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:
The natural point of aim and grip design are perfect - even after 100+ years.
My .45 is snappier than I remember, Hmm, been shooting 9mm a long time.
The front sight is invisible, My eyes converted to RDS probably 5 years ago.
I unintentionally engaged my thumb safety twice during shooting, didn’t use to happen that way…perhaps my Glockified grasp.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
Fully loaded 1911s are HEAVY
I should have bought more 185gr ammo instead of 230gr. 185gr ammo in my P14.45 makes it feel almost like a 9mm.
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.
I learned to shoot on a 1911, and still have that first one, a first-gen AMT Hardballer, one of the good Harry Sanford ones. Now I have a couple Springfields, two Kimbers, and a custom-built CCO. Love ‘em all!
For most people there are better carry options than a 1911. El Presidente drills with a Glock 17 yield scores around the 5,500 - 5,800 mark. Sometimes I can hit 6,000, but not too often. A mediocre run with my 1911 and 230 grain ball runs 5,500 and frequently posted scores are at or over the 6,000 mark. You can’t argue with the timer and I carry some form of a 1911 and leave the Glock 19 in the safe. Two of the old goats I meet for coffee during the week carry K Frames and they are incredibly proficient with them. They can’t understand why I carry a semi-automatic.
I cut my teeth on the 1911 in the 1970’s and I love them. It must be a generational thing.
I’m millennial and carry a 1911 in a Milt Sparks VM2 or 1AT almost daily - once in a while, I’ll carry a plastic wonder nine for a month or so, but I always come back to the 1911. But I grew up reading Cooper and Hackathorn and Clint Smith and got into real guns at the same time MARSOC was becoming a thing and buying I-CQBs and other, “MEUSOC,”-type pistols and my first handgun was a 1911 (a Kimber Desert Warrior, which I put black, original Simonich Gunner grips on, back when Hilton Yam still recommended the basic Kimber Warrior).
If I could only have one pistol, it would be a 1911.
I picked up a pair of alloy frame, 9mm 1911’s this Spring as carry guns. Have a 5" and “Commander” length.
Never owned a Glock or similar, but carried P-35’s for years. I find the Alloy 1911’s carry better for me.
Made some lightweight mods; arched/short, trigger work, springs FBFPS-done.
Both shoot 124+P HST <2" at 25 yds. I’m comfortable with either.
I was shopping for another 1911 back in 2005 when I also heeded Hilton’s recommendation and bought a Kimber Warrior which I put desert tan Simonich Gunner grips on. The only thing I wished it had was a checkered front strap like the newer model (hence the skateboard tape). I think Hilton didn’t recommend it later on and wrote about issues with it. I haven’t had any issues with mine.
U-Vibe carried a compact 1911 on the streets of Big City for 20 years. Now I’m carrying a Ruger SR9. You can’t beat the increased capacity. But plastic and industrial-coated steel just can’t compare to a good version of Browning’s masterwork. The SR9 is a tool, no more. The 1911 is a work of genius.
:jester:
