Ok to keep 1911 condition 1?

Killzone2kX · July 31, 2011, 07:26 PM

Hey guys. I have a Sig 1911 c3 that I carry condition 1 everywhere I go. I will generally unload it once I get home, but I was wondering if it would be alright to keep it condition 1 all the time. Will it put strain on the spring over time?

Thanks.

cougar gt-e · July 31, 2011, 07:30 PM

That's fine.

TXGunNut · July 31, 2011, 07:40 PM

Condition One is the only way I carry or store a loaded 1911. A SA 1911 in any other condition makes no sense to me but that's just me. Springs are inexpensive wear items and need to be replaced from time to time regardless of the condition the weapon is stored or carried in.

Hunter Customs · July 31, 2011, 08:33 PM

You will not harm the gun by keeping it in condition one.
What weakens springs is continous use, (the loading and unloading of the spring).
Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

orionengnr · July 31, 2011, 08:56 PM

Each of my carry 1911s is kept in C1. The one on my hip and the two in the safe have been C&L for nearly five years. All of them still work just fine.

I read too many posts of people having NDs while loading/unloading daily. Unnecessary administrative handling is the cause of more NDs than anything else.

TXGunNut · July 31, 2011, 09:16 PM

Unnecessary administartive handling is the cause of more NDs than anything else. -orionengnr

Excellent point! Organizations that require loading and unloading utilize a safe area of some type. Call it a fumble zone, safe area, loading/unloading barrel, whatever. This practice recognizes that ND's happen when loadiing, unloading or otherwise manipulating semi-auto handguns. Load it, cock it, lock it. Leave it alone until you're ready to fire, it'll be ready whenever you are.

CDW4ME · August 1, 2011, 07:41 AM

Keeping it in condition 1 ? I've gotten use to it.

45Gunner · August 1, 2011, 08:55 AM

Keep your gun in Condition 1. The constant loading and unloading is what will wear out your springs.

shortwave · August 1, 2011, 06:05 PM

Condition 1 ='s the only way to keep a loaded 1911.

Killzone2kX · August 1, 2011, 06:41 PM

Thanks for the responses guys!

GONIF · August 1, 2011, 07:54 PM

Funny story about a 1911 and cond 1 . My uncle had a Colt 1911 that he thought he lost in 1972. He passed away in 2009 at 84 years old and we went to help my aunt move out of the house she and my uncle bought and lived in since 1964. I found the lost Colt 1911 in the hall closet in it's holster under a bunch of boxed up old clothes ( my uncle was a pack rat he had clothes from B4 ww2 including his HS graduation suit ). It was loaded in condition 1 ( cocked and locked). I asked my aunt if she wanted to sell it ,she said I could have it if I wanted it as she hated guns . I took it to the range the next week as is and it went bang 8 times ,I cleaned and oiled it and shot 200 rounds out of it without a hicup. I cleanrd and oiled it and it sits in the back of my safe unloaded . I did get her a case of her favorite wine for giveing me the pistol . Looks like long term storage in condition is not a problem.

manta49 · August 2, 2011, 01:14 PM

Just wondering why so many advice carrying in condition 1 . I can see someone in a war zone or in immediate danger carrying a pistol in condition 1 is it necessary when driving to the shopping. ND.s do happen and when you have a gun loaded but no round in the chamber they are less likely to happen. I think people with limited experience with pistols carrying in con 1 is asking for trouble, they are more likely to shoot themselves than someone shoot them.

Shoppers recall silence, fear in Lynnwood Lowe's store when man shot himself in testicles
The victim won't talk, but those who were nearby when a man accidentally shot himself in the groin inside a Lynnwood Lowe's store last weekend say it was a frightening experience.

Archive | Man accidentally shoots himself in testicles
For a few seconds, there was total silence at Lowe's Home Improvement in Lynnwood just after the gunshot went off at 12:30 on Sunday afternoon.

"It was dead quiet," remembers Jim Fischer, a Shoreline Fire Department paramedic who happened to be at the checkout line with his wife, Kim. They're doing a bathroom remodel.

These days, you hear a loud bang while shopping, and it's hard not to think the worst.

"I'm thinking, if it's an active shooter, we're bolting," Fischer says.

Then a Lowe's employee shouted for somebody to call an ambulance, that somebody had shot himself.

OK, Fischer decided, I better go see if I can help the victim.

