Observations from bringing the 1911 out, for the 1st time, in a long time

I grew up on 1911's. It was my first "real" handgun. I read everything about John Browning and studied Jeff Cooper. I've CCW'd with a full size and Commander length for many years and if fact had to clear leather (remember leather) once in a defensive circumstance. I competed with IPSC and even took a Mountain Lion while on a guided hunt with my faithful 1911.

Then Glocks came around. I adopted early and have been shooting them (mostly G19's) ever since. It's been years since I've shot my .45 custom 1911 Commander, until today.

General Observations:
1. The natural point of aim and grip design are perfect - even after 100+ years.
2. My .45 is snappier than I remember, Hmm, been shooting 9mm a long time.
3. The front sight is invisible, My eyes converted to RDS probably 5 years ago.
4. I unintentionally engaged my thumb safety twice during shooting, didn't use to happen that way...perhaps my Glockified grasp.
5. The nostalgia is a strong pull. I enjoyed the fun today.

Sounds like a great time shooting! Always cool to go back to shooting the guns we’d neglected for whatever reason. I love running a lever rifle from time to time.

2. My .45 is snappier than I remember, Hmm, been shooting 9mm a long time.


Couple of times, I've shot my new 10mm 1911 with full house handloads. Then I picked up my .45. Felt like shooting jelly beans after the 10mm.

Picked up a used LW commander after 15 years w/o one. What a joy to shoot. Maybe its nostalgia, but the ergos are comfortable and natural.

And if I had to shoot a match head for money at 10 yards, 1st shot, it's what I'd pick up. First 2-3 shots are dead on, then I expand out. But always fun to have a dead center nickle/quarter sized group starting cold.

As to 10mm, I find the "roll" of 45s 230g more noticeable than the palm sting of hot 10mm. But I tend toward 150-165g 10mm loadings.

Glad the ol' gal could bring you back from the dark side. :cool:

SHUT UP...SHUT UP...SHUT UP....SHUT UP!

I had cured myself of 1911 addiction. Crisp, light trigger, perfect ergos, recoil that's more of a push than a thump. Beautiful all-metal guns, not fantastic plastic. Gorgeous wood grips. Shooting one-hole groups. And the caliber begins with a number FOUR.

SHUT UP...SHUT UP...SHUT UP....SHUT UP!

I have a CZ Shadow 9mm full size and just happened to barrow and Dan Wesson commander in .45.

While running plate racks the .45 was surprisingly fast. It felt like it just returned to POA faster then my Shadow.

Will be getting a Dan Wesson soon.


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I recently did the same thing after letting my 1911s sit idle in the safe for a few years. My first handgun in 1985 was a Colt Officer's Model. Over the past three decades, I bought more 1911s but eventually found myself shooting 9mm more. Up until this year, I had shot my Glocks almost exclusively.

So, this year, I decided to take out a couple of my 1911s. As expected, the recoil felt harsher that I remember since I've been shooting 9mm for so long now. I decided that shooting more .45 would make me a better 9mm shooter, especially with recoil management. I also dusted off my old Glock 24C in .40, which is still quite snappy compared to the 9's. The past few months have helped me get better at shooting the 1911s, and in turn my 9's. My 'felt recoil meter' has been re-calibrated, and I'm happy that my 1911's are getting trigger time.

A couple of observations of my own after pulling out the 1911s:
1. The black front sights are harder to see now that I'm older, as I'm used to hi-vis front sights like the trijicon HD XR on my Glocks.
2. Fully loaded 1911s are HEAVY
3. I should have bought more 185gr ammo instead of 230gr. 185gr ammo in my P14.45 makes it feel almost like a 9mm.

I love to sling a few with the 1911. Everyone should own one.. but it's like a classic car. A pleasure to have and drive, but not a good daily driver.

Yup, it is stupid how this gets under one's skin, isn't it.

Like others stated, I grew up on 1911's and revolvers. The first one I shot was my grandfather's Colt he brought back from WWII. That was the mid 70's time frame.

About the mid 90's i decided to dip my toe into the Glock pool, and by the 2000's I was shooting nothing but Glock's and stayed that way for well over a decade. Then I got bit and it looks terminal.

There absolutely more practical sidearms in today's world, no arguments there. But for me, The 1911 scratches an itch that others can't. Nostalgia is pretty frowned upon in today's world for some reason, but I am to the point that I don't really care. If 1911's keep me interested enough to keep shooting and learning, then so be it, fate accepted.