1911 or P220

[jmstr]

YOUR purpose should guide your choice- not ours.

There are real concerns about muscle memory and familiarity- for both safety disengagement and trigger control [due to trigger weight and break point] for defensive firearms.

There are ways around those issues.

I prefer to have BOTH a 1911 AND a P220.


Same capacity, so the only real question is how you want to use it- carry daily or minute of tin can/paper scoring? And, once you decide that, you STILL haven't decided which to carry.

Does Cocked and Locked make you nervous for carry? Or, at all? If not, then it is hard to get a better trigger than can be had in the 1911 platform- and hard to spend as much as is possible on a high-end 1911.

If C/L carry makes you nervous- then you have a few options: Get a DA/SA pistol [Sig P220], Get a striker-fired pistol [Glock, M&P, XD, Etc], get a Revolver, or Train yourself to become comfortable with it.

When I got back into shooting around age 30, Cocked and Locked made me nervous, and I preferred DA/SA.

Now, 1911s, Browning High Powers, Taurus P92 [pre 1990], and CZ 75 [Non-Decocker] don't worry me at all.


I have more single-action semi-autos than DA/SA or Striker- by a ratio of something like 6-1. At age 30 it was 1-4.

YOU Decide what is right for YOUR tastes/interests/needs.

And report back.

[gwpercle]

Every shooter should have one 1911 in 45 acp...just so they will know why it's still in production and when other shooters talk about it they wont be totally clueless.
A 1911 45 acp is sitting on the desk as I type this... I like to keep it close .
Gary

[dgludwig]

Every shooter should have one 1911 in 45 acp...

Yep. And an 1873-style Colt single-action revolver and a Winchester Model 94 carbine to boot, just to stay relevant when it comes to having iconic American designed firearms.

[44 AMP]

Yep. And an 1873-style Colt single-action revolver and a Winchester Model 94 carbine to boot, just to stay relevant when it comes to having iconic American designed firearms.

Keep your colt SAA and Winchester, I'll take a Ruger Blackhawk and a Marlin!

[jmstr]

Keep your colt SAA and Winchester, I'll take a Ruger Blackhawk and a Marlin!

I'll see your blackhawk, and raise you a Super Blackhawk! [but Marlin 1894 .44mag- yep].



Seriously though, no one who picks a quality firearm is making a horrible choice- it just may not be the perfect fit for their hand/needs/interests, and those needs/interests could change later.

[get both- you know you want to!]

[Hawg]

Keep your colt SAA and Winchester, I'll take a Ruger Blackhawk and a Marlin!

To each his own but I don't care for Rugers lock work and I prefer the old top eject Winchesters. I've had a few Ruger single actions and a couple of Marlin 94's. I didn't keep any of them for long.

[dgludwig]

Keep your colt SAA and Winchester,

I most certainly will.

[corneileous]

I dunno, that Sig Sauer Spartan 1911 is a pretty sexy pistol....

.....but it’s still a 1911. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really have anything against 1911-style pistols, I just don’t like how much of a pain in the butt they are to tear down and put back together. But I guess it depends on what 220 your after, also. My Sig P220 Elite 10mm is single-action only, and it’s probably really meant to be carried cocked and locked like a 1911 because the safety is almost identical to the 1911- this gun’s just easier to maintain in my opinion.


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[corneileous]

Originally Posted by jaysouth

Better than either: Glock, totally idiot proof

I beg to differ on that account.



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[4V50 Gary]

Older West German made P220. Why? Carried one for years when I worked. Just use to it.

[44 AMP]

I just don’t like how much of a pain in the butt they are to tear down and put back together.

I will agree field stripping the P 220 is a simple joy. HOWEVER, detail stripping the 1911A1 is simpler and easier and (at least with GI guns) doesn't require tools beyond a pencil, toothpick, small twig or pointed bullet rifle round.

The Sig 220 is a bit more ...complex, and complicated. to do more than just field strip.

Does this matter? To me, yes, to someone else, probably not. I was Army trained to repair the 1911A1, and while 40 years later I won't claim to be able to do it blindfolded, its not a chore. I've had a Sig P220 (Browning BDA 45) since 1980 and have NEVER disassembled the frame and only removed the breech block from the slide once, (and found out you're supposed to use new roll pins when you reassemble it. )

[Aguila Blanca]

[QUOTE-Corneileous]Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really have anything against 1911-style pistols, I just don’t like how much of a pain in the butt they are to tear down and put back together. But I guess it depends on what 220 your after, also. My Sig P220 Elite 10mm is single-action only, and it’s probably really meant to be carried cocked and locked like a 1911 because the safety is almost identical to the 1911- this gun’s just easier to maintain in my opinion.[/QUOTE]
I can't imagine any semi-auto handgun being easier to maintain than a 1911.

[corneileous]

Originally Posted by Aguila Blanca

I can't imagine any semi-auto handgun being easier to maintain than a 1911.

Well, I guess maybe there’s other 1911’s that are much easier and much less pain in the backside to field strip than some. My Sig220 is as easy to tear down as my XDE Springfield or my Beretta PX4’s. My cousin’s Remington R1a- nice shootin’ gun but a b!tch to tear down.


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[corneileous]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP

I will agree field stripping the P 220 is a simple joy. HOWEVER, detail stripping the 1911A1 is simpler and easier and (at least with GI guns) doesn't require tools beyond a pencil, toothpick, small twig or pointed bullet rifle round.



The Sig 220 is a bit more ...complex, and complicated. to do more than just field strip.



