gunsmithing, 1911, reliabilityThis question is probably poorly worded, rewrite appreciated.
I am interested in the 1911 platform. The internet opinion ranges from “gods gift to gunners” to “the most finickey thing ever, don’t buy one unless you can afford $1k having a gunsmith make it work correctly”.
I am a new shooter, looking for my first handgun, and I like the long term reliability, availablity of aftermarket, compatability across vendors, etc - But I will not be in a position to tinker with it endlessley, or afford to have a gunsmith rebuild it. I pretty much just need it to “work”.
This gun is intended for both range/learning, home defense, and possible (but unlikely) CCW.
I was attracted to some of the more compact models (kimber, springfield micro), and am aware that the compact’s have a worse reputation for reliability.
If you’re going to rely on this gun for self-defense, do NOT buy a 1911 unless you’re willing to work on it or at least tinker enough to replace springs regularly. It is an enthusiasts gun. I really love the 1911-style, especially the trigger, but I also like working on them. You’ll find that when most people say “self defense”, the get really serious about reliability. While 1911’s can be really great handguns if you’re familiar with them, they can be fussy for someone new to the platform and especially new to guns in general.
If this is just for fun, buy a new full-sized 1911-pattern gun from any major manufacturer. It should just work, if not send it in for warranty service. Don’t go spend a several thousand dollars for a high end gun, get a production gun from Sig, S&W, Colt, Kimber, Springfield or others.
The one thing I would consider before purchase is whether you want a beavertail grip safety or not. Some people get “bit” by the hammer on the web of their hand. If you think you want a GI-style 1911, with the original grip safety, I recommend shooting a hundred rounds or so at the range. You’ll know pretty quickly whether it works for you or whether you want a beavertail.
The best advice I can give you regarding a 1911 as a first pistol is this: don’t. The second-best advice I can give you regarding a 1911 as a first pistol is this: get the .22 Long Rifle conversion slide.
I shot a 1911 as my first pistol and it took me years to recover. I covered this at great length my answer to the question Newbie - how to start with handguns?:
I know from personal experience how bad anticipation can be. When I first started shooting handguns, my cousin gave me a 1911 in .45 ACP. I didn’t know anything about anything at the time, and for years I had to fight the natural urge to dip the barrel down in order to compensate for the muzzle flip post-firing.
Compensation of this kind will lead to heartache. You can not, and must not try to, compensate for the recoil of a handgun.
For more detail on your first handgun and considerations regarding it, please see that question.
Assuming you are set on a 1911 platform, kbyrd’s answer provides great information regarding non-duty models.
If you want to have a 1911 for duty use (in my opinion, duty use includes concealed carry and home defense) you need to be committed to the platform. I can find no better reference for selecting a qualified duty 1911 than Hilton Yam’s article at 10-8 Performance titled Choosing a 1911 for Duty Use.
A quick example of the first part of his opinion about using the 1911 for duty:
First off, if you are truly serious about running a 1911, it needs to be a full sized 5” gun in .45 ACP. There certainly are any number of examples of Commander and other compact 1911s that work or can be made to work just fine, and for CCW use they can be a viable option for some users. However, take a look at the history of unit issue service 1911s - LAPD SWAT, USSOCOM, USMC Det-1, USMC MEUSOC, FBI HRT, FBI SWAT, and let’s not forget over 95 years with all the branches of the U.S. military - and you won’t find ANY major units that use anything other than the original full sized gun. Why? After you field 50 or 350 guns at once and run thousands or even tens of thousands of rounds through them during training cycles, you’ll figure it out.
By virtue of their design, the shorter format 1911s reduce the window of functional opportunity for the magazine and slide to work together to feed, chamber, extract, and eject. This is an incontrovertible fact of life. Proper weapon setup, spring rates, and magazine maintenance are critical in running the shorter guns. Keeping after a few 1911s as a single hobbyist or aficionado is different than running a bunch of guns for a large unit. Remember that weapon down time equates to lost training and operational time. You want to minimize your maintenance issues, not increase them. Lastly, a full sized 1911 is very arguably a more efficient shooting and ballistic delivery platform than a smaller sized variant for the majority of users.
One subject which we disagree on is that a Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) gun is not a duty gun. However, his argument is that a CCW gun can be the center of your attention, that you can dedicate the time and effort required to get it running right and keep it that way. This is time and effort a unit-level armorer can not spend on individual guns when he has to take care of a huge number of them, and in your case your requirement is also that you don’t want to spend a lot of time and money getting your gun in working condition.
In my opinion, CCW and duty guns both must be reliable out of the box and have a minimum of required modification and/or upkeep to be reliable.
To hedge your bets, buy one from a reputable manufacturer, in full size, and it should be generally reliable out of the box. Most of the picky 1911 style firearms I’ve seen were either early versions of the super compact models or made by someone like Norinco. On the other hand, if you want simple reliability, a double action revolver might better suit.
As others have said, buy a gun from a major manufacturer. Even among these manufacturers I would stay away from the very bottom end of their product line. Buy from the mid-range. I’d also recommend staying away from manufactuers that cater primarily to the gun game market. Larger guns tend to be more reliable (full size 1911s are usually more reliable than Commanders, and Commanders are more reliable than Officer’s model guns).
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