tocohillsguy
Member
Okay, it's the 4th of July and what could be more patriotic than to exercise my 2nd amendment rights? So I pack up the range bag and I'm off to go rent a 45acp. When I get to the range there are only three to choose from; a Springfield Armory compact 1911, a full size Glock, and some type of Beretta. I wanted to try the heralded 1911 platform so I opted for the Springfield. I was also comforted by the weight. It was the parkerized GI micro that I've since discovered weighs 33 ounces with an empty magazine. It's small but deceptively heavy. Sort of reminded me of the Kahr MK9 in that regard. Here's a link the manufacturer's description: Springfield Armory
I had my 3913 with me, which I haven't shot in awhile. I thought that might make an interesting comparison given they are about the same size, although the 3913 is about 8 ounces lighter. So off I went to the lane and loaded them both up. Set the target to 7 yards and blasted away.
Both guns operated flawlessly. I found the 1911 surprising easy to shoot. I could definitely feel the increased power associated with pushing a bigger ball, but it wasn't particularly snappy. The big holes in the paper are certainly impressive. I would say I was slightly quicker with my follow up shots with the 3913, because I could recover from the recoil a little quicker, but my accuracy was comparable. Being left handed, no way I would feel comfortable carrying the 1911 without an ambi safety. I didn't feel comfortable trying to flip it down with my trigger finger. Also, I feel I could shoot the 3913 for a longer period without feeling beat up or tired. I don't think I would want to shoot the 45 acp out of a platform that was much lighter than the 33 ounce Springfield Armory, although I think the flex of the polymers might help, and HK has some sort of recoil reduction system which might help. On the down size I shot neither as well as I shot my HK P7 during my last range visit. The P7 is a tack driver, and can make even a mediocre shooter, like me, look pretty good.
I think I may need to try a few other variants before I make a decision if I'm going to add the caliber to my collection.
I had my 3913 with me, which I haven't shot in awhile. I thought that might make an interesting comparison given they are about the same size, although the 3913 is about 8 ounces lighter. So off I went to the lane and loaded them both up. Set the target to 7 yards and blasted away.
Both guns operated flawlessly. I found the 1911 surprising easy to shoot. I could definitely feel the increased power associated with pushing a bigger ball, but it wasn't particularly snappy. The big holes in the paper are certainly impressive. I would say I was slightly quicker with my follow up shots with the 3913, because I could recover from the recoil a little quicker, but my accuracy was comparable. Being left handed, no way I would feel comfortable carrying the 1911 without an ambi safety. I didn't feel comfortable trying to flip it down with my trigger finger. Also, I feel I could shoot the 3913 for a longer period without feeling beat up or tired. I don't think I would want to shoot the 45 acp out of a platform that was much lighter than the 33 ounce Springfield Armory, although I think the flex of the polymers might help, and HK has some sort of recoil reduction system which might help. On the down size I shot neither as well as I shot my HK P7 during my last range visit. The P7 is a tack driver, and can make even a mediocre shooter, like me, look pretty good.
I think I may need to try a few other variants before I make a decision if I'm going to add the caliber to my collection.
