[ED: In response to reader requests, this if the first in a series of posts by TTAG writers revealing their choice of carry guns.]
I used to be anti-1911. It had nothing to do with the gun’s tainted reliability rep or its limited capacity. I was wary of the 1911’s single action trigger and the gun’s external safety. The first demands the highest level of trigger discipline; otherwise you run the very real risk of shooting someone when you don’t mean to. The latter requires a lot of training; otherwise you run the risk of failing to disengage the safety when you really need to. I would never have made the move from a polymer striker-fired carry gun to a Wilson Combat X-TAC if . . .
I hadn’t moved to Texas. Up in Rhode Island, I could carry my beloved Massachusetts-legal .45 caliber GLOCK 30SF in an outside-the-waistband (OWB) holster covered by a sweater or jacket – for most of the year. In hot weather I’d either open carry (yes, in RI) or switch to a pocketed Smith & Wesson 642 Airweight snubby.
In case you don’t know, Texas varies from hotter than hell to wonderfully warm to I-can’t-believe-I’m-saying-I’m-cold-when-it’s-50-degrees-outside. My standard dress: jeans/Phantom Ops Vertex pants/shorts and a polo shirt. Carrying a compact or full-sized striker-fired polymer pistol – even in a custom-made, body-hugging, slim-line K-Rounds Kydex holster – prints like Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg. Ensconced in an OWB holster, all of my polymer pistols could win a wet T -shirt gun contest – without the water.
The Wilson Combat X-TAC Compact is slim (1.3″). Equally critical for OWB concealed carry, the pistol’s handle is small (3″ long measured from the trigger guard). Wearing my standard outfit, the handgun is damn near invisible. Done. Other than the Smith for when I’m suited and booted and mortgaging my house to pay for the Wilson. Yes, there is that. The X-TAC Compact retails for an eye-watering $2,785. Which buys “extra” reliability and astounding customer service, FWIW.
A 1911 is cool, a firearm from the world’s greatest gun designer. It’s sexy. A Wilson Combat 1911 is a status piece. But that’s not the reason I carry it. The X-TAC also offers me something I value above all in a carry gun: precision.
Using the X-TAC’s combat sights (re-zeroed to seven yards for Big Dot-like front sight placement) I can hit exactly what I’m aiming at, within centimeters, up to ten yards, what’s generally considered self-defence distance. I can hit center mass out to 25 yards. Mind you, that’s at the range. During an adrenal dump, in a defensive gun use, where bullets are flying and people are moving, shooting precision would degrade. Obviously. But it would degrade from nearasdammit perfect.
I reckon a carry gun should be as accurate as possible because I’m not a cop (much). I’m legally responsible for every bullet fired. While sending a hail of lead at a bad guy or guys is an excellent disincentive, suppressive fire isn’t a thing for us non-LEOs. I want to hit what I want to hit and nothing else. There are a lot of “nothing else’s” in a public environment. With the Wilson Combat X-TAC Compact, confidence is high.
As is my faith in the X-TAC Compact’s caliber.
At the risk of starting another round of caliber wars, decorated combat medic Jon Wayne Taylor reckons a .45 is better than 9mm for incapacitating people; that’s more than good enough for me. As for the 1911’s eight-round capacity…aimed fire. And I carry a spare mag, which I’ve trained myself to change under duress. Jon also corrected my grip, instructing me to put my strong hand’s thumb over the safety. It sounds silly, but that little change has made disengaging the external safety second nature.
When open carry comes to Texas, I’ll switch to carrying a SIG SAUER P229 Legion Series in a 5.11 Thumb Drive Retention Holster. It’s the only handgun I’ve ever shot as well as my Wilson. Advantage? Capacity. The P229 offers 16 rounds, plus another 15 in a spare mag. I’m willing to sacrifice the aforementioned .45-caliber round’s “stopping power” because bad guys sometimes travel in packs. I can double tap the tricked-out SIG quickerthanthis and get two rounds (or more) within an inch of each other (at ten yards).
