US Marines will be going back to Colt 1911's

[Mickeymorris626]

Wow, crazy pictures. Guess I have a 40% chance of having my colt crack in another 5-6k rounds. I wonder what ammunition was used. I could see 45 +p diminishing service life, but 12k is still really damn young for a pistol to start cracking. The HK 45 lasted over 50k without any damage beside a broken spring towards the end of the trial, according to a pistol-training.com article I read awhile back. To see slide cracks at 12k is a disappoint to me.
However, I will say that the 79 year service life of the pistol is a testament to its rigidity. I have read reports of 50-100k+ round counts from multiple users of the GI model of the firearm. Not sure if these new models are just falling victim to a lowest bidder situation or the testing has really amped up its brutality to the pistols. Either way, the government will do what they want because they can, reason has little to do with most their decisions.

To be fair for the sake of argument, I do claim to be on the 1911 fan bandwagon. So take my post with a grain of salt. I do not however claim it to be the end all solution to the service pistol conundrum.

 

[Gravity]

I'm an unrepentant fan of the 1911, to the extent that I bet my life on that model as it's my daily carry. But, I'm not under any false ideas that a 1911 can stand up to the abuse that a Glock is able to. Especially my Kimber, the tolerances are so small with that weapon that keeping it clean and lubed isn't just a good idea, it's a must.

Personally, I wouldn't choose a 1911 as my side arm in the sandbox, and those pictures bring about a harsh bit of reality concerning that particular pistol. As much as I actually hate Gaston Glock, he made one of the most reliable pistols on the face of the planet, and that would probably be what I would choose. It pains me to admit that, because at the shooting range, my 1911 will keep tighter groups with a stock setup than any Glock on the market, but that is only one facet of what the Military is looking at, heh.

 

[mwlabel]

Not sure if these new models are just falling victim to a lowest bidder situation

Ding ding ding! Below a certain quality grade of 1911 manufacturers, the guns go to crap. 1911s are meant to be individually hand-fitted weapons.

And don't get me wrong. I love 1911s too. I will NEVER sell my Wilson Combat CQB Elite. But this is just a dumb choice for a military sidearm, especially with choices like the HK45 around.

 

[Gravity]

Ugh, not a fan of H&K triggers, they all feel like they need a trigger job.

 

[Mickeymorris626]

Not sure if these new models are just falling victim to a lowest bidder situation

Ding ding ding! Below a certain quality grade of 1911 manufacturers, the guns go to crap. 1911s are meant to be individually hand-fitted weapons.

And don't get me wrong. I love 1911s too. I will NEVER sell my Wilson Combat CQB Elite. But this is just a dumb choice for a military sidearm, especially with choices like the HK45 around.

The Hk45 will never stop tugging on my heart strings.

But gravity, I will agree the the HK triggers need some work or just the proper range time to get used to them.

 

[SSimp]

Don't forget that this isn't the Marines first rodeo with the 1911. The Det. 1 guys had/have these, although not Colts. And to add, the HK 45 feels like a brick in my hand, and I don't have small hands. Good move on the Marines, I say.

 

[Hot_Sauce]

The Hk45 will never stop tugging on my heart strings.

But gravity, I will agree the the HK triggers need some work or just the proper range time to get used to them.

Was that the Socom (sp) pistols?

I remember reading about them when they came out. Heard they were nice and you can't argue about HK durability. But as much as I like HK's, their triggers are lacking IMO or at least compared to a nice 1911. To me they feel like they could break (bend) when I pull the trigger. But they never do. Not sure if the Socom pistol was that way? But I get that feeling from your reply. That and I heard they were a bit on the bulky side as S Simp mentioned.

 

[Mickeymorris626]

The socom was te HK mk23, essentially an elongated USP 45 with a modified safety and decocker. Amazingly accurate pistol and a reliable one as well. But the Hk 45 is their newest addition to the pistol line. It totes a whole slew of upgrades from the USP design. The gun fits in my hand very nicely, though not as well as the Hk p30 does. The Hk 45 was the brainchild of HK and Larry Vickers

 

[LawTalkingGuy]

The army has issued a couple of RFPs, or documents preliminary to such, over the past 10 years. Each time they have found that only the 1911 met all specs required, and no one wanted to modify their existing pistols. Each time the Army has ended up changing their minds.

As this contract only covers 12,000 pistols over 4 or more years, I doubt it signals a general change for the Marines. Maybe they finally ran out of old ones to rebuild for SOCOM types, etc.

 

[Mathen]

I carried a 1911 in Somalia as my sidearm (I was a 60 gunner). I used it too. I credit it with keeping me alive and I will give you first hand testimony to its stopping power.

When the Army went to the M9 universally (it was already being issued at that time but I elected to use the .45) I was extremely upset. I qualified with it, but hated it. Glad I got off the pig and quit carrying a sidearm. Later I became our unit armorer and had nothing but problems with the M9. Flimsy piece of crap, in my not so humble opinion. Glad to see the USMC is willing to go back to something that works.

 

[dtbach]

John Brown was a genius and his ultimate creation the 1911 is a timeless masterpiece. Why screw with perfection. I carry a Kimber custom cdp+ and wouldn't carry any other sidearem.

 

[mwlabel]

I believe his ultimate creation, by his words and others, was the BHP.