1911

[DHart]

My 1911's are no longer my primary go-to weapons. That duty falls to several others... a G21SF, M&P45C, G17, G19.

The G26, PM9, P938, S&W 640 and 642 also serve as back-ups to the primaries.

Although, I should add that this Colt Series 70 Hard-Chromed Virgil Tripp custom 1911 sits fully loaded (8+1) with 230 gr. Federal HST, on the shelf beside my desk,



largely because I like having it around, looking at it, and it is certainly capable of serving very well indeed, if needed.

High capacity is what, primarily, led me to transition to the G21SF, G17, and G19 for defense/carry use.

=========

For the record... In a couple of decades of continual use of my 1911's, I've never had a plunger tube separate or be loose in any way. I did learn early on, however, how to adjust extractor tension - something that's very quick and easy to do, and important to know how to do if relying on 1911s for defense.

[Rainbow Demon]

I lived in a town not far from the US&S plant in SWISSVALE PA. There are RUMORS that there are LUNCH BOX PISTOLS in the area .But you know how RUMORS ARE.

Ran across a site awhile back that had a evaluation of a WW2 Remington Rand "lunchbox pistol".
Due to some difficulty in setting up the machinery some Remington Rand frames were not properly machined at the forward end.
These and other frames with defects were disposed of by smashing or crushing with a vice of the thinest part in front of the triggerguard.
The lunchbox special on that page had a frame with the crushed portion straightened leaving a split in the steel. This did not affect operation.
The frame had been salvaged from the junk bin, likely these would otherwise have been melted down as scrap metal. Where the other parts came from is unknown, perhaps also pocketed parts with minor defects, but post WW2 every replacement part other than a frame could be bought cheaply as surplus.

[PawPaw]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Demon

but post WW2 every replacement part other than a frame could be bought cheaply as surplus.

I remember as a kid, seeing ads for surplus Colt 1911s for $89.95, postpaid, delivered to your mailbox. This was, of course, before 1968 and GCA68. The first shotgun I ever bought, at age 12, I bought across the counter of a local club, having paid cash in the amount of $84.00. It was a Winchester 1200 pump and I shot that shotgun for many years.

There was a day when we could buy firearms by mail and 12 year olds could buy shotguns across the counter for cash fairly earned.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Rainbow Demon

Awhile back I posted a query about the same sort of gap showing at my S&W Model 59's bushing, the gap extending all the way around. I was told this was not a concern.
If its a sign of a potential problem in the future should I start looking for a replacement bushing?

I don't see why or how it could be an issue. The recoil spring is always in compression and pushing the bushing forward, but the maximum force applied (if the pistol doesn't an incorrect recoil spring in it) is 16 pounds for a standard Government model, 18 pounds for a standard Commander, and 22 pounds for an Officers ACP. No matter what power level of ammo you shoot or how fast the slide travels, unless the spring stacks the forward force on the bushing can never exceed the rated strength of the spring.

What you are describing is a cosmetic issue only.

[thinktwice]

There is really too many reason's as to why so many people love the 1911. Just my reasons alone are staggering. So far I have several, and a few of them are of the "high end" production line. The trigger's alone are in a class no others can match. But still I have never owned a high end custom 1911 like a Wilson, Ed Brown, or any of the others. So it's hard to understand how a Wilson could shoot and feel any better than some of the ones I own, but from what I understand it's a very very big difference. I really really want one. I have never had the money, and still don't but I have been contemplating selling a few of my other 1911's to purchase one. I would love to have one bad, but like I have told others I always regret letting any of my pistols go, even to up-grade. So maybe some others on here can convince me to sell a few, and get one custom made Wilson or something.

[bac1023]

Here are some of mine...



Colt Gold Cup Trophy








STI Trojan








Detonics Service Master

[bac1023]

Springfield GI








Thompson Custom 1911








Mark Morris Tactical Elite package on Colt Series 70

[vikz]

Oh I don't know just BECAUSE its the best thing ever made after sliced bread!! and they do multiply too..

[bac1023]

Colt Special Combat Government








Nighthawk Enforcer








Nighthawk Predator II

[bac1023]

Springfield TRP








Ed Brown Kobra Carry








Ed Brown Classic Custom

[bac1023]

Iver Johnson Eagle








Volkmann Combat Custom








Taurus PT1911

[bac1023]

Desert Eagle 1911








Ithaca 1911A1








EGW full house Custom

[bac1023]

Regent 100








Remington 1911R1








Springfield TGO1

[bac1023]

Smith & Wesson Performance Center








AMT Hardballer








STI Spartan

[bac1023]

EMF Hartford









Colt National Match








Ruger SR1911

[bac1023]

Doublestar 1911








RIA GI








Dan Wesson CBOB

[bac1023]

Guncrafter No Name








Wilson CQB








Wilson Classic Super Grade

[bac1023]

Dan Wesson Valor








USFA 1911








Heirloom Precision retro custom package on Colt WWI reproduction

[bac1023]

Valtro 1998A1








Kimber Super Match II








STI Legacy

[bac1023]

Infinity full house custom 1911








Rock River Limited Match

[pjcforpres2020]

Jaw+Floor=bac1023's collection

[bac1023]

Originally Posted by pjcforpres2020

Jaw+Floor=bac1023's collection

Thanks. I have 20 to 25 others. I'll post the rest at some point.

[pjcforpres2020]

Thanks. That's about half of mine. I'll post the rest at some point.

You need a new best friend?

[TheGoldenState]

Bac,

Go back to page 4, post #94

I knew I had my money on the right one

[DHart]

thinktwice said:

But still I have never owned a high end custom 1911 like a Wilson, Ed Brown, or any of the others. So it's hard to understand how a Wilson could shoot and feel any better than some of the ones I own, but from what I understand it's a very very big difference. I really really want one. I have never had the money, and still don't but I have been contemplating selling a few of my other 1911's to purchase one. I would love to have one bad, but like I have told others I always regret letting any of my pistols go, even to up-grade. So maybe some others on here can convince me to sell a few, and get one custom made Wilson or something.

thinktwice... having had somewhere around 35 or so 1911's at one point, many customs, and a number of high dollar brands, my experience is that I'm just as happy with some of my lightly customized Colts. like this one



as I've been with any of the uber-dollar custom jobs.

Of course, they're all nice and each have their own unique characteristics which are cool. But its a very rare individual who can regularly shoot more than a few pistols to the point of achieving true bonding and mastery with the weapon. The more you have, the less most of them ever get shot. More isn't better, it's kind of gluttonous, actually. Now that I've scaled back to a dozen or so 1911's, I could still scale back some more, though I'm not exactly motivated to do so, and few see much use.

So... for those who might wish for a large collection of 1911's, or to own $2500+ 1911's, my experience has taught me that having a few good quality 1911's that you shoot often and know exceptionally well is BETTER than amassing dozens of them or spending thousands on an individual pistol. Sure, the $2500+ 1911's are nice guns, cool to "show off" and get some ooohs and ahhhhs, but they don't necessarily bring much more satisfaction than a nicely put together $1200 1911 that you shoot very often and are bonded with. Even with a home range where shooting was quick and convenient for me, most of my guns saw little use - because there were so many.

At this point I could scale back to just two or three 1911's (the above Colt Series 70 being one of them), along with my other modern pistols, and be perfectly content. Less IS more!