It turned out to be a story that by the next day would go viral on the Web:

A 41-year-old Lynnwood man had accidentally shot himself in the testicles at Lowe's.

For those at the scene, it would be something they'll remember as initially scary, and then, as they learned the details ... the guy did what?

Helping the victim, who was wearing black sweatpants, Fischer asked how it happened.

"He says, 'It was in my waistband, and I felt it starting to slip, reached for it, and I must have positioned my finger so the trigger went off," Fischer remembered Thursday.

A Lynnwood police report about the incident says the gun was a Glock 30, a compact pistol described by the manufacturer as "the legendary .45 caliber."

Mrgunsngear · August 2, 2011, 01:26 PM

I'd say if you're carrying a firearm you forsee the possibility of a lifethreatening situation so how is it different than 'a war zone' as you said? IMO, it's not. Also, most guns have some sort of safety even if it's a firing pin safety so the odds of the gun 'going off by itself' are extremely low.

I say lock and load brother.

orionengnr · August 2, 2011, 01:30 PM

Manta--
Your post is somewhat confusing. First you ask why people advocate carrying a 1911 C&L. The answer to that is that an unloaded pistol is a club.

Then you go on to give an example of someone shooting himself with a Glock, which is a completely different design. And then it turns out that the dummy was carrying in the waistband of his sweatpants. A Plaxico wanna-be?

**Tom Servo** · August 2, 2011, 01:30 PM

Quote:

ND.s do happen and when you have a gun loaded but no round in the chamber they are less likely to happen.

Sure, and my car's less likely to run over kittens if I leave it in the drive way.

Quote:

I think people with limited experience with pistols carrying in con 1 is asking for trouble, they are more likely to shoot themselves than someone shoot them.

Could you describe what factors make that so? A 1911 in Condition One has two (often three) safeties in operation. If somebody manages to flub all of them, then they've no place carrying a weapon of any sort. That person should probably avoid power tools and household chemicals as well.

Quote:

A Lynnwood police report about the incident says the gun was a Glock 30, a compact pistol described by the manufacturer as "the legendary .45 caliber."

Actually, the Glock is not a single-action pistol, and it can't be carried in Condition One. I would argue that the Glock is less safe than the 1911 due to its design.

Ironically, two of the ND's resulting in personal injury that I've heard about in the last year were with the Glock 30. One other was with a Sig, and one was with a KelTec. I've heard of none with a 1911 in the last ten years or so.

spacecoast · August 2, 2011, 01:43 PM

Condition 1 is different for a Glock - no manual safety like a 1911. Pull the trigger and it goes bang, and the trigger isn't especially heavy or long.

Besides, sticking any gun in the waistband of your sweatpants isn't exactly a secure way to carry. HOLSTER anyone?

shortwave · August 2, 2011, 01:45 PM

Would also add to Tom's list that more than likely if Plaxico Jr. would have had his Glock in a proper holster his booger hook couldn't have pulled the trigger.

Killzone2kX · August 2, 2011, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Just wondering why so many advice carrying in condition 1 . I can see someone in a war zone or in immediate danger carrying a pistol in condition 1 is it necessary when driving to the shopping. ND.s do happen and when you have a gun loaded but no round in the chamber they are less likely to happen. I think people with limited experience with pistols carrying in con 1 is asking for trouble, they are more likely to shoot themselves than someone shoot them.

I was actually considering a Glock 36 as my carry gun when I was doing my research. The reason that I went with the 1911 as my primary carry gun is because of the level of failures needed in order for a ND to happen. Somehow the thumb safety will have to be disengaged, but I can see that happening so lets say you have that situation. Now you are carrying condition 0 ( round in chamber, safety off). Even in this "ready to fire" state the grip safety will have to somehow be depressed and at the same time the trigger will have to be pulled. Contrast this with the carrying of a Glock with 1 in the chamber, in which all that has to happen is the pulling of the trigger, and I will go with the 1911 cocked and locked every time.

I would never carry without one in the chamber since many self defense situations happen very quickly, and the drawing, and then racking of the slide is a slow affair when contrasted to correctly drawing the 1911 and disengaging the safety as you bring your thumb down to a proper grip.

Buzzcook · August 2, 2011, 01:57 PM

I had thought the term was condition zero.

