Can we talk about 1911's?

[Dan in MI]

While you are looking for mini 1911 platforms check out the Kimber Micro 9. I love it.

https://www.kimberamerica.com/pistols/micro-9

 

[Snake45]

AND ANOTHER THING...............!

Sort of sets my teeth on edge to hear someone call every automatic pistlol a "M1911."

The M1911 and M1911A1 were .45 ACP caliber, Parkerized or blue finish, and set to Military specs. The commercial model was the Government Model. Current guns are nowhere near M1911 configuration.

So there!

Bob Wright

I think you're swimming upstream on that one, Bob. Everybody's been calling them all 1911s for many decades.

What would YOU call them? :?

 

[blackhawknj]

Get an M1911/Government Model in 38 Super, a 9MM barrel and magazine and you can fire both rounds.

 

[Paul B]

I actually don't care for either the series 70 or 80. The 70 had the collet bushing that sometimes broke one of the "fingers" locking up the gun. The 80 went back to a solid bushing but put in a "trigger safety" that wrecked any chance of them having a decent stock trigger.

My money is on a good old fashion 1911A1. Better sights are a pretty good idea, but other than that sticking with the original design gives you a reliable pistol that will hit what you aim at if you do your part.

There is a simple fix on the collet bushing in the 70 series. Replace it with a regular bushing. The so called "fix" on the series 80 gun was a firing pin block hooked up to the trigger. It was so if someone dropped the gun and it landed on the muzzle, the enertial firing pin couldn't go forward, thus firing the gun. At least that's how I understand their reasoning for the "fix".

As far as making changes on a 1911, I thing few are needed. Better sights, possibly a beavertail grip safety and maybe a judicious polishing on the throat and fed ramp.

My current carry 1911 is the all steel Combat Commander. I've replaced the grip safety with a beavertail because the skimpy tang of the original would allow the hammer to did a bleeding hole in the web of my hand. I polished the feed ramp and throat myself and the gun will now feed wadcutter loads without a bobble. For magazines, I run 8 round Wilsons in the gun and two ten round Chip McCormicks in my pocket. All feed perfectly.

Paul B.

 

[gunzo]

A few milspec type 1911 & 1911A1's can be had new these days if a person needs or wants to go original type.

I think collet bushing breakage was about like MIM parts fears. A few broke & the shooting public as led to believe they all would. Very isolated occurrences' on both counts IMO.

Modern upgrades? I totally embrace a lot of them. A few were invented to make a gunsmith money, but many have practical benefits. Advanced shooters in the know wouldn't use them if they offered no advantage.

 

[Dan in MI]

As far as making changes on a 1911, I thing few are needed. Better sights, possibly a beavertail grip safety and maybe a judicious polishing on the throat and fed ramp.

Flat mainspring housing is a must for me.

 

[Snake45]

Flat mainspring housing is a must for me.

I thought so too for a LONG time. Then I built up another 1911 and the only MSH I had on hand was an arched, and the only trigger on hand a short (A1 parts). I decided it was time I at least gave the combo a try.

It took a full season of shooting (100-200 rounds every Sunday) before it didn't feel like a completely foreign object in my hand, but I eventually got there. I still prefer the flat MSH, but now I can shoot the arched and think nothing about it. I never did take the arched off that gun, and I still shoot it quite a lot. :wink:

 

[gunzo]

Somebody makes, or made an in-between thickness as well as a wedge shaped mainspring housing. Plus medium length triggers are available

I run flat MSH & long triggers, have for decades. But if I was into the format like once upon a time I'd try the newer options.
My pre series II twins.

 

[blume357]

Just a story... one of my best friends and a shooting buddy is a retired Marine D.I. and we went up to New Hampshire a couple of years back to a chimney sweep gathering.... this was three miles from the Sig Academy and I talked him into showing up two days early and we took two classes... One of these was shooting a pistol at distance. My bud is a serious 1911 guy and he rented one from Sig for the distance class. He was told the maximum distance a 1911 was good for was about something like 35 yards.... you should have seen the smile on his face when He was ringing a torso sized steel target at 120 yards with that 45.

 

[gunzo]

OK, another story, I like 'em.
I didn't know much but wanted to shoot one of my 45's at distance.

It's Ky. flat land for a hundred yards or a thousand might be available, but this day I was shooting across a holler. That be a gulch or a draw, depending where your from.

