compact 1911, yay or nay?

[buick455]

I've done many hours of internet and range talk research trying to find a 9mm compact 1911 that I would carry (meaning not crazy expensive) and I think that STI has had the best luck in making what I'd want they have multiple choices in their catalog and they seem to have great quality control and great customer service.

 

[billt]

I own plenty of 1911s and have had very minimal problems.

As have I. I currently own and shoot 4, 1911's and 6 Glocks. I have had zero problems with my 1911's. That doesn't mean they are anywhere near the reliability of the Glock platform. Somehow it all got lost in all of your banter about Glocks. How many of them did you say you presently own and shoot? I somehow lost track of the number. Perhaps you could be so kind as to refresh my mind? Bill T.

 

[Cougfan2]

Here is an Interesting article from Bruce Gray of Gray guns in Spray, OR. One of the finest gunsmiths in OR. Take it with however many grains of salt you want, but it's an interesting read.

Search Results short barreled 1911 : Grayguns by Bruce Gray

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Here is an Interesting article from Bruce Gray of Gray guns in Spray, OR. One of the finest gunsmiths in OR. Take it with however many grains of salt you want, but it's an interesting read.

Search Results short barreled 1911 : Grayguns by Bruce Gray

I didn't find that interesting at all. I found it a hypothetical rationalization of why one person does not like short barreled 1911's...or I assume any short barrels .45acp gun. There were a lot of givens in that piece that had no figures behind them. Such as when you discuss feed rates. Are we to assume full sized guns maximize the potential feed rates of a magazine? If they do what are those numbers? Does you bias apply only to 1911 guns or are all short barreled .45acp guns unreliable? Are we assuming that springs in shorter guns wear appreciably faster and cannot be made in a way to counter this affect? if so what are those numbers?

That article sights a whole lot of "facts" without any real information to back them up. Just because someone is good at something does not mean you can take them for their word when they discuss their own bias. Steve Jobs is a genius when it comes to computers and marketing, but his own bias makes him act in ways that are just backasswards in many aspects of computers.

 

[Cougfan2]

I didn't find that interesting at all. I found it a hypothetical rationalization of why one person does not like short barreled 1911's...or I assume any short barrels .45acp gun. There were a lot of givens in that piece that had no figures behind them. Such as when you discuss feed rates. Are we to assume full sized guns maximize the potential feed rates of a magazine? If they do what are those numbers? Does you bias apply only to 1911 guns or are all short barreled .45acp guns unreliable? Are we assuming that springs in shorter guns wear appreciably faster and cannot be made in a way to counter this affect? if so what are those numbers?

That article sights a whole lot of "facts" without any real information to back them up. Just because someone is good at something does not mean you can take them for their word when they discuss their own bias. Steve Jobs is a genius when it comes to computers and marketing, but his own bias makes him act in ways that are just backasswards in many aspects of computers.

Well EXCUUUUUUSE me! You apparently didn't read the part about "take it with as many grains of salt as you want".

 

[PlayboyPenguin]

Well EXCUUUUUUSE me! You apparently didn't read the part about "take it with as many grains of salt as you want".

How dare you infringe on my constitutional right to be as pissy as I darn well see fit!!! Good day to you sir! (since this is text you will have to visualize me storm away in a snit)

 

[Cougfan2]

How dare you infringe on my constitutional right to be as pissy as I darn well see fit!!! Good day to you sir! (since this is text you will have to visualize me storm away in a snit)

 

[billt]

Here is an Interesting article from Bruce Gray of Gray guns in Spray, OR. One of the finest gunsmiths in OR. Take it with however many grains of salt you want, but it's an interesting read.

