Fishinfool
Member
So, I thought it might be interesting to do a shooting comparison at my club range between an old school & a new school .45 acp pistol.
"Old School" was represented by a new SA Garrison 1911 5 inch model. Constructed of forged carbon steel, it has a nice polished blue finish. High profile, 3 dot fixed sights, and a crisp 4 1/2 lbs. trigger pull. Weight is 37 ounces. Comes with one 7 round magazine
"New School" was represented by a Generation 4 Glock model 41 MOS. It is a polymer framed / steel slide pistol with a flat black finish. The MOS designation means it is pre-cut for optics mounting. It has a 5.3 inch barrel, adjustable 3 dot sights, and weighs 26.6 ounces with an empty magazine. Comes with three 13 round mags. It comes with a variety of mounting plates included with the gun. I mounted a Vortex Razor 3 moa red dot on mine.
I put 50 rounds thru each, consisting of my handload of a cast 230 RN bullet over 5 grains of Red Dot and CCI primers for about 840 FPS. A note about lead bullets and Glocks - I have found in both 9mm, and now .45 Glocks, if you size your bullet on the large size (mine were sized .453, water hardened wheel weights, Rooster soft lube) hard, with good lube, leading and subsequent possible higher pressures are not an issue, at least in my guns. Guns were shot from the holster at a bouncing rubber target on the ground, and at paper, out to 25 yards.
General Impressions - The SA 1911 felt good in hand, and pointed naturally. Sights were quick to pick up, and recoil was very controllable. Trigger was crisp. No malfunctions. Weight on the hip was heavy, but it carries well. Shooting at speed at that bouncing rubber ball thingy, I was quicker on target for repeat shots with the 1911 than I was with the Glock, mainly, I believe do to my lack of practice with the new to me Glock 41 and its red dot sight.
The Glock 41 felt good in my hand, and pointed well, but not as naturally as the 1911. Trigger pull was typical Glock - Soft and mushy, with a clean break at the end. I like the Glock pull, and do well with it, as long as it is smooth and not "notchy". It has an adjustable rear sight from the factory, but they are standard height. Nice if you are just using irons, as holster fit is a lot easier than for guns with tall, suppressor height sights. But, for a gun designed for optics use, I would think taller sights that would cowitness would be standard. Not an issue on the range, but I would not carry this gun for self defense as it is, relying solely on the battery operated optic.
There were no malfunctions with the 41, and the lighter weight felt good on the hip, though it did make for a bulkier package due to size / thickness. The gun did not seem to recoil any more than the 1911, maybe because of the long slide and substantial grip.
Accuracy was about the same for both, which is to say very good. For accuracy testing, I placed two 3 inch stick on orange dots on paper at 25 yards, and fired 7 shots from each from a standing, supported, right side barricade. I actually did a little better with the Glock, as my not great eyesight had me vertically stringing my shots a little on the 1911.
Conclusion - About what I expected from both. Both are good guns, just different. Choices are always good. With taller back up iron sights on the Glock, I would carry either for SD, though both were purchased for mainly range and woods bumming use, which they both excel at - Different ways to the same end. And a shout out to Vortex, that Razor red dot is clear and sharp.
Larry
"Old School" was represented by a new SA Garrison 1911 5 inch model. Constructed of forged carbon steel, it has a nice polished blue finish. High profile, 3 dot fixed sights, and a crisp 4 1/2 lbs. trigger pull. Weight is 37 ounces. Comes with one 7 round magazine
"New School" was represented by a Generation 4 Glock model 41 MOS. It is a polymer framed / steel slide pistol with a flat black finish. The MOS designation means it is pre-cut for optics mounting. It has a 5.3 inch barrel, adjustable 3 dot sights, and weighs 26.6 ounces with an empty magazine. Comes with three 13 round mags. It comes with a variety of mounting plates included with the gun. I mounted a Vortex Razor 3 moa red dot on mine.
I put 50 rounds thru each, consisting of my handload of a cast 230 RN bullet over 5 grains of Red Dot and CCI primers for about 840 FPS. A note about lead bullets and Glocks - I have found in both 9mm, and now .45 Glocks, if you size your bullet on the large size (mine were sized .453, water hardened wheel weights, Rooster soft lube) hard, with good lube, leading and subsequent possible higher pressures are not an issue, at least in my guns. Guns were shot from the holster at a bouncing rubber target on the ground, and at paper, out to 25 yards.
General Impressions - The SA 1911 felt good in hand, and pointed naturally. Sights were quick to pick up, and recoil was very controllable. Trigger was crisp. No malfunctions. Weight on the hip was heavy, but it carries well. Shooting at speed at that bouncing rubber ball thingy, I was quicker on target for repeat shots with the 1911 than I was with the Glock, mainly, I believe do to my lack of practice with the new to me Glock 41 and its red dot sight.
The Glock 41 felt good in my hand, and pointed well, but not as naturally as the 1911. Trigger pull was typical Glock - Soft and mushy, with a clean break at the end. I like the Glock pull, and do well with it, as long as it is smooth and not "notchy". It has an adjustable rear sight from the factory, but they are standard height. Nice if you are just using irons, as holster fit is a lot easier than for guns with tall, suppressor height sights. But, for a gun designed for optics use, I would think taller sights that would cowitness would be standard. Not an issue on the range, but I would not carry this gun for self defense as it is, relying solely on the battery operated optic.
There were no malfunctions with the 41, and the lighter weight felt good on the hip, though it did make for a bulkier package due to size / thickness. The gun did not seem to recoil any more than the 1911, maybe because of the long slide and substantial grip.
Accuracy was about the same for both, which is to say very good. For accuracy testing, I placed two 3 inch stick on orange dots on paper at 25 yards, and fired 7 shots from each from a standing, supported, right side barricade. I actually did a little better with the Glock, as my not great eyesight had me vertically stringing my shots a little on the 1911.
Conclusion - About what I expected from both. Both are good guns, just different. Choices are always good. With taller back up iron sights on the Glock, I would carry either for SD, though both were purchased for mainly range and woods bumming use, which they both excel at - Different ways to the same end. And a shout out to Vortex, that Razor red dot is clear and sharp.
Larry
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