Poll - Ultimate Fighting Handgun ----> Glock vs 1911

[TAB]

None of my 1911s have needed a 500 round break in or a reliability package either

Mine didn't either, and even after a "tweak" here or there, there was no "break in necessary."

I had my S&W 1911 on layaway, but could shoot it and turn it back in until paid for, for 2 months I put over 500 rds. through it, without any pre-cleaning, lubing, care or maint. shot it, turned it in, shot it dirty, turned it in, shot it dirtier, turned it in, etc,...

It didn't let me down once.

It shot what fed, and for 99.999% of pistol owners, that's what is expected.

Other then 1 of my 1911 not feeding one brand of JHP.  I have never had an issue with my 1911s that was not cuased by a bad mag or the user.   most of the mag issuse were cuased abuse.  that being said, I have never had a prob with a colt mag( other then said abuse) other brands I can not say that about.

[TexasAggie01]

I've chosen the Glock, for the same reason I like the AK and the FAL. Simplicity and reliability. You can argue all you want, but 1911s are typically less reliable out of the box than Glocks, unless you buy quite a bit more than bare bones. For field stripping and maintenance, the Glock wins. For accuracy, I go with 1911, but it's relative (3 in at 15 yards versus 4 in). Overall, the 1911 is a great design, but the Glock is beats it out. Is it as pretty as a 1911? No. It's a tool, that doesn't really allow for the type of customizing that the 1911's wood and steel offers.








And, yes, I own both, and have had my 1911 the longest.

[kmitch200]

Had to vote GLOCK.

My SIG 1911 and my Colt's Gold Cup Trophy are close, warm friends and carried often, but the name of the poll was "Ultimate Fighting Handgun.
That to me implies all of the things that "fighting" might entail. Including swapping parts to get guns back to work even when a gunsmith isn't in your back pocket and in a long term campaign. 

Try this:
Create a pile of parts from stripping down to the frame 10 Glocks and 10 1911s.  Pull out parts and put the guns back together without matching up the parts to any particular gun.
ALL the Glocks will work.  Good luck on those 1911s.

I love my 1911s but I don't harbor any illusions.
They are a 100 year old brilliant design and need proper hand fitting of some parts to work well. This is as it should be with 100 year old technology, labor was very cheap back then.

[jtbassist]

Having been a certified Glock armorer for a number of years, I've seen just about every bad accessory and modification done to a Glock possible! I used to pull and replace non factory parts from officers' duty guns on a regular basis! The one difference I've noticed between professionals that carry Glocks and pros that carry 1911s is the 1911 owners seem to practice more,know more about their pistol, in general are more serious about what's in their holster.
 The age of the polymer pistol has brought a certain lackadaisical attitude about carrying and maintennance. Sure,you can shoot a Glock that hasn't been cleaned in a decade,but would you want your life to depend on it? For me personally the grip angle is wrong and the trigger "springy" while my carry 1911s point well,feel great and have crisp, 4.5-5 lb triggers, and are in a serious caliber!Mine have saved my bacon a few times while working as an armed security professional.
 In summary, after having shot both extensively,both are fine systems but the 1911 wins out in that JMB designed it as a fighting pistol in a large caliber that has withstood the test of time, while the Glock was originally designed to make it easy and inexpensive for an officer to carry a lot of ammo!
 Spray and pray vs. only hits count?

[ncwolf]

Well friend, my vote would have to be for the Colt 1911. Of course the best one to have is the one that you got when you need it.

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

Had to vote GLOCK.

My SIG 1911 and my Colt's Gold Cup Trophy are close, warm friends and carried often, but the name of the poll was "Ultimate Fighting Handgun.
That to me implies all of the things that "fighting" might entail. Including swapping parts to get guns back to work even when a gunsmith isn't in your back pocket and in a long term campaign. 

Try this:
Create a pile of parts from stripping down to the frame 10 Glocks and 10 1911s.  Pull out parts and put the guns back together without matching up the parts to any particular gun.
ALL the Glocks will work.  Good luck on those 1911s.

I love my 1911s but I don't harbor any illusions.
They are a 100 year old brilliant design and need proper hand fitting of some parts to work well. This is as it should be with 100 year old technology, labor was very cheap back then.

The industrial revolution didn't just start with Glock. Firearms parts have been interchangable for over 200 years. I don't know how many 1911s you've worked on but I worked on a lot of them in the army. All I did was work on fireams 60 hours a week for 5 years. If a part broke or wore out we just put another one in. No hand-fitting of any parts. Ever. If you mix parts of several different brand 1911s built to different specs by different manufacturers it's not the same thing as mixing 1 brand and model of Glock parts. But, if the 1911s you're talking about are all mil-spec FIGHTING PISTOLS, then there shouldn't be any problems swapping parts among them.

There have been a few posts talking about all these problems that 1911s have that I've never seen, either as a small arms repairman, or as a private citizen who's owned several 1911s. One good thing about 1911s is that they don't suffer from "Exploding Glock Syndrome". Just Google "Glock ka-booms" if you don't know what I'm talking about.

[Rob10ring]

This thread has gone on for longer than I thought it would. I think it says a lot about how great both of these guns are.

[Big Frank]

It says a lot that these two pistols are the only choice.

[kmitch200]

I don't know how many 1911s you've worked on but I worked on a lot of them in the army.

I don't work on my 1911s. I use a gunsmith because I want it to function when I pull the trigger!
Me working on a 1911 would be like a monkey trying to "date" a football.

But, if the 1911s you're talking about are all mil-spec FIGHTING PISTOLS, then there shouldn't be any problems swapping parts among them.

I should have clarified. I don't have any GI type, plain Jane 1911s.
All I have owned have had numerous things done to them from sight changes to checkering in places even I didn't think needed it. 
All are reliable enough to carry when I decide to open carry. For CCW, it's a G27 just because of size.

[Big Frank]

I don't work on my 1911s. I use a gunsmith because I want it to function when I pull the trigger!
Me working on a 1911 would be like a monkey trying to "date" a football.
I should have clarified. I don't have any GI type, plain Jane 1911s.
All I have owned have had numerous things done to them from sight changes to checkering in places even I didn't think needed it. 
All are reliable enough to carry when I decide to open carry. For CCW, it's a G27 just because of size.

So you don't know what would happen if someone took 10 1911s apart, mixed up the parts and put them together? And you just threw that "good luck" comment out there anyway? Am I getting this right? Have you tried it with Glocks and know it will work, or are you making that up too? There's enough bad "information" on the internet without people making things up and presenting them as facts. People who don't know better believe a lot of things they read. I have a good idea what would happen with 1911s, but can't say what would happen with Glocks because I've never done it with them. Since both pistols are mass-produced by modern methods they should each allow parts to be interchanged. I have mixed and matched parts from different 1911s, both mil-spec and civilian models. I've mixed parts from target pistols and service pistols and lots of other combinations like that. I just swapped parts and they worked, without any hand-fitting or adjustments. They're mass-produced, not made one at a time in a blacksmith's shop. The parts are the same so they work in a bunch of different guns, not just one special pistol that they were made for. Some Gold Cup parts won't fit Government Models because they're two different models and certain parts are different, but a Gold Cup is a target pistol, not a fighting pistol, so it doesn't even matter. This isn't meant as a personal attack but it may sound that way. I just want to separate the facts from opinions here. That's all.