Search Results short barreled 1911 : Grayguns by Bruce Gray

Good article that basically retorts the continuing inherent problems these chopped 1911's are plagued with. Forget the bull$h!t. Here are the "facts". People like them. They look cool. They carry well. They just have more problems being faithful to their owner, than being married to a bleached blond, stiletto heeled stripper. You do have a chance of getting one that will run well.....for a while. But the question then is, What's a "while"? 200 rounds? 400 rounds? How many rounds of expensive, self defense ammunition will the average CCW holder run through his new $1,200.00 "Super Chop" before he or she considers themselves "good to go" for everyday concealed carry? Most likely not enough.

The point is regardless of make or price, these guns are a crap shoot as far as dependability. That is a fact. We are talking about a weapon that is going to be a persons last line of defense. There is no argument these things malfunction at a better than average rate. So what is the argument? The gun should be out of the box as far as self defense is concerned, which is the exact reason the damn thing was created in the first place.

Arguing the dependability of these things is akin to arguing the quality of Hussein's economics. Noise, nothing more. Yes, that offends the owners of said pistols, but when all is said and done, they are the ones staking their lives on these abortions. They have to live with the outcome. If it isn't so good, they won't be around to argue. Those are the cold, hard facts of the matter. Bill T.

 

[U201494]

The point is regardless of make or price, these guns are a crap shoot as far as dependability. That is a fact.

That's funny. It don't matter who ya are, that's just funny.


.......and........


it is pure :bsflag:.........this is the cold hard fact of the matter.

 

[22many]

As have I. I currently own and shoot 4, 1911's and 6 Glocks. I have had zero problems with my 1911's. That doesn't mean they are anywhere near the reliability of the Glock platform. Somehow it all got lost in all of your banter about Glocks. How many of them did you say you presently own and shoot? I somehow lost track of the number. Perhaps you could be so kind as to refresh my mind? Bill T.

And where exactly is all my "banter" about glocks that you claim? Or is this more of your mindless dribble about how your choice of handguns is better than anybody elses.

I don't own any glocks. If you read my reasoning behind it in the other thread then you would know that. I'm starting to question if you even know how to read. It's apparent that you mouth works better than any other part on, or in, your head.

And your claim that the 1911 isn't as reliable as a glock shows your stupidity. Do you have any actual findings on this? After all, you said yourself, you own 4 1911s and have
had zero problems. So if you think that the 1911 is not reliable then why would you own
4 of them? Oh wait, because the 4 that you have are the only ones that arent as reliable
As your glocks right? Or are they...... Which is it?

 

[Misterbill]

OP: I carried a Colt Officer's Model for years and loved it. the 1911 is an awesome platform. And a compact 1911 is highly concealable. Just remember that you're choosing to limit yourself to 7 rounds of .45 ACP in the gun and that the 1911 is designed for a full 5-inch barrel. You will find that any sub-compact gun takes more practice than a full-size to shoot well and the Officer's Model is no exception to this. Personally I'd recommend a Glock 27 or a Springfield XD in .40 as a first sub-compact. Leave the 1911 to a full-size gun. Personally I carry a full-size 1911 or a Springfield subcompact XD-40. They are equally concealable.

 

[22many]

Misterbill, I like that springfield xd. How does it shoot? Accurate? Recoil?

 

[U201494]

a compact 1911 is highly concealable. Just remember that you're choosing to limit yourself to 7 rounds of .45 ACP in the gun and that the 1911 is designed for a full 5-inch barrel.

But it works well in the shorter versions too.
And
The airplane was designed to fly with two wings.
The locomotive was designed to be powered by steam.
The telephone was designed to run on batteries.
The small block Chevy V8 was designed to run with a 2 barrel carburetor and had no oil filter.
The refrigerator was designed to use propane as the refrigerant.
The internal combustion engine was designed with one piston and no camshaft.
The pneumatic tire was designed to use an inner tube.

The firearms industry sells a shtload of compact 1911s, walk into any gun shop and you have your choice of several. The free market system is the best proof that 1911s shorter than 5" work just fine. If they did not they would have gone the way of the falling block rifle, the Hawkeye pistol, the .357 Maximum, the .357 Coonan autoloader, the Bren Ten, and several other firearms that just did not work.

