How to carry your Colt 1911 semi-auto pistol

nyc1975 said:

Admitting that I am more likely to get hit by a meteorite than have to use a firearm to defend myself, I still keep a Sig P220 with 230 grain hollow points under my bed.

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I hear you. I keep a shotgun handy, even though my rational self knows that if a gun would make me safe, cops wouldn't get killed. It's all in my head.

I want at least a 50/50% chance of taking the bastards with me. Unless they damned lucky I will get them first.

MeekMe said:

This doesn't seem very helpful. Many people have good reason for not owning/carrying guns. For me, I have a strict no gun policy in my place of residence. That's a decision that was made specifically with my own safety in mind.

I'm rather perturbed by the victim blaming language that was used in this thread earlier. That choosing to not own a gun is choosing to be a victim. Nobody chooses to be a victim. Owning a gun doesn't guarantee safety from harm. I'm ok with other people owning guns responsibly, but it is not something welcomed in my home/life and somebody trying to convince me that it is for my own good doesn't know me well enough to live with me.

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Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and it should be respected.

May I ask what was the reasoning behind your decision, and why you would think bad people would respect it? I am genuinely curious.

twister947 said:

I hear you. I keep a shotgun handy, even though my rational self knows that if a gun would make me safe, cops wouldn't get killed. It's all in my head.

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Have you seen the new Mossberg Shockwave? A wee shotgun indeed.

Looking into cops and their mishandling of weapons and in some cases abysmal marksmanship, I wonder that so many survive criminal encounters.

FGB said:

I want at least a 50/50% chance of taking the bastards with me. Unless they damned lucky I will get them first.

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50% at least. Planning is key.

OTCurve said:

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and it should be respected.

May I ask what was the reasoning behind your decision, and why you would think bad people would respect it? I am genuinely curious.

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The reason behind my decision is personal and not something I will discuss here in the forum. I don't expect "bad people" to respect my decision. I do expect people that live with me to respect it.

MeekMe said:

The reason behind my decision is personal and not something I will discuss here in the forum. I don't expect "bad people" to respect my decision. I do expect people that live with me to respect it.

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Fair enough.

MeekMe said:

The reason behind my decision is personal and not something I will discuss here in the forum. I don't expect "bad people" to respect my decision. I do expect people that live with me to respect it.

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I am with you, MeekMe. I see it as a choice not to live in fear of some shadowy bad guy, and acknowledge that the probability is far higher that a gun in my home would cause harm to me and my loved ones than to an intruder. I understand that guns have a legitimate place in society, and that others do the calculus about guns in their homes differently.

RedSilk69 said:

I am with you, MeekMe. I see it as a choice not to live in fear of some shadowy bad guy, and acknowledge that the probability is far higher that a gun in my home would cause harm to me and my loved ones than to an intruder. I understand that guns have a legitimate place in society, and that others do the calculus about guns in their homes differently.

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One must do what is best for themselves. For me, education negates that higher probability.

I think education at an early age and basic safety training is a good idea, regardless of final choices.

That's kind of a weird question to ask here but whatever man. I'm not a big gun guy by any means but I would leave the Colt .45 at home in a display case especially if it is vintage WW2 issue. My grandfather and some uncles brought guns back from various wars too. If you are looking for a carry gun for self defense then you might want to consider a Glock. They are striker fired if I am correct so no hammer. Personally I don't carry one but if I did it would be maybe a Glock or a Sig Saur in forty caliber. The Sigs come in both configurations...hammer and striker fired if I am not mistaken. I guess your question is how to carry it in a holster on your person. I'm sure there are others who have better knowledge than I do but maybe like the cops do. Magazine inserted and a round in the chamber. I'm not the best guy to give advice on this topic but I hope it helps.

For everyone in the US, the S&W rebates end June 30th, and rebate forms must be postmarked by the end of July.

Rebates include the Shield, Bodyguard and the SD/SDVE.

Just came across this post. Owned and carried a 1911 since I was old enough to carry one (over 20 years). In my opinion best gun ever proven by numerous Americans carrying them through WWI, WWII Korea, Vietnam and the 1st gulf war.

I carry with round in the chamber, hammer half cock safety off. I have tested my draw and shooting at several Hogans alleies and on ranges where you are allowed to draw and fire, and I have found for me it is more natural and easier to pull the nammer back than it is to disengage the safety.

I had a custom IWB level 3 holster made with a thumb break. I had the strap run between the hammer and firing pin so if something did happen the strap would prevent a discharge.

The 1911 has a grip safety which prevents the gun from firing unles sthe grip safety is engaged. So if you have a round in the chamber and the hammer is fully cocked and you drop the gun it will not discharge unless something is wrong with the mechanics.

I have trained many new shooters and seen many of them drop firearms and have only seen a few discharge when dropped. Each of them was either modified or damaged.

Personally I carry Hydra shocks because from my research on ballistics made me believe that it will not only reliably take down a human sized threat, it would also discourage larger animals from continuing an attack. (There are bears and alligators in my area).

