Are there any 1911's that are as reliable as a Glock?

[rvb]

it was the dirtiest one I have seen in a long long time as he did not know how to break it down. .... Hundreds of rounds fired.

OMG! hundreds!!!

my 2011 open gun, .38 super, fed w/ an 8lb recoil spring, got field stripped every ~3-5k, and detail cleaned every ~10k. The bore has had about 6 passes w/ a brush in the 60k+ that have gone down the pipe. I'll bet the malfunction rate is ~1/10k.

They might like a little more lube than a glock.... dry you'll probably have more problems.

Folks who think you can't have problems out of the box w/ a plastic striker gun are kidding themselves. I had 3 glock lemons of the 4 I've owned (and the 4th is still too new to know). While I've had good experience w/ 1911s (factory, semi-custom, and home-built), I might conceed the odds are slightly higher of a problem out of the box w/ a 1911, but the internet blows things way out of proportion.

once you get into high round count, anything can go wrong with either. I remember almost crying I was laughing so hard when a competitor finished going on and on about how his glocks would never fail only to have his slide lock break and his slide fall off midway through the next stage.

I've had a handful of problems w/ both glocks and 1911s. Fixing a 1911 is gunsmithing. fixing a glock is parts swapping.

The last few yrs I've been shooting glocks. When I've pulled the 1911 or 2011 out of the safe, I'm reminded what a quality gun feels/shoots like!

I'll admit I've never buried my guns in the mud/sand/snow...



-rvb

 

[CB45]

^^^^^ Gamer

Reliability is way over rated. The ability to clear malfunctions under stress is the key to surviving on the streets.

 

[Mr. Habib]

I've never shot a Glock that was as reliable as any of my 1911's.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

My Springfield 1911 has thousands and thousands of factory rounds through it with ZERO malfunctioning. It's had a few failure to fires with reloads but that's on the reloads.

My Gen 3 Glock hung up about 2% of the time with a tac light.

Small sample size, but my 1911 and SIG's have been more reliable than my Glocks. I'm not afraid to do proper maintenance, don't do stunts like burying in mud, etc.

 

[wtfd661]

All I can say is my experience with my Kimber 1911's, I have never had a single issue with any of them. Now that said I clean and maintain all my guns the same way, be them Glocks, Rugers, Kimber's,Sig's etc. I clean them after shooting them, change springs when I should, lube them when needed, and just generally take care of them. I have never performed any type of "see how much abuse they can take test" but am confident that all will work when needed.

I also am enough of a realist to understand that all my guns are mechanical and can fail at anytime (usually the worst time ) and train to overcome that if it should happen.

Just my opinion and my experience.

 

[rvb]

^^^^^ Gamer

Reliability is way over rated. The ability to clear malfunctions under stress is the key to surviving on the streets.

my first "dislike" on this vid came moments after sending the link to glock customer service and telling them that I would be returning the gun again . I got good at clearing hard malfunctions that spring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku1-fq6RV0Q

In fairness, I've seen a few 1911s fail to run, too.

-rvb

 

[churchmouse]

OMG! hundreds!!!

my 2011 open gun, .38 super, fed w/ an 8lb recoil spring, got field stripped every ~3-5k, and detail cleaned every ~10k. The bore has had about 6 passes w/ a brush in the 60k+ that have gone down the pipe. I'll bet the malfunction rate is ~1/10k.

They might like a little more lube than a glock.... dry you'll probably have more problems.

Folks who think you can't have problems out of the box w/ a plastic striker gun are kidding themselves. I had 3 glock lemons of the 4 I've owned (and the 4th is still too new to know). While I've had good experience w/ 1911s (factory, semi-custom, and home-built), I might conceed the odds are slightly higher of a problem out of the box w/ a 1911, but the internet blows things way out of proportion.

once you get into high round count, anything can go wrong with either. I remember almost crying I was laughing so hard when a competitor finished going on and on about how his glocks would never fail only to have his slide lock break and his slide fall off midway through the next stage.

I've had a handful of problems w/ both glocks and 1911s. Fixing a 1911 is gunsmithing. fixing a glock is parts swapping.

The last few yrs I've been shooting glocks. When I've pulled the 1911 or 2011 out of the safe, I'm reminded what a quality gun feels/shoots like!

I'll admit I've never buried my guns in the mud/sand/snow...



-rvb

the gun had way more than just the rounds we shot through it. He bought it "Well" used. Not sure if it was clean when he got it...
He was using WWB rds. and they are just dirty.

 

[churchmouse]

Youtube James Yeager's video "1911s suck"..... covers the topic pretty well.

So all of us are wrong.....

