Tam has a post up on Kimber Suck and Fail, and the 1911 as it exists today, Caleb also has a good follow-up post.
We should all know I LOVES me some 1911s, I’m carrying one now, and I own two, and I’m sure I’ll get more one day.
Most 1911s made these days are hobby guns. They have ejectors that aren’t pinned, MIM plunger tubes that won’t take a stake, limp noodle cast or MIM extractors that aren’t properly tensioned from the factory, and other failings. These are caused by the fact that the design of the pistol is not friendly to modern manufacturing methods, and so shortcuts get made to keep the guns cost-competitive.
-Tam
But now here comes the heresy part – because aside from nostalgia, there is no reason to buy a 1911 for serious social work any more. With the obvious exception of certain competition divisions such as Single Stack where the 1911 is all that’s allowed.
Again I repeat myself – for a serious fighting or competition pistol, there is absolutely no need to buy a 1911. A good, functioning 1911 that will be reliable is going to cost about $1,000. That’s the price of entry. If you’re in love with the .45 ACP cartridge, for $1,000 you could get TWO M&P45 pistols and a couple of spare mags, or you could get 2 used Glock 19s, a holster, some mag carriers, and a pile of spare mags and even have money left over to take an entry level pistol class.
-Caleb
What they speak is truth. The 1911 is an OLD design and was invented before many modern materials and cost-saving production techniques were invented. Its the way of the world, the classic Luger P08 got replaced by the Walther P38 by the German military simply because it was cheaper and faster to crank out the Walthers than the Lugers, and both guns essentially functioned identically.
Go peek in Officer Friendly’s duty holster, you’ll likely see a polymer framed, double-stack pistol. Why? Its a good design and doesn’t cost a ton to make them and you get a gun comparable, if not better than a modern forged-steel pistol.
My cousin just graduated from College and was looking at pistols for home defense and carry. He sounded a bit reluctant to tell me he was a bit sticker-shy when seeing the price of .45 Ammo (he knows like like the big heavy bullets). I didn’t hesitate, I told him to buy a S&W M&P9c. If he asked me the same question, but said he had a fat signing bonus and money wasn’t an option, I’d have said the same thing.
I must say most people buy 1911s because they LIKE 1911s. I would argue that my S&W1911Sc carry gun. The gun I carry damn near every day, and trust my life, and the lives of my loved ones with, is functionally INFERIOR to say a Kahr TP45 which is approximately the same demotions, weight, caliber, capacity as my lightweight commander, but this gun costs less NEW than I paid for my gun in a well-used state. I’d say “Inferior” also because one of the reasons the Kahr is so much cheaper is its vastly less mechanically complicated. Less parts, less parts to break or fail.
Of course no gun is an island. When I bought my S&W1911Sc I had my pick of holsters, because a 100 year old design means everybody makes a holster for it. I bought some after-market grips, and a new guide rod assembly, and there are a bunch of other things I could easily change on this gun for short money. I can have my pick of magazines (this is a double-edged sword, as I’ve bought lemon magazines for my guns, as well as quality ones, all from “After Market” sources, because I have to, as S&W does not make 1911 magazines, dispute making a ton of 1911s, they simply don’t have to!). Also any gunsmith can do just about any job on a 1911, I wonder how many smiths have spent any serious time in the guts of a Kahr?
Of course there’s the more silly reasons. I own and carry 1911s because that was the first gun I “fell in love with”, shooting was a neat new experience for young anti-gun me, but until I shot my first 1911, it wasn’t something I wanted to do on my own. Because I like 1911s I just so happened to have shot a LOT of them, and done so to high round count (I don’t keep shooting logs, but my stainless 1911 has probably close to 20,000 rounds through it, the Sc considerably less, but probably over 5,000, and that’s just with me, both guns were bought from the used racks), I trust my shooting ability with them more than other guns. Does this mean I couldn’t do the same thing with a Glock? Of course not, but I haven’t.
I’m rambling on. I’ll just say, if you want a 1911, go buy one, and hopefully it’ll treat you well. If you come to me and ask “What gun should I buy. Of course the real answer is “Go shoot a bunch and see what you think!” this isn’t a one-size-fits all world…hell there are some 1911s I don’t like, let alone guns of various shapes and sizes. But my most favorite gun to shoot, own, and carry won’t be on the top of the list if you asked me to give you a short-list.
Caleb and Tam are right, NIB a quality 1911 is gonna run around $1000. If you’re a new shooter, you’d be better off buying a gun for half that price and dumping the rest in mags, ammo, holsters, and training. Then once you’ve become a competent shooter with your new-fangled plastic pistol, you still want an old-timey 1911, go get one and shoot the crap out of it!