There are people who just can not accept, for whatever reason, that the 1911 pistol can function reliably when altered from John Moses Browning's design.
Best to just let it go.......just let it go.......you'll feel better.

 

[Misterbill]

Misterbill, I like that springfield xd. How does it shoot? Accurate? Recoil?

Recoil is a non-issue. Honestly I don't get recoil. (unless you're shooting a full-house .357 round out of an airweight snubby) Range and accuracy hasn't been an issue until 30 yards or so, when it drops off like a cliff. Damndest thing I've ever seen. I can drive nails with the sucker at 15 yards but after 25 it gets sketchy and 30 forget it. (I couldn't make headshots AT ALL. Like not even one in the box.)

 

[Misterbill]

But it works well in the shorter versions too.
And
The airplane was designed to fly with two wings.
The locomotive was designed to be powered by steam.
The telephone was designed to run on batteries.
The small block Chevy V8 was designed to run with a 2 barrel carburetor and had no oil filter.
The refrigerator was designed to use propane as the refrigerant.
The internal combustion engine was designed with one piston and no camshaft.
The pneumatic tire was designed to use an inner tube.

The firearms industry sells a shtload of compact 1911s, walk into any gun shop and you have your choice of several. The free market system is the best proof that 1911s shorter than 5" work just fine. If they did not they would have gone the way of the falling block rifle, the Hawkeye pistol, the .357 Maximum, the .357 Coonan autoloader, the Bren Ten, and several other firearms that just did not work.

There are people who just can not accept, for whatever reason, that the 1911 pistol can function reliably when altered from John Moses Browning's design.
Best to just let it go.......just let it go.......you'll feel better.

If you get a good one, I agree. They work as well as the shooter. A good 1911 subcompact is going to set you back $1000+. An equally reliable striker fired gun like the glock or XD is more like $500. You can get a good used 1911A1 (not a Taurus) for $700ish. And again, there is the issue of capacity and difficulty in shooting accurately for a noob with .45ACP.

For a newer shooter, which the OP sounds like, I'd recommend exactly what I did for the reasons stated. Just because a lot of people make compact 1911s doesn't mean they're all good guns. You get what you pay for.

 

[billt]

I don't own any glocks.

So you own a grand total of none. I own and shoot a half dozen of them, and have put thousands of rounds downrange with them. But somehow I'm supposed to value your opinion about them? Why?

You said yourself, you own 4 1911s and have
had zero problems.

Einstein, all 4 of my 1911's are steel frame, full sized models, not Aluminum framed, CCW chop jobs. I've posted pictures of all of them on this forum, and have been shooting them since starting in 1973. You have the audacity to name call, then run your mouth with your "facts" crossed up worse than Hussein's economics. Why does none of this surprise me? How about being useful for once and telling all of us how many rounds you've managed to put downrange with YOUR chopped 1911's without a FTF or FTE? Or don't you have any of those either? Bill T.

 

[billt]

Just because a lot of people make compact 1911s doesn't mean they're all good guns. You get what you pay for.

And in the case of chopped 1911's, quite often what you don't. Bill T.

 

[deadeye]

Has anyone noticed that the OP has not commented since post 3?

 

[orygun]

Has anyone noticed that the OP has not commented since post 3?

Yes, and I noticed that some people who must still have hurt feelings are carrying over the Glock vs. 1911 from a previous closed thread.

 

[robbalot]

So some of these hardcore guys that keep calling subcompacts built on the 1911 platform "chopped" are putting this image of full size handgun clamped in a chop-saw and ramming the abrasive wheel home until that extra 2" clanks on the floor...

Do you honestly think that the same quality engineering is not applied when these guns are designed? Do you think all these OBVIOUS points of functionability and reliability have not occurred to these engineers long before they ever occurred to you? And that design modifications are not made to compensate? Get over yourself.

So you don't like them, big freakin deal.