**Tom Servo** · August 2, 2011, 02:03 PM

Quote:

if Plaxico Jr. would have had his Glock in a proper holster his booger hook couldn't have pulled the trigger.

But then he'd never have become a spokesperson for the Brady Campaign.

Don P · August 2, 2011, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Besides, sticking any gun in the waistband of your sweatpants isn't exactly a secure way to carry. HOLSTER anyone?

I yosta carry this way and now I'm a Soprano.

manta49 · August 2, 2011, 03:12 PM

Fair enough the post was specific to the 1911 . I was talking more in general but even with the 1911 to carry in con 1 you still have to put a round in and out of the chamber that's when someone with limited experience could shoot himself or someone else. But it is down to personal preference i would be happy to take a chance on the seconds or two it would take for me to rack the slide, some people wouldn't . Most people here who carry personal protection weapons, and are under real and specific threat carry them loaded not ready.
I See the hole debate on carrying in con 1 is on another thread.

spacecoast · August 2, 2011, 03:44 PM

Quote:

But then he'd never have become a spokesperson for the Brady Campaign.

That's a hilarious article...

Quote:

"My voice here today is that they don't help anybody," Burress said (via the AP) about guns.

Notice the linkage to Michael Vick... carrying is the moral equivalent of dog fighting.

45Gunner · August 2, 2011, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Just wondering why so many advice carrying in condition 1 . I can see someone in a war zone or in immediate danger carrying a pistol in condition 1 is it necessary when driving to the shopping. ND.s do happen and when you have a gun loaded but no round in the chamber they are less likely to happen. I think people with limited experience with pistols carrying in con 1 is asking for trouble, they are more likely to shoot themselves than someone shoot them

.

You should learn the workings of a 1911 and you will see why most of us carry in Condition One. When you need a gun, it is usually an immediate thing and drawing and arming the slide may be all the time it takes to lose your life.
In order for a 1911 to fire, one must grip the frame to disengage the grip safety. The manual thumb safety lever must be moved to the off position and lastly, the trigger must be engaged. All three must happen in order for the gun to fire. Part of carrying in Condition One is keeping the thumb safety on.

HKFan9 · August 2, 2011, 04:14 PM

If you are not skilled/comfortable with your abilities to carry a gun in condition 1 than you should not be carrying a firearm at all. Buy mace, or a stun gun, or whatever else you will feel comfortable and confident with.

Like others have said.... if we were attacked and had to draw.... which I have had the misfortune to experience ... you are already on the defensive, disadvantaged side of things. You need to deploy your weapon system... quickly and smoothly, and with it READY to operate.

Even IF you were a trained martial artist with the fast dynamic movement capabilities in the world, and fastest draw time... I would STILL say it is necessary to carry condition 1, for the sole reason that administrative reloads exist. A LOT CAN GO WRONG WHEN TRYING TO RACK A ROUND INTO THE CHAMBER, SPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO DO SO IN A HURRY UNDER EXTREME STRESS.

I don't care who you are, what kind of training you had, if you are attacked and draw a firearm that is not ready to operate... and have a mechanical or feeding issue when you try to rack that slide under stress with tunnel vision and a lot of other factors working against you.... you will more than likely end up dead.

July 31, 2011, 07:26 PM	#1
Killzone2kX Member Join Date: April 14, 2011 Posts: 15	Ok to keep 1911 condition 1? Hey guys. I have a Sig 1911 c3 that I carry condition 1 everywhere I go. I will generally unload it once I get home, but I was wondering if it would be alright to keep it condition 1 all the time. Will it put strain on the spring over time? Thanks.

July 31, 2011, 07:40 PM	#3
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	Condition One is the only way I carry or store a loaded 1911. A SA 1911 in any other condition makes no sense to me but that's just me. Springs are inexpensive wear items and need to be replaced from time to time regardless of the condition the weapon is stored or carried in. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights.

July 31, 2011, 08:56 PM	#5
orionengnr Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2004 Posts: 5,173	Each of my carry 1911s is kept in C1. The one on my hip and the two in the safe have been C&L for nearly five years. All of them still work just fine. I read too many posts of people having NDs while loading/unloading daily. Unnecessary administrative handling is the cause of more NDs than anything else. Last edited by orionengnr; August 2, 2011 at 01:24 PM.

