That’s an old problem. Throwing hollow points in an old ass gun designed to shoot ball is asking for trouble. My current 1911s feed empty shells

@03RN Thanks again! It solved the only issue I've ever had with my T1 holsters... It keeps the "claw" from rotating down and getting stuck below the belt. Keeps it right behind the belt where it belongs.

I'll let you take that up with Mr. Hackathorn. It's his saying. And ask any reputable 1911 smith what feeding empty cases tells you.

I like the 1911 and own several, but they can be far more frustrating than any Glock I've ever owned. I'm trying to get a 9mm Commander sorted right now. Larry Vickers's quote in my sig is spot on.

I just went back and reread this.


https://www.ar15.com/forums/handguns/G19-in-the-SF-communities-/13-179518/
https://www.defensereview.com/glock-19-g19-compact-9mm-combat-tactical-pistol-why-us-special-forces-sf-adopted-it-a-little-history/

I LOVE this quote. I'll repeat what I've already stated multiple times before: By no means is this thread saying the 1911 is superior to a Glock. It is simply a story of my experiences with them.

There's no shadow of a doubt that a Glock requires less maintenance than a 1911. You've got to clean a 1911 more often than a Glock. That doesn't make a 1911 a bad gun for everything. There are some things they excel in. There are some things that they fail at. This thread is my attempt to share what I've learned.

I know glocks are


"whatever"


but I find them boring to shoot--so never shoot---I know I can pick one up and it will work , and I can hit what I want at 5, 15, 25 yards more than good enough for any sd situation


but

they are boring

I much prefer the 1911 trigger, control system and feel

I WANT to go shoot it more

therefore I will be better with it than the glock---even though the glock is just "easy"

I shoot my Glocks to stay proficient and I shoot my 1911's because I enjoy shooting them. I have no qualms about relying on either for SD. I haven't found that I need to keep my 1911's any cleaner than my Glocks. Keep them lubed and they'll run fine.

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Glad you like it. I love it. I have a jmcustom 2.5 for my MC operator that i wish i could get one for but the screws are 2.5" apart

I'm an X'er & will never carry a 1911. I own 2. .45 & 10MM.
I just don't like the way they shoot, the grip, & the safety.  

I like shooting mine so much I’m planning to get another! But I won’t get rid of my glocks either, there’s a time and place for both.

Thanks

LOL "Hate keeps me Warms"

Thanks for stopping by

Called Nighthawk yesterday and priced out an RMR cut and reverse/flush crown. I'm pondering on whether I should go for the IOS or just a normal cut.

Holster recs for  DW Specialist (1/2 rail)?

Aiwb, owb, iwb?

Well, how about a second pony to edc.

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IWB/OWB. Idk if I could AIWB a full size with my body type.

2 that I've looked at:
Urban Carry Lockleather

MTR Sentinel iwb/owb combo rig

Well, finally just made it through the whole thread tonight. What a lot of good information! Thank you for starting it and those who have contributed. I am slowly learning. Some in here have given me advice on the 1911. I'm still waiting to take possession of my Colt Government model and waiting for my Colt Commander to get to my LGS on Monday. A member here, who lives close by to me offered to let me borrow and try out some leather holsters. Im anxious to see how these guns carry.

Tonight I ordered 500 rounds of American Eagle 230gr and ten Chip McCormick 8 round Railed Power Mags. I need to order either some Gold dots or Federal HST (probably both) and see how each perform.

As soon as I get my two 1911's I will post pics along with a range report. I should be able to pick up the Colt Government a week from today and the Commander two weeks from Tuesday (Stupid new WA law).

My plan is to learn as much as I can about the 1911 platform and become proficient with it. Ive shot them in the past but never carried one. I usually carry Glocks or Sigs but I'm getting a little tired of the polymer guns.


Cheers,
David

Sounds like you’ve made a great start! Good ammo, good mags, and Colts! I’m going to restock my 45 ammo today as I plan on shooting/carrying this government model for awhile as well. Welcome to the party!

congrats

pics when you get em!


