philster

So I'm just seeing if anybody here does it. Never thought I would want to carry a 1911. But I've been training with my full size a lot lately. I'm at a comfort level with the thumb safety and finger outside the guard, that I'd never thought I would achieve. I'm thinking of getting a railed (I like a mounted light) commander length for nightstand duty, and as I said am thinking I might want to carry it too. Heavy, but nothing in its power-class comes close to how flat a 1911 is.

So who carries the big Iron?

FatFugg

I might not quite understand exactly what is meant by "power-class", but the H&K USP compact .45 is at least as flat as a 1911.

Teacher Todd

I carried one for awhile. Prefer my Small Taurus 740 now. Was to heavy for the clothes I wear.

philster

Oh, not a technical term or anything. Just mean that of all the "big ol' heavy bullets that hit like a locomotive" firing guns, the 1911 lays flatter than anything else I know of.

Edited to add: I swore off H&K after the worst customer service experience of my life with them. It was ridiculous. Ended up selling the gun broken. Advertised, and sold as "Broken, can't get the time of day from H&K."

chameleon

This is Ivory. I carry her every day!

chameleon

In case you're wondering...

This is Ebony:

Alanjtc73n

I carry a Kimber Pro Carry Series 1. Alloy frame so the weight isn't so bad. Actually lighter than my SP101.

BLdtylry

I usually carry my Kimber Ultra Raptor concealed carry



But when I'm out and about on my property I prefer to carry my Springfield 1911 that has been NP3'd and Radical Carry Beveled by the Springfield Custom Shop



Ammo prices are not that bad for 45acp. I buy most of my target ammo from Walmart for $90 for 250 rounds of Remington UMC

Brianaintright

I carry my Kimber DW and occasionally my nighthawk GRP recon. Both are railed and have X300's attached.

A 1911 is a lot more labor intensive than just about anything else, you gotta stay up on maintenance and watch your mags if you want to depend on it but nothing shoots better for me.

I believe in carrying a gun you can fight with, not just a tiny pocket pistol to fight off the lone mugger in the alley. granted, my circumstances are different than most but when you shrink any gun, especially a 1911, you have more maintenance and tuning issues than even a full size.

BLdtylry

Is this experience or what you've read on other forums?

I have several 1911 (5", 4", 3") and they are all reliable otherwise I would not own them. I have a minimum of 2500 rounds through each of my carry guns to ensure reliability. Certain guns need more maintenance than others regardless of their size. I've seen and dealt with more magazine issues in 1911's than anything to do with the gun itself. That why I always buy good quality mags and test them often.

GixxerPete

Check the owner's manual on spring replacement schedules. A full size 1911 it's likely 5000 rounds or more. My Kimber Pro (sold) was a 4" bbl and recommended interval was 500 rounds. BIG difference. So that's increased maintenance right there.

Also 1911s get finicky about timing & lockup and such that has to be all be changed when reduced in size, and so they don't always run as reliably or may be more finicky about ammo than a full size.

I totally agree about mags though, I have a couple KimPros and all the rest are Wilson Combat. People need to remember mags need cleaning/maintenance as well, and are considered 'wear items' to be tossed & replaced eventually.

EDIT: I should add that I would 100% trust both my 1911s (happen to be full size) with my life to go bang every time. I'm slightly more anal about cleaning them than my plastic guns, but not much. I've intentionally let them get quite filthy and they keep on chugging away. I trust them.

Brianaintright

Experience. I work for a mid sized LE agency and we have guys carrying personally owned 1911's. Shorter guns have more problems. If you've shot 2500 rnds through your short barrels and haven't changed out springs, that's awesome, but it's also a timebomb. You're right, many issues are mag related and some guns need mags tuned up a bit to run right but making sure your extractor is performing is also a big issue.

Here is my hypothetical litmus test for a carry gun - You just shelled out $700 for a high speed / low drag lots of rounds fired handgun course in the next state. You spend another $700 on ammo and about $600 to travel. If you could only bring one gun - which will it be? That should be your carry gun. If you're not willing to bet the $2K your gun will last through the course how can you bet your life on that gun?

BLdtylry

Never said I didn't change out the springs. I change out all of my recoil springs regardless of maintenance schedules every 500-1000 rounds on every one of my guns because a $10 spring is nothing compared to your life.

PS> After a pistol course, I'm not sure if my trigger finger will last...should I replace that too?

Brianaintright

Probably not but you might need to wipe the sand out of your vagina.

philster

What are you a sissy? My Daddy made me leave it there! Made a man out of me!

Brianaintright

good one

philster

Well... I went with my brain instead of my heart. Found a killer deal locally on an M&P 45 fullsize with factory night sights. I am a huge fan of the M&P, with a 9mm already. It's about a half inch shorter than my full size 1911, and a half inch longer than the Carry 1911 I was looking at, but of course the weight difference is off the charts!

Its primary purpose is intended to be the nightstand gun, what with the night sights and the a light on the rail, but it fits the IWB my 9mm rides in, so I can carry either. It's only 4/10ths longer than the 9mm M&P. They now have 14 round magazines available, so it's not just the factory 10 rounders. 14 rounds of 45acp vs. 17 of 9mm? No contest!

JoshG

ive been carrying my ruger p345 for a while, little lo large for me though, havnt found a smaller 9mm or 40 i like yet