Handgun Function

[JimmyR]

OK folks, this may be a little weird, but I need some advice.

I recently decided to jump into the 1911 world, and bought a RIA tactical 1911. I love the gun, and it's a great little shooter.

That said, I really don't know what to do with it.

>I carry SA/DAs semiautos (safety off at all times or decocker only) or DAO revolvers, and really don't want to add a third action (or a necessary external safety) to increase risks of confusion.

>I prefer SA/DA revolvers for primary home defense/nightstand duty, due to the simplicity of action while half asleep.

>It has no sentimental value and no real collector value, so it's not a safe queen.

>While my carry gun spends a lot of time in my car, I don't like the idea of a dedicated car gun. Too great a risk in case the car is vandalized/stolen.

>I would like to get my rear in gear and create bug out bags for my wife and I, but I know the 1911 probably isn't the best gun for that job, due to the size and weight of the gun and ammo.

Maybe this is my neuroticism, but I like my guns to have a function. This one so far is a range gun, but I am afraid that unless I put it in a rotation of some sort, it will end up getting sold/traded (I have a habit of buying/selling/ trading a lot; Cheapshooter thinks I'm insane). It's definitely safe for the time being (unless someone wants to trade it for a CZ 2057 Rami Alloy, in which case I will dance with the guy afterwards), but I want to start thinking about the role it will play.

I guess my question is this: barring EDC, what do you other 1911 owners use your 1911 for?

[oldandslow]

Jimmy, 10/9/13

I have the same predicament. I carry DA/SA pistols (Sigs or SW 3rd gens) but also have a couple of 1911's- a SA full size and a SA Ultracompact (aka the jamomatic). The full-size has over 5,000 trouble free rounds, is both accuate and fun to shoot. I shoot it several times a year but it doesn't really fill any void in my stable. I keep it because it's a joy to shoot and because everyone should have at least one 1911. So no great insight or wisdom here.

best wishes- oldandslow

PS- I also have a CZ Rami 9mm but am not interested in selling it or dancing with you. Sorry.

[JimmyR]

Originally Posted by oldandslow

PS- I also have a CZ Rami 9mm but am not interested in selling it or dancing with you. Sorry.

ROFL- That made my night. Tears in my eyes from laughter.

[qwiksdraw]

It looks like you already talked yourself out of keeping your 1911.

Too bad, it would seem like just having fun shooting it would be enough reason to keep it. Sometimes you throw out all the logic, planning and organization and do something just because it makes you happy.

[BigD_in_FL]

Mine are purely for fun at the range - nothing wrong with that, you know

[Ryu825]

I have a gi style 1911 and a modern enhanced one. Both range guns but sometimes when I'm sitting at home I just feel like a 1911 rather than my beretta

[RUT]

>>I have a habit of buying/selling/ trading a lot<<

Same on this end, but it's a good way to experience a lot of different firearms.

[pilpens]

My 1911s in 9mm are range guns.
My 1911 45 is also a range gun since I use my CC pistol as my HD/SD pistol.

They all can do double duty as HD/SD pistols but they are just big and heavy for EDC. Can it be an EDC? Yes but having pistols better suited for EDC ..... you know the rest of the story.

[James K]

The answer is simple. If you have a gun (or anything else) for which you have no use and don't want to keep, sell it and use the money to buy something you do want and can use.

Jim

[Bob Wright]

I had, for awhile, a Colt Gold Cup in .45 ACP. It was a pretty good gun for crows and groundhog out to about seventy five yards, or so. I handloaded my ammunition and used the 185 gr. Sierra JHC (Jacketed Hollow Cavity) bullet. This did a good job on small varmints. Also used some Winchester factory Silvertips to good advantage.

I've heard of folks taking deer with the M1911, but I'd rather stick with the .44 Magnum for that kind of work.

Bob Wright

[Coach Z]

I've gone through this dilemma with a number of guns that I've owned. In the few short years that I've owned guns I have probably bought 40 handguns. That's certainly not the number of guns that I own currently just the number that I've gone through. Some just didn't tickle my fancy some were not reliable and some I sold because it was a good deal and got something else. I have settled down a little with the frantic pace of acquisitions now that I know more what I like.

Don't feel guilty about having a gun just for occasional use. I don't shoot my special grade garand much but love knowing it's there!

[BigJimP]

As a fan of the 1911.... a 1911 in 5" ( in .45 acp ) is my primary carry gun....and a 1911 in 5" ( in 9mm ) is my primary range/practice gun - for my twice a week tactical drills at the range.

