Pondering 1911, need experienced opinions

bigfatdave · Post by **bigfatdave** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:17 pm

Now those have some honest wear! I like it.
I was excited about the EMP until I saw the price-tag, and I have enough 9mm guns anyway ... I'm looking for something close th the original design, and that means .45acp ... even if it is a LP cartridge

Of the two, which sights do you prefer?

bearandoldman · Post by **bearandoldman** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 4:48 pm

bigfatdave wrote:Now those have some honest wear! I like it.
I was excited about the EMP until I saw the price-tag, and I have enough 9mm guns anyway ... I'm looking for something close th the original design, and that means .45acp ... even if it is a LP cartridge

Of the two, which sights do you prefer?

Both of mine are .45ACP, I thought the EMP came in .45ACP also, but I do know they are costly. One has a red and the other a green fiber optic front, the Micro has and adjustable rear that I added the V-10 is a fixed rear. Really do not notice much difference in the sight as I do not seriously target shoot with these guns.
From a low ready at 7 yard shooting double taps, I can do a mag change and get all 12 shots that you can easily cover with a slightly spread hand, my hand not some 7 foot hoop shooter. If I really try aiming at that distance the V-10 will usually out shoot the Micro as it is a half pound heavier.

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 5:52 pm

I'm no BFD but I a pretty good size guy 6'4" 265# and generally my full size milspec isn't too bad to carry, not quite as nice as my xd subcompact 40 but not bad... a good IWB and the 5" bbl is no biggie

bigfatdave · Post by **bigfatdave** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 6:48 pm

My only concern with a 5" model would be bonking the muzzle on the seat every time I sat down.
I should measure how much extra room is under my current carry, and how much I could adjust the ride on my current holster, I suppose.

****
Every time I think about it, I come up with another question ... anyone have issues with spur hammers being "pokey" while carrying? Is that why the rounded hammers are so common? I suppose the hammer should be back and against the beavertail?
Does it matter, and/or is a hammer change-out reasonable for someone who can easily detail-strip and swap drop-in parts on a Ruger mkIII? (that's about the pinnacle of my gun-smithing abilities)
****
Never mind on the pokeyness worries, turns out I was just being paranoid

blue68f100 · Post by **blue68f100** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 9:24 pm

My holster has a body guard so beaver tail/hammer spurs are not a problem. I would suggest getting a holster with a body guard, they are more comfortable against your body for IWB. I'm not a very big person, 5'10" 155lbs and I can hide my P229-9mm. It's not as larger as a full size 1911, but not small either. A good holster and gun belt can make most any gun carriable. Now guns are suppose to be comforting not comfortable to the point you for get about. But this can be so with the right comb.

bigfatdave · Post by **bigfatdave** » Sun Feb 14, 2010 9:49 pm

Some time with Google Image Search revealed that CrossBreed puts more body shield on 1911 models than is on my Walther PPS job ... problem solved and concerns removed on that, at least.

Plan for Monday is to shoot some rentals and look for a used deal, possibly some pestering of my LGS owners for prices on SA models or whatever is under the glass and interesting.

Hopefully I'll have more intelligent questions after the field trip!

bigfatdave · Post by **bigfatdave** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 7:35 pm

So, anyone know anything about Citadel-brand 1911s?
I found one that didn't want to go back in the case, it seems to have followed me home.

Caliber .45 ACP (of course)
Skeletonized Hammer and Trigger
Extended Beaver Tail (fits my meaty monster hands nicely!)
Series 70 Firing System (this means no firing-pin block, right?)
Novak® Style Sights (hopefully this means I can easily swap for 3-dot)
Positive Grip Safety (I assume they refer to the memory bump, which is less pronounced than many other models ... I like it a lot)
Forged Steel Frame (slide may or may not be based on online research)
Lowered and Flared Ejection Port
Lockable, Hard Plastic Case (a fairly nice case that could fit two pistols, actually)
Forged Steel, Bushingless Barrel
Full Length Guide Rod

It may not be the perfect 1911, but it is the right size, was an OK price, and at least has a distributor warranty ... hopefully I'll find time to shoot it this week.
Now all I need is a stockpile of ammo, a holster, and a mag carrier. And a jag, some snap-caps, and more ammo.
Maybe some new grips and sights down the road as well ... then I can worry about a .22 conversion and some extra ammo.

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 8:07 pm

they are simalr to the RIA, probably not a bad one to for a first time 1911 to figure out what exactly you want.

Post by **Bullseye** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 8:13 pm

The Citadel is made in the Philippines by Armscor and imported to the US by Legacy International. http://www.legacysports.com/products/ci ... m1911.html I have not had any experience with this brand but I found a couple of threads about the same brand on M1911.org http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=64059
http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=63099

R,
Bullseye

bigfatdave · Post by **bigfatdave** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:22 pm

I'd found the info that they were forged frame/slide before, and beyond that all I knew was that they were Philippines-made. Now it appears that the slide may be of extruded material - not sure if that will be an issue or not.
I wouldn't routinely shoot +P loads anyway, should I avoid them entirely with an extruded slide?

Bullseye, thanks for the thread on warranties, I'd missed that while searching. Having that on top of a distributor warranty is a comfort.

bgreenea3, that's about how I convinced myself, RIA was an acceptable option, and it isn't like I'll never be able to pick up another handgun ... now I can lurk for a deal on a used Springfield or other higher-end model.

I'm scratching my head because I can't find my exact model on their website:
http://www.legacysports.com/products/ci ... m1911.html

I seem to have a 3.5" bushingless barrel (measured from the crown to the rear of the chamber), but it takes 7-round magazines and the frame seems to be full-sized ... so either I got a franken-gun or Citadel is distributing an officer's-sized model and just doesn't have it on their website.

bigfatdave · Post by **bigfatdave** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:41 pm

Some pictures just for fun:

L side with 6" ruler for length scale

L side with 6" ruler for height scale

L side locked open

R side locked open

Plain sights, bigger than GI. I'll have to see how I do with them.
I do well with my Ruger mkIIIs and they don't have anything more than 3-post factory setups, but for everything else I have 3-dot setups.

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 9:59 pm

good looking gun. looks like its jus right for packin'. let us know how it shoots...

greener · Post by **greener** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:09 pm

The reviews seem to be petty good. See http://averagejoeshandgunreviews.blogsp ... tadel.html

Might be something for me to nose around for. I don't see them making anything but a bushingless barrel in the 3.5" model. Let us know how it shoots.

bgreenea3 · Post by **bgreenea3** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:15 pm

all of the sub 4" 1911's i've seen have the bushingless set up I think the bushings don't work for the short ones

bigfatdave · Post by **bigfatdave** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 10:27 pm

I'd noticed that most of the smaller models didn't have a bushing, and most have a FLGR as well.

Amusingly, the manual didn't have instructions for anything but the full size and the even smaller model, so I had to figure out takedown on my own for the initial clean-out of shipping grease.
Re-assembly was a challenge, is there some trick to lining up the barrel link with the assembly/slide-stop pin? I had to do it under recoil spring tension, perhaps I'm doing it wrong entirely?

As far as letting you know how it shoots - I'm hoping to get a range trip some evening this week, after shooting up 100 rounds of .45acp at the rental range I wasn't about to pay retail for more than a minimum box of 50 Blazer ... hopefully MrsBFD can be persuaded to make an ammo pickup at Wal-Cheap for some serious shooting.
It will be nice to shoot up some relatively inexpensive ammo without watching the clock of the rental range ... I really missed my 50 yard wide-open conservation club range about 5 minutes into the rented hour at a cramped table in a small room, with ammo prices that would bring a tear to the eye of any decent man.