1911 carry

[shooter651]

I have a springfield MC .45 and it is great to carry. Two things I don't like about it.. the ambi safety and disassembly. You have to use a little plastic spring retainer to disassemble.
It's got a little more buck than a full size but that's to be expected. The only other thing is after a 100+ rounds of cheap FMJ the front gets pretty dirty and will sometimes will not go into battery...just slap the back and its good to go.

 

[shooter651]

Also I have loaded model.. the stainless slide, novac night sights, and wood grips..not the base GI model

 

[Drail]

I cringe every time I see someone at the range "slap the back" of a gun that has failed to go fully into battery. Have you ever seen one fire when some one does that? It looks real painful. Most folks will drop the gun also when the slide smacks them in the hand. If the gun won't go into battery by itself you really need to find out why and fix it. Seriously. Ever seen a gun fire out of battery? There's lots of pictures over at the Glock forum. That looks really painful too.

 

[Drail]

Chef, No, I have never owned a Kimber but I have worked on a few that should have never made it out the door. When Kimber first started producing 1911s they were probably the BEST production grade 1911 ever made. That lasted about 2 or 3 years and then they became some of the worst. I don't bash brands because of what I read on the internet. I built custom 1911s from 1990 to 2000. When Kimber hit the market they very nearly put a lot of guys like me out of business. People could suddenly buy a 1911 at an affordable price with all of the custom work already done. And done very well. There are good production guns and there are crappy ones. And it changes all the time. Currently Kimber is only concerned with high volume sales and mass production. It's no one's fault but their own. Colt went through this too for a while. For a very long time Les Baer was the standard against all others were measured. It was very hard to find ANYTHING wrong on a Les Baer gun. Now they too are starting to have some QC problems. That's why I say be very wary buying a 1911 unless you take someone who knows what to look for or have some personal experience. It is incredible how many manufacturers of 1911s are out there and even more amazing how many have reached the top of the heap only to fall back down. The most consistent maker of 1911s over the years has always been Wilson Combat but they get real good money for their work. But they stand behind it. I am very glad that you got a great Kimber. I have seen many that I would be proud to own (and not have to tinker with).

 

[shooter651]

Drail,

I've never seen or had a problem with this. I've don'e this on my 1911, glock, heck the forward assist on an AR. Granted most of the time if I have a stoppage is tap, rack, back.

 

[cbseniour]

I've tried XDM, PF9 and nearly everything in between I keep going back to my Colt 90 series defender with a crimson trace lazer, It fits flat against my side is readily accessible and if I need to use it I only have to hit the target once.

 

[sig1473]

I own a Kimber Tactical Pro II and IMHO they are exactly what Drail said they are. Accuracy isn't that great compared to my other Springers or Desert Eagle 1911. You're paying for the Kimber name right now. QC sucks there as of recently. I personally never have had a FTF or FTE with it, but my dad has. Their barrels as of recently have been rusting since they are "in the white". When you are paying $1000+ for a gun you would "think" a problem like that wouldn't be encountered. Just look at Sig Sauer's problems as of late. Why are they having problems you may ask? It is because the CEO is from Kimber(Ron Cohen). Cheers

 

[Drail]

It really is a crying shame because in the beginning they were some of the best production 1911s I have ever seen.

 

[melensdad]

I love 1911s and have an itch for a smaller one at a decent price and happened across this fella GI 45 Micro Compact Springfield Armory
just wondering if anyone has any experience using something like this as a ccw?
thanks !!

I have been carrying the original compact 1911 for many years. Detonics is the company that developed the first and, arguably the most reliable, compact 1911 pistols available. The newest version of the compact 1911 is available for about $700 here => Custom Detonics Combat Masters - NIB : Semi-auto at GunBroker.com

or here => Detonics Combat Master 1911 Sub Compact,.45ACP, Two-Tone Finish, 3" Barrel - TheGunSource

 

[gunman41mag]

I have a OLYMPIC ARMS ENFORCER, PARA ORDNANCE CARRY 12, & two COLT OFFICERS all these COMPACT 1911 are excellent

 

[LPMan59]

though I generally recommend companies such as Colt or SA, I will throw out Metro Arms. The Commander I bought from them has been nothing short of flawless. And the price is nice, too if you're on a budget.

