1911A1s are no longer serious defensive tools. Sacrilege, I know.
They are heavy, finicky about ammo, and low-capacity. Screws come loose, Tolerances are too tight, and recoil/muzzle bounce is heavier than it has to be, due to the design and bore height above the hand. They were the best option for almost 75+ years, but no longer.
A Glock 21 in .45ACP weighs less when fully loaded with 13 shots than an 8-shot steel-frame 1911A1 weighs when it is empty. It is smaller in most dimensions, sits lower in the hand, and bounces less on firing, returning quickly to the point of aim (given minimal training). You'll never forget to put the safety on or take it off, both of which I see happen regularly with less-experienced 1911 shooters. If you don't like Glocks, fine, get a Springfield XD or HK or Beretta or other modern striker-fired pistol by a big-name maker (no cheap/crappy imports). But a used police-trade-in Glock is all you really need, and if that's what you get you won't be tempted to spend a bunch of money on fancy grips or extended controls that you SHOULD be spending on ammo and training. I'm not talking about BBQ pistols or metal art pieces or safe queens, I'm talking about tools. Glock is the carpenter's hammer of the pistol world; buy one and learn how to use it, done.
SIGs are fine, but the DA/SA manual of arms is almost as dated as the 1911. It was done to ease the transition from revolvers to autos without requiring a safety lever, and that is no longer a concern. If you forget to decock after firing and try to reholster in a fast/sloppy manner, you may shoot yourself, which is bad.
Ruger makes a lot of solid choices which have low pride-of-ownership but are still solid tools, and cost MUCH less than other big-name makers. Give them a hard look.
Whatever you get, put easy-to-see steel sights on it (night sights if you prefer, I usually do), get a bunch of spare mags and ammo, and some basic skills training. Then practice until effective use of the pistol is reactive. Form good habits, because they will be with you forever.
Thanks for your comment. the key, as I said, is a quality pistol, training, and regular practice. And 99% of the time you are more likely to need first aid skills than firearms skills.
And I would disagree with your first statement. While I'm not going to argue over your Glock love, I am going to say that 1911s are a perfectly fine tool - in a lot of cases *because* of a few things you mentioned (like tight tolerances). The key is to find a weapon you can shoot well and rely upon. My 1911s are that. So is my Beretta. So is my derringer.
Tight tolerances do not help a defensive pistol. They have little to do with the level of accuracy needed for defensive uses, and will not help a poor shooter become a good one. Almost any service-style centerfire pistol will shoot a 6 inch group at 20-25 yards with quality defensive ammo, but people test them with crappy range FMJ ammo and then pronounce them inaccurate. Owning a one-inch-group-at-25-yards pistol doesn't make you a better defender, and when it jams because it's dirty or dry or dusty because it missed its weekly TLC session, you aren't a defender at all -- you're a bullet sponge.
I never said you did. I was saying they aren't helpful. They add nothing positive, and potentially can cause or contribute to functioning problems in less than perfect maintenance/weather conditions.
If you think tight tolerances ARE helpful in a defensive handgun, perhaps you could describe how/why you believe that is the case.
What I find ironic about this whole conversation is the pretty standard gun guy debate about 1911’s, DA/SA, striker fired, etc ….. AND here I am suggesting that all of those, depending, are good quality pistols. Because they are. What is important is the training, the practice of fundamentals, the ongoing maintenance of the skills and the mindset. A dude with a cheapo Taurus who trains routinely is way better than a dude with a Wilson COmbat CQB that never trains. Period.
Meanwhile, first aid training and equipment is far and away more likely to be used and be useful than your pistol. Period.
Great, inexpensive marksmanship training, simple .22 LR rifles (primarily) with Appleseed classes. Get some Revolutionary War history mixed in. Weekend classes in many areas. Two days for less than $100. Appleseedinfo.org. all ages
Belong to a community. I don't mean a club that meets across town (even at the gun range), but the people around you in YOUR neighborhood. So that, after a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, houses in your 'hood burning, etc., you can work together to take care of each other. In some instances it might even help you deal with large groups of nasty people. (Remember there were neighborhoods BLM/AntiFa bypassed in the Summer of Love because the neighbors all armed up and stood at the entrances and said "Not here, not today.")
EDIT: It will also help with someone mistaking you for a bad guy if you need to go about armed or carrying tools after an event. If you've talked to folks and they know each other well, they're less likely to call the cops. "OMG! There's a man with a gun walking through the neighborhood! And he's got a chainsaw! Eeeeaaarrrggghhhh!!!"
Thank you for this post! The first aid aspect is so overlooked, I appreciate you emphasizing it.
you’re welcome and yes, first aid is huge. I’ve used that far more than any other aspect of preparedness.
