Guns: A CCW Retrospective (Part 1)

Here's a new series of posts dedicated to every firearm I've ever carried. I'm a firm believer that to truly know a handgun, you have to lug it around with you in everyday life. After a lot of trial and error, you find out what works, and what doesn't. Most of the time, this type of experience is personal and subjective - I'm not claiming that what works for me works for everyone else. :-)

*** Springfield 1911 Stainless Loaded ***

Somewhere along the line, everyone has to get a 1911. Whether it's the beginning of a huge collection or simply another pistol depends a lot on that first experience. For the full review of this pistol, hop on over to THR - I'm going to concentrate on how a fullsize 1911 carries.

It's a heavy gun, to be sure. For people used to polymer-framed GLOCK 19s and even the alloy-framed SIGs, a 5" barreled all-steel pistol feels like an anchor. People cite the 1911's thinness as a boon, but many pistols are just as thin (at least in terms of slide thickness, which is the part that affects comfort the most since it's what you stuff in your pants). Most agree that to carry one of these suckers inside-the-waistband, you're gonna need a quality holster, belt, and proper pants.

On the other hand, the 1911 does have a rather thin frame and thin magazines, especially for the caliber. Good holsters for the 1911 are fairly common, and when you get all set up, you can definitely get a comfy setup that can serve day in and day out.

I ended up selling the Springfield, mostly because I had a fail-to-eject at around round #500, which is a deal-breaker in a carry pistol IMO. It's the kind of failure a casual shooter might never notice (how many people put 500 rounds through their carry gun in one sitting?), but if you're going to spend $700 on a Brazilian-made pistol, you might as well demand it work 100%.