Since I live in a warm climate I carry the same ammo year round and I use an inside the waistband holster because it's the most accessible, best place to retain control, and easiest to conceal (jacket or over shirt and it's hidden.

I do own a Glock 17, a S&W detectives Special, and a few other handguns, but they rarely get carried by me. I mostly use them to teach the CCW course or to train new shooters. I will admit I do carry my Glock to the beach to avoid exposing on my 1911 to sand and salt water.

I wipe my 1911 down each night with a rag and a dab of a light oil to protect it. I field strip it and thoroughly clean it once a week, even if I haven't fired it (thought that's rare). I also field strip it and clean it as soon as I get home from the range.

To correct some misinformation I read. Police DO NOT carry cocked and locked. Most PD issue firearms with internal hammers. There is no way to cock them, except to rack the slide.

Those officers who do carry firearms with exposed hammers carry either DAO or more commonly DA/SA semisautos.

DAO-Double action only. The hammer does not need to be cocked. Pulling the trigger cocks the hammer and releases it. Has a much heavier trigger pull

SAO-Single Action Only Like the 1911 the hammer must be cocked by racking the slide or pulling it back before it will fire.

DA/SA Double Action/Single Action The first trigger pull cocks the hammer and releases it. The cycling of the slide then cocks it for subsequent shots making it easier to fire.

Ldy_Sea said:

Just came across this post. Owned and carried a 1911 since I was old enough to carry one (over 20 years). In my opinion best gun ever proven by numerous Americans carrying them through WWI, WWII Korea, Vietnam and the 1st gulf war.

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Ldy_Sea, thank you for such a detailed and educational post!

Do you have a favorite 1911 brand? I am soon to be in the market for one and came to a halt in front of my local gun shop's offerings, there were too many to even take in. Ruger, Springfield, Kimber, S&W, Sig and custom offerings as well. Living where you are, do you go for a stainless finish? Any must-have features?

I had a .45 years ago, a rather finicky Gold Cup that I never could get running as smoothly as I would have liked...

Personally I am a fan of the MilSPec. Colt or Springfield Armory. The only mods I added were grips with laser sites, a flashlight, and adjustable hi vis sights.

Ldy_Sea said:

Personally I am a fan of the MilSPec. Colt or Springfield Armory. The only mods I added were grips with laser sites, a flashlight, and adjustable hi vis sights.

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Do the grips with lasers (Crimson Trace?) really change the width that much or is it about the same?

I don't like some mods out there but would like to try frontstrap checkering, it just feels awesome.

Been using them so ling I don't remember. I am a taller than the average woman, almost as tall as an average man, so I don't remember there being much of an adjustment period, except to remember it was there.

Ldy_Sea said:

Been using them so ling I don't remember. I am a taller than the average woman, almost as tall as an average man, so I don't remember there being much of an adjustment period, except to remember it was there.

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Fair enough.

And the Smith and Wesson rebate offer is extended, and even better for people in free states (mags and ammo worth more than the 75).

In response to the original poster's question. I would leave the 1911 at home in a display case since you say it is vintage and belonged to your Grandfather. When it comes to a carry pistol it depends on what you feel comfortable with. I have no idea if "cocked & locked" is a good idea though.

My mother died when I was nine years old. Two guys got in an argument, and one of them had a permit to carry a gun. He started shooting, but he never hit the guy he was arguing with. He hit my mother and a 12-year-old girl. That girl is 42 now. She has walked with a limp ever since that day. My mother died right there on the asphalt in the parking lot.

Fold your thumb down when firing a .45 ACP.

Unless you hate your thumb.

It'll go away.

littlecordelera said:

My mother died when I was nine years old. Two guys got in an argument, and one of them had a permit to carry a gun. He started shooting, but he never hit the guy he was arguing with. He hit my mother and a 12-year-old girl. That girl is 42 now. She has walked with a limp ever since that day. My mother died right there on the asphalt in the parking lot.

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The sheer tragedy and horror of gun culture and gun idolisation can not be expressed any better than your post here. I hope everyone who has contributed to this thread reads your post and reflects on their attitudes and glorification of guns.

Such a terrible loss for you and ramifications that would have rippled out to so many.

Sig Sauer P320

If you own a Sig Sauer P320 get rid of it. If dropped the gun can go off. Sig Sauer has acknowledged the danger.

A 1911 .45 caliber semiautomatic is the best and safest semi auto. The US military is looking to go back to it.

Tigersman said:

If you own a Sig Sauer P320 get rid of it. If dropped the gun can go off. Sig Sauer has acknowledged the danger.

A 1911 .45 caliber semiautomatic is the best and safest semi auto. The US military is looking to go back to it.

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I wonder how they glossed over the drop test for the military contract?

OTCurve said:

I wonder how they glossed over the drop test for the military contract?

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The trigger is different on the military one and Sig has already offered a fix to those guns. The military is not looking to go back to a .45, they are going with the sig.