To the OP,
It depends on your budget, and wants/needs...
If I were in the market for a new 1911, I would likely start with Either a Colt XSE or Rail Gun, or more likely a SA MC Operator. Shoot it, and as funds became available upgrade it to a quasi 10-8 or Pro.
Otherwise I'm with Rh.....why bother?
This subject is a touchy one and always ruffles feathers, especially on some other sites.
I find it interesting, that I've trained with 3 former members of the unit that was famous for their custom 1911's. All 3 carried them in combat, 2 of them in the Battle of the black Sea(BlackHawk Down), non of them recommend them for combat.
When asked why he did not have a 1911, Paul Howe replied, "because I don't want to spend 2000 dollars on a handgun, and I don't have an armorer on standby".
Jim Smith, while on another subject, made the comment of having 6 armorers on staff, when something broke, I brought it to them, came back in an hour, and went back to training.
Or you could take a 1911 class from LAV and see what he thinks. I was amazed at what I learned.
Many 1911's maybe reliable, but they will not be durable, or stay reliable for long.
On the subject of LAV, if you really think his not recommending the 1911 is based of some monetary reason, you'd be way off. Especially since he has a line of parts with his name on them, and could have let the Nighthawk thing role. He dropped because the price was out of control.
Interesting, many people thought he recommended 1911's because he was a 1911 smith,
1911 while they feel great in your hand, and have nice triggers, there plus's drop off quick after that.
W/O getting into the why's, 1911 require hand-fitting of most parts, to get the most out of them. When a part breaks, and it will, thru abuse, wear, bad materials/QC, whatever, it most likely requires a trip to a smith, for most of us, if you can do it yourself, great, but it is still time and money.
When a part on a Glock breaks, and it will, for whatever reason, there is a certified armorer on every corner, with a drawer full of 10 dollar OEM parts, that can be installed in little time, and they usually do it free of charge.
I once brought a friends Gen 2 G19 to the local police supply shop, the armorer, basically re-built it and add Glock night sights, all for free.
How about magazines for example? How many multiple page threads are there about the best 1911 mag? How many about the best Glock mag?
W/O even getting into the reliability issue, bottom line they are heavier and have low capacity.
While some hi speed units still use them, many that you think are , are not. They use them, because they require a high level of accuracy for CQB shooting.
With our own ToddG shooting 1 1/2 inch groups at 25mtrs with an M&P, the accuracy thing becomes a moot point.
With out getting into nostalgia, romance, what JMB or God intended, or dead Nazis, what real advantages do we have left with a 1911? Not much.
Sure, it was used and carried in a lot of wars, but that should be put into perspective, in reality, it was carried far more then it was shot.
This is not to say 1911's are not good guns, as are Sigs, Berettas, Glocks, and M&P's, I've had more then a few pass thru my ownership, with 4 remaining, one of which was built by the original armorer to LAV's unit, I've been shooting them for 20 +/- years. But, you can't stop whats comin...
BTW, much of what RH has said is directly from guys like LAV, Yam and Hackathorn, I'm pretty sure they know their way around a 1911.
Bob
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