No platform other than a 1911...since I've owned and fired them for so many years....makes a lot of sense to me as a primary defensive handgun / grip angle, slimness of the weapon, great triggers...all make the 1911 what it is / to me, the perfect Defensive Handgun.../ weight is no big deal with a good leather holster and a good belt - in fact, I think a 5" 1911 is easy to carry.

But to each his own....everyone should buy and shoot / or carry whatever they want...
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Personally, the last gun I'd ever carry is something in a double stack ...too wide, too bulky..in my view ( and compared to a good trigger on a 1911, most of them have pretty marginal triggers in my opinion, simply because of their design - where they're hinged from a pin, and swing thru an arc / vs the straight back and forth of a 1911 trigger ( no arc )....
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But it doesn't mean I want to get rid of guns like my Sig 226's or my S&W revolvers in 8 3/8" barrels in .44 mag ( but I don't want to carry the Sigs or the big long revolvers )..../ they're extra guns for the kids to shoot, extra guns for training, classic revolvers, fun for me to shoot, etc...and they make up a nice niche in my collection ( I have about 5 Sig Sauers, about 8 1911's and about 23 S&W revolvers...)...and a few rimfires ( don't need to carry them all ). I will occasionally use my K, L or N frame S&W revolvers in 2 1/2" or 4" barrels...especially in .357 Mag - for my Tactical Drills as well...but I don't actually carry them much..../ that's what works for me...

[Dunecigar]

American citizen living in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Central America:

My most recent purchase has been my Charles Daly M-5 Commander .45. I bought this gun for many reasons:

1. As an American I just felt the need to own an iconic 1911. I know, I know, the M-5 is made in Israel, hi-cap, polymer, blah, blah, blah, but it is still a 1911 at heart.

and...

2. I want a variety of weapons, ie; DA/SA, revolver, SA, DAO, to extend the range of my hands' muscle memory. The HS .40 is next up on my list as well as the Micro Desert Eagle to fill in the mouse gun "slot" in my cache.

Now, my 1911 does have very certain challenges involved in making it a EDC. For one, and most importantly, carrying it in Cond 1. To me, that is a horse of a whole different color to concealed carry. I've been able to master Cond 1 in the car however while walking about, right now, I go Cond 2 with the mind set to finally master Cond 1 while walking, shopping, etc, etc.

IMHO, I firmly believe that a 1911 in Cond 1 can be a EDC. Ya just have to take the time to master it.

Hope I didn't rant too much and I hope I've helped.

Best regards,
D. Idaho

[JimmyR]

Originally Posted by qwiksdraw

It looks like you already talked yourself out of keeping your 1911.

Too bad, it would seem like just having fun shooting it would be enough reason to keep it. Sometimes you throw out all the logic, planning and organization and do something just because it makes you happy.

I really have no desire to get rid of the 1911 right now, and I know I won't until I put a few more hundred rounds though it (RI reccomends 500 rd break in, and I have about 200 now). I'm more concerned that keeping it without it having a "job" will make it seem "expendable" when something I like wafts by. Again, not planning on getting rid of it, and I actually really like it, so I'm trying to find a "job" for it so that I DON'T get rid of it.

Originally Posted by Dunecigar

IMHO, I firmly believe that a 1911 in Cond 1 can be a EDC. Ya just have to take the time to master it.

I agree 100%, but I have to admit, for EDC, I just prefer the DA pull of my CZ75 or my Makarov for my first pull out of the holster.

Again, just looking for what ideas people have for a 1911 other than EDC

[Kreyzhorse]

I carry my 1911. I shoot my 1911. I use it as a home defense gun. Of course I do that with all my handguns.

Bottom line is use it. If you don't warm up to it, sell it. If you want to find a reason to keep it, you will.

[RBid]

I'm another guy who prefers that everything have a job. Each of my 3 firearms serves a specific purpose, and get a lot of use.

- 19 for EDC, HD. It's always loaded.

- PX4 for dry fire and shooting in DA to continue working trigger press. This gets used multiple times each week.

- 23 as a trainer, spare carry weapon in case anything happens to the 19, and trail gun. I use it for draw practice multiple times each week.


I know a lot of people like to have a variety of handguns to shoot, but I actually get the most satisfaction out of shooting well with my carry weapon. It may just be that I have already fired most popular service weapons and then some, but I don't get as excited about hardware as I used to. Nowadays, my excitement is all about improving software. I'm trying to get my one handed draw and first shot from concealment consistently under 1.5 seconds, working on seeing the front sight dance through recoil, etc.