I wouldn’t recommend any 1911 for anyone who’s not willing to train constantly in presentation, trigger discipline and marksmanship. And do some force-on-force training to check that trigger discipline. Simply put, a 1911 is not a beginner’s gun. I’m not a beginner. And the Wilson Combat X-TAC Compact is my carry gun. For now.
The Wilson Combat is certainly cool, but the Sam Maloof rocker in birdseye maple . . . now THAT’S artistry!
That is a beautiful rocker, I think maybe you were showing it off a little
Thanks for identifying it, I was gonna ask…
How broke will a chair like that make you?
An original Sam Maloof rocker is one of those “if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it” things. They get sold at auction at places like Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and are legitimate museum pieces. This one is an especially beautiful example.
There are some very nice reproductions (some made by former Sam Maloof apprentices) that can be had for a few grand.
H’mm.
Perhaps TTAG is doing a a bit better than some would like us to believe…
More power to him. He’s got a daughter that will need an expensive wedding one day.
(And he probably hopes she’s well into her 30’s when that day comes…)
🙂
That’s a truly exceptional chair. My dad, dad’s best friend, and my brother in law all do wood and furniture art. I think I like that that chair better than the custom table my dad made from the wood from a decommissioned bowling alley lane.
In all seriousness, the density of bowling alley wood is so high it would probably double as SHTF armor.
I noticed it too. Really nice.
It’s also really comfortable. I stare at it like an idiot every time I see that chair.
+1. It’s amazing how a solid wooden chair can be so incredibly comfortable, *and* beautiful, *and* HOW IN THE HECK DID HE DO THAT JOINERY!!!
Sam Maloof was a woodworking god . . . .
Who knew there were so many star wars nerds and antiques roadshow nerds at TTAG?
Yeah. 1911. Gun for dedicated pistoleros.
So what’s your movie theater gun? You know, the gun that has to have both “stopping power” (such as it is with handguns) AND target identification? I noticed that, for all the bells and whistles present on that Wilson, it’s missing a flashlight.
This would actually be an awesome “Question of the Day”
Always have a carry flashlight. So many advantages vs having a weapon-mounted light.
Fobus Flashlight and Magazine Pouches
http://www.fobusholster.com/catalog/Flashlight_and_Magazine_Pouches-81-1.html
I can’t speak for anyone else but I’d rather carry my flashlight, an 800 lumin NiteCore P10, clipped to my weak hand pocket then attacked to a pistol. It allows me to use the light under circumstances that don’t require a firearm.
Why not both? My EDC flashlight is a 1x RCR123A Olight S10-L2, 400 lumens. It’s tiny, lightweight, absolutely not a burden, and neither is a pistol light about the same size. It’s probably a good idea to have guaranteed target illumination for identification under duress immediately before shooting. Plus, one is none and two is one, right? Which is why I also carry a Phantom keychain light, but you don’t want your battery to run out and then you’re in a gunfight and you can’t see your target well. Good flashlights are so lightweight and compact these days I don’t see why backup light sources aren’t more popular.
I OC a Kimber TLE/RL .45ACP that has a .460 Rowland conversion that gives it .44 mag ballistics, when I want it.
On odd days, I also OC a Sig Sauer 10mm P-220 Elite which has the thumb lock like a 1911.
Both weapons have excellent accuracy and have the ammo option to carry HP rounds suitable for human predators without over penetration up to hard cast rounds pumped up for deep penetration of thick skinned four legged predators.
I have been considering the Rowland conversion, but I was concerned with wear and tear on the gun. Have you noticed any excessive wear on yours?
Ok, but can’t you get the same with a SA or sig 1911 for less than 1k? Let’s be honest, it is a status symbol 🙂 I just wish I had your status 🙂
No, you can’t. Even a 5″ Sig 1911 isn’t as accurate as this short slide gun. I was pretty surprised at how well this gun shot.