I won't be going back to plastic guns after I got my first 1911

I prefer sticking with leather makers ive dealt with, although ive seen MTR stuff in person and looks ok. To much mass produced leather that just doesn't hold up.

I tend to prefer horsehide if im buying leather. Ryan Grizzle, milt sparks, or kramer all do it good

Dont look down at kydex either. I really like kydex for owb or aiwb

The GF got me a holster for my Alchemy from R Grizzle for my birthday.  Patiently waiting.

Saw saw this
Used summer special

Today was the first day carrying a Commander  1911 with 300XU-B and it was just fine. Tier 1 Aegis with a Dan Wesson Specialist and extra mag. It carries very well. After tweaking ride height and what not, it was a great setup. I'll keep you all updated.

Needs more screws.

This thread is not helping my burning desire to get a Colt Delta Elite.

1911s and Glocks are the only types of hand guns I have any desire to own anymore.

Carry the Glocks but still love my 1911 and carry it once in a while for nostalgia.

Since I got the G20 and fell in love with the best millimeter I must have
a 10mm 1911 at some point.

I know, right?

My lgs had a delta elite for awhile and man I wanted it bad. Sadly he sold it awhile back so the temptation is gone for now but man what a good looking pistol!!

i like it

Sorry for the way late response. This thread fell off my subs list.

When I starred shooting this gun just felt so natural in my hands. I was a dead ringer with it off the bat. Smooth reloads, the whole 9.

Got into Glocks with the RMR and I never looked back. I was banging steel with my G19 at 75yards last weekend. But....being in a 10rd limited state I can’t help but keep coming back to my 1911. I just love the way it shoots. Plus 10rds of .45 living in a ban state just makes sense.

I just ordered a new Tier one concealment AIWB holster last night for the 1911 so it’s full steam ahead I’m going to mirror the OP and give it a shot.

@phortykal I love that commander x300 combo! Post more pics of that gun. I'd love to see and hear more.

This past weekend I was able to shoot a local Steel Challenge Night Match. It was a ton of fun, but I made a huge mistake… I shot it with my Glock 17. At the time I was wanting the weapon mounted light, RMR, and a little soft shooting 9mm. I really didn’t feel like trying to keep up with a handheld light and my Baer. I learned some, but I know I would have learned more with a handheld light. Shame on me. I still had fun though. In retrospect, I should have entered with both guns. It would have been the perfect match for a Colt CCU 1911… I gotta keep dreaming. A few things I learned from the night shoot. 1.) I changed from using my support hand thumb to toggle my x300u on to using my index finger of my strong hand. I started the match waiting to get a sight picture before turning on the light, but I learned I was losing time by doing that. 2.) I’ve been practicing a lot with the drill: Draw, 1 shot, reload, 1 shot. I’ve got much better of getting a good grip practicing this way. I’ve got much much better reloading quickly, but I haven’t worked on target transitions much. I really noticed I wasn’t shooting follow up shots as fast as I felt I could go. I will be making transitions part of my practice drills moving forward. Lots to learn!

The Baer keeps getting more and more love. It’s had quite a few thousand rounds through it so far. The slide is like a well-oiled machine. I sometimes wish it had a magwell. The more practice I do, the better my reloads get. I’ve noticed my reloads are better if I never look at my gun. If I look down, I usually fumble a bit more trying to go fast. If I don’t look down, my reload seems slow at first, but it’s consistent. Stress seems to make me look down though. I need to shoot more matches to train this out of me.



I did some moving drills yesterday on steel with the Baer. It ran great. I’m not using the same belt rig for both my Glocks and 1911s. The HSGI tacos allow for either magazine to work very well. The Safariland holster quick-change is also a great idea and works really well. I don’t think twice to swap between guns and could easily do it at a match. I think I’m gonna try to shoot both this coming weekend.



There’s a local USPSA match my wife and I are going to shoot this weekend. I’m definitely taking the Baer for it. I’m still debating to shoot the Glock or not. I’ll post up some more after the match.

