Which 1911?

[Unit74]

Agreed. My personal defense weapon is a 9mm S&W 39 loaded with hydrashocks. But in the stated scenario I would opt for a Sig Sauer P226 myself. I'm partial to SA/DA.

Carried a 229 DAK for years. Great gun, just too damn heavy. If you like single/doubles, grab a fist full of that POS I carried for over a decade..... the Berretta M9. The trigger pull ended in another zip code..

 

[DaleB]

If it's a "stopping power" thing, I refer to my S&W Model 29 as the "One-hit wonder". It's a little bulky, a little heavy, and way too pretty for carry. I get the appeal of a high capacity magazine for certain situations. If you really need more than six rounds in your carry gun, though, either things have gotten really, really bad or you really, really need more time at the range.

 

[gkainz]

You do know my real name is Jerry Miculek right...? You wanna play this game, sport? Hell, I'll do it with a wheel gun, reload and empty it before you can dump one mag. And they will all be dead center 1".

Lena said you're slowing down, old man ... says she can take you 2 out 3 now ... ???

 

[Sac Arrow]

If it's a "stopping power" thing, I refer to my S&W Model 29 as the "One-hit wonder". It's a little bulky, a little heavy, and way too pretty for carry. I get the appeal of a high capacity magazine for certain situations. If you really need more than six rounds in your carry gun, though, either things have gotten really, really bad or you really, really need more time at the range.

I have one. A 629 actually, the stainless version. I would consider it to be a one shot weapon. If I were actually to consider using it for self defense, I would load it with .44 specials.

It is not a pleasant revolver to shoot.

 

[StevieTimes]

9.8 times out of 10 getting shot by a .22 is enough to send the threat running the other direction. I have exclusively 9mm for commonality and ammo price. Getting shot multiple times and continuing to fight mostly only happens in the movies.

Agreed.

I imagine that most people don't usually stop to ask what it is that you're shooting at them.

I understand the desire for a larger caliber, however.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Agreed.

I imagine that most people don't usually stop to ask what it is that you're shooting at them.

I understand the desire for a larger caliber, however.

Not entirely agreed. Stopping power = energy transfer, big hit, big blow. Sure, a .22 lR will kill someone but it may not immediately incapacitate them, which is what you are after in a self defense situation.

 

[Sac Arrow]

The primary driver for the development of the .45 ACP was the ineffectiveness of the .38 caliber round against the Moro 'warriors' in the Philippines. The .38 issue revolvers could not stop them effectively in their drug induced state.

 

[FastEddieB]

I'm sure most are familiar with this but a reminder of how devastating getting hit with a .22 can be...

 

[StevieTimes]

Not entirely agreed. Stopping power = energy transfer, big hit, big blow. Sure, a .22 lR will kill someone but it may not immediately incapacitate them, which is what you are after in a self defense situation.

Which part don't you agree with? That most people don't usually stop to ask what you're using to shoot at them, or that I understand the desire for a larger caliber? I understand the desire for a larger caliber, as it provides more immediate stopping power. I also can't speak from experience about people not asking me what I'm shooting at them.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Which part don't you agree with? That most people don't usually stop to ask what you're using to shoot at them, or that I understand the desire for a larger caliber? I understand the desire for a larger caliber, as it provides more immediate stopping power. I also can't speak from experience about people not asking me what I'm shooting at them.

I get your point. I am not arguing for huge calibers. Speaking from experience, they told us to give a person time to die if we shot them with a 16. Because if they weren't dead, they would be dead eventually but it isn't immediate unless we made a head shot or a heart shot. The time in between however... anything can happen.

 

[DaleB]

I have one. A 629 actually, the stainless version. I would consider it to be a one shot weapon. If I were actually to consider using it for self defense, I would load it with .44 specials.

It is not a pleasant revolver to shoot.

I guess it’s all in what you’re used to. I love the .44 Mag. Nothing is quite as gratifying against bowling pins or gallon jugs of water.

 

[StevieTimes]

I get your point. I am not arguing for huge calibers. Speaking from experience, they told us to give a person time to die if we shot them with a 16. Because if they weren't dead, they would be dead eventually but it isn't immediate unless we made a head shot or a heart shot. The time in between however... anything can happen.

I guess they say that about deer hunting too; that you're not to chase them right away, as they'll continue to try to get away from you until they drop.

I enjoy shooting larger calibers, but I really like shooting 22s. I don't shoot anything alive, just paper targets and the occasional can or whatever. I just do it for fun, I don't carry and I don't hunt. I have family that hunts, and I have no issues with it; I eat meat, and I see the love they have for the hunt.

Looking at the shabin my brother stayed in during bow hunting season, I'm happy I never got into it!

For me, 22s are great fun and cheap to shoot. I know, not the point of this topic, my bad. I am curious to try a 1911 and a (what, regular?) style back to back one day to see what people are talking about.

 

[jaymark6655]

I like SA 1911s. That USMC Operator looks really nice. I like VZ grips, prefer its sights over those usually found on the range officers, and prefer having the standard op rod assembly versus the solid rod setups.