Does this matter? To me, yes, to someone else, probably not. I was Army trained to repair the 1911A1, and while 40 years later I won't claim to be able to do it blindfolded, its not a chore. I've had a Sig P220 (Browning BDA 45) since 1980 and have NEVER disassembled the frame and only removed the breech block from the slide once, (and found out you're supposed to use new roll pins when you reassemble it. )

I could see it as no sweat if you’re that familiar with it but someone like me, it took me about an hour and finally resorting to a YouTube video to get the Remington R1a of my cousin’s taken apart and put back together. This was after he just bought it, mind you. He had never owned a 1911 prior to this and I had never messed with one either.


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[silvermane_1]

Well I own a 1911 so that would be my choice, however a P220 isn't a bad choice.

[Ben Dover]

I've used the 1911 in Bullseye competition for several decades. I like it.

But if you're looking for a carry gun, DA/SA hands down. IME, the SIG P220 is one of the finest carry .45s available. (Although I could never understand why anyone would choose a .45 for a carry gun)

[corneileous]

Originally Posted by Ben Dover

(Although I could never understand why anyone would choose a .45 for a carry gun)

How come? If you shoot well with it and can handle the recoil for double-tap follow up shots, why not?


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[AK103K]

Originally Posted by Aguila Blanca

I can't imagine any semi-auto handgun being easier to maintain than a 1911.

It all depends on the 1911. Built to original spec 1911's are easy enough to field strip, some of the others built to who knows what spec, or have things like FLGR's in them, not so much.

I picked up a Springfield Defender not long ago, that is pretty basic. Its also so tight, you cant take it down without some help from some sort of tool.

Ive owned a number of P220's over the years, and every one of them came apart with a simple flip of a lever.

[jmstr]

Removing the slide on the P220 is faster than on the 1911 design for me.

However, I find the 1911 design easy to disassemble/assemble: be it the sloppy fit of a GI-Spec 1911 or the tight tolerances of a $2000+ 1911.

I just find the 1911 design to take longer to disassemble.


I have built a few 1911s from bare frames. I have detail stripped the P220, P225 and P226 Sigs.

The P-series is probably 'easier'- if defined as taking less time or attention.

However, I think of 'easy' as effort-related to strain on muscles. Neither will cause any problems there.




Now- as to if this should be an issue, well... Only the purchaser knows their own abilities, interests, and what they are willing to do.

For me, the accuracy, feel, heritage and reliability of the 1911 design make it worth taking 30 seconds longer to remove the slide and reinstall it, when I do a cleaning.



I always think that the simplest to maintain [normal 'field' cleaning- not detail cleaning] is a Revolver, followed by a Glock. The Sig P220 isn't far off from the Glock. The 1911 does involve a few more steps.

But, to quote my grandfather "Are you going to let a little work scare ya? "

Pick the one you want to operate, for the reasons you want, and then deal with the cleaning. It isn't like you will take 4 minutes or more longer to remove the slide and reinstall it [once experienced].

We all have different priorities. Follow yours and pick what is right for YOU- not us.

[Rinspeed]

I have a boatload of rounds through a couple older 220s and even more through several 1911s. Just my opinion but for similar money a Sig 220 will outshoot most 1911s. One reason is probably because the older full size Sigs will shoot close to 2" groups at 25 yards with a wide variety of ammo. Sadly my eyes aren't that good anymore and even when they were it was a good day getting close to 2" groups.

[223 shooter]

Owned a 1990s German P220 and it was quite a good shooting pistol - the most accurate DA semi-auto I have owned or ever fired. Although the grip did not fit me nearly as well as the 1911s I have owned.

The P220 was also relatively light which is great for a carried service pistol but couple that with the high bore axis and the pistol had more muzzle flip than my 1911s.

I eventually traded the P220 but may get one again if a good deal comes along. Eight years ago I finally settled on a 1911 Springfield Range Officer for my 45 keeper - fantastic shooting pistol.

[coolbreezy]

I've had 3 1911's, including a kimber stainless II. I've put over 10k in rounds through that gun and never had a problem. My current 1911 is a Springfield milspec, which also is ultra reliable. However I'd take my p220 match elite in a heart beat over any 1911. It's the gun I shoot best with, and more accurate than I'll ever be.

[Joe_Pike]

1911 for me. I had a P220 and didn't really care for it. Admittedly, my opinion was partially tainted by the fact that Hornady Custom doesn't work in the P220. Apparently this is a well known issue that wasn't known by me and I had lots of Hornady Custom.

[44 AMP]

Admittedly, my opinion was partially tainted by the fact that Hornady Custom doesn't work in the P220. Apparently this is a well known issue that wasn't known by me and I had lots of Hornady Custom.

This is news to me, though admittedly I don't use Hornady custom or much other factory ammunition. I do need to ask, do you mean to say Hornady Custom doesn't work in any/all P220s, or that it didn't work in YOUR P220??

I've had a Browning BDA 45 (P220) since 1980 and it has run well on everything I've ever fed it. It also runs on rounds too light to cycle the slide of my Govt Model and rounds that are just a tad too hot for that same Govt model.

Of course, an example of one proves nothing about the general design. I may have gotten the best one they ever built and you got a lemon. Not likely, but not impossible.

Never heard anything like that about Hornady Custom ammo. I have heard, from two different owners, about 3 different models of Walther they owned that choked on Cor-Bon ammo, and only Cor-Bon ammo, running normally with everything else.

[shurshot]

I own and enjoy both the 1911A1 and 220 in .45. Good, solid guns, as far as semiautomatics go. Not as trustworthy as a well built cylinder equipped Hogleg, but still pretty damn good.