As I get ready for the arrival of the Springfield test guns, I’ve been reading up on the mechanical & maintenance side of the 1911 since it’s something I’ve never had to deal with before. Heck, even when I was at Quantico shooting FBI HRT guns I never had to clean them. Probably because the guys involved didn’t trust me to… hmmm.
This morning I spent a couple hours reading at the various 10-8 sites & blogs. These were the biggest gems for me:
- Your New 1911, the First 1000 Rounds
- 1911 User’s Guide
- Reliability, Longevity, and Round Counts in 1911s
- Extractor Function Test
- Troubleshooting Ejection
What are some other guides and online resources you’ve found for 1911 owners?
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
Hiltons articles are the most comprehensive I’ve found. If there are others that come close either I’ve not seen them or forgotten about them after reading the 10-8 stuff.
http://www.10-8forums.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=51276#Post51276
The technical reference forums @ M1911.Org have come in handy a couple of times.
http://www.m1911.org/technic_forum.htm
Best online resource I ever found for dealing with a 1911:
http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2006/06/10/dealing-with-frustration/
😉
It starts and stops with Hilton Yam’s information for me. And, the funny thing is, Hilton’s info tells me very loudly that most folks should NOT run a 1911 as a serious use pistol. I’m alive today because of a 1911 but I’ll never use one for a carry gun again, given the choice.
The best 1911 service tip I ever got goes like this: if there isn’t any oil coming out the back, it’s too dry. While this is contrary to how I feel about running/lubricating guns (and there’s no doubt the generous amount of lube means picking up generous amounts of dust and grime), whenever I’ve run them hard, “wet” they’ve worked, “dry” not so much.
Most of the issues I have had with the 1911 could be blamed on poor manufacturing, magazines, and springs. Buy a good one and keep it maintained.
1911pro.com is a growing source of good information posted by professional builders.
I don’t like the mass produced 1911’s. I predict countless failures with Todd’s new test gun. I will be waiting with bated breath and laughing at all the failures with each week’s updates.
“I don’t like the mass produced 1911?s. I predict countless failures with Todd’s new test gun.”
The fact that you assume Todd’s test guns have anything in common with “mass produced 1911’s” tells me that I can safely discount your opinions on the topic. 🙂
He should pick one that is mass produced , not some $3000 full custom shop gun. He should blow the lid on how poorly rack grade kimber, Springfield, and para ordnance guns perform, along with all the others. There is no good comparison when the $600-$1000 guns he’s tested so far go up against a $3000 full custom shop 1911. The 1911 he chooses should be a rack grade model that most people can afford.
Ketan — It’s only semi-custom (it’s built on a Springer TRP frame, slide, and barrel) and it’s only $2000 so really, an everyman gun. 8)
In all seriousness, please keep in mind that first and foremost, the test gun needs to be something I think I will carry and shoot for an entire year. If I had faith in a rack grade 9mm Kimber that cost $900, I would have bought a pair of those instead. The fact that I needed to buy these Custom Shop guns just to feel I was at the very bottom limit of dependability is a worthwhile point in itself.
This test obviously won’t resonate the same way as previous tests did with all the people who look at their own gunsafe and say, hey, I’ve got one of those!
Ketan,
“There is no good comparison when the $600-$1000 guns he’s tested so far go up against a $3000 full custom shop 1911. The 1911 he chooses should be a rack grade model that most people can afford.”
1) I’m pretty sure that the “This is not a Consumer Reports comparison test” angle has been thoroughly hashed out.
2) re: “Most people can afford…” Yeah, shooting multikilobuck 1911s, I heard that all the time. “Well, sure, if I could afford one of those…” from some guy with a jet ski, XBox 360, 800 channels of satellite TV he never watches, a $400+ car payment, the latest iPhone, and shooting a Ruger that cost less than his watch. I guess it all comes down to what people want to afford. I heard it when I was shooting HKs & SIGs, too, so it’s not strictly a “custom 1911” thing. To the guy shooting a Taurus, a Glock owner is a brand-conscious gun snob…
Good stuff Tam.
Do the maintenance intervals in the mentioned articles apply to 9mm 1911’s?