1911A1s are no longer serious defensive tools. Sacrilege, I know.
They are heavy, finicky about ammo, and low-capacity. Screws come loose, Tolerances are too tight, and recoil/muzzle bounce is heavier than it has to be, due to the design and bore height above the hand. They were the best option for almost 75+ years, but no longer.
A Glock 21 in .45ACP weighs less when fully loaded with 13 shots than an 8-shot steel-frame 1911A1 weighs when it is empty. It is smaller in most dimensions, sits lower in the hand, and bounces less on firing, returning quickly to the point of aim (given minimal training). You'll never forget to put the safety on or take it off, both of which I see happen regularly with less-experienced 1911 shooters. If you don't like Glocks, fine, get a Springfield XD or HK or Beretta or other modern striker-fired pistol by a big-name maker (no cheap/crappy imports). But a used police-trade-in Glock is all you really need, and if that's what you get you won't be tempted to spend a bunch of money on fancy grips or extended controls that you SHOULD be spending on ammo and training. I'm not talking about BBQ pistols or metal art pieces or safe queens, I'm talking about tools. Glock is the carpenter's hammer of the pistol world; buy one and learn how to use it, done.
SIGs are fine, but the DA/SA manual of arms is almost as dated as the 1911. It was done to ease the transition from revolvers to autos without requiring a safety lever, and that is no longer a concern. If you forget to decock after firing and try to reholster in a fast/sloppy manner, you may shoot yourself, which is bad.
Ruger makes a lot of solid choices which have low pride-of-ownership but are still solid tools, and cost MUCH less than other big-name makers. Give them a hard look.
Whatever you get, put easy-to-see steel sights on it (night sights if you prefer, I usually do), get a bunch of spare mags and ammo, and some basic skills training. Then practice until effective use of the pistol is reactive. Form good habits, because they will be with you forever.
Thanks for your comment. the key, as I said, is a quality pistol, training, and regular practice. And 99% of the time you are more likely to need first aid skills than firearms skills.
And I would disagree with your first statement. While I'm not going to argue over your Glock love, I am going to say that 1911s are a perfectly fine tool - in a lot of cases *because* of a few things you mentioned (like tight tolerances). The key is to find a weapon you can shoot well and rely upon. My 1911s are that. So is my Beretta. So is my derringer.
Tight tolerances do not help a defensive pistol. They have little to do with the level of accuracy needed for defensive uses, and will not help a poor shooter become a good one. Almost any service-style centerfire pistol will shoot a 6 inch group at 20-25 yards with quality defensive ammo, but people test them with crappy range FMJ ammo and then pronounce them inaccurate. Owning a one-inch-group-at-25-yards pistol doesn't make you a better defender, and when it jams because it's dirty or dry or dusty because it missed its weekly TLC session, you aren't a defender at all -- you're a bullet sponge.
"will not help a poor shooter become a good one"
I didn't say that.
I never said you did. I was saying they aren't helpful. They add nothing positive, and potentially can cause or contribute to functioning problems in less than perfect maintenance/weather conditions.
If you think tight tolerances ARE helpful in a defensive handgun, perhaps you could describe how/why you believe that is the case.
Crickets FTW.
What I find ironic about this whole conversation is the pretty standard gun guy debate about 1911’s, DA/SA, striker fired, etc ….. AND here I am suggesting that all of those, depending, are good quality pistols. Because they are. What is important is the training, the practice of fundamentals, the ongoing maintenance of the skills and the mindset. A dude with a cheapo Taurus who trains routinely is way better than a dude with a Wilson COmbat CQB that never trains. Period.
Meanwhile, first aid training and equipment is far and away more likely to be used and be useful than your pistol. Period.
Great, inexpensive marksmanship training, simple .22 LR rifles (primarily) with Appleseed classes. Get some Revolutionary War history mixed in. Weekend classes in many areas. Two days for less than $100. Appleseedinfo.org. all ages
Thanks for reading and commenting. This is great advice, especially for those brand new to firearms
As big as those other elements...
Belong to a community. I don't mean a club that meets across town (even at the gun range), but the people around you in YOUR neighborhood. So that, after a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, houses in your 'hood burning, etc., you can work together to take care of each other. In some instances it might even help you deal with large groups of nasty people. (Remember there were neighborhoods BLM/AntiFa bypassed in the Summer of Love because the neighbors all armed up and stood at the entrances and said "Not here, not today.")
EDIT: It will also help with someone mistaking you for a bad guy if you need to go about armed or carrying tools after an event. If you've talked to folks and they know each other well, they're less likely to call the cops. "OMG! There's a man with a gun walking through the neighborhood! And he's got a chainsaw! Eeeeaaarrrggghhhh!!!"