All posts tagged Kimber 1911

People that are still carrying the 1911 pistol and love it

If you love the way the 1911 feels in your hand you’re probable not going to find another firearm that feels the same way.  I’ve like the traditional 1911 style guns for almost 2 decades and tried out many variations of them, but they didn’t feel like a 1911 when the makers made them a double stack.  There is something about 1911 pistols that is just balanced very well.  Once you put more than about  8rds in a 1911 the gun gets heavy and for something that is so slim and contoured right, you can mess that up with 10rd protruding magazines.  That’s fine for competition shooting but I don’t think you’ll ever see law enforcment or special operations  units running those magazines even if they are reliable.

Most of the Special operations units we deal with actually use 7rd magazines although I have found that the 8rd magazine reliability issues is a myth.  All I run through my 1911 government models are Wilson combat magazines  with the 8rd wilson combat magazines that work so well.   I have been using gun grease on my Colt 1991A1 and my Springfield GI 1911 that had some minor customizations, but I have not seen a malfunction in that firearm in years.  I am still running mostly ball ammo through my guns which is the proven reliable ammunition.  Gun grease is something that I have been using more and more on my handguns because they seem to  hold up better for long term storage.

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Reloading speed, revolvers and tactical loads

If you are new to firearms it’s fun to play tricks on you.   I have the opportunity to teach novice shooters and sometimes just random co-workers and family members that have no idea how to use a firearm other than pulling the trigger.   It’s not always up to the operator’s speed at gun handling, sometimes its the way the gun is loaded has more to do with how fast you get it up and running.  For instance, if you had a Glock 19 and 3  15rd magazines and they all ran empty, if you don’t have a speed loader a guy with a 5 shot revolver is going to get his gun back in the fight faster especially if he had speed loaders ahead of time.  It’s not really that you have to worry about running empty with a Glock firearm, it’s that carrying a 5 shot revolver does not mean you are under gunned.

As our economy sits in limbo, there will be crimes that creep up out of nowhere and concealed carry is something people are thinking about.  There are a lot of wild situations that people like to put themselves into, but the right mindset of a gun fight is to get out of it.   If you are military or Police, you may be called to break down doors and take down the bad guy, but civilians don’t have the justification for doing that by law.   The 1911 is seeing a lot of come backs in private security rankings and we have sold a lot of Wilson Combat magazines to guys that are doing the door knocking.   The reality of many search warrants is that close quarters gun fight does last long and the need for a high capacity firearm isn’t very necessary.  The most common gun magazine we are selling to the guys doing the door knocking are 7rd Wilson combat 1911 mags.

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Time for CCW in the summer

Today I put in several orders for various concealed carry shirts from 5.11 tactical and Blackhawk Warrior wear.   I’m still not happy about most of the tactical apparel companies product lines because so many of them are still not making concealed carry friendly clothing.   A few of them have CCW style shirts that are OK, but only Woolrich Elite really has the shirt thing nailed down right.   Most of the concealed carry style pants that Woolrich had have been discontinued and the better versions made by Eotac are no longer in existence either.    I am waiting for the new Woolrich Chino pants which look very white color friendly.  I hope they made the pockets right because the wallet ID pockets on some of the earlier pants styles were pretty bad and I’m still getting mixed product variations from them.

I can but do not carry a Sig 239 in .357 Sig but I can fit them in most of the Eotac and Woolrich Elite pants that I own.   There are CCW pants made by a company CCW break away that seem to be interesting for guys that have to carry that way, but the new Woolrich Chino pants look like a better idea.   Hopefully they do not look too tactical with the pockets but I will know in a few weeks when they come in.   My newest summer carry gun is my Colt 1991A1 which is thin and not very heavy.  I have been carrying my spare Wilson combat magazines in a pocket now because I have the spare mags on a belt to cause more ride ups from the shirts when I bend over.   Double stack magazines are pretty thick and if you you are carrying them  on a belt, they will protrude.  I do not recommend carrying them IWB because too much IWB stuff can start to hurt after awhile and it does limit your movement or risk causing injury.

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Finding balance with firearms and magazines

When you have found that you have the right handgun for CCW, sometimes you’re better off with a smaller capacity firearm and a spare magazin than carrying a full size auto with a lot of bullets.   I have never had a magazine fall apart on me, but I’m sure it has happened to some people, but that’s not the reason i carry a spare magazine.   I had a lot of after market magazine laying around when the assault weapons ban was going on and much of it was after market magazines.   I picked up several 10rd magazines for my Kimber 1911 guns only to find that they were not reliable at all.   The balance was absolutely terrible and there was no way i would consider carrying something like that in a holster.

When it comes to using magazines in firearms like the M16, I have heard a lot of my military friends say they liked the 20rd magazines because it was better balanced and they could get into better shooting positions lower to the ground.   I know there are plenty of ways to get down low on the ground, but let’s just talk about balance.   Wilson Combat magazines are the most reliable and drop free on my 1911s, but I’m still not a fan of anything other than 8rd magazines.  Some people claim they are reliable, but the weight of 10rds of 45acp on a spring and 7rds is considerable and even though people will argue this, I have not found them to be as reliable for as long.

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Why pack a whole lot of handgun ammo?

It always amazes me that when people think they need a backup gun or sidearm on a training course it means packing as much ammo for the 9mm handgun as it does for the M4 Carbine.   All it takes is a short training day to find out that a big chunk of the gear you brought with you was un-necessary.   An M4 Carbine is already probable the lightest and most handy firearms you can carry with you during the day and with a gun good sling you should be able to let go of the gun and still retain the weapon.   I have several LWRCI M6A2 guns and I tend to shoot the 77gr MK262 bullets.   These bullets weight a little more than the standard M193 ammo, but in my opinion it’s a better up front round.

