Welcome to a strip where all the 1911 fans plan to burn down my house.
Look, I’m not saying it’s a bad firearm platform. 100+ years of service can’t be ignored. I just think it’s silly to note all the advances made in pistol technology and stick with a single-stack magazine on a firearm that weighs about as much as a bloated moose. Also, I have tiny, woman-like hands, and have a hard time getting a good grip on them. And the few I have fired have jammed like mad – including a Kimber. Sure, we were firing cheap ammo, but that shouldn’t render a weapon into a jam factory.
If you disagree, go ahead and lambaste me here.
One of the great things about the way the update interface for this site is laid out, is that I can pre-write an update post, then go back and change it very easily. For instance, if I suddenly stumble across a link showing that Brad Pitt is one of us.
[EDIT] Addendum! Girls with Slingshots and Something Positive are now finally back online! Go! Click on them!
Went shooting with Randy and some friends on Sunday. It was their first time, and we had some fun with light rifles and pistols. Started with the AR-15 and 10/22, then moved to the Taurus wheelie and Mel’s Hi-Power.
Steph rockin the AR.
Randy rockin the AR.
Randy on the .357
Sair on the AR.
Steph on the .357
Sair on the .357
Nothing scarier than Randy Milholland with a gun.
Randy and Steph’s first target was not bad, at about 15 yards.
Sairah on the AR did damn well.
A fun day at the range.
Okay, I’m going to defend the 1911 Browning here since it was my sidearm for Shore Patrol a few times till we switched over to 9mm rounds. I like the gun and I’ve got soft hands as well, but back then they were pretty beat up because I did a lot of aircraft maintenance labor. The Browning was a beast of a gun but mine ate ammo like Cookie Monster on a binge.
We did a lot of shooting on the base range and ship. While it wasn’t “my gun” it was assigned to me for a period of a year. I cleaned it and serviced it well after shooting. I managed to get my pistol qualifications on it and did decent shooting. But I think its a good stop and intimidation beast since it’s been around so long older shooters liked it and the weight. Plus, if it does jam you can in theory beat the crap out of them without to much worry.
So nice to see folks with such good form on the range 🙂
I also do not “get” the 1911. Part of that is user bias – I am so used to the simplicity of my Glock (I know, I know!) that it all seems like too much work. Decocking? Manual safety? What?
I am, however, coming around to the idea of a single stack, if only for carry purposes. Much less chunky in my waistband.
Re: Form
I love teaching new shooters. I’m a moderate liberal, overall, and most of my friends are left-leaning. Many of them, as adults, have never used a firearm. I love teaching them. I love taking them out to a range for paper targets, or a ranch for other targets.
Because no matter what someone’s opinion is on firearms, they tend to get a lot more understanding after shooting one. And they always walk away with a smile. Because I teach them how to shoot correctly.
This is not to say that Randy, Sairah, or Steph were gun-phobes. They were interested, and I showed them how to have fun.
i’m a Rock Island Match owner, and out of 10k rounds (with cheap Winchester white box) i can honestly say i’ve had maybe 4 FTFs…and they were all mag-related. swapped mags to my partner’s Colt mag, and it ran like a top.
could have picked a better brand than Kimber, though. 😛
As I’m sure I’ll have to state, over and over again: YMMV. Some people prefer AR-15s to soviet rifles. Some people prefer Glocks to 1911s. Some people like 12 ga, some like 20 ga. It’s all a matter of preference. I personally dislike 1911-platform .45 pistols, but I don’t begrudge others for their preference. My rule has always been: shoot what fits you.
oh, i’m just giving you the exception that fits the rule.
older base Colts (like, 1989 and older) are rattlecans. newer Springfields, unless stainless, are full of MIM…just like Kimbers. shot a Dan Wesson and that’s likely the nicest 1911 i’ve ever handled after my friend’s ’87 Gold Cup. *some* 1911s are great, while most are meh. can’t beat the ergonomics (for my hand), though.
PS: if you and your other half find yourselves in Baltimore, range trip’s on me.
And we’ll gladly take you up on it!
anytime, sir. anytime. 🙂
Yeah I have a Colt Lightweight commander with absolutely zero FTFs through it. With almost all of it being reloads. BUT I wouldnt trust any other 1911 out of the box except a para
Came over here from Two Lumps (Go Eben!). I’m a dog-loving, Cowboy Action Shooting competitor, NRA Lifer, NRA Certified Instructor, ballistically promiscuous gun slut. I LIKE ’em.
And I’m looking forward to your comic. It should be interesting. Gun stores are a hive of scum and villainy, and rife with humor.
BTW: the Kimber Custom II has a 5″ barrel, as do all full sized 1911s. The entire gun is 8.7″ long. The 1911 is often referred to as the 1911 Colt. Gun guys take anal retention to a whole new level.
Don’t we just? I’m tempted to correct the comic. Dammit.
I’m going to leap in and defend my little Kimber Ultra Carry II, while also admitting that it’s got some major flaws.
My problem is that while I have wide palms, I also have short stubby fingers, and a lot of double stacked guns don’t fit well in my hand. When I bought the Kimber five years ago, there weren’t as many single-stack CCW options as there are now, and I may end up geting rid of her.
While mine is a great gun to shoot and carry (being a less than 3″ barrel helps with carry), I live in Maine, and this is NOT a gun that’s very forgiving of moisture or gods forbid, any dirt. For hiking and snowshoeing I pretty much HAVE to take our Glock or my H&K P2000, which fits my stubby hands ok, but sucks to conceal.
As much as I’ve loved the Kimber for a long time, and think it’s a sharp looking gun besides, a broken holster led to me carrying my partner’s Walther PPS for a few days and I’ll admit it felt pretty good on my hip, even if it’s only 5oz lighter and holds 9mm instead of .45ACP.
Oh god. Maine… I wonder if sweaty, bare skin sticks, fresh out of a glove, if you grab a steel pistol that’s been on your hip…
Every day at the range is a good day at the range!