@x_red_beard_x here's some pics. Unfortunately, although I love the thing, I cannot convince myself to carry it. I'm just too attached to my CZs. I just listed it in the EE. I may regret that later, but I'd like to fund a CGW upgrade for a couple of them and some milling for RMRs.

Since we're showing pics, shot a perfect qual score with my Combat Elite last week.


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Son of a, that thing is smoking!!!!

On a side note I was shooting tomato juice cans at 50 yards with my newer pony today. Man it makes me look good!!!

As I said, this thread resulted in me hunting down a new Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special. Look what just showed up today

Nice! I think those are about the best looking 1911s out there.... once they are beat to shit with honest wear. throw it in some kydex and get cracking

@ChandlerK­J Dude! Very nice! I can't wait to see more. I love seeing your other photos, so I'm anxious to see more TRS pics! I agree with @steviesterno16 These TRS 1911s are some of the best looking and shooting guns out there. They're drying up and may be a rare bird years from now.

@phortykal I hate that you're selling it, but I understand. If I felt comfortable with a DA/SA trigger system, I would probably prefer that over SA only and striker-fired. I grew up with SA only and striker-fired pistols. I like them. I tried to like SA/DA, but after a few weeks I didn't want to invest the time to learn the DA/SA trigger system. I tried a Sig P226 and a CZ P01. I hated the Sig's long reset. I loved that P01, but I knew if I was going to stick with the P01, I should focus on it only and not my Glocks. At the time, my Glocks won me over. Enjoy your CZ, they're great guns!

Been spending some time thinking about the Thunder Ranch class I took last year. What an amazing time. I’ve traveled across the world and I’ve never been so at home as I was in Oregon. What a beautiful place. It sure beat all the corn fields of Southern Indiana. Hopefully I'll get the chance to go back next year.

I would highly recommend anyone go to Thunder Ranch. From newbie to professional, it’s a class that focuses on applying fundamentals. Clint really focuses on doing malfunction drills with purpose without looking at your firearm. Keep your eyes on the target. Keep your muzzle pointed at your target. Clint does a great job filtering out all the go-fast B.S. that I get excited about. The entire class got me on track to think with a different mindset on shooting. Clint is the man. His staff is phenomenal. He truly takes pride in his students and I really believe he is there for your best interest.

Here is the primary range:


The Terminator! I learned so much inside this building. I wish I could have done it 100 more times. I felt like a completely new shooter once I started clearing rooms. I wasn’t good at it, in fact I really sucked at it. I made mistakes. Big mistakes. I didn’t take the room like I should have. I saw a threat and moved back, thus compromising my position. I reentered the room from the same place. Splat, I woulda had a new hole in my head. Looking back, I learned a lot. It’s best to make mistakes in class than in the fight.


The Adam’s Brown Range. Listening to Clint talk about Adam is humbling and will dang near make a grown man cry. This range was a lot of fun to shoot at. Good positional movements. Realistic targets hiding besides cars. Not all the targets were clear through a red dot. They weren’t painted white so anyone could seem them. They were painted grey and hard to see without magnification. It was fun and makes you think.


We ate lunch at Clint and Heidi’s house. What a marvelous piece of property. Both were very hospitable. I can’t believe they invited us in and made us feel like family. It was a real honor.


With the extra time we had we took a trip to Crater Lake. This place was amazing. Lots of cool scenery on the way there. I just love it out there in Oregon. I can’t wait to go back!


I know this isn’t directly 1911 related, but being that the Baer is a TRS, I figured I’d include it. I’d recommend anyone go get training before buying that next gun or whatever. Go shoot in a match. Get off the internet and practice with what you have. “All shooting is precision shooting, only sometimes you must be surgical” – Clint Smith

I've carried and shot 1911s for the last 36 years (along with whatever the issued weapon of the day/mission/task was, to include Browning Highpowers, M9 Berettas, SIG 228s, 226s, and Glock 17s).

