off. I paid cash, and walked it into the shooting range immediately. Shot 50 rounds of their rental 230Gr ball, all in the black at 5, 10, and 15 yards, and zero problems. I brought it home two years ago. It's my go-to in my HD setup.
 
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