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Why do I see primarily 1911s at Bullseye matches?

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Matt VDW 
#1 ·
I have been shooting at these matches for only about a year, so forgive my ignorance. Are there any other pistols that shoot as accurately as the 1911s? I think the 1911s are nice to look at, but I'm prejudiced against them since I shot them in the army. A local range owner told me he thought it was too expensive to make a 1911 shoot accurately. What ones are better out of the box?
 
#2 ·
Hello-
I'm a revo guy myself but recently got a
Wilson Protector. It's not that I'm a GREAT shot but I do get to practice 2/3 times a week so I 'fall' into the zone some. The first time I tried the Wilson on a sixpack plate rack I cleared them all 2 1/2 secs. quicker than with any of my tuned S&Ws.

***There's something majic about the way it
points....at least for me and several million
others. *** best....dewey
 
#3 ·
Keiller,

I'm no Bullseye shooter, but the 1911s place in such competitions is well-founded. Properly fitted, they are inherently very accurate -- to the point where most of the higher end models are capable of far greater accuracy than their operators.

... I'm prejudiced against [1911s] since I shot them in the army ...
You're by no means alone here. The last batch of 1911A1s the Army purchased were delivered in 1945 (!!), and their age was really showing by the time most of us entered the service. The fact that these old veterans were still even serviceable was a real tribute to their durability, but I'll never forget the distinctive rattle they all had when you shook them. Accuracy? Yeah, right.

Get back in the car, and go back down to a good gunshop. Take another look at a modern commercial 1911 from Colt, Kimber, Springfield or any of the custom shops. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised by what you find -- and I am willing to wager that you'll be even more pleased once you have taken one to the range.

Where extreme accuracy is paramount, any Wilson or Baer will be more than adequate for your needs -- and there are a myraid of equally worthy choices for the same (or even less) money.

Contrary to what you've been told, it is not expensive to get a 1911 -- most any 1911 -- to shoot accurately. What gets expensive is all of the tinkering and customization that you will be tempted to do after you become a die-hard proponent of the design. I dare say that no one actually NEEDS a $2,000+ 1911 but they sure do make a guy happy. I can't remember getting greater satisfaction from any model of firearm I've owned.

All this, and "nice to look at" too? How can you possibly lose? :grin:

Chuck
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the responses. I looked at a Colt Gold Cup (I think that's what it was) today. It costs over a $1,000. I would have to get down on my knees and beg and beg to get the go-ahead for such an extravagant purchase. My favorite of all the 1911s I've seen is the Kimber heritage edition. The cheapest I've seen this one is $849. It did not last long at that price. Oh, well . . . I'll keep trying to improve my .22 caliber shooting.
 
#6 ·
Keiller, the reason that you see so many 1911s is due to the rules, which favor the "Service Pistol". Military armorers and civilian gunsmiths, together with the ammunition companies, have developed and refined the 1911 to the degree that shooting a "possible" score with one is technically achievable; the only limitation being the human factor.

While the technological effort up to now has been focused on the 1911, the military's attention has now turned to the current Service Pistol, the M9 (Beretta) and 9mm service ammo. Time will tell if they are as successful with the M9 platform as they were with the 1911. Until then, pay attention to what the winners are shooting in almost all the competitive handgun arenas: The venerable 1911.

Buy what you can afford, but if you plan on being competitive, the cheapest out of the box gun I'd consider would be a Rock River Arms 1911 with a 1.5" group guarantee. As for any other cheaper handgun/platform being
competitive out of the box, I'd have to say it would be an S&W M-25-2 revolver.


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Andy on 2001-09-18 20:14 ]</font>
 
#8 ·
The S&W 25-2 was discontinued many years ago. The current S&W .45 ACP revolver, the 625, is another great shooter but you're taking on a challenge when you try to use any revolver for Bullseye competition. (Been there, done that... :wink: )

Are there any other pistols that shoot as accurately as the 1911s? I think the 1911s are nice to look at, but I'm prejudiced against them since I shot them in the army. A local range owner told me he thought it was too expensive to make a 1911 shoot accurately.
There are other accurate pistols, but few of them are chambered in .45 (to be Bullseye legal) and none of them have the wealth of parts and gunsmithing services that can be applied to the 1911.

I don't know how your local range owner defines "too expensive". If you have a good 1911-type pistol (such as a Kimber) with a reasonably tight slide to frame fit, you should be able to get 3" groups at 50 yards with a fitted Kart barrel, match bushing, and the right ammo.
 
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