July 31, 2011, 09:16 PM	#6
TXGunNut Senior Member Join Date: January 16, 2010 Location: If you have to ask... Posts: 2,860	Unnecessary administartive handling is the cause of more NDs than anything else. -orionengnr Excellent point! Organizations that require loading and unloading utilize a safe area of some type. Call it a fumble zone, safe area, loading/unloading barrel, whatever. This practice recognizes that ND's happen when loadiing, unloading or otherwise manipulating semi-auto handguns. Load it, cock it, lock it. Leave it alone until you're ready to fire, it'll be ready whenever you are. __________________ Life Member NRA, TSRA Smokeless powder is a passing fad! -Steve Garbe I hate rude behavior in a man. I won't tolerate it. -Woodrow F. Call Lonesome Dove My favorite recipes start out with a handful of used wheelweights.

August 1, 2011, 07:41 AM	#7
CDW4ME Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2009 Posts: 1,321	Keeping it in condition 1 ? I've gotten use to it. __________________ Strive to carry the handgun you would want anywhere, everywhere; forget that good area bullcrap. "Wouldn't want to / Nobody volunteer to" get shot by _____ is not indicative of quickly incapacitating.

July 31, 2011, 07:30 PM	#2
cougar gt-e Senior Member Join Date: July 25, 2009 Posts: 1,003	That's fine.

July 31, 2011, 08:33 PM	#4
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	You will not harm the gun by keeping it in condition one. What weakens springs is continous use, (the loading and unloading of the spring). Best Regards Bob Hunter www.huntercustoms.com

August 1, 2011, 08:55 AM	#8
45Gunner Senior Member Join Date: August 8, 2009 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 1,902	Keep your gun in Condition 1. The constant loading and unloading is what will wear out your springs. __________________ 45Gunner May the Schwartz Be With You. NRA Instructor NRA Life Member

August 1, 2011, 06:05 PM	#9
shortwave Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2007 Location: SOUTHEAST, OHIO Posts: 5,970	Condition 1 ='s the only way to keep a loaded 1911.

August 1, 2011, 06:41 PM	#10
Killzone2kX Member Join Date: April 14, 2011 Posts: 15	Thanks for the responses guys!

August 1, 2011, 07:54 PM	#11
GONIF Senior Member Join Date: July 11, 2009 Location: PHOENIX IT'S A DRY HEAT AZ Posts: 844	Funny story about a 1911 and cond 1 . My uncle had a Colt 1911 that he thought he lost in 1972. He passed away in 2009 at 84 years old and we went to help my aunt move out of the house she and my uncle bought and lived in since 1964. I found the lost Colt 1911 in the hall closet in it's holster under a bunch of boxed up old clothes ( my uncle was a pack rat he had clothes from B4 ww2 including his HS graduation suit ). It was loaded in condition 1 ( cocked and locked). I asked my aunt if she wanted to sell it ,she said I could have it if I wanted it as she hated guns . I took it to the range the next week as is and it went bang 8 times ,I cleaned and oiled it and shot 200 rounds out of it without a hicup. I cleanrd and oiled it and it sits in the back of my safe unloaded . I did get her a case of her favorite wine for giveing me the pistol . Looks like long term storage in condition is not a problem. __________________ WHO ME ?

August 2, 2011, 01:14 PM	#12
manta49 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2011 Location: N Ireland. UK. Posts: 1,809	Just wondering why so many advice carrying in condition 1 . I can see someone in a war zone or in immediate danger carrying a pistol in condition 1 is it necessary when driving to the shopping. ND.s do happen and when you have a gun loaded but no round in the chamber they are less likely to happen. I think people with limited experience with pistols carrying in con 1 is asking for trouble, they are more likely to shoot themselves than someone shoot them. Shoppers recall silence, fear in Lynnwood Lowe's store when man shot himself in testicles The victim won't talk, but those who were nearby when a man accidentally shot himself in the groin inside a Lynnwood Lowe's store last weekend say it was a frightening experience. Archive \| Man accidentally shoots himself in testicles For a few seconds, there was total silence at Lowe's Home Improvement in Lynnwood just after the gunshot went off at 12:30 on Sunday afternoon. "It was dead quiet," remembers Jim Fischer, a Shoreline Fire Department paramedic who happened to be at the checkout line with his wife, Kim. They're doing a bathroom remodel. These days, you hear a loud bang while shopping, and it's hard not to think the worst. "I'm thinking, if it's an active shooter, we're bolting," Fischer says. Then a Lowe's employee shouted for somebody to call an ambulance, that somebody had shot himself. OK, Fischer decided, I better go see if I can help the victim. It turned out to be a story that by the next day would go viral on the Web: A 41-year-old Lynnwood man had accidentally shot himself in the testicles at Lowe's. For those at the scene, it would be something they'll remember as initially scary, and then, as they learned the details ... the guy did what? Helping the victim, who was wearing black sweatpants, Fischer asked how it happened. "He says, 'It was in my waistband, and I felt it starting to slip, reached for it, and I must have positioned my finger so the trigger went off," Fischer remembered Thursday. A Lynnwood police report about the incident says the gun was a Glock 30, a compact pistol described by the manufacturer as "the legendary .45 caliber."

