Posted on 11/03/2015 7:47:07 AM PST by w1n1
Daniel Shaw, retired US Marine Infantryman and Combat Weapons Master Instructor, explains why the 1911 is not the defensive gun he chooses to carry.
Shaw gives us four reasons why he opts to go with something aside from John Browning's classic handgun:
1. I find it incredibly easy and accurate to shoot.
2. While I haven’t shot a person with it, the size of the bullet makes me feel comfortable that if I hit someone, they will stay hit.
3. If you practice enough, the safety issue is not an issue.
Oh well. Its just an opinion.
Exactly which model is that in the photo?
I also do not carry the 1911, though I love it so.
Why? I really like DA/SA, decocking levers, and 9mm magazine capacity. I carry the CZ-75B. Sometimes the S&W 4506, even though I only get the 8 round mage.
Oh, yeah, I realize the CZ does NOT have a decock.
Colt Commander XSE is my daily choice. I like it because it is a single stack and easy to carry. If I need more capacity, I’ll go for a battle rifle.
My carry gun has shot innumerable matches without failure attributable to the gun. I've weak-wristed some rounds and I have had bad magazines, but if I do my part I'm confident the gun will go bang, every time.
I use exclusively Wilson Combat magazines, having tried a bunch of others. I've had trouble with examples of nearly every other brand, including Colt factory and Chip McCormick mags. The mags I carry have been tested time and time again, and I trust them.
Part and parcel with competition is muscle memory. My swiping off the safety is unconscious and uncommanded - it goes with the draw.
The author's aversion to the 1911 safety system is the very reason I carry it - in condition 1 - as does my wife and everyone I train.
He must be talking about a GI 1911, which are notoriously inaccurate.
Get a Kimber.
I love my 45 cal 1911. It is what I shoot at the range. However, I find it too large to conceal. I have a single stack Kahr 9 mm for cc.
You carry with the hammer back and safety on?
Just curious what you mean by his aversion is what you find compelling.
Do you know what model is in the illustration?
Thanks...
I need a side scan sonar to find my 1911.
I have a Kimber 1911, as does my daughter.
I love it dearly, and have never had a jam.
It is very reliable.
However, and I realize I will be thrashed for this, I think the size of my .380 better suits CCW for me.
The 1911 was the first pistol I learned to shoot. The safety was just automatic and I really never noticed it being a problem. Safety was on and finger off the trigger until the pistol was brought to action.
I remember when in my youth I thought that hot loads were the way to be, I was at a Sheriff's range having fun with my Browning Hi Power when I realized that I seemed to be able to track the rounds being fired by a neighboring shooter. I stopped entirely to watch a Marine Marksman firing his competition 1911 with his target loads put the round in the X Ring with every trigger pull.
I have two 1911’s. A full size and i carry a Defender and if kept clean and use the best defensive ammo you can buy or reload, yes i would trust my life with these guns. Double stack mags may have the advantage over the single stack but nothing feels like a 1911 in your hands.
Just curious what you mean by his aversion is what you find compelling.
He doesn't like the external safety, has seen many shooters try and fire with it on. In my opinion, those shooters are inadequately trained and use a poor grip. There's no way I could be ready to fire and have the safety on because my thumb rests on the safety.
I believe in safeties.
Do you know what model is in the illustration?
I do not.
I carry a Walther PPK/S chambered in .380—Fits my hand, and my pocket, perfectly.
I’ve noticed that the snide remarks stop whenever I invite a commenter to stand down-range with a catcher’s mitt while I fire off a few rounds in their direction.
Another thing I LOVE about the 1911 is the grip.
I have small hands and the 1911 feels like a child’s toy in my grasp. All the double-stacks obviously do not feel that way, and are not 100% comfortable in my hands. My accuracy is marginally better with the 1911 in quick-draw, rapid fire.
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