Hilton Yam's path away from the 1911

[1oldgrunt]

the thing is, he first states he had to give up not on the 1911 but on the platform in 45acp due to physical limitations.....he then tries to make the platform work in 9mm which any 1911 user knows can be hit or miss. having found the 1911 platform in 9mm to be problematic he transitions to the polymer 9mm's which work with ease.
one wonders if his wrists stayed healthy, if he would still be advocating the 1911 platform in 45acp ????
as a longtime 1911 devotee ( multiple gunsite alumni as well as others), I'm always vacillating about the 1911 v glock debate. I own multiples of both and keep thinking I need to move to one platform but always seem fluctuate between the two. Not convinced of one over the other.

[NCPatrolAR]

one wonders if his wrists stayed healthy, if he would still be advocating the 1911 platform in 45acp ????

Most likely not for duty or departmental/unit issue.

[wetidlerjr]

Any agency that picks a Kimber as their primary gets what they deserve...

That is a point I won't argue with.

[The Dumb Gun Collector]

Any agency that picks a Kimber as their primary gets what they deserve...

Just how out of the loop would you have to be to select Kimber? I hope some police chief at least got taken to a strip club or something.

[rushca01]

I believe the Kimber reference dates back to the mid 2000s with the warrior model. Prior to the release of the warrior the original Kimber classic costums were considered to be decent base guns for custom builds etc and still are by many counts. With the release of the warrior model there were major dimensional issues in the frames that negated the guns from the possibility of ever running reliably. There is a picture on the 10-8 blog with all the guns lined up on the table and hilton working on them which again dates back a few years.

Eta: the reason I mention this is because I don't think he was referring to an agency recently purchasing kimbers. This was a few years back when the only option for a railed 1911 were Springfield and Kimber. At that time there was no reason to suspect issues with the warrior model

[jedi391]

I think Yam is a very credible and informed individual but I think his reasons for leaving the 1911 can't be applied across the board. I don't have tendinitis in my wrists and the weight doesn't bother me. My current duty ready pair (both Springfields........not Kimbers) has been problem free. If you look at all the recent complaints about Gen 4 Glocks and the accuracy mystery of that is the M&P 9mm. Then there was the QC drop off that Sig experienced. Short of going HK, it seems there is some element of rolling the dice with any gun. Is it possible that there is a greater risk with 1911's of certain manufacture? Sure. My experience with Springfield 1911's is that they for the most part work just fine and if they don't the issue crops up early in the process and Springfieldis only too happy to correct the issue. I know guys on our SWAT team who have put years of hard use on the same pistol with no more maintenance then any other guns and no problems. Todd Green recently finished a test with a 9mm Springfield 1911 that went around 65,000 rounds with just 14 stoppages. I'll take those odds. Clearly if you're using a quality 1911 made by Colt, Springfield, or the high end guys like Wilson you'll more often then not be fine.

This leads us to the actual weak points of the platform. Cost, doesn't bother me at all, but buying for a department would make me feel differently, so I say good to go for individuals willing to bear the cost. Capacity, I spent time on a unit that was charged with investigating OIS incidents. You know how many officers lost due to having less then 9 rounds immediately available? None that I ever saw. The first few rounds are way more important then number 12 and beyond. Weight. No issue for me but who knows, that may change as I close in on my 40's. If it does I'll reevaluate and maybe I'll end up with a Glock 17 that doesn't have extraction issues or a 22 that will work with a light, or a M&P9 that will shoot a decent group at 25 yards.

I am a big believer that the best way to choose a gun is to buy a couple of each and shoot them out of the holster after running a bit to get the heart rate up and having someone time you to simulate stress. Whichever one lets you get off the first 5-8 rounds relatively accurately the fastest is what I would go with. I experimented with M&P/HK/Sig/Springfield 1911 and the 1911 won.

I respect Yam's path and appreciate what he's done for the 1911 world. I wish him well on his new path with the M&P9. Who knows maybe he'll come up with a way to solve the inconsistent accuracy issues they have.

His path just isn't mine, nor does it necessarily have to be anyone else's. We all have to find our own and on this subject there is no definitive right answer.

[rojocorsa]

Any agency that picks a Kimber as their primary gets what they deserve.

There is NO manufacturer today that builds an M1911A1 to United States military drawings and MILSPEC inspection and acceptance standard.

This is most unfortunate. I would like to buy a no frills 1911 that's made to that original standard.

I figure that my best bet right now is to get a Colt Series 70. I personally don't mind the "plainer" 1911s.

[mike240]

After 30 plus years of shooting 1911s I think I will wait for the parts breakages and all this extra maintenance needs to kick in before considering the switch. Haven't experienced it yet....and the 9mm one I recently got has gone 7k after tuning the extractor with only two cleanings. Runs great. But I'm not trying to sell product or convince anyone of what to use. I carry a 4" steel frame daily when off duty with confidence.

[R0N]

There is NO manufacturer today that builds an M1911A1 to United States military drawings and MILSPEC inspection and acceptance standard.

But weren't those weapons expected to only have a 5K service life and that was considered acceptable in the days when a high round count gun would shoot 1K a year?

[ThirdWatcher]

I believe jedi391 nailed it... I'll stick with my 1911s.