 

When I carry a back up gun and I’m already carry a an M4 Carbine,  I am back to the old dog, my Colt 1911.   The Colt 1911 with 2 spare Wilson Combat magazines is all I need to retreat from a position or hold off a threat until I get my LWCR M6A2 back up and running.   I have yet to have something like that occur, but I have trained for it.   I am very confident that 24rds of 45acp is plenty of back up ammo and if the fight needs more than that,  I’ll more confident just turning around and running the other way.   A couple grenades my help boost my confidence though.

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The importance of drop free magazines

You need to test your gear and accessories out to know for sure that they work on your firearms because there are so many variables in manufacturing that even the same company can slightly alter a mag well or magazine.   There use to be enormous problems with some AK magazines because not all Communist block countries made them the same.  I had a friend that picked up about 20 AK mags at a gun show and thought he’d stock up on them, only to find out that he had to take a file to most of them because they wouldn’t lock up in the rifles.

When it comes to handguns, the biggest problem that can occur once you get away from Factory magazines for a 1911 are that they don’t drop free.   1911 guns are not know for being very tight when it comes to tolerances and they are for the most part drop in guns.   Wilson Combat magazines are very sleek and are the number one magazine I see at IDPA competitions.   I have 5 1911 handguns all from different companies and Wilsons 7rd and  8 rd are all I ever use.  I think  the guns look better with flush fitting magazines, but reliability is the most important.

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Uploading magazines, single stack and double stack

I use to upload all of my guns until a bad experience occurred to me with several of my gun safe firearms.   I mostly buy used firearms and my Sig 229 in .357 sat in a gun safe loaded with 12+1.   I bought the gun  used and replaced all of the magazine springs with Wolff gun springs, did a range test, and then when the gun passed the range report, I loaded it up and put it away in the safe for 9 months.  Thinking that taking this gun to an IDPA match would be a good way of testing it out and making sure it was reliable, I just took it with me and give it a run.

I had another Sig 229 with me, but this was in 40 S&W and it was also loaded to capacity.   Needless to say, both guns failed on me.   I  have a Colt 1911 with 8+1 rounds of 45acp in a Wilson Combat magazine and it has never failed me.   The only problem I have with it is that I need to really make sure the magazine is seat properly because it barely clicks in.   All magazines have been downloaded by at least 1 rd and since then, all of the guns have passed range tests even after long term storage.  Be careful about what you read on the internet, uploading many guns for long periods of time will decrease reliability.

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A debate about guns, caliber and concealment

I’m mentioned many times before that I have witnessed many CCW holders go from full size autos to j-frame revolvers and I don’t think they are under gunned at all.   Many of my friends are now carrying  .380 pistols and 38 Specials.    If you are not on a hit list and not a LEO, you are more than likely  only going to deal with a minimal number of threats to your life and if you train to use  your firearm properly, you should be able to take out 1 or 2 bad guys with any firearm.   I’m not going to guarantee it, but having 2.5rds per target should make a 5 shot S&W worth it’s weight in gold.

I’m also not going to argue with someone that wants to carry a full size 1911 with a 7rd magazine.  I personally have never had a problem with my Wilson Combat Magazines, whether they are 7rd or 8rd.   I’ve heard many debates that the 8rd magazines are not as reliable, but I have never used anything but the 8rd magazines and I don’t have issues.   The real advantage of the 1911 design for CCW is that it is very thin.   I would say that my 8rd Sig 239 is actually thicker in the frame than a 45acp 1911 and it is easily concealed IWB.

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Has anyone made plans for a Mapgul pistol mag?

I’ve been getting good at sensing changes in the gun industry and I think we’re on the precipice right now.   Synthetic stocks are far superior to what was out a decade ago and machining has improvement so well on the AR15 design that even the direct impingement guns are superior to what was out a decade ago.   I think  if you have the money to spend, you can get a good DI gun that is as reliable as a piston gun.   On the discussion of rifle magazines, once you get to the point that you can drive your car over a magazine and then still reliable shoot it in your gun, you have arrived at the top of the mountain.

I think Glock magazines are pretty tough, but I’ve never seen somebody drive over one with a car and still have it run.  If anyone has seen a pistol magazine as tough as the Magpul Pmags let me know? Wilson combat magazines are the most reliable gun magazines, but I don’t think any 1911 magazine would hold up to a 200lb person standing on it let alone a 2 ton truck.   Maybe we don’t need gun magazines to be this tough, but I sure think that if we can improve the light bulb, we can improve the handgun or pistol magazines.

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Tactical vests and firearm retention

Gun vests are as diverse in application and gun holsters are.   There are various types of vests for specific missions and some of the best ones to get are the ones that you can configure yourself.   Not everyone needs to carry 12 gun magazines for their M4 Carbine and most of that would even be considered extreme for a combat soldier.   I am a big fan of leg holsters because my primary fighting weapon is an M4 rifle and I don’t like the idea of putting a handgun up on my vest because it’s one more thing for my rifle sling to snag on.   Eotac and Woolrich Elite vests suit me better because they are softer and don’t have a holster for retaining a firearm, it’s all magazine and gear and the pistol magazine holder is inside the pockets, not outer pouches.

I am also not a fan of vests that carry tons of rifle and pistol ammunition, it’s good to be able to carry a backup handgun incase your primary goes down, but I’m more inclined to bring a spare bolt and firing pin so I can replace most broken parts on my M4 in only a minute.   Having 2 or 3 Wilson combat magazines for my 1911 is all I need for most practical purposes.  If I need more handgun ammunition than that, I might as well pack a few grenades and be able to call in an airstrike, too.  If you are wearing a tactical vests, in my opinion, it’s cross draw, or it’s a leg holster for your handgun.

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