Well......... I would like to take this time to tell you guys that I'm gonna eat some crow..... a whole lot of crow.
I previously wrote in a couple pages back about the 1911 not being on par with a Glock (or other plastic pistol for that matter).
Well I'm gonna be honest, at the time of that writing, I have not shot my 1911 for at least 2 years because I was living in the world of Glock.
This past weekend, I took the good ol' 1911 out to the range and I must say... It's still heavy, it still only holds 8 rounds, but there is something about a finely tuned machine that launches a big fat slug right where you want it to go.
The guys with Magpul Dynamics put it in a really good way.
- "To understand the 1911, it is truly a professionals gun".
- "The 1911 is the race car of handguns, you gotta fill it with premium (i.e. good ammo), you gotta do maintenance, and you gotta keep it cleaned and oiled well"
They are right about that. While at the range I had a couple of malfunctions, probably do to worn out mags I was using but when it ran, it ran like a champ.
I still think if someone wants to get a handgun, they more than likely should get a polymer type gun over the 1911 due to the amount of work and understanding one has to go through just to sustain these things.
I think the role of the 1911 is a lot different compared to what your overall need it going to be. I don't think the 1911 is a very good choice if it is your primary weapon (i.e. the only gun you have, like a police officer role). This is due to it's mag capacity. I think the 1911 shines in the sense that it is your secondary weapon (i.e. your rifle is your primary gun, like in a military or swat officer role). That is because the only time you handgun comes out, is when your primary has gone down (either out of ammo or a malfunction) and you have a immediate threat presented.
Over the weekend it made me realize some of the short comings in polymer guns, and that shortcoming is it's grip. Smooth plastic wants to move in your hands when firing. I didn't notice this until I was shooting my 1911 which has really aggressive texturing around the grip and the gun never moved. Once I went back to the Glock, I noticed that every 3rd round or so, I was having to re-aquire my grip. So I built up the courage and out came the cheap $10 walmart soldering iron.
I textured the grip of my Glock 35 around the grip and along the frame to aid in a reference point for my thumb.
Overall, I am very happy with how it turned out. The look kinda grows on you. I know I hated the look of textured Glocks before. But in the ends, function over form is key.