 

[halfmileharry]

I can't swear to it but I'm thinking the cheap import 1911s seem to be the cause of a lot of bad mouthing on the 'net on a great gun.
No facts or figures to back up my hunch but I do have over 40 yrs of carrying 1911s without much trouble.
I've bought some of the cheapie import 1911s and I have NOTHING good to say about them other than you can still usually, maybe, probably can run good aftermarket parts in them. Which you'll definitely need eventually (sooner not later)
I recently had CM clean up my Sig Compact 1911. It was a qualifier gun at the ILEA. Thousands and thousands of rounds through it. It's still tight, shoots great, and until it got dirty behind the external extractor causing a 3 point hang up only on the last round in the mags had ran 100% perfect. CM polished up a couple of places and picked out some dirt and she's running like a champ again. This gun hadn't been cleaned good in a long time. The grease and oil in it had hardened up over the years to where it had to be picked out with a pick.
1911s are dependable. Why does everyone try to compare their guns to the 1911s?

 

[halfmileharry]

So all of us are wrong.....

Yeager can kiss my JMB American worshiping a..

 

[D-Ric902]

Yeager can kiss my JMB American worshiping a..

+1

 

[Woobie]

There are pros and cons to both platforms. I went with something else that I thought addressed the downsides and met my needs. But I don't think reliability should hold you back from the 1911. I will own a 1911 someday, and I will love shooting it. I doubt I'll carry it, though. I don't know if I'll own a Glock or not. They are tools. I own a hammer because I need a hammer, not because I like to pull it out of the toolbox every now and then and look at it. As such, I've found a better hammer than a Glock, and don't have much reason to own one.

 

[bigcraig]

I game with a 2011 and carry a 2nd Gen G17.

Both have been reliable with good mags, good ammo and good care. That said the 1911/2011 platform can be a bit more finicky with mags and needs to be run more "wet" than a Glock.

YMMV

 

[Thegeek]

So all of us are wrong.....

According to Yeager, yes. Personally, I think if your gun/ammo combination and magazines have proven reliable at the range, and you've trained with said gun, it doesn't matter what you carry. I found it interesting in his video that he had someone from Wilson Combat agreeing with his stance, but I think the overall point was that the 1911 isn't a bad pistol. Just that there are more modern options that are better. The facts in the video really can't be argued. Most of it is unbiased fact used to support a biased opinion. Which is what making an informed choice is all about. You have to remember where Yeager's head is, and his set beliefs. For his circumstances, he's 100% on the money with his opinion. But, if the dirtiest place you go is the automotive department at Wal-Mart, your requirements are a bit different.

Much of this can be debated, but for most part, we're not talking about the apocalypse We're talking about dropping Joe Dirtbag in the suburbs. A 1911 may not be the best combat weapon in the battlefield, but that only matters if you're in the battlefield. Intended use and proven reliability is what matters. 8 rds versus 17 rounds..... shot placement..... knock down power.... penetration..... size of your dick.... none of it really matters to most of the people out there. How many shots on the average are actually fired in real world situations? 3? 5? 10? I have no clue, but I would guess it's less than 8. And if it's more, surely less than 16 which is one extra mag.

I carry a G19. Small, reliable, easy to care for. Don't really care about holster wear or cosmetic issues that result from daily handling. 16 rounds is enough, so I don't even carry an extra mag. I also have a nice 1911. I have a holster for it, but rarely carry it. A 1911 is an American icon and I'm proud to own one. But when I head out the door, I bet my life on the Glock. Even still, it had 1000 rounds through it for proofing before I made it my carry weapon. Until then, I still carried my P95 DC. Which, from the day it was new has never had a failure outside of a bad primer and more than 4000 rounds.

Proven, familiar, confident..... nothing else matters.

 

[ghostinthewood]

I switched from a M&P to a Springer 1911. Some of my instructor friends were giving me crap as I went to photograph a class for them because I switched. A guy on the range had a couple malfunctions with his glock. I picked up the Tula and fired it from my RO Compact 9mm (all sorts of blasphemy I know).

I was smug. Granted, this gun is really new and I have less than 500rds through it (had 11-12k through my m&p). It may yet to malfunction. Within the first 50rds it seemed the mags wouldnt want to lock back and now they do (ordered Wilson's anyway). Theoretically, anything with more parts and more surface area on moving parts will be less reliable than an equally made thing with less parts and less surface area on those moving parts.

However, they are not made the same. Glocks are glocks (once they work bugs out) and 1911 quality varies quite a bit. Realistically, if you buy a quality 1911 then the variable of manufacturing process is taken out. Its design in and of itself is more prone to failure but it was made better.

Reality is, we all have anecdotes and those aren't facts. Look at the variables. 1911 magazines, even from reputable companies, are hit and miss. Glock makes their own magazines. A 1911 that malfunctions often will work with a Wilson/CM/ etc magazine. Take a good magazine and the results may be different. With that said, is the argument then which runs better in general or which runs better when everything is right?

tl;dr buy/borrow a good one of each, take some classes, understand the platforms, and make your own decisions.

