Deanimator
Member
I've had four M1911s in a configuration relevant to the conversation:
My Christmas bonus is probably going to go to a nickel (or bright stainless) M1911 in .38 Super. I'm leaning toward Iver Johnson, but haven't come to a firm decision. If nothing worthwhile turns up at the next two local gun shows, I'll have to order whatever I decide on.
- Colt Series 70 - My first handgun purchased in 1979. When I bought it, it would feed the Speer "flying ashtrays", but not 230gr. ball. When it broke in after a few hundred rounds, it would fire everything from 180gr. LSWC bullseye handloads to 230gr. ball. It was certainly reliable enough for me to carry on the DMZ in Korea. When I was XO of a basic training company at Ft. Knox, they withdrew all of our .45 ball without immediately issuing replacements. We were given the choice as pay officers, until ammo was issued, to either carry M16A1s or our own handguns and ammunition. I carried the Series 70 loaded with VERY hot handloads using the 200gr. Hornady "Combat/Target" JSWC. The gun is now my wadcutter gun with a dot sight on it.
- Springfield GI M1911 - Bought from a friend. - It was the stock early blued gun with the lousy GI sights. I replaced the sights with bullseye iron sights (Bomar). It's my hardball gun. I'd carry it as a holster gun if necessary.
- Norinco "Model of the M1911" - Bought from a friend. The small interior parts were pure garbage. The leaf spring wasn't even finished. When removed, it was bright red with rust. The guy who worked on my guns replaced the small parts (including the hammer and trigger) and it was utterly reliable. I'd stack the slide barrel and frame up against anything Colt's made in the last forty years. I sold it to pay the rent when I was laid off.
- Citadel 3.5CS 3 1/2" M1911 - My current carry gun. It reliably misfeeds with the OEM magazines loaded to capacity. Loaded with one round less, it's completely reliable. I replaced the OEM magazines with McCormicks and now it's 100% reliable with anything from 200gr. bullseye handloads to 230gr. ball. My carry load is 200gr. Speer Gold Dots or 200gr. Hornady XTP. It's got the best out of the box trigger of any M1911 I've ever owned.
My Christmas bonus is probably going to go to a nickel (or bright stainless) M1911 in .38 Super. I'm leaning toward Iver Johnson, but haven't come to a firm decision. If nothing worthwhile turns up at the next two local gun shows, I'll have to order whatever I decide on.