I haven’t shot it to say one way or the other as a comparison, but you would be surprised what I can do with my 3″ sig 1911 (for example, if I pop a pill it turns into a 3.5″ 1911)… Embarrassingly enough, my SHTF/EDC gun is a G19, since if it gets taken for evidence I won’t shed a tear… so I’m really not one to talk. But I am green with envy and filled with admiration… no wait, that’s still envy.
Not knocking the Sig at all, many of them are great guns. But I have shot them both, as well as about a dozen of the better 1911s over the last year, and that Wilson XTac is just exceptional. The only guns that outshot it, as far as accuracy, were guns with longer slides and equal to or greater in price. I was really surprised. He got a gem.
I carry an XD 45 Service:
– Highly accurate
– Nearly twice the capacity of a 1911
– Best striker trigger on the market – personal opinion
– Eats any and all ammo – not ammo sensitive
– Runs when hot, runs when dirty, runs when hot and dirty
– Can’t stop it even if I try — and yes, I have tried
– Easily concealable in a proper holster
Best trigger? You haven’t shot a walther.
In every Walther besides the CCP and PK380. But the P99, and PPQ oh and PPS, are just amazing
The PPQs trigger is just exceptional. Equal to or better than any of the Apex or other common aftermarket striker fired triggers.
Walther will be producing the P99 in. 45 rather shortly hopefully shipping by Christmas. I had and have the SW99 version but now I’ll be able to get service. Smith and the lifetime warranty they sold the SW series with never mentioned unless we run out of parts.
Sort of like 1006 magazines@ $100each now used. I don’t carry her much since can’t afford magazines. But much better than anything they produce in semi-auto out of Massachusetts now.
Sounds like a snob piece… Good thing everyone has $2,800.00 to make sure they hit a target at a whopping 7 yards… Sheeesh…
Fine. Go practice up and challenge Senor Farago to a shooting match using a Kel-Tec. I want to see how you do.
It’s a carry piece. It doesn’t have to be able to give gnats enemas at 25 yards.
Well, if you gots the money for a status piece, then why not?
My personal taste doesn’t run toward status pieces, especially not as carry guns, and I don’t have the money for that kind of gun anyway — but I’m pretty sure Senor Farago doesn’t mind.
Walter PPQ. Accurate, reliable, eats any brand of crap cheap ammo, nice trigger. 625 clams.
+1. Walther was selling 9mm PPQ’s at the Texas Firearms Festival last year for just $500. I just hope that they will be offering similar rock-bottom pricing on the .45 PPQ at TFF this year. Would love to have one with a threaded barrel.
Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s hear about the chair. I want one and I won’t take no for an answer.
If you keep your finger off the trigger until you decide to fire, the only trigger discipline you need it to pull it smoothly. AGold Cup has been my first and only center fire automatic it’s instinctive to disengage the thumb safety as the gun moves through the read position.
What if someone dropped almost 4.45 figures on a carry piece (speaking logarithmically), showed it off, and no one cared?
Seems to be the way the comments are running, anyway. More interest in the rocking chair.
If you think the gun was expensive, you shouldn’t even look at the chair.
Don’t get me wrong JWT.
I just found it funny that a picture that was intended to showcase a “fancy” gun ended up with something in the background (possibly something included by accident) that people on a gun blog noticed and decided to focus on instead even though it’s not a gun
(Personally I am clueless about those sorts of items, but I just learned something today.)
I’m just as clueless, but that chair was solid *whoaaa*…
Quality workmanship is quality workmanship, bangsticks or chairs…
Meh, I carry a full size Smith and Wesson M&P 40. It has a 15 round magazine plus one in the chamber. It is striker fired with no external safety. In other words it is simple and reliable. And, carried in a properly fitting holster that covers the trigger, it will not discharge on its own. The handgun plus the Apex trigger upgrade cost around $640 out the door. Best part: it conceals really well with the right holster. People who know that I carry concealed can never tell if I am carrying — even when they slowly and carefully examine me to try and determine if I am carrying. What’s not to like?