 

[Bfish]

As far as the Yeager thing goes, even he says that you can get a reliable 1911, just that you will pay a premium for it like 5 times or more than you would for a 1911... Then there are all of the reasons CM sited about why people run to glock over one. Like round count and other things. Plus being a 9mm guy. Plus he bases his opinion based on what he sees happen and I respect that. That also however doesn't mean that he didn't have people bringing cheap crappy 1911's to his classes.

My personal opinion is that 1911's and Glocks are well related to shotguns. Take this will a grain of salt or use things interchangeably as you apply to the both. Plus these are both high end brands with a big price tag that doesn't differ as much as a good 1911 and a Glock.

To a point a friend and I liken the 1911 and Glock debate to people who argue about Beretta and Benelli. Beretta is a gentleman's gun, and it is pretty. A Benelli is a work horse and won't let you down. And the list goes on, Beretta guys say Benelli's are awful on recoil or overrated. And Benelli guys call Berttas boat anchors and say they don't work. Berettas being gas guns run differently, like a 1911 and it's need for tight tolerances and for the most part to be fairly clean to function well. But if you have those things it will run amazing and there is a reason that people love them. And a Glock is like a Benelli, it may not be as soft shooting on the recoil (apply whatever you want on performance or anything else here) and a Beretta snob will look down on it for whatever reason. But, it will run filthy dirty with it being inertia driven over the gas system, the tolerance don't have to be tight (1911 reference) to make sure it's of quality, it doesn't have as many parts. And above all you can drop it in a swap and pull it out and it still runs fine! Heck you can even paddle your boat with it...

Each is appreciated and demands a huge market share as well as the fact that they still have their niches. If I get an autoloader give me a Benelli, if I get a over and under, well until recently you didn't have a choice, but from shooting some Beretta's I think I would have to go with one of those. This parallels me with I want to carry a Glock but have a huge want for a 1911 to play with at the range! This comparison could go on forever but 1911's and Glocks will battle on forever. Both are awesome for different reasons and should be appreciated as such no matter which side of the fence you sit. I personally own, Glock and Benelli more heavily than those on the other side of the fence. But I have also watched Beretta after Beretta crap out or have to be cleaned every 700-800 rounds (this was after days of hunting) but still after days of hunting the Benelli next to it run 6,000 that day no problem... So for that reason I am biased. On the Glock 1911 side, I don't have as much experience to go on, but I see a 1911 in my future for the range/to have if nothing else!

 

[FireBirdDS]

Ok, Glocks, even some M&P's, are known to be very reliable. So, are there any 1911's that are as reliable as a Glock?

If only my M&Ps were as reliable as a Glock. Every time someone calls my M&P unreliable, another small piece of me dies on the inside

 

[Mike Elzinga]

In my opinion its to the individual gun. Pick any manufacturer, Glock, Kimber, Springfield, S&W, and one of them will run forever with no problem, while the next one off the line behind it may have issues. I always find it hilarious how people talk about the ultra reliability of their carry guns and then sell it with "300 rounds fired". Ive had 1911s and Glocks both, both with a bunch of ammo through them, and have very few issues with either. I definitely wouldn't bargain shop for a carry gun, pick a platform you like and buy the best you can afford. Ive seen $4000 custom guns choke, and $300 Glocks run forever. Ive also seen Glocks puke and blow up, and high end 1911s that never quit. Moral of the Story: Shoot your carry gun a lot before you carry it.

Last dig: None of them will ever be as reliable as a wheel gun.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

As far as the Yeager thing goes, even he says that you can get a reliable 1911, just that you will pay a premium for it like 5 times or more than you would for a 1911...

I assume you mean five times what you'd pay for a Glock, which is still ridiculous. You can get a reliable 1911 for well under $2500.

Bubba'd 1911s are only half the equation. The other half is people who don't understand how to maintain a firearm. 1911s are more finicky about doing things right. If you want to use lip balm on the rails of your Glock, it probably won't matter in how it runs. I wouldn't try that with a decent 1911, though.

 

[Bfish]

In my opinion its to the individual gun. Pick any manufacturer, Glock, Kimber, Springfield, S&W, and one of them will run forever with no problem, while the next one off the line behind it may have issues. I always find it hilarious how people talk about the ultra reliability of their carry guns and then sell it with "300 rounds fired". Ive had 1911s and Glocks both, both with a bunch of ammo through them, and have very few issues with either. I definitely wouldn't bargain shop for a carry gun, pick a platform you like and buy the best you can afford. Ive seen $4000 custom guns choke, and $300 Glocks run forever. Ive also seen Glocks puke and blow up, and high end 1911s that never quit. Moral of the Story: Shoot your carry gun a lot before you carry it.

Last dig: None of them will ever be as reliable as a wheel gun.

This is fantastic! I can't disagree with anything you said, and a couple parts were perfect!