I walked to the bottom, picked up a flat rock about 10" wide & 18" long & carried it to yonder hillside. Stuck in it in the ground standing straight up. Walked back to my MTM box of 50 shells & my Gold Cup. Gonna play for a while.

Sitting on the hill side, Keith style, leaning back, wrist between my knees, Gold Cup w/2 handed grip, a slightly elevated sight picture, I fired the lead round nose propelled by Unique. 100 yards.

Dang rock fell first dang shot. So much for shooting a box of shells at a rock. I packed up & left.

Could I repeat it, likely not. But never underestimate a man with a 45.

 

[Mike J]

The only 1911 I have is the SR 1911 chambered for .45 ACP. There are a ton of options in many different price ranges. Nowadays when someone says series 70 or series 80 they pretty much mean whether or not it has a trigger safety. I like my SR 1911. If I had the spare change I'd be tempted to buy a Dan Wesson to check out something that is supposed to be nicer.

 

[Bob Wright]

AND ANOTHER THING...............!

Sort of sets my teeth on edge to hear someone call every automatic pistlol a "M1911."

I think you're swimming upstream on that one, Bob. Everybody's been calling them all 1911s for many decades.

What would YOU call them? :?

I called the one I had a Gold Cup .45. But Government Model, Commander, Combat Commander would all be correct. If its truly MilSpec, then M1911 or M1911A1 would be correct.

Bob Wright

 

[Snake45]

AND ANOTHER THING...............!

Sort of sets my teeth on edge to hear someone call every automatic pistlol a "M1911."

I think you're swimming upstream on that one, Bob. Everybody's been calling them all 1911s for many decades.

What would YOU call them? :?

I called the one I had a Gold Cup .45. But Government Model, Commander, Combat Commander would all be correct. If its truly MilSpec, then M1911 or M1911A1 would be correct.

Bob Wright

And what do you call the rest, which are probably 90% or more of them in circulation now?

 

[Kevin]

This is turning into a great thread! Thanks for all the insight into the 1911.

Can I ask, ya’ll we’re talking about the main spring being flat vs coiled. Does a flat spring make recoil feel different? What’s the deal on the spring? And is it that big of a deal?

I also hear quite a bit of opinion on full length guide rods. This is another fine point I’m lost on. What difference does the length of the guide rod make? Is it frontal barrel weight or something?

 

[Snake45]

AFAIK, there's no such thing as a "flat mainspring" for a 1911. They're all coil springs.

Are you thinking of flat vs. arched mainspring housings? :?

 

[Kevin]

AFAIK, there's no such thing as a "flat mainspring" for a 1911. They're all coil springs.

Are you thinking of flat vs. arched mainspring housings? :?

Sorry, yes, the main spring housing. You and Dan-in-MI were discussing the flat vs Arched main spring housing….:

What’s the difference?

 

[muzzleloader]

Iirc a stronger firing pin spring with a light firing pin will make the 70 series pistol drop safe without the extra parts of the series 80. I believe that’s the arrangement in my Dan Wesson VBob. I have had a chance to handle the Springfield “shrunk” 1911 style but not shot one. The 9mm always intrigued me. The 40 came later and I believe I wouldn’t enjoy shooting that one.
Nice thread

 

[Jeepnik]

The difference is originally the 1911 had a flat MSH. When they upgraded to the 1911A1 the MSH was arched. The idea was to prevent some folks from hitting low on the target.

Some folks like one style some the other. Just personal preference.

 

[Fox Mike]

This was my very first pistol purchase. A Charles Daly built by Armscor.

 

[Mike J]

AFAIK, there's no such thing as a "flat mainspring" for a 1911. They're all coil springs.

Are you thinking of flat vs. arched mainspring housings? :?

Sorry, yes, the main spring housing. You and Dan-in-MI were discussing the flat vs Arched main spring housing….:

What’s the difference?

I did a quick search for pictures of a 1911 with an arched mainspring housing & came up empty. So I changed my search & found a review of an Auto Ordnance 1911 that has one. If you look at the picture of the reviewed gun it shows an arched mainspring housing. Most 1911's sold now have the flat mainspring housing. As has been said the purpose of the arched mainspring housing was to change how the gun points. https://www.firearmsnews.com/editorial/auto-ordnance-1911a1-45-acp-pistol-review/376820