Having said all that, I have considered carrying a full size 1911 in .45 ACP. The only downside is that it is limited to 7 rounds in the magazine plus one in the chamber. Spare magazines can hold 10 rounds in the extended flavor. It is a trade-off: 16 rounds of .40 S&W pills without a reload or 18 rounds of .45 ACP with one magazine change. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages.
Most full size 1911 magazines hold 8, so 8+1
It’s surprising what the right combo of holster and body shape can do to make something concealable. I’ve also seen some really bad jobs of concealment (might as well open carry!), fortunately, it doesn’t really matter here, in spite of what any anti-open-carry people might think.
‘People who know that I carry concealed can never tell if I am carrying — even when they slowly and carefully examine me to try and determine if I am carrying.’
I have a very short list of people who know I carry. I call them ‘friends’ and they don’t have to determine if I’m carrying, they just know I am.
All of my handguns are 1911s or have a similar thumb safety as a 1911. (SA TRP, SA EMP, Sig p938) i actually feel awkward holding a handgun with no such feature now. >.>
I really hate articles like this. Look at my $3000 carry gun, oh by the way I don’t shoot enough to know if I should have bought it. Get a $400 Rock Island, shoot it for a year at idpa or uspsa. Take a tactical class or two. Figure out exactly what you want, and then go buy it. Oh, if you are going to carry it, put any handguns you have without a safety in your safe and leave them there. I shot a striker pistol in idpa for a year. Then I took my CZ Compact to a match, used the safety and you can guess what happened. Was never an issue before I started shooting the Kahr in a lot in matches.
Might I suggest:
TAURUS 1911 .45 ACP PISTOL IN BLUE STEEL
Model 1911FS | .45 ACP
TAURUS 1911 .45 ACP PISTOL WITH PICATINNY RAILS
Model 1911SS-1 | .45 ACP
TAURUS 1911 .45 ACP PISTOL IN BLUE WITH PICATINNY RAILS
Model 1911B-1 | .45 ACP
http://www.taurususa.com/gun-selector-results.cfm?series=19
Pretty much already “tricked out.”
For your first 1911, get a “standard” 1911. Sigs and rail guns have one big problem, holsters.
That might have been the case 5 years ago, but pretty much every holster maker has a railed and non-railed version now. It is certainly no harder to make the railed version.
But they’re not COOL Johnny-or cost 3000bucks. Taurus makes a very good 1911(and 92) for the $. They also have no commander length guns but I’m not carrying an 8 shot 45 anyway…my next gun will probably be $200 111 G2.
I’m pretty sure RF of all people has shot his 1911 enough to know that it works for him. Not sure how you are coming to that conclusion. I would wager he puts more rounds down range in a year than 80% of the commenters at the blog, and that is conservative.
He stated in that article that it was his first 1911. He also stated that he was instructed in the proper grip when he got it. He may have had a lot of experience shooting Sigs, but sure seams like he had none with 1911s. A zones hits at 25 yards and “centimeters” at 30 feet at the range, not under a timer. I can do that with a pocket 380 (that has good sights). Also a 1911 is not an experts gun, it just needs a different manual of arms. That’s like saying a Miata is an “experts” car because it is rear wheel drive and has a manual transmission. FYI, I think it is a very cool gun. I would love one too, but I just can wrap my head around him getting that vs a Sig 220 or a Glock 36 for carry. Both are single stack versions of the guns he already has. Or at least have a lot more experience with 1911s before switching types.
“Figure out exactly what you want, and then go buy it. ” Or just go buy something you think you want, then carry it and shoot the hell out of it. After spending some time with it, if you don’t like it, buy something else and try again.
“used to be anti 1911″…..
I have a Jewish friend who says…. two Jews, three opinions.
I love my Ed Brown’s that being said, I carry a Glock 22 the majority of the time. I like the weight or should I say the lack of weight. The second reason is it’s just a matter of time before we have a terrorist attack with multiple Muslims. Two reloads and I’m out of the box with 46 rounds of 40 S&W.
