Trebor44: Saw your post. My prettiest gun was a S&W Performance Center 3" .44 Magnum Revolver. As a defensive weapon it worked best if you handed it to your attacker and let him shoot it. While he was in pain you could take back the gun and cover him while the police arrived.

My experience was the opposite; I got talked into buying a 1911, by multiple friends, relatives and shooting buddies. The usual refrain was that I couldn't be just a Glock guy forever. When I pointed out that I also owned a couple of SIGs, S&Ws and few others, they would follow up as if reading from the same boiler plate script and poo-poo those with a comment that more or less went "but they aren't a 1911". So I finally caved and bought one.

I too heard the tales of woe, about how unreliable they are. I'd heard the Army experiences as well, of shot-out 1911s that couldn't hit the proverbial barn standing five feet away. I'd also been inundated with the stories of how wholly accurate these guns were, not like the crappy, 2x4 inspired, play-toy tupperware Glocks that I owned, used and favored. So I did the finances, wrestled with my undying fanatic love of Glock uber-reliability and simplicity, and I bought one, a new Brazilian-made SA Loaded that as it turned out was NOT the most accurate 1911 I had shot up until then. Nor was it particularly reliable and problem-free. But I admit that I was smitten by the trigger and the format and so I bought a second, a Commander Scandium E-series S&W that proved to be more accurate but also more of a handful for me with its lighter weight and sharper recoil, which the Loaded for all of its flaws never presented.

The Loaded with its reliability problems was eventually sold off, but replaced in short order with a SR1911 that has so far proven to be dead-to-nuts reliable AND accurate. I'm mindful of the known durability issues with Ruger's factory sights, but to date those haves stayed intact and not broken into pieces as too many others have experienced, and I've been all-in pleased with the gun. A civilian-market Colt M45A1 followed a couple of years later, which itself has been great so far, and now I'm contemplating yet another, this time perhaps a step up to one of the big boy builds. I'm not getting any younger, after all.

Not so bad, these 1911s. All this coming from someone who's previously been tagged as a Glock fanboy.

I've got one 1911 style pistol. A SIG TTT and it has been flawless since day one ,10 or so years ago and easy to carry so I do.

I only have one 1911, a Colt Officers MK IV it has been 100% reliable, I used to carry it 15+ years ago but it got sidelined by my Glock 32 carry-wise.

As far as reliable though it never has had a FTE/FTF etc.

It just ended up being basically the same size as guns that could carry more rounds and weigh less, i.e. my Glock 32/SIG P228

calling Springfield today ,
to see if
their sights on either the Master class or the Ronin can accommodate
Williams fiber sights .

I like when unknowns make total asinine statements ASAP. Saves me the time of evaluating their worth.

Recently I was regaled on the merits of the 5.56mm by a "Vietnam Vet" at my club rifle range. Told me the old tale of "M-16 bullets tumble".

Looking at the round holes on my target I asked why I have holes, not silhouettes of the tumbling bullet? Silence.

OP go shoot a quality 1911.

the local gun shop has a colt ,5 inch Lew Horton special.

I did some research and Lew Horton closed last fall

so no info available.

Forget production guns. I have had many, and still have a few, and none of them come close in quality and "niceness" as compared to my Nighthawk.

Skip to the end of your search and buy a Nighthawk Enforcer or Falcon, with or without rail. A decade from now, you will still admire it while Glocks and other guns will just be the same old "Meh".

Les Baer after a range session.

Wich Les Baer ?
Please.

I talked to a L.B. distributer for 35 min. , The other day.

And
Where did you find a leather o.w.b. holster for it?

I still think anyone who calls themselves a handgunner HAS to have a 1911 or 2 in .45 in their collection!

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
Wich Les Baer ?
Please.

I talked to a L.B. distributer for 35 min. , The other day.

And
Where did you find a leather o.w.b. holster for it?

I originally wanted a SRP, but didn't like the FCS, so I went with at 1.5" UTC that he had in stock in that configuration. If it's the same guy I thinking of, he is very knowledgeable and has the best prices around.

The break in of this gun was interesting. It now runs very smoothly, but I did get a few FTFs mostly while the surfaces smoothed out. It doesn't like thicker grease, so I use TW25b (or just plain CLP if I run out) and it runs perfectly now.

The holster is a milt sparks IWB.

If you are planning to be in Orlando any time soon, we can go shooting and you can try it out.

I thought I'd add on to this thread, b/c it is in the spirit of 'Talk me in or out of a 1911.'

I have the opportunity to buy/trade into this 1979 Colt Commander Series 70. Are the wood grips pictured OEM? Most other photos I've seen have the little gold Colt medallions in them. Condition looks pretty good, especially given its age, except for the curved scratch behind the trigger (from take down?).

I don't much about 1911s, especially vintage ones, so tell me what you think about this example. Are these going in up value the way 1970s Pythons are? Are the blue ones or nickel ones more desirable? Seller is asking for $1200 cash/trade value.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: iron chef,

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
Condition looks pretty good, especially given its age, except for the curved scratch behind the trigger (from take down?).

Affectionately referred to as an "idiot mark" or "idiot scratch".

It comes from someone improperly installing the slide stop pin during reassembly, inadvertently dragging the back of the slide stop lever across the frame and leaving a circular scratch/gouge in the process.

I submit you are no true gun owner if you don’t own or have owned a 1911 with the idiot scratch.

That’s my story. Don’t judge me.

Put a business card behind the frame when you install the slide stop pin and you won't get any idiot marks.

Bendable- take a look at the Colt Competition. It has a F.O. front site and all of the bells and whistles and is a very tight and nicely put together 1911 for the money. I have one in 9mm and it's a very nice/very accurate gun. While not a Les Baer, it's not priced as one either. If I was going that route, I'd skip over Baer and spend a little more and get a Brown.

https://www.colt.com/series/COMPETITION_SERIES

quote:

Originally posted by iron chef:
I thought I'd add on to this thread, b/c it is in the spirit of 'Talk me in or out of a 1911.'

I have the opportunity to buy/trade into this 1979 Colt Commander Series 70. Are the wood grips pictured OEM? Most other photos I've seen have the little gold Colt medallions in them. Condition looks pretty good, especially given its age, except for the curved scratch behind the trigger (from take down?).

I don't much about 1911s, especially vintage ones, so tell me what you think about this example. Are these going in up value the way 1970s Pythons are? Are the blue ones or nickel ones more desirable? Seller is asking for $1200 cash/trade value.

NO, those are not OEM grips. Sites have been changed also, and pretty sure the trigger too. But it's a very nice gun for it's age, nonetheless.

Here is an untouched one for reference:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums...0601935/m/1010058274

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:
Put a business card behind the frame when you install the slide stop pin and you won't get any idiot marks.

I’ve long since learned how to do it without the mark, but that’s not a half bad idea.

More than a few years ago. I had a Beretta Couger in .40 S&W that would not shoot for shyte. Had another person shoot it. He did so, one handed! Definitely not the gun!

I have come down with the fever.
Waited until 62 years old and regret it.
Back in the 70's, when I started buying and shooting handguns they were looked at expensive and somewhat esoteric. It seemed that they were high maintenance and I had very little money to bet on getting a good used one.
Picked up three in the last year and shoot them all.
Save up for tools specific to 1911's if you want to tinker.