 

[melensdad]

Metro Arms has a really hit-and-miss reputation. If you get a good one you got a good one. But if you get a bad one you have an expensive paperweight.

FWIW, if it makes any difference to the original poster, many of the 1911 pistols are NOT made in the USA but rather are built using foreign made parts. Also many brands include some "MIM" parts. American made 1911 pistols that include ZERO "MIM" parts would be: Colt, Detonics and Safari Arms.

Several American brands actually use frames imported from foreign countries, mostly the Philippine islands.

 

[LPMan59]

perhaps I did get a good one. I have had more hangups with my Colt and Taurus than with my Metro. *fingers crossed*

i thought Colt uses like 2 MIM parts. I seem to remember reading that by one of the gurus in the 1911 forum of ARF.com

 

[melensdad]

i thought Colt uses like 2 MIM parts. I seem to remember reading that by one of the gurus in the 1911 forum of ARF.com

If they do then cross them off the list of mainstream (not custom/semi-custom) American made 1911 companies who don't use MIM parts. I was unaware of any parts in their guns being MIM.

That may only leave Detonics and Safari Arms. Both are 100% American made and neither use MIM parts. Both are high quality with solid reputations. Both are moderately priced.

 

[Drail]

Safari Arms has a "solid reputation"? MMMM, OK.

 

[ajb]

I've been carrying an STI Escort .45 for a couple of years now. I have had no issues with it and it is made in the U.S.A.

 

[TLHelmer]

I carried my Kimber CDP Pro for a year, but went back to my Glock 23 this year because of weight.

 

[iChokePeople]

I carried my Kimber CDP Pro for a year, but went back to my Glock 23 this year because of weight.

Seriously? Depending on what you're carrying in that 23, it weighs around 31-32oz, loaded... right? I'm not a Glock expert, but that's what a quick look tells me. A Pro CDP with 8 rds of 230 gr would weigh 34.7. So you switched over 3-4 oz? If you said you PREFERRED the glock, and, oh by the way, it's also 3-4 oz lighter, cool. Bonus.

In general, not just to you, I think a lot of people are using the wrong holster and belt combination. Wearing a decent belt/holster, I'd be absolutely shocked to learn that most people could begin to feel that much difference in their holstered gun. That's like the story of the princess and the pea.

 

[88E30M50]

Seriously? Depending on what you're carrying in that 23, it weighs around 31-32oz, loaded... right? I'm not a Glock expert, but that's what a quick look tells me. A Pro CDP with 8 rds of 230 gr would weigh 34.7. So you switched over 3-4 oz? If you said you PREFERRED the glock, and, oh by the way, it's also 3-4 oz lighter, cool. Bonus.

In general, not just to you, I think a lot of people are using the wrong holster and belt combination. Wearing a decent belt/holster, I'd be absolutely shocked to learn that most people could begin to feel that much difference in their holstered gun. That's like the story of the princess and the pea.

Good advice this^^.

Like many, when I started to carry, I bought cheap holsters and carried them on normal dress belts. Over the years, I've learned that a good holster on a belt designed to carry a gun makes a heavy gun feel much better than a light gun in a cheap holster/belt combo. I think most people mistake movement for weight in a poorly fitting holster. Given a poor holster on an inadequate belt, a heavier gun will move around a lot. That movement is distracting and gets blamed on the weight. That same heavy gun in a proper rig will stay nice and still and you don't even feel it there. A good holster and belt can make a heavy gun feel light, but there is little you can do to make a light gun shoot like a heavy one.

 

[danimal]

i belive that Ruger's new SR1911 is 100% MIA... yes, it is a pun