I guess my point is, each of us is different. We connect to things based on our own values. There really is no *should* or *should not* when it comes to recreational firearms. Go with what makes you smile.

[Cheapshooter]

(Cheapshooter thinks I'm insane)

X2......LOL

Maybe this is my neuroticism, but I like my guns to have a function. This one so far is a range gun

Range use IS a function!
Sorry, just don't get the "every gun has to have a S/D or H/D purpose" attitude.

[JimmyR]

Originally Posted by Cheapshooter

Range use IS a function!
Sorry, just don't get the "every gun has to have a S/D or H/D purpose" attitude.

I know, and I agree for the most part, but when it comes to the decision where I see something else that I might want to get, and have little money, but $450 worth of gun that I don't use that often, it's hard to justify it fiscally in my head.

Please understand, I have plenty of guns that are not SD/HD, but they all have some sort of sentimental value. I have an old pre Model 31 S&W Regulation Police and an Italian made Beretta Minx that i inherited from my father, that I will never sell unless my wife's wellbeing depends on it. I have my grandfather's old Ted Williams shotgun that, despite the fact that he was a "jerk" as the mods prefer me to say, I decided to hold onto for the familial ties.

What I am thinking at the moment is to change my nightstand lineup a little. I am thinking I may relegate the Sec Six to the safe, and eventually to a bug out bag- a 6" stainless 357 revolver would be three steps from perfect if I had to get out quick. Still pondering ideas, but it's working. :-)

[9ballbilly]

I've owned a RIA match .45 1911 and liked it quite a lot. I used mine as a fishing, hiking, and target gun. As said earlier, if you like it enough you'll find a niche for it. Mine eventually got traded for a .45colt Blackhawk, being both a Ruger fan and a reloader I felt the colt was a more versatile choice. keep in mind this is just my opinion.

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by JimmyR

I guess my question is this: barring EDC, what do you other 1911 owners use your 1911 for?

Carry, home defense, range, competition.

As you may surmise from the above, I am primarily (almost exclusively) a 1911 guy. I own a couple of .22 handguns -- one is a Ruger Single Six Convertible six-shooter, another (drum roll, please) a 1911 built by me as a dedicated .22. I own a couple of .22 rifles and a mil-surp Mauser in 8mm.

Consequently, any problems I have regarding manual of arms is the opposite of yours. When I carry, it's a 1911, it's cocked, and the safety is on. The rules where I compete are that 1911s start in the holster, cocked and locked. So my competition trains me for the real world (which was supposed to be the purpose of so-called "practical" shooting competitions). For me, making a transition to a traditional DA/SA would be awkward (In fact, I've shot a couple when at the range with friends, and I canNOT adapt to the difference between the first and second shots).

For your situation, I would suggest selling the 1911 and buying another DA/SA pistol that you can carry and shoot using the manual of arms with which you are already comfortable.

[Cheapshooter]

Well JimmyR, rarely is It needed to evoke rule #2 but in this case.
Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #2 Every gun owner needs a 1911.
I know each has their own impression of how the classic old John Browning design feels. I shoot CZs Springer XDs, Rugers, KAHRs, S&W, Brownings, Walthers, Berettas, etc., all good in their own way. But nothing quite feels like a 1911.

[JimmyR]

Originally Posted by Cheapshooter

Well JimmyR, rarely is It needed to evoke rule #2 but in this case.
Cheapshooter's rules of gun ownership #2 Every gun owner needs a 1911.
I know each has their own impression of how the classic old John Browning design feels. I shoot CZs Springer XDs, Rugers, KAHRs, S&W, Brownings, Walthers, Berettas, etc., all good in their own way. But nothing quite feels like a 1911.

I knew if I called you out by name, I'd get you into this conversation...

The guy that owns my LGS is of the same opinion, and to be honest so do I. I'm enjoying the gun, and probably gonna go spend some time at the range putting a few more rounds down it.

My CZ-75BD is my AEDC (almost every day carry), and the 1911 feels good in my hand. I have a feeling it may be time to put the 1911 and the Security Six in a face off for nightstand duty.

[44 AMP]

Everything I own has a "job". I own a lot of stuff that has only the job of entertaining me. There's a bunch of stuff in the house who's job, for years, has been to sit on a shelf and collect dust (most of those belong to the wife.

All my guns have one job, to go bang when I pull the trigger. Everything else is at my discretion.

Keep it if pleases you. Get rid of it, if it doesn't. Seems simple to me.

[gav1230]

If you like it, keep it. Not everything needs a reason.

[MountainDrew]

I ran into the same problem, and it is why I dont have any heavy large handguns anymore.