I have wanted a 1911 since firing a Springfield
professional, it shot wonderfully , that was 15 years ago.

Since then I have just lusted , for a five inch model

Now I am pretty much ready to go out and find the one I want and giter done.

Then I went to breakfast with a veteran who went through r.o.t.c. at Ft.Riley K.S. .

He was told by the weapons instructor that the 1911 was for looks only and NOT to pull it in self defense unless he was in an elevator,
because they were damn near useless .

He went on to say that 3 dozen men tried hitting a 12 inch x 12 inch target at 35 feet and the hit ratio was miserable.

then I came across the 1911 thread in the Sig Forum pistol section .

Another pistol shooter asked if my Ruger .45 acp did what I wanted it to.

I said yes , he told me to keep it , and "be still " about the 1911, unless I win the lottery.

So there you go , but I am still tempted to go to youtube and find some vid's of 1911's that contradict what I've been told.

An anecdotal account of 1.

Every 1911 I've had any time behind has been plenty accurate. Likely more my own ability (or lack thereof) than the pistol's.

I don't personally own 1, but wouldn't turn one down over 1 man's opinion. Especially if it's something you've been pining for.

Military issue 1911s were notoriously loose by design so they would function when dirty.

I can shoot my Ed Brown 45 ACP 1911 very well at the range although I would not trust myself with it in a self defense situation because follow-up shots are difficult for me due to recoil. It may depend on what you want the 1911 to do for you.

I also have an Ed Brown 1911 in 9mm and it is a sweet shooter.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Then I went to breakfast with a veteran who went through r.o.t.c. at Ft.Riley K.S. .

He was told by the weapons instructor that the 1911 was for looks only and NOT to pull it in self defense unless he was in an elevator,
because they were damn near useless .

That is one of the most ridiculous statements I've ever heard, bar none.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
He went on to say that 3 dozen men tried hitting a 12 inch x 12 inch target at 35 feet and the hit ratio was miserable.

That's a ridiculous metric for combat shooting with a handgun, in the first place. Secondly: If they were typical U.S. military rattletrap 1911s: I wouldn't be surprised. I shot one of those, once. It was a terrible pistol. Turned me off to 1911's and the .45 ACP cartridge for some 45 years.

Then I got my Remington R1 1911 Enhanced. Followed by my Colt Defender. That will be followed by a Ruger SR1911 in 10mm. I may even add a 1911 in 9mm, some day.

I, too, think you got pretty bad advice. I've got a Sig 1911 Nightmare Carry, with a 4" barrel. I used it to qualify for my RI LTC, shooting at 25 yards. That's obviously much further than you'd ever need to shoot in a self-defense situation. And I passed with flying colors. In fact, I like shooting the gun so much that I'll be getting a 5" 1911 one of these days. Actually, I'll probably get two; one in .45 and one 9mm.


Frank

SR 1911 is an EDC for me. At 15 yards, I can rapidly put the whole magazine into a 6 inch circle without too much trouble. If I slow down slightly, the circle shrinks to 4 inches.
The US military punctured all kinds of folks with the 1911 for decades. Alvin York did ok with his.
Hard to argue with success.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: YooperSigs,

A bad 1911 will shoot better than a lot of shooters. During training with the 1911 in 1969, there were 25 or 50 guys standing shoulder to shoulder with no hearing or eye protection shooting at targets. It was hard to tell which target was yours.

I own 5 1911's now and they are all very accurate.

If the OP wants to wade in the waters, I would recommend a RIA. I bought a used one because of the price and I have been very impressed with it.

Look up "1911 Like a boss"

It's a video of Travis Haley and Jason Burton running through some drills with 1911s. The advice you were given was very bad indeed.

quote:

He was told by the weapons instructor that the 1911 was for looks only and NOT to pull it in self defense unless he was in an elevator,
because they were damn near useless .

He went on to say that 3 dozen men tried hitting a 12 inch x 12 inch target at 35 feet and the hit ratio was miserable.

This has to be a troll, has to be.

I've seen men routinely get a score of 480 on a 48 shot PPC course with a 1911. I myself can consistently score in the 470's with one. That's 45 or so shots out of 48 in either the 10 ring or X ring on a B27 target. Strong hand only, weak hand only, behind barricades, standing and kneeling, all with time limits.

Whoever told you that shit was high on crack or a retard.

quote:

Originally posted by Rev. A. J. Forsyth:

quote:

He was told by the weapons instructor that the 1911 was for looks only and NOT to pull it in self defense unless he was in an elevator,
because they were damn near useless .

He went on to say that 3 dozen men tried hitting a 12 inch x 12 inch target at 35 feet and the hit ratio was miserable.