August 2, 2011, 01:26 PM	#13
Mrgunsngear Senior Member Join Date: May 13, 2011 Location: Carolina Posts: 3,415	I'd say if you're carrying a firearm you forsee the possibility of a lifethreatening situation so how is it different than 'a war zone' as you said? IMO, it's not. Also, most guns have some sort of safety even if it's a firing pin safety so the odds of the gun 'going off by itself' are extremely low. I say lock and load brother.

August 2, 2011, 01:30 PM	#14
orionengnr Senior Member Join Date: July 9, 2004 Posts: 5,173	Manta-- Your post is somewhat confusing. First you ask why people advocate carrying a 1911 C&L. The answer to that is that an unloaded pistol is a club. Then you go on to give an example of someone shooting himself with a Glock, which is a completely different design. And then it turns out that the dummy was carrying in the waistband of his sweatpants. A Plaxico wanna-be?

August 2, 2011, 01:43 PM	#16
spacecoast Senior Member Join Date: October 14, 2009 Location: Sunshine and Keystone States Posts: 4,461	Condition 1 is different for a Glock - no manual safety like a 1911. Pull the trigger and it goes bang, and the trigger isn't especially heavy or long. Besides, sticking any gun in the waistband of your sweatpants isn't exactly a secure way to carry. HOLSTER anyone?

August 2, 2011, 01:45 PM	#17
shortwave Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2007 Location: SOUTHEAST, OHIO Posts: 5,970	Would also add to Tom's list that more than likely if Plaxico Jr. would have had his Glock in a proper holster his booger hook couldn't have pulled the trigger. Last edited by shortwave; August 2, 2011 at 01:55 PM.

August 2, 2011, 01:57 PM	#19
Buzzcook Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 6,126	I had thought the term was condition zero.

August 2, 2011, 03:12 PM	#22
manta49 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2011 Location: N Ireland. UK. Posts: 1,809	Fair enough the post was specific to the 1911 . I was talking more in general but even with the 1911 to carry in con 1 you still have to put a round in and out of the chamber that's when someone with limited experience could shoot himself or someone else. But it is down to personal preference i would be happy to take a chance on the seconds or two it would take for me to rack the slide, some people wouldn't . Most people here who carry personal protection weapons, and are under real and specific threat carry them loaded not ready. I See the hole debate on carrying in con 1 is on another thread. Last edited by manta49; August 2, 2011 at 04:15 PM.

August 2, 2011, 04:14 PM	#25
HKFan9 Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2008 Posts: 3,057	If you are not skilled/comfortable with your abilities to carry a gun in condition 1 than you should not be carrying a firearm at all. Buy mace, or a stun gun, or whatever else you will feel comfortable and confident with. Like others have said.... if we were attacked and had to draw.... which I have had the misfortune to experience ... you are already on the defensive, disadvantaged side of things. You need to deploy your weapon system... quickly and smoothly, and with it READY to operate. Even IF you were a trained martial artist with the fast dynamic movement capabilities in the world, and fastest draw time... I would STILL say it is necessary to carry condition 1, for the sole reason that administrative reloads exist. A LOT CAN GO WRONG WHEN TRYING TO RACK A ROUND INTO THE CHAMBER, SPECIALLY WHEN TRYING TO DO SO IN A HURRY UNDER EXTREME STRESS. I don't care who you are, what kind of training you had, if you are attacked and draw a firearm that is not ready to operate... and have a mechanical or feeding issue when you try to rack that slide under stress with tunnel vision and a lot of other factors working against you.... you will more than likely end up dead.

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