Posted: 3/15/2017 5:01:42 PM EDT
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I have little to no experience with 1911s. I own a brand new Remington R1 Enhanced because I got a killer deal on it but have never shot it. My thought is that I should save up and get something really nice, but since I'm not well versed, I don't know what it really means to have a "nice" one.
I love the look of the guns and I understand the lore, and why some guys are hardcore "1911" guys. I just figure one day I'll get really into them, as well. Anyway, I was at the range today with my dad and I was shooting my Glock 21 and my dad brought his Springfield Mil-spec 1911. At about 15 yards, I'm hitting our 8in steel plate consistently with my G21. I'm no operator so I focus on my trigger pull and take my time. My dad lends me his 1911 and I'm expecting some sort of shooting epiphany because it's a 1911 and all... I hit maybe 3 out of 14 shots. I blamed the gun 
A nice guy in the bay next to us walks up with his Colt 1911 and asks if I want to shoot it. I say sure, it's a nice looking, worn in Colt with a Wilson barrel. We are standing at 25 yards and I start to walk closer to the targets and he tells me to stay put and that I'll easily hit the plate at 25 yards. Sure enough, I smack the plate with ease with all 7 rounds. Now THAT felt like an epiphany. I was a bit speechless ... He said he bought the gun in the 70s and has been tuning it ever since. It was so smooth. So, tell me, what the hell made that gun so special?? What am I missing out on? My dad's Springfield felt like a chunky club, and that Colt felt like trim bank vault. TL;DR I shot a "nice" 1911 and I didn't expect it to be a revelation. What goes into a superior 1911? |
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Originally the govt. asked for a pistol which could be proved to be reliable when subjected to mud, dirt, water and all sorts of environmental issues.
This was done by making the 1911 to loose tolerances, this is great for reliability but a lot of times at the cost of accuracy. The gun you fired with the Wilson barrel probably had an oversize link pin with a match bushing, a fitted barrel and slide engagement and more than likely an aftermarket trigger with a beavertail safety to make the pistol more inline to your grip. |
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Quoted:
That Springfield will do just as good if you work with it. Work 6 or 7 hundred rounds through it and you'll be surprised. That's one of the reasons I say 1911s aren't for everyone. Anyone can buy them. When it comes to shooting them, there's either people who never have problems or always have problems. Rarely any in between. |
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Everyone of my 1911's will out shoot any of my Glocks. And they are just run of the mill. I have an Ithaca WW2 era, that shoots lights out.
Quoted:
I have little to no experience with 1911s. I own a brand new Remington R1 Enhanced because I got a killer deal on it but have never shot it. My thought is that I should save up and get something really nice, but since I'm not well versed, I don't know what it really means to have a "nice" one. I love the look of the guns and I understand the lore, and why some guys are hardcore "1911" guys. I just figure one day I'll get really into them, as well. Anyway, I was at the range today with my dad and I was shooting my Glock 21 and my dad brought his Springfield Mil-spec 1911. At about 15 yards, I'm hitting our 8in steel plate consistently with my G21. I'm no operator so I focus on my trigger pull and take my time. My dad lends me his 1911 and I'm expecting some sort of shooting epiphany because it's a 1911 and all... I hit maybe 3 out of 14 shots. I blamed the gun
A nice guy in the bay next to us walks up with his Colt 1911 and asks if I want to shoot it. I say sure, it's a nice looking, worn in Colt with a Wilson barrel. We are standing at 25 yards and I start to walk closer to the targets and he tells me to stay put and that I'll easily hit the plate at 25 yards. Sure enough, I smack the plate with ease with all 7 rounds. Now THAT felt like an epiphany. I was a bit speechless ... He said he bought the gun in the 70s and has been tuning it ever since. It was so smooth. So, tell me, what the hell made that gun so special?? What am I missing out on? My dad's Springfield felt like a chunky club, and that Colt felt like trim bank vault. TL;DR I shot a "nice" 1911 and I didn't expect it to be a revelation. What goes into a superior 1911? |
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Quoted:
Fit and finish. A really well built custom will also last much longer due to things that are matched fitted and polished. An average 1911 (including an R1) with a good trigger and good sights will outshoot the average shooter. People buy cheap "GI" 1911s and can't shoot them for crap... Well, SURPRISE, tiny sights and short triggers suck. |
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With 1911's it is fit and finish along with practice to hit well with consistency.
