Spyderco Forums

Hi guys,

I never owned firearm but for few years thinking about getting one, mostly to enjoy it and shoot. No self-defence thoughts and no plans to carry it daily, only when I go shooting. Lately I am thinking about 1911. It will be modified at factory to to 9mm round for me.
What do you think about this weapon and my choice.
Your opinion will be appreciated.

bh49 wrote:Hi guys,

I never owned firearm but for few years thinking about getting one, mostly to enjoy it and shoot. No self-defence thoughts and no plans to carry it daily, only when I go shooting. Lately I am thinking about 1911. It will be modified at factory to to 9mm round for me.
What do you think about this weapon and my choice.
Your opinion will be appreciated.

It's a great design, Roman. Well regarded. I don't personally own one. I'm more of a wheel gun kinda guy. But 1911 is time tested. Good luck with it.

Ken

I carried a "45" into combat during 1968-1969 and found it everything a "1911" is now cracked up to be (I kick myself for not smuggling my 45 home; it saved my bacon on two particularly memorable occasions). But I also think pistols have come a long way since then and today I prefer DA/SA SIGs (P220 series) and striker-fired Glocks; the former are elegantly complex, the latter are wonderfully simple. The purist in me cringes at the thought of a 9mm 1911, but I imagine it will be a sweet shooter.

I have been a 1911 lover and shooter for almost a decade (give me a break I got a late start) and I swear by them for their intended purpose. If you are going to put in some ball ammo and have a fun range day, not many are on parallel with it's simplicity and longevity. I purchased a Para when they first started making them in the US. They now may a 9mm match version and I am contemplating it as a second "fun to shoot" gun. Lots of rounds through mine with hardly a single problem. Hope you get something you will enjoy. I do recommend stainless instead of blued or parkerized, etc., but it's all about what you will enjoy.

It's a dinosaur.

Hi bh49!


I've been shooting firearms my whole life. Since my father was a military engineer I kinda grew up doing so. :)

The 1911 is a legendary model by it's own right. Few other guns can say the same. I can hardly imagine it giving you any kind of trouble if you decide to go for it. And certainly you're gonna enjoy shooting it at the range. By the way, I always used the regular .45 ACP 1911, and never did shoot the 9 mm.

But a lot of water had gone under that bridge, and there are plenty of reasons why almost no army anywhere use the 1911 anymore. I'm absolutely sure you're gonna enjoy a lot using an Up-To-Date gun, as much or even way more than shooting a classic as the 1911.

My best advice for you would be this:

If you like Sport Cars ask yourself what would you like to drive most: a 1953 First Generation Chevrolet Corvette or the upcoming 2015 Sixth Generation Ford Mustang? :cool:

its an old design, without a doubt, but it is a very good design, one that many modern pistols are built off of. As such, it has such a long service record for good reason. For your target purposes, I'd get one, but keep in mind the price of quality ones. Springfields are excellent, and they're fairly priced. I carry a Springer daily for defensive use. I personally wouldn't go the Kimber route, as my experience has shown they don't deserve he price tag they carry. On the lower end of the spectrum, if you want to get a solid gun for a low price, you can't go wrong with RIAs. I have a buddy in corrections and he carries a full size RIA daily for defense. He says they're great guns, even despite the bull**** that gets spewed daily from the armchair commandos on the forums. On the higher end of the spectrum, I personally would go for a Colt or a Wilson Combat. As far as getting a 9mm model, I know many companies are making them now, and Springfield recently added a 9mm Range Officer to their line up. One last thing; be wary about getting compact 1911s, especially the sub compact ones. They're very finicky. Even the high end ones.
Here is some good info on their longevity too:
http://www.10-8performance.com/pages/Re ... 1911s.html

If you move quick you can snag this one Roman

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =415142995

Only 8 min left.