Can’t go wrong with a Wilson.
I’ve never liked striker pistol triggers. I used to carry DA/SA autos but switched to revolvers (Ruger GP100WC). I like the option of a single action trigger should I ever need to make a longer shot or need an extra amount of certainty that I won’t miss the target. Granted, with enough practice you (well, Jerry Miculek) can hit a target at 400 yards holding a DA only J frame upside down using your pinky on the trigger, but I just don’t have that much time. I’ve never owned a 1911 but it would be on the short list of autos to carry because of the SA trigger. As it is, I can shoot any of my 3 revolvers much more accurately than any auto I’ve owned, so I’ll stick with them. I have no doubt that with 6 shots I could take out a bad guy at 100 yards, and I’ve got 6 fast, reliable, magnum DA shots for bad breath distance. Odds of needing more than that are pretty slim.
In turn, the GP100 is probably the only revolver I will ever buy (haven’t done so yet). Another couple of SA possibilities for you are CZ-75B (non-decocker model) in either 9mm or .40, the 97 in .45 (a fricking tack driver but the one I rented was a jam-o-matic, proceed with caution), and of course the Browning Hi Power. The CZs are really DA/SA but let you cock and lock so there’s no practical difference, except you have easy-as-a-DA-revolver second strike should you need it.
I have the 3″ Wiley Clapp and a 6″ stainless (see #ONEMOREGUN) and I couldn’t be happier. Love the old style grips with the wood inserts. Also doesn’t hurt to spend $10 on some lighter springs. Took all of about 3 seconds to change the front sight myself on the 6″.
I still have a Beretta 92FS that I carried for about 7 months. I keep it around more for a zombie apocalypse sidearm than anything else. I still consider it pretty accurate for a semi-auto pistol. When the zombies come out I’ll appreciate my 17 round magazines. Typically for self defense, the likelihood of me needing 17 rounds are probably less likely than having to dispatch a bad guy at 100 yards, but zombies change everything.
I don’t mind DA/SA. DA is great for up close fast action. But even though I have to take that extra quarter second to thumb cock my revolver, I like the fact that I can reach out, way out. When you think about it, if you live in a suburban area, from your door to the one directly across the street is probably over 25 yards. Once you step outside pistols seem pretty limited.
Nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away, so even an AR-15 starts seeming puny outside.
‘Nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away…’
That is a suburban area in Wyoming.
I carry a CZ compact. Don’t like the decocker. Will practice with it both cocked and locked and double, but ALWAYS carry double and always sweep the safety. That being said, the first time I shot it under the clock after a year of striker guns, I fumbled that safety. On a side note, I bet the “jam-o-matic” probably had worn magazine springs. Stiff magazine springs are one of the reasons Glocks are reliable.
If your pistol has a safety you should always use it. I’ve read a lot of comments on my Beretta 92FS where people say they just keep it off safe, but when I carried mine if found a couple of times that it had been bumped off safe. If it can be bumped off safe it can also be bumped on safe. Imagine fumbling a safety you never use and wrongly expected to be off safe in a real self defense shooting.
I’d also add that I’ve put probably 4000 rounds through that Beretta without a single malfunction. I’ve got 5 mags though so maybe haven’t had a chance to wear mag springs out. With some of my other autos I had a couple of malfunctions right away and then they disappeared. Probably don’t want brand new or old mag springs.
I carry a compact when I don’t carry my full size (or my RAMI), though I do carry them cocked and locked.
SteveInCO, pretty hard to go wrong with that GP100. Great gun.
It’s the one exception to the revolver rule I’ve noted, revolver grips seem to suck–designed for alien hands unless they fill that silly gap behind the trigger guard, and they point poorly–at least to me. Not the GP100. Get one in stainless, keep it in the bathroom, in a ziploc bag. Shoot it while still in the bag, if needed.