Me, I started with an Auto Ordance mil spec gun. Rattled like a child's toy but it was what I could afford at the time. Qualified for my chl with it. Times pass and picked up a Kimber when they first came out. Tighter gun requalified for my chl with it and scored 15 points higher. Again a better 1911. Currently I rotate 1911's made by Kimber(pro carry II), smith e series commander, four different sigs from tacops,c3,scorpion, to carry commander size. Why? With these 1911, I shoot a perfect score on a chl qualifying course. All of them are tight and reliable. I even used my scorpion to take a wild hog at 30 yards. Your Remington is a very good starter and should shoot better then a gi model. Word of warning, you may find yourself wanting an even better gun. Me? I have an eye on a new Dan Wesson or that used Les Baer I saw in the used gun counter at my local lgs. |
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My dad's Springfield felt like a chunky club, and that Colt felt like trim bank vault. The Colt had $1000 worth of work to make it smooth, the Springfield is, well, a Springfield. You can get a 1911 in the $700-800 range that feels and shoots near as nice as that Colt you tried. Magnum Research DE1911 and Smith & Wesson E-series come to mind. |
| I actually find the short trigger superior to the now popular long one. I ran a vickers 1911 operator course with a stock World War One reproduction Colt with the tiny sights and managed to shoot far more accurately than the rest of the class with more modern 1911's. That particular pistol had a fabulous trigger crisp and about 3.5 pounds directly out of the box. Funny thing about 1911's in particular is some just seemed to get assembled a bit better than others and the entire feel is different as a result. This goes across all brands and models |
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Quoted:
I ran a vickers 1911 operator course with a stock World War One reproduction Colt with the tiny sights and managed to shoot far more accurately than the rest of the class with more modern 1911's. Nothing complicated, just a nice high profile basic black set. As for high dollar guns or customs, as long as a 1911 has sights you can see and a decent trigger, nine times out of ten it will outshoot you. |
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Quoted:
I have little to no experience with 1911s. I own a brand new Remington R1 Enhanced because I got a killer deal on it but have never shot it. My thought is that I should save up and get something really nice, but since I'm not well versed, I don't know what it really means to have a "nice" one. I love the look of the guns and I understand the lore, and why some guys are hardcore "1911" guys. I just figure one day I'll get really into them, as well. Anyway, I was at the range today with my dad and I was shooting my Glock 21 and my dad brought his Springfield Mil-spec 1911. At about 15 yards, I'm hitting our 8in steel plate consistently with my G21. I'm no operator so I focus on my trigger pull and take my time. My dad lends me his 1911 and I'm expecting some sort of shooting epiphany because it's a 1911 and all... I hit maybe 3 out of 14 shots. I blamed the gun
A nice guy in the bay next to us walks up with his Colt 1911 and asks if I want to shoot it. I say sure, it's a nice looking, worn in Colt with a Wilson barrel. We are standing at 25 yards and I start to walk closer to the targets and he tells me to stay put and that I'll easily hit the plate at 25 yards. Sure enough, I smack the plate with ease with all 7 rounds. Now THAT felt like an epiphany. I was a bit speechless ... He said he bought the gun in the 70s and has been tuning it ever since. It was so smooth. So, tell me, what the hell made that gun so special?? What am I missing out on? My dad's Springfield felt like a chunky club, and that Colt felt like trim bank vault. TL;DR I shot a "nice" 1911 and I didn't expect it to be a revelation. What goes into a superior 1911? You finally got used to that sweet as single action vs the garbage glock trigger you're used to which had you pulling all your shots on the first 1911. |
| Well it's like what's the difference between a Toyoda and a Lamborghini, they both will get you to where you need to go, however the Lambo costs a lot more due to all the work going into it and it'll smoke the crap out of a Toyoda and it looks so much sexier. Same thing with a $500 1911 and a $5,000 1911. Sure they both will work, but the expensive one has a lot more work put into it and will preform like a dream and looks awesome. So it depends a lot on your budget and if you can appreciate the craftsmanship. I say go ahead and shoot your 1911 and have fun with it. If you decide to upgrade take a look at a Dan Wesson Valor 1911. The fit and finish is so much better, it's a quality 1911 for a great price. Experts notice smaller things. While novices can't tell the difference. I mean if you're a bad shot your shot group will be bad no matter the gun. But if you're an awesome shot, then you can really tell the difference between a good gun and a crappy gun. Maybe you like one guns trigger better. Maybe it's the sights. Maybe the tolerances for slide to frame fit are nice and snug and not rattling around. Like a Les Baer 1911 is a semi-custom and is super tight all around. |
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Quoted:
Originally the govt. asked for a pistol which could be proved to be reliable when subjected to mud, dirt, water and all sorts of environmental issues. This was done by making the 1911 to loose tolerances, this is great for reliability but a lot of times at the cost of accuracy. The gun you fired with the Wilson barrel probably had an oversize link pin with a match bushing, a fitted barrel and slide engagement and more than likely an aftermarket trigger with a beavertail safety to make the pistol more inline to your grip. |
| I owned a Colt series 80 1911 since 1995 . I shot it once in a blue moon. Then went years without shooting it. I didn't have the bonding with the 1911. I went on and bought a Springfield WWII model due to what it was. I also picked up a USED 1973 Colt Commander light weight . I still didn't have no real great love for the 1911. My used commander had issues with the grip safety not working. I researched on possible issues and fixes. I took that damn pistol apart at least 10 times. I put spring kit in it. Tweaked the fingers and such. I replaced the grip safety and finally the trigger itself . It finally fixed the grip safety not working . I give credit to an Arfcom poster helping me figure the great mystery out. The grip safety was tweaked on purpose to not work or barely work. The bottom line is the great mystery of the dissembled 1911 was gone. I could do it with out thinking. And think Mr JMB and company created this wonderful simple pistol way back when. I love the 1911 now. I just got me a Colt Combat Commander ( All Steel ) a couple weeks ago. Cat's Meow. It will grown on you if you give it a chance. Walk towards the light . Cheers Wardawg |