Carrying a "Compact" 1911 - "Advanced" carry gun?

[Dolomite_supafly]

Not to hijack this thread, but for a budget conscious carrier... How does the Bersa 9mm stand up? It's sorta 1911y... Any thoughts on that one?

Make sure you put plenty of the ammo you plan on carrying through it. You need to do this with any gun you plan on relying on to save a life. Not all, but some do have issues from what I have read. I have never owned one but they have intrigued me.

Dolomite

[JAB]

In a lot of ways, what makes a good carry gun is a personal decision and opinion plays a large part. If you were to ask me (in my opinion) if a 1911 would make a good carry gun, I would say, "No." That is because I don't like the idea of having to disengage a safety nor would I be comfortable carrying around a cocked pistol, no matter how 'locked' it is. I got my first handgun when I was 18 - 32 years ago. I have kept a handgun of one type or another by my bed for most of that time and have had my HCP and carried whenever legal for a little over three years now. Still, I would not feel 'safe' carrying a 1911 or any other handgun cocked and locked. Then, again, I don't own a 1911 and have no real experience with them. Obviously, others disagree and are plenty happy carrying a 1911.

Of course, were you to ask me (in my opinion) if a Glock or other, striker fired pistol would make a good carry gun, I would also say, "No." Again, I am not comfortable with the idea of carrying such a pistol due to many of the issues that Dolomite pointed out. Obviously, others disagree and are plenty happy carrying Glocks and other, striker fired pistols (including many LEAs.)

Personally, in semiautos, I prefer carry guns that are either DAO or DA/SA. I feel that the long trigger pull with DAO pistols or the long initial trigger pull with DA/SA pistols is a strong enough safety feature not to need a manual safety and therefore not require an 'extra' step before putting the firearm to use in a self defense situation. Such pistols are designed to be able to carry with the hammer down and a round in the chamber so doing so doesn't concern me. Of course, another advantage to such pistols is that, because I sometimes carry a revolver instead of a semiauto (to be entirely truthful, I like revolvers better than semiautos just in general), the basic operation of DAO and DA/SA pistols is just about the same as a revolver (as in present weapon, acquire target, press trigger and repeat as necessary.) To my mind, those are just about the simplest and easiest to use setups for a carry handgun so, from that point of view, I can see that the 1911 platform could be considered more 'complicated' or 'advanced'. However, for someone whose experience and practice have been mostly/solely with a 1911, I can see that such may not be the case. I will say that I have shot a 1911 'style' S&W that was chambered in 9mm and was capable of DA/SA and I absolutely loved that gun. The only real drawback with it, compared with other DA/SA capable pistols, was that the ammo capacity was a good bit lower.

There are those, however, who would probably tell you that DAO or DA/SA pistols don't make good carry guns. Some might say that the relatively long, stiff trigger pull of a DAO can throw your aim off. Others would say that a DA/SA setup isn't safe because of the difference in trigger pull between the first shot and subsequent shots which could cause a negligent discharge second shot.

Edited October 13, 2011 by JAB

[Glock30]

Bet you can get some great first hand experience/opinions tomorrow... You're RIGHT there! If I was loose tomorrow, I'd bring my 1911s and let you try out all the sizes.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/events-gatherings/62372-october-15-2011-middle-tn-meet-shoot-cmhr.html

[gregintenn]

I'm more of a revolver guy, but a cocked and locked RIA is definitely a formitable weapon.

I do not understand why one would say it is an "advanced" carry weapon. Drop the safety and pull the trigger. That's one simple step beyond the revolver.

[tnhawk]

I have never thought of the 1911 as an "advanced" carry weapon, in part due to military weapon training. As many have said, practice is extremely important with any weapon. While I have striker fired pistols and like them, the 1911 has always been my favorite weapon.

[Viracnis]

Bet you can get some great first hand experience/opinions tomorrow... You're RIGHT there! If I was loose tomorrow, I'd bring my 1911s and let you try out all the sizes.

http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/events-gatherings/62372-october-15-2011-middle-tn-meet-shoot-cmhr.html

I wish I had seen this. I drove by CMHR today and saw all the cars and went to OnTarget in M'boro instead - even commented to my wife "Some group must be doing a shoot - they're packed!" Serves me right for not sticking my head out the window and asking someone what was up.

Oh well. Per that thread they used to be a monthly affair. If that gets rolling again, I will make the next one for sure!

Gregintenn - thank you for sharing that picture. It has only served to solidify that as the weapon I want to carry haha!

[Guest FiddleDog]

you know...Greigintenn makes GORGEOUS holsters...I'm just saying.

[Guest WestonGray]

I carry a Kimber Compact 1911 in either a crossbreed supertuck or a regular old Don Hume leather holster. It's a series one so it's all steel, but with a good belt, the crossbreed makes the weight unnoticeable. It conceals no problem under a regular fitting T-shirt.

[kimbercarry]

MacGyver's right!

"3. A lot of people tweak their 1911s without really knowing what they're doing. I guess it's because of the ubiquity of the platform, but everyone's first action with a 1911 seems to be to trade something out. Simply look at any "my new 1911" thread on here to see evidence of this. I'm not saying this is bad - my 1911s are custom as well - but when trading something out, you have to be committed to returning to the range and function testing."

Installed a borrowed grip safety on my Lt wt commander and it would go full auto.

[Viracnis]

At the moment, the only thing that I may change out is the grips. They feel a little fat - which I actually like for pleasure shooting, but for concealing it all day I think I'm going to look for something thinner. I saw one here on these forums that had some black hard-rubber grips that I liked the look of.

That being said, I can certainly see how someone could get carried away with customizing them. Just a quick Google search for "1911 customization" was overwhelming. I like the look and feel of the original, though. We'll see how long that lasts once it is in my hand.

I don't believe the "extra" step of disengaging a safety is going to hinder it as a carry weapon for me. I will certainly not complain about an excuse to spend more time at the range to "practice" disengaging it!

Bonus check comes at the end of the Month.

Edited October 19, 2011 by Viracnis