This has to be a troll, has to be.

I've seen men routinely get a score of 480 on a 48 shot PPC course with a 1911. I myself can consistently score in the 470's with one. That's 45 or so shots out of 48 in either the 10 ring or X ring on a B27 target. Strong hand only, weak hand only, behind barricades, standing and kneeling, all with time limits.

Whoever told you that shit was high on crack or a retard.

Nah, the FBI Hostage Rescue Team carried 1911s for almost 20 years because they're unreliable pieces of shit you can't hit the broad side of a barn with.

I can hit a 8" steel plate consistently at 50 yards with a Springfield RO and Sig MAX

I guess I need to find a range that offers 1911's , for rent.

and shoot 50 rounds with my Ruger P90 and another 50 with the 1911,
prior to making a final judgement

When I want to do some handgun precision shooting, I take my Springfield Loaded 1911 with me. It's possibly the most accurate handgun I own. Heck, even my 1943 Remington Rand is plenty accurate, it's just a bit harder to get the same results with it because the trigger is kinda rough and the sights suck. Both guns are also very reliable.

Just because somebody was in the army doesn't mean they know anything about handguns.

I don't care for 1911s for purely defensive purposes because overall I find them a bit more finicky, require a bit more attention and frankly are 100 year old technology in terms of design. They need a little TLC when built more so then a modern CNC mass produced design. (None of that is to say 1911's suck and will get you killed)

To say they are inaccurate.........well if they were military 1911s they had probably been around for 50 years and been rebuilt eleventy billion times after being produced by the lowest bidder and given to grunts who would likely never use a handgun ever anyway. What I am trying to say here is........no 1911s certainly are not inaccurate and frankly are some of the more accurate firearms I have shot.

Every gun person needs a 1911. Its un-American not to have one. They are GREAT guns. There is a reason they have been around 100 years.

I say go for it get a 1911 just be prepared to learn a little bit more about the platform then say you would a typical piece of modern tactical tupperware. Understand its quirks and design envelope and you will have a great experience.

I just bought my first 1911 that I have owned in almost 15 years, a SA Range Officer Operator 5" in 9mm. I told the story about this purchase in a thread from yesterday . Didn't want another caliber which limited me to 9mm & 10mm, and was very tempted to buy a SIG Emperor Scorpion in 10mm but decided to go with the cheaper to shoot 9mm.

If anyone claims a 1911 isn't accurate they haven't shot one since they first picked up a pistol! I was shooting roughly a 4" group at 15 yards, even though my trigger isn't the greatest.

One thing I have to say though is that it is the most problematic pistol I have ever owned, at least to this point. A couple of failure to lock the slide, and several instances of FTRB. May very well be my fault as I lubed it with a liberal amount of grease like I do to my SIGs & Berettas, and it is a very tight pistol. Cleaning & lubing with oil made quite a difference. I will know more tomorrow.

My dad (67 this year) also repeated the tales from his dad, who was in the military back when, of 1911s being inaccurate and fairly useless.

It seems there is no lukewarm when it comes to the 1911. Theres fanboys and theres haters, and rarely an in between.

Id suggest borrowing or renting any gun before buying but to say their useless is a cop-out for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I guess I need to find a range that offers 1911's , for rent.

and shoot 50 rounds with my Ruger P90 and another 50 with the 1911,
prior to making a final judgement

Yes, you need to shoot some 1911’s instead of listening to know-it-all’s spout off in person, or the Internet. And I wouldn’t base your decision entirely off a range rental 1911 that you have no idea how well it’s been maintained.

I’ve heard some really stupid stuff plop out of the mouths of LEO/Military over the years about guns. Most of them are not shooters and only know what they’ve been told, or read on the Internet. I’ve got a nieghbor who is a retired Marine who firmly believes that since he can “kill anyone with his bare hands and most people die from fists or feet anyways, there’s no need for anyone to own assault weapons.” I make my own decisions.

Also, the 1911 has been produced by how many manufacturers in how many variations and how many calibers for how long? And you’re going to take the word of a retired vet who spouted off some stuff he heard one time in ROTC... how long ago? It’s time for a range trip for you, bendable. Only you can decide what’s right for you.

Go with your original plan and buy a 1911. You won't regret it.

I have 2 1911's and they shoot great.

The modern 1911's are very accurate.

You got BAD advice

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
I guess I need to find a range that offers 1911's , for rent.

and shoot 50 rounds with my Ruger P90 and another 50 with the 1911,
prior to making a final judgement

If you can find a buddy with a 1911 or two you would be better off than with a rental gun

Odds are they do not put mid-grade or high-grade 1911s on the rental shelf