Ken

9mm is a great round but hard to find around here at least. I just bought a S&W shield .40 for CCW a few weeks ago. Was going to go with 9mm but change my mind because I haven't been able to find 9mm target loads very well for the last 2 years.

kbuzbee wrote:If you move quick you can snag this one Roman

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewIt ... =415142995

Only 8 min left.



Ken

That's a sweet piece

Roman -

I've been shooting since the '60s and have shot just about everything under the sun. The reflex reaction for a first handgun is a .357 revolver with a 4" or 6" barrel and that is still/probably always will be an outstanding choice. You can shoot cheap, moderate-power .38 Specials or high-end, high-power .357 Magnum loads. However, that's not what you asked. :)

If you are just looking for a range gun and not a self-defense gun, the 1911 family remains an outstanding design. In 9mm, it would be a pleasure for almost anyone who can hold the gun in the first place to shoot, and ammo costs would be moderate. You would probably get both a lot of ownership pleasure as well as shooting pleasure.

If at all possible, getting some actual time with a 1911 and maybe some other contenders would be useful. Enjoy the process, making the choice is half the fun.

I personally love it. I love the way the .45 shoots in that platform. I'm a revolver guy myself, but I love the 1911.

xceptnl wrote:I do recommend stainless instead of blued or parkerized, etc., but it's all about what you will enjoy.

Landon,
It will not be stainless. My company is making Receiver and Slide. I want our product, which would make the gun even more special

Ned wrote:It's a dinosaur.

It is the legend

LC Kid wrote: But a lot of water had gone under that bridge, and there are plenty of reasons why almost no army anywhere use the 1911 anymore.

To the best of my knowledge US Marine Corp bought 60 K of them in 2012-2013

Officer Gigglez wrote:I personally would go for a Colt or a Wilson Combat.

This will be Colt.

JNewell wrote:Roman -

I've been shooting since the '60s and have shot just about everything under the sun. The reflex reaction for a first handgun is a .357 revolver with a 4" or 6" barrel and that is still/probably always will be an outstanding choice. You can shoot cheap, moderate-power .38 Specials or high-end, high-power .357 Magnum loads. However, that's not what you asked. :)

If you are just looking for a range gun and not a self-defense gun, the 1911 family remains an outstanding design. In 9mm, it would be a pleasure for almost anyone who can hold the gun in the first place to shoot, and ammo costs would be moderate. You would probably get both a lot of ownership pleasure as well as shooting pleasure.

If at all possible, getting some actual time with a 1911 and maybe some other contenders would be useful. Enjoy the process, making the choice is half the fun.

John,
I was thinking about S&W .357 revolvers for a long time, but when my company got involved in 1911 production, I started to think about this gun more. The only concern was a cost of shooting 45 caliper, but I just find out of 9mm possibility.

Strong-Dog wrote:I personally love it. I love the way the .45 shoots in that platform. I'm a revolver guy myself, but I love the 1911.

If I will be able to afford, I will get revolver as well.


I thank everybody for comments.
Please, keep them coming

Officer Gigglez wrote:That's a sweet piece

Oh yeah! If I wanted a 1911, it would be that one. But, honestly, if I wanted a Colt, I'd hunt down a Python. Those were so sweet. To this day I regret not buying one, though I gotta say, my 500 is da bomb!

Ken

bh49 wrote:If I will be able to afford, I will get revolver as well.


I thank everybody for comments.
Please, keep them coming

As was said already, go 4-6 inch .357. I have a Ruger that I like, Smith and Wesson is also good. Taurus, eh, not so much.

You'll be hard pressed to go wrong with a Colt, but every company has lemons. Hope you don't get one. Of course it is a low chance, but a chance none the less.

I've had Colts that were really lemons, but when they're right, there's nothing sweeter. Better values, sure, but overall ownership experience - nah.

Officer Gigglez wrote:Here is some good info on their longevity too:
http://www.10-8performance.com/pages/Re ... 1911s.html

A most interesting read.