Lookin at gettin another 1911

[1oldgrunt]

I've been shooting 1911's, P35's for decades and Glocks since they came out. I've put over 500K thru various .....1911's perhaps 100+K thru P35's..... and maybe a 100K thru various Glocks, so perhaps I might be unbiased, perhaps not, that said

I've had 1911's that wouldn't feed ball, and have had 1911's that would feed anything ( Thanks Jim Hoag, Bill Wilson and Les)...........The ones that ran , did just that, no extra maintenance, etc.

the P35's well I've never had one that didn't run, same with glocks.

They are machines and as such require at least some maintenance, some perhaps slightly more than others.

To the Poster do one of two things either get a bare bones Springer and have it built or save up for a Wilson or Baer.

To the anti 1911 guys......my family carried them in WW1, WW2, Korea, myself the SE Asian wargames, they are still going strong. Why do SWAT and tactical teams still favor the 1911 over said tupperware guns?? Yeah I know 1911's are jam-o-matics, and dinosaurs, and what kept many of us alive ...............

Quite the bashing carry what you like , what you have confidence in, what you can hit fast and accurately with.

[nogoodnamesleft]

I'm always leery of taking a thread off track; it seems to insult the OP in my opinion. I will leave it with these points to ponder:

Any gun, a 1911 or Glock or M&P, are made of the very same materials: polymer, carbon steel, stainless steel, etc. The only real differences between them are how the designers brought those materials together to give function. Many of the important design principles are shared between the designs and, really, a user's preference for one is just that, the user's preference. But what is it intrinsically in the design of the 1911 that, in your opinion, makes it unable to sustain usage? And why does history seem to contradict your experience?

In my experience, the 1911 is very reliable. If I recall correctly, you do not actually own a 1911. So what is it again, in your experience, that makes you believe that the design of the 1911 is unreliable?

[RogerinTPA]

What evidence are you pointing to? I have 9 1911s, and they range from a Norinco to an Ed Brown, and in between. I have two with over 60 K. Please tell me where you are getting your information.

Please read my above statement in it's entirety. Particularly the second to the last statement. If your round count is that high, and you have no problems with your weapons, then you obviously are not the average gun owner and posses the knowledge to keep them running. Most are not like you.

[QUOTE]Edit: I need an explanation of this.[/QUOTE
It's explained in my previous statement.

[dobe]

And I will ask you again. What is the continual maintenance to which you are refering?

[RogerinTPA]

I'm always leery of taking a thread off track; it seems to insult the OP in my opinion. I will leave it with these points to ponder:

Any gun, a 1911 or Glock or M&P, are made of the very same materials: polymer, carbon steel, stainless steel, etc. The only real differences between them are how the designers brought those materials together to give function. Many of the important design principles are shared between the designs and, really, a user's preference for one is just that, the user's preference. But what is it intrinsically in the design of the 1911 that, in your opinion, makes it unable to sustain usage? And why does history seem to contradict your experience?

In my experience, the 1911 is very reliable. If I recall correctly, you do not actually own a 1911. So what is it again, in your experience, that makes you believe that the design of the 1911 is unreliable?

I never said anything about the 1911 as being unreliable. Reread my posts please. I am saying, for the average gun owner, they would be hard pressed to KEEP IT RELIABLE under hard usage, lacking the gun smithing knowledge to keep it there. The same can be said for any weapon, if you are not very knowledgeable of that particular firearm.

[dobe]

I never said anything about the 1911 as being unreliable. Reread my posts please. I am saying, for the average gun owner, they would be hard pressed to KEEP IT RELIABLE under hard usage, lacking the gun smithing knowledge to keep it there.

My friend, I am not trying to pick a fight. I am curious what maintenance do you think is required to keep a 1911 running? Why do you believe gunsmithing is required for a functioning 1911?

[RogerinTPA]

And I will ask you again. What is the continual maintenance to which you are refering?

The replacement of parts, intricate internal parts that break that are beyond owner maintenance, that requires smith knowledge to repair, which will add up the $, every time you send it to a smith. Unless of course you are willing to spend an enormous amount of hours learning on your own, then it's your time and money, to learn and keep it within the tolerances where it should be. Again, an enthusiasts level of attention, that doesn't need to be addressed if an alternative weapon is selected. YMMV.

[dobe]

The replacement of parts, intricate internal parts that break that are beyond owner maintenance, that requires smith knowledge to repair, which will add up the $, every time you send it to a smith.

Thanks. Now, why would these parts break on a 1911, and not any other handgun? With all of the 1911 manufacturers out there, surely someone makes a 1911 with decent parts.

[RogerinTPA]

Thanks. Now, why would these parts break on a 1911, and not any other handgun? With all of the 1911 manufacturers out there, surely someone makes a 1911 with decent parts.

Never said any other weapon wouldn't break.

Some are more reliable than others. Not all of them are created equal. Why does an OLY/DPMS/Vulan AR break more that a Colt, Noveske or DD M-4? Quality.

To the OP, If you want a 1911, go for it.

[nogoodnamesleft]

The replacement of parts, intricate internal parts that break that are beyond owner maintenance, that requires smith knowledge to repair, which will add up the $, every time you send it to a smith. Unless of course you are willing to spend an enormous amount of hours learning on your own, then it's your time and money, to learn and keep it within the tolerances where it should be. Again, an enthusiasts level of attention, that doesn't need to be addressed if an alternative weapon is selected. YMMV.

Nonsense, under this definition there is then no difference between a 1911 and the other designs you compare them to. There are intricate parts on all these designs that would require professional gunsmithing given their need for replacement. Whether you are working on a 1911, Glock, or a Model T under an apple tree, if you don't know what you're doing then nothing good will follow.

One final note, you seem to think 1911's have incredibly tight tolerances by design; you clearly don't understand the 1911.