If you think a 147-grain 9mm is an OK round, try a light 155, 160, or 185-grain .45.  Around 4.5 - 4.8 of WST will give you a gentle "Push" instead of a "Slap" cycling, a fairly decent weight and profile bullet with light recoil, and you keep your GI Ball recoil spring.

gorgeous pistol. Glad we could help.

Beautiful photos. Can I ask what a ball park price is for training? This is something I’d like to do and it wouldn’t be that far of a drive for me.

It wasn't cheap. The cost of the class is about the cheapest part of all of it. You can find the classes HERE. After paying for frangible ammo, hotel, flight, food, car rental, the class doesn't seem very expensive at all.

The experience was amazing and very worth while. I thought I'd never have the opportunity to do it again, but after taking the class I have to figure out how to go back.

I shot in a local USPSA match this weekend, of course I ran SINGLE STACK! It was a blast. First time I’ve ever shot single stack in a match before. Lots of reloading. I hate the ‘gaming’ part of USPSA and IDPA, but it’s almost necessary to plan where you’re planning to reload on each stage. I’m far from a competition shooter. I ran my battle belt with only 3 pistol mag pouches. I knew I should have brought extra mag pouches, but I was stubborn and wanted to use the belt as I keep it. I don’t really want to have 5 pistol mag pouches on it. However, I may end up doing that if I keep shooting single stack. I have a love hate relationship with USPSA and IDPA. It’s a game at the end of the day. However, it is trigger time and induces stress on yourself and your gear. My wife shot with me and we really had a great time. She shot a borrowed Glock 34 that she likes. We’re still deciding what pistol she wants to buy. She really likes the HK P30L. She certainly can have expensive taste, but then again, so do I. At the end of the day, we’ll get her whatever she likes. It’s so much fun to be able to share a passion with your spouse!

A few things I picked up from the match:
    -I need to work on my footwork. I’m tall and watching me shoot looks like Gumby bouncing around the course of fire. I’m going to paint some scrap wood and set them out at my range. I need to practice shooting on the move more. Keep my butt low and learn to make good hits while moving.
    -I had more ‘A’ zone hits than the top 4 overall shooters. I’m focusing on hits rather than speed. Of course, I’d rather make good solid shots, I need to learn to open up my groups and make up some time.
    -My follow up shots were very slow. I made sure I was making A zone hits. Looking back, this may not be the strategy to win the game. I need to focus on making fast hits, not necessarily 'A' zone only hits. My everyday practice consists of accuracy and reloading related drills. I rarely work on follow up making quick shots. I'll be working in follow up shots moving forward. Making those two hits quickly could help shave off some time.
    -I was shooting full power 230gr 45s. I could really help my follow up shots if I download the powder some. I may end up playing with a new powder down the road.
    -The big 45acp cartridge, the heavy gun, and the low magazine capacity did not cause me to shoot slow. It all had to do with me, I’m the one that shot slow. The gun was plenty fast and it was ready for more. I had lots of good quick reloads, I made good accurate shots, and I made decent use out of my mags. However, I didn’t push the speed. I don’t have a good grasp on how far I can push my speed to open up my groups. I don’t know, so I stuck with shooting accurately. I’m 100% the reason I shot slow. I’m going to be working on this. Practice practice practice!

Overall, it was a tough course of fire, but we had a lot of fun. It was a great learning experience. I came in 1st place in the single stack division, which isn’t saying much. My score was 38% of the overall 1st place shooter. Talk about a gap! I have a lot to learn.

I bought a shot timer so the wife and I can practice. I don’t see us becoming super competitive, but I do think we can get some great practice out of going to more matches.

Oh and by the way, not a single malfunction from the $#!Tbox 1911. I thought these things jammed all the time?!

@x_red_beard_x
Looks like a good time, I need to figure out where I can shoot a match and do it. Glad to see it ran without issue, and that it was fun with your wife! I'd love to shoot a match with my wife, she loves her M&P!

Everyone else, what are you using as edc ammo in your 1911? Standard pressure 230gr hydrashoks here!

