What is so special about that gun? It looks like something SG1 would use.
What advantage would that have over a simple (true?) 1911?
Less expensive. Smaller. Lighter. Generally more reliable.
Don't get me wrong, my next gun will most likely be a Kimber 1911, and it might take the place of my Sig P226R as my favorite gun. We'll see. But for many purposes, nothing beats a straight up Glock.
How can it be cheaper and more reliable? There is no free lunch...
It's funny this topic came up because I conveniently own both. The Kimber 1911 was the first handgun I bought back in 2005. Since then I use only Glocks and the Kimber sits in the safe. Here's Why:
Above is my Kimber Custom II TLE and my Glock 23. In order to do a good evaluation of each let's look at each characteristic.
Weight: Though I don't have a scale, The 1911 is significantly heavier than the Glock. The 1911 is made entirely out of steel. The Glock is part plastic, part steel. Some people will argue that steel is more durable than plastic. This obviously is true to an extent. The point being that the plastic used in these firearms is so strong, that if you found yourself in a situation where your gun could break, you probably have bigger fish to fry and you gun isn't going to help you much. Need more proof?
Check this out, basically this guy drops his Glock out of an airplane.... and it still runs.
Left: .45ACP Right: .40S&W
Firepower: I don't want to get into a "which caliber is better" war but it seems that it's not possible while discussing this topic. Anywho the 1911 carries 8 + 1 rounds of .45 ACP, basically a big fat slow moving round. My Glock in question (Glock 23) carries 13 + 1 rounds of .40 S&W, medium weight medium speed round. Yes the .45ACP is more powerful but at the cost of how many rounds you can hold. Personally I hate it when people say "but you only need one round, why not make it a big one?......." BULL$#@!. I say watch all of the police dash board cams when they get in shoot outs. The situation is filled with stress with multiple shots fired. Keep in mind that even though we are talking about rounds, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A MAGIC BULLET (well, there is that blender.....anyways). Shot placement is absolute key, To me, This means that the Glock is a much more valuable tool because it carries more rounds, which equals more opportunities to have a positive effect on the target.
Accuracy: This one bugs me so much because both are far more accurate that the majority of shooters out there. Many people will say "oh the Glock isn't accurate", I really would like to see them prove this because I guarantee they can't shoot well enough to know a difference. In order to really prove which one is more accurate, you would have to secure both guns down to a vice and fire the same ammunition without an human interaction. Which in this case I really don't know which would be more accurate but I sure as hell know that no one will be able to tell the difference.
Ergonomics: This is very subjective because in the end, everyone is different. Both handguns point naturally for me so it's it not an issue, but for some the Glock has to sharp of a grip angle. Safety is also a big issue for me. The 1911 has two, the Glock has three. What makes the Glock great is that the user never has to know what those safeties are because EVERYONE who shoots a firearm should know that your finger should NEVER be on the trigger until your ready to fire. The 1911 on the other hand requires you to engage/disengage a thumb safety as well as a backstrap safety. To me, this is just an extra step that I have to take under stress, which isn't a good thing, but can be perfected and you can become very efficient. I just recently got my girlfriend into shooting. I chose to train her with a Glock is because we can spend more time working on her fundamentals instead of her learning the mechanics of a given firearm.
Price: Pictured above, the Kimber 1911 was new $802 after tax and came with 1 x7 round mag & night sights, the magwell and mag bumpers were extra. The Glock above was new $480 w/3x13 round mags & night sights.
$480 < $802 in case you were wondering.
BUT NROSE, YOUR COMPARING A COMPACT GUN WITH A FULL SIZE!!!!!!
This is a Glock 35. Everything still applies but add 2 rounds to it's capacity, full 5" barrel like the 1911,and a improved trigger all for $540 w/3x15 round mags & night sights. Still lower than $802, but to me it's far more effective than any 1911.
Conclusion: To me, the Glock is superior in many ways to a 1911 but don't get me wrong, the 1911 is a fine handgun and a piece of history.
Additional thoughts:
- Notice that I didn't talk about reliability? That's because they both are proven in real world conflicts to be utterly reliable.
- H&K USP owners: You may not want to read the link above under weight..... you may realize that your $800 german combat masterpiece may not live up to what it is supposed to be.
- Triggers: Yes a finely crafted 1911 will have a very nice trigger compared to any Glock. One of the big issues that I come across when people try the Glock is that they just don't like the trigger.... and it's because they don't know how to effectively shoot the Glock. The Glock is a double action gun, meaning that on the first half of the trigger pull, it "cocks" the gun, then on the second half, it releases the hammer (or striker in the Glocks case), firing off a round. Now people generally just make this in one long motion, which is why they don't like the Glock. The Glock trigger really should be shot in "stages". Try this if you own a Glock right now (of course ensure that the firearm is safe and unloaded first). With a Glock cocked and in battery:
1. Ensure you get a good grip on the handgun and lightly squeeze the trigger until you feel a "wall" or it stops. That is the Glocks internal connector.
2. With the trigger half way pressed on that wall, acquire your target, and "break" the trigger. That break will feel more like a single action gun and greatly improve your accuracy.
Now once your on the range and get to try it for real.
1. Acquire your target with your finger off the trigger.
2. Once on target, place your finger on the trigger and begin to squeeze until you feel that "wall"
3. Align your sights onto the target, be sure that you focus on your front sight. Your target should be fuzzy as well as your rear sight, but your front sight should be clear as day. (a good method is to tell yourself in your head "front sight, front sight, trigger, squeeze".)
4. With the front sight clear as day, "break" the trigger.
5. Call your shot. if your did everything right, where ever the front sight was when the round went off should have a bullet hole.