Hey I’m an antique dealer and I’m WAY more interested in the Sam Maloof chair(or is it a look-alike?) than the gun(which I will NEVER get)…I’ve had a few pieces of 200year old curly maple(yeah CURLY) and I am a fan. AS far as the gun having only 8 rounds it seems like a trade-off RF…I see the 9mm girls taking over the FB pages I belong to. At least you manned up to a manly caliber. lol
It’s real. And probably one of the best pieces of furniture I’ve seen.
Haters everywhere. I’ve got Glocks, Kimberly and Sig 1911’s, FNH’s, cheap AR’s, Spikes Tactical AR’s, Does it really matter? You like what you like. You don’t really buy a Wilson for accuracy, capacity or reliability or because you “need” it. Definitely not for practicality. I’ll buy a Nighthawk T3 one day just because. It’s not wrong to like nice things, is it? I want a Ferrari too. You keep your Hi-Point’s. Now.. if I can only get one of those Sam Maloof rockers..
Hay I all for getting what you want, but don’t sing that praises of your new Ferrari to you car friends when you don’t know how to drive a five speed.
“You don’t really buy a Wilson for accuracy, capacity or reliability”…Accuracy and reliability are exactly the reasons I would buy this gun.
Meantime, in Alameda county CA, an ofwg lets a tear trickle down his cheek at all this talk of open and concealed carry.
Kershaw, its my forced upon me choice.
I’m not comfortable with either of my 1911s for a carry gun. The Less Baer’s trigger is just too damn light, but it is beyond great for its intended use. The SIG Scorpion I have has just a slightly heavier trigger, but with a threaded barrel, and suppressor sights, it doesn’t fit retention holsters very well.
Solid article. Thanks for considering the desires of your readers, it is one of the best things about this blog. I enjoy articles like this because it gives me a window into the strategic thinking others put into their choice of carry gun. I will never carry a 1911. I will never open carry. But then I don’t train as much as RF, I don’t live in Texas, I don’t write a gun blog, and I can tolerate IWB very well. I do not have to use the same carry gun or equipment as someone else to be interested in gaining insight into why he chooses to do what he does.
Guys, it’s a beautiful world, free country and all that – no need to bash RF for his choices, status symbol or not. He earned the income fair and square. Mind you, I don’t have that kind of coin or anything but I definitely do have some ‘grail’ guns on my bucket list. They just don’t happen to be high-end 1911’s. I have a Springfield Range Officer that’s been utterly reliable and enjoyable to shoot so far. It’s plenty accurate and reliable, and was very reasonably priced.
I’d love the P229 Legion too, preferably in .40 though. Not too sure about the sights – I prefer an i-dot arrangement. At $1200ish it’s still way more than I can reasonably afford, but maybe I could do some wheeling and dealing. We shall see.
Tom
I like the “new” Sig 229 Legion quite a bit too. I’ve done a little concealed carry with a 226 Tac Ops, and the extended mags and size are difficult to deal with. Don’t feel bad, though. I’m currently “slumming it” with a Gen 3 Glock 27. If I manage to sell my old condo I’m thinking a 229 Legion is definitely in order.
First off, Single Action triggers are not so light as to be dangerous. I’ve never accidentally shot someone or something with my 1911, which I’m assuming has a comparable or heavier trigger than a Wilson. I have a Walther PPQ that has a much lighter trigger than any of my 1911s.
Second, how hard is an external safety? Virtually every long gun has an external safety, and most aren’t right under your thumb when you grip the gun. I’ve shot a 1911 and a BHP so much I thumb the nonexistent safety off on handguns that don’t even have them.
Wilsons are nice, but I’d go with a Les Baer myself.
My Son won a Wilson Combat in a 3 gun match with a SA G.I model pistol. Before we left the match he had it traded for a Les Baer + cash.
Found it so ammo sensitive he went back to the $599 SA spent money on mags & practice. I bought him a Glock 22 yesterday to shoot Glock only matches but all things considered he prefers the G.I. 1911 or XD in.40. Glock s he hates but once they get trimmed to fit he’s good enough in matches. But gen2 front with a gen 4 back is what his idea of Glock for carry/competition. In 2 years when he can legally carry(19 now). It will be p99 in. 45. or SIG 229/226 but who knows between now & then. Learn Czech an move to CZ country.