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Which Tier 1 holster is that? Can't find it on their website.

I used Gold Dots forever, but our duty ammo is 230 HST's.

@OP I shot single stack for a few years in USPSA... I was loading and the recipe was 3.6-4.0gn clays under a lead 230. barely makes major but soft shooting, not too expensive, and knocks steel down with style. With major you can throw an Alpha/Charlie quickly and have it be worth as much as a slow 2Alpha, so i would probably suggest you try one sight picture-2 shots for a while and figure out how far out you can push that. At distance (and with steel) you need to make hits count.

for single stack shooters, if you're moving you're reloading. you need to learn how to shoot 8 shots from each array, as that's the limit you HAVE to take per USPSA rules. That way you always have a bonus round for a missed steel or whatever. Otherwise as soon as your feet move you need to be reloading.

also have the gun up and be ready to hit the first target as you get to the next station. So many people run, stop, then aim. Have the gun up when you get to where you're going and keep it up, shoot your shit, leave and start reloading.


shooting single stack a few years will make you LOVE when you finally get a limited gun.

BTW I made the switch yesterday and I stopped carrying my Baer, and started carrying a 365xl. Love 1911s but making the transition to something with more rounds on tap and a red dot.

@steviesterno16 I won’t hold that against you haha. I’m a little biased against Sigs. It’s a personal things after spending lots of money with them. The 365XL is a really sweet little gun. I can certainly see why someone would go that route. It’s got to carry nicely. I shot the standard 365 a few weeks and I was actually impressed. I still felt like it was too small, but after years of carrying full size pistols, everything feels small. I’ve been bouncing back and forth between my Glock 17 and Baer. It’s still cool enough in Southern Indiana to wear an untucked button down or something along those lines that easily hides a hand cannon. In the summer, that 365XL will be a dream to carry!

Thanks for the tips! I really appreciate that. I will focus on those specific things. I think I’ll stick with single stack during the daytime. The night time matches make me lean toward the Glock. Limited looks like a lot of fun for sure. Especially with a 2011. Single stack has to be great practice though. I’m not really after the best score, I’m really after trying to learn to shoot the gun better. I’ll focus more on a single sight picture and 2 shots and see how that does. As I hone in on my natural point of aim, that second shot becomes more and more accurate.

@x_red_beard_x I'm in atlanta. so pretty much not going to wear a button up again for 6 months....

there are tons of online videos and guides  and teachers about competition shooting. Your best bet is find the best guy at your matches, and then ask where they learn and go from there. Lessons and mentors sped me up greatly compared to just trying shit on my own.

sight picture is interesting. reaching distance I just put my hand out and blast twice without slowing down. sometimes one handed if I'm moving laterally across a stage. Inside about 5 yards I don't really take one with the sights, I just see the slide about where I want it and press the trigger 2x as fast as possible. From 7-12 yards I take the sight picture I told you, get a blurry front but kinda on there and press 2x. For 15 yards or head shots/small steel I take an actual sight picture and press a shot for each shot.

Once you practice you will know what those distances are for you and what cadence is too fast. when I was seriously practicing I was shooting A zone at a slow machine gun rate. I would slow that as the distance increased, if I was moving and shooting, etc.

you also don't need to ride the recoil of the second round to one target down until you move to the next target. As soon as you break shot 2 drive the shit out of the gun towards the next target. So this is the front sight most see shooting left to right ^^  -->  ^^  but you can go ^/ --> \^

Check out pistolforum for a lot of really good technical advice on competition and techniques.

For speeding up i like to do mag dumps into index cards and work my way back untill im missing. Then stop and slow down a bit untill im getting my hits again.

Glad you guys got out to shoot. Uspsa is a great tool

No pics but I did run another 100 rounds through my edc government model yesterday, last several mags in the rain. I found that if I did my part I could hit the small end of a soda can on its side from 50 yards, that I can live with! My other government model is being converted to an XSE clone of sorts, will update when it's done. I also discovered some more Yilton Yam videos, very excellent! Happy memorial day everyone!