New guy here in the market for a 1911 and like what I'm seeing. Planning on taking a mil spec for a test drive (rental). Having only experience with various revolvers and striker fired pistols, anything I should be looking for or aware of when on the range with this particular style of firearm?
Be prepared to fall in love. If you enjoyed shooting the mil-spec which I'm 100% positive you will can just imagine if you get yourself a semi custom 1911 with a nice trigger pull nice slide to frame fit and a nice set of combat sights you will be head over heels and we'll have found your new favorite sidearm
I started with a Springfield compact 9mm 1911 and quickly refined my taste to the 45 operator...both are my favorite tools.
1911 Advice from one with a little experience 1911s are their own world; they have influenced most modern semi-autos, but they remain unique in my experience. I've only owned 2, and I am no expert. I'd suggest familiarizing yourself with how they function by doing a few dry fires before using live ammo. I would not use the cock-and-lock until you are very familiar with the functionality of the entire piece. The cock-and-lock does not de-cock the weapon; it only makes it ready to fire. You will find that even an out of the box a mil spec 1911 has a delightfully short and easy trigger pull. The better 1911s have even better triggers. Perhaps most importantly, please know that there is no safe, easy way to un-cock a loaded 1911. Trying to use your thumb to gently drop the hammer when a round is chambered is a bad idea. Many accidents have been caused by doing that. It's best to shoot the entire mag and wait for the slide to lock back. The only safe alternative is to drop the mag and then rack the slide (I always rack it 3 times even tough 1 should suffice) until you are sure there is no ammo in the gun. Then use both your eyes and your finger to make sure there's no mag inserted and no round in the chamber. 1911s will fire without a mag inserted (at least both mine did), and if there is not a mag inserted the slide will not lock back unless you manually engage the slide stop. When it comes time for cleaning, YouTube has many helpful videos. Have fun!
Well no 1911 shooting for me today as the only one available was a compact version. However not a complete loss as I still managed to get a couple hundred rounds down the range through my M&P 9. Also had the opportunity to shoot a mag of rounds from an AR15 that another guy at the range brought (always a good time). At any rate may be heading to the indoor range tomorrow with the wife, hopefully I'll have better luck there.
Had a chance to handle and shoot the 1911 "loaded" the other day. Beautiful gun especially considering the price point it's at. Still hoping to get my hands on the mil spec and make my decision at that point