 

[Terry M - 3CK (Chicago)]

Jerry Miculek (and his daughter) are wicked fast! He feels no recoil!

 

[Sac Arrow]

I guess it’s all in what you’re used to. I love the .44 Mag. Nothing is quite as gratifying against bowling pins or gallon jugs of water.

No doubt. But, if you need quick follow up shots....

 

[bflynn]

Back to the original question - if you are leaning toward one that you really like, buy that one at the best price you can get it. Otherwise every time you go shoot, you will remember that it is a compromise.

For me that was the Colt government model 70 because it’s the one I know and what I carried.

 

[Sac Arrow]

Not to Godwin the thread (not that it isn't going to happen anyway), does anyone actually like the Browning Hi Power?

I sort of think Browning went in the wrong direction when he designed it. Pops had a beautiful FN produced Hi Power. It was built like a watch. I had a parkerized Argentine military copy with a lesser quality finish but it functioned the same. It never really worked well for me. Poor sights, a nasty snap up recoil tendency, and a bad trigger. Plus it would only reliably feed sharp nosed NATO ball ammo. Some chamber ramp worked helped but only a little.

I like the looks of the Hi Power better than I do than the 1911, but functionally I think a 1911 chambered for 9mm would perform better.

 

[Unit74]

Not to Godwin the thread (not that it isn't going to happen anyway), does anyone actually like the Browning Hi Power?

Lemme run downtown and ask..... Those guys know their junk guns well.



Yea, they do like them, specially when the serial numbers are scratched off, but only when there are like, three wad cutters, 2 FMJs, a .40 cal round accidentally loaded and a few holler-points on top, ya know.....

 

[DaleB]

No doubt. But, if you need quick follow up shots....

Followup shots are as quick as you can bring the sights to bear again. Of course, the whole idea is that you don't NEED a followup shot...

Make no mistake, it's a hefty gun with a fairly stout (though not punishing) recoil. I can see why people don't carry one daily outside of, say, Alaska, but it's not uncontrollable or anything. I was out one afternoon with my son and his buddy... they were surprised I could pick off water bottles and pop cans at 50-60 yards with it, consistently. No magic there, really. But it's a really nice gun, and the .44 Mag is a pretty nice round for knocking things over even if they're out of immediate reach. Not like that pansy little 9mm thing.*



*I kid!! We have TWO .380s in the house, for Pete's sake. Wimpy little girly guns have their uses too.

 

[James331]

...but functionally I think a 1911 chambered for 9mm would perform better.

Thus the polymer 80, has the 1911 geometry but takes G19 internals and slides and all and is 9mm, also has a rail for a weapons light if you want one.

 

[Rushie]

I'm a handgun instructor and teach CCW/CHP (Concealed Handgun Permit in Colorado) classes. The 1911 is NOT the recommended gun for inexperienced shooters and those starting out for Concealed Carry. For me, the PROs of the 1911 are
1. familiarity and proficiency - I've been shooting the 1911 for 45 years with many of those years competitively. I know the gun, it "fits" me and I'm proficient with it.
2. Trigger - in my opinion, there is no better handgun trigger than John Browning's design in the 1911
Cons for those starting out
1. Single action only - although this is a PRO for me - the same trigger pull every time
2. less capacity - standard single stack magazine
3. Manual safety means 1 more movement to ingrain
4. Condition 1 carry (cocked and locked) freaks people out


I have a range bag of "try" guns I use to introduce new shooters into the easiest handguns to get started with, including some inexpensive starter guns that I've wrung out to prove to myself that they are reliable.
SCCY CPX-1 and CPX-2
Taurus PT111 G2
Taurus PT24
Smith & Wesson M&P Shield
Glock 19

Many new shooters end up choosing Glocks. They work well for them, are easy to learn and are reliable and accurate. Personally, I throw up a little every time I put one in my hand but that's just me.

The hardest obstacle to overcome for me trying to teach most women shooters is to find a gun that comfortably fits smaller hands, and has a recoil spring/action that they can easily manipulate.

I feel the same way about Glocks. I love the 1911 platform and have several including one my husband custom built for me. The 1911 is my preferred firearm for competition (either .45 or 9mm) but I carry the concealed hammer snub because of size, and because I like idiot proof jam proof reliability.

 

[-KLB-]

Not to Godwin the thread (not that it isn't going to happen anyway), does anyone actually like the Browning Hi Power?

I sort of think Browning went in the wrong direction when he designed it. Pops had a beautiful FN produced Hi Power. It was built like a watch. I had a parkerized Argentine military copy with a lesser quality finish but it functioned the same. It never really worked well for me. Poor sights, a nasty snap up recoil tendency, and a bad trigger. Plus it would only reliably feed sharp nosed NATO ball ammo. Some chamber ramp worked helped but only a little.

I like the looks of the Hi Power better than I do than the 1911, but functionally I think a 1911 chambered for 9mm would perform better.

The trigger suffers from not being able to use his own patents. But it is still on my list to acquire "someday"