I just recently traded my Sig 938 for a new Ruger LCR 38 Special (exposed hammer). I know the 938 is worth more, but since I have not carried and used an autoloader in the 1911 style. I felt uncomfortable with having one in the pipe and hammer cocked, even with the safety on, plus, releasing the safety means one more thing I need to learn to do.
I just felt more at ease with a wheel gun. I believe they are more reliable, although I know modern autoloaders are fairly reliable. I like the idea of a heavier trigger pull, plus, if I have time or advanced warning, since it is an exposed hammer, I can cock the gun if I wish.
Of course the biggest disadvantage is probably the lessor capacity. I purchased some extra speed loaders, and intend to practice a lot using them.
One other advantage to the wheel gun. You don’t have to run two or three hundred dollars worth of ammo through them to make them “reliable”
Some would argue another disadvantage is the caliber. All I can say about that is that with todays defense loads, if your up close to a bad guy, and must shoot, it’s gonna hurt a lot!
Guns are too personal and not one size fits all. EDC ammo choices interest me more because it is a little more obvious what a good and bad choice is for ammo. Federal HST to rule them all!
45 is the only choice in ammo, but when you switch to open carry, no longer worry about printing/can get full size with large mag the plan is change to 9mm? A full size 45 with double stack mag would be a logically upgrade. Downsize to 9mm???
1911 is ok range toy but too heavy and limited ammo capacity for all day concealed carry. Plus the platform is simply too unreliable. Glock on.
I think the one major issue with the 1911 was completely missed. It’s not the thumb safety, the single action trigger or the reliability (mine runs 100% when clean). It is the grip safety. If you get a bad grip on the thing, nothing happens. Yes it is a training issue, but in adrenalin fueled defensive situation it is just one more thing that can go wrong.
I usually carry a Sig 1911 c3, I have found it extremely accurate and reliable. I think the Sig 1911 platform are exceptionally well made guns. I have hit a clay target at 100 yards off hand with my 1911 Scorpion. (Luck or skill I don’t know.)
One think I don’t like though is how it prints with the paddle holster. So that will have to change.
I don’t mind rotating guns, I am now carrying a M&P9c in an Alpha Concealment IWB appendix carry. Doesn’t print at all (thankfully I lost a few pounds and it fits nice in the waist band.)
In my get home bag is a SigPro 2022 with two pare mags. So regardless if I am carrying a M&P9c or a 1911, I also have that. I am considering the p229 legion just because it is so damn sexy.
I have been shooting a 1911 for so long now the idea of forgetting the safety seems ridiculous. My EDC is a Kimber Super Carry Pro that has been 100% reliable and certainly shoots better than I can see. For so much power it is so small and thin and comfortable, that is why I carry a more expensive handgun. Recently I bought and sometimes carry a Walther PPQ and not having any external safeties is kinda scary. If anything when I carry my PPQ I am even more consciously careful than when I am carrying my 1911.
Well if you make the big bucks by all means tickle your fancy, most of the working stiff’s I know have other necessary items to occupy their stretched funds and most likely would have too take out a 3rd or 4th mortgage for financing a $3K Pistol, expensive Ammo, Range time, Free time Etc.
Exclaiming owning a Gun because it is expensive is like having to make a bathroom call and you are in a Hide on a mission, you get that warm and fuzzy feeling! don’t forget the Aroma when removing your depends!
Caliber has little meaning if Criminal has substances in his or her body, it still takes beaucoup body hits with brain pan finalization { illustrated in a previous article on having enough gun) winch in its self is a silly argument as shooter used his head and stopped shooting when man down but continued wariness, I don’t know about you but if I have a bunch of witnesses looking I’m not going too pump another round into a down person.
There are many .45’s that will get the job done and are less spendy!
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