As an old 1911 guy I’m delighted to see today’s resurgence of interest in that pistol platform. A new generation raised on polymer-framed striker-fired pistols has discovered the timeless advantages of this seemingly ancient design.
I began reading Jeff Cooper’s articles on the 1911 when I was about ten years old, and got my own first 1911 .45 auto for my twelfth Christmas. I’ve been shooting them since 1960 and have been able to personally pick the brains of such great 1911 smiths as (in alphabetical order): Les Baer, Austin Behlert, Ed Brown, Jim Clark Sr., Dave Lauck, Bill Laughridge, John Lawson, Mark Morris, Mike Plaxco, Nolan Santy, Armand Swenson, George Sheldon, Irv Stone, Bill Wilson and more. I’ve learned a few things that might benefit the new generation of 1911 owners.
The 1911 is an older design, and therefore has a few “quirks.” Are these disqualifying to the design, or simply features of the gun you need to train to operate? Let’s dive in and consider about some of the tips I’ve learned (and one I’ve refused to follow) over the years.
Muzzle Contact Shots
Let’s start with the one I wouldn’t do. When I was young, I saw more than one self-defense instructor solemnly assure students that if an opponent had a 1911 pointed at them, simply slapping the muzzle rearward with the palm of their hand would take the gun out of battery and render it unshootable.
DON’T COUNT ON THAT!
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First, if the thumb safety is engaged, the barrel/slide assembly won’t move at all. Your opponent has only to flick the safety down with his thumb and press the trigger to send a 230-gr. hardball round through your palm, up the length of your arm, and into the chest cavity. Even if the gun is off-safe, there is no guarantee that the recoil spring won’t snap the slide back into battery. If someone did that to me while I was holding a 1911, I would hope to have the presence of mind to use my firing hand thumb to simply push it back into battery.
Magazine Insertion Angle
When I traveled and shot overseas a lot, I noticed different preferences for angle of insertion of pistol magazines. Here in the U.S. where the 1911 was the platform for serious shooters, most would insert their magazines beginning with the spine of the mag against the back of the mag well. If it was done sloppily, the base of the topmost round would catch on the edge of the well and get pushed forward, blocking the reload and setting the stage for a malfunction. However, in countries where the P-35 or the CZ-75 were more popular, shooters started their mag insertion with front of mag against front of well.
Now, the rationale of these techniques was that “flat to flat” would make for a smoother insertion. The standard 1911 magazine is round in front and flat in back, while the P-35 and CZ mags were more flat in front.
In the early 2000s, I learned a trick from former world champion Frank Garcia at his school in Frostproof, Florida, the Universal Shooting Academy: right edge of magazine to right inside edge of mag well for the right-handed shooter, and left edge to left edge for southpaws. It works great with 1911 mags of any size and caliber in my experience, and indeed with any semi-automatic that uses a box magazine.
Lowering the Hammer on an Empty Chamber
It is generally agreed that “Condition Two,” hammer down on a live round, is a stupid way to carry a 1911 pistol. One-handed thumb cocking will be slow and awkward. Condition One, cocked and locked on the chambered round, is the way to go with this platform.
However, to lower the hammer for storage of an empty gun, simply point it in a safe direction after confirming three times over that it is unloaded, and pull the trigger. If there is no safe direction, using the support hand to lower the hammer and the gun hand to pull the trigger works fine. If only one hand is available, after triple-checking the 1911 thumb the hammer all the way back until it presses into the grip tang sufficiently to release the grip safety, and then press the trigger and allow the thumb to slowly ride the hammer down.
Safe Holstering
Think you know how to safely reholster your 1911? Place the thumb on the strike face of the hammer and leave it there as the gun goes into the holster. Even if the safety has been carelessly left on “fire,” the grip safety is now activated to prevent the hammer from falling since the web of the hand is no longer pressing on it. Even if the grip safety has been deactivated, the thumb is in position to block a falling hammer and prevent a shot from being fired.
Speaking of grip, one beef I do have with the G.I. configuration is the narrow-tanged grip safety and how it can bite the hand. Until you install a beavertail type to prevent that, use this old bulls-eye shooter’s trick: in practice shooting, use the support hand to place the gun in the web of the firing hand as shown in the photos at the top of the piece. This draws the skin on the back of the hand taut in the grip-tang area and reduces the likelihood of hand pinch.
The Infamous Idiot Scratch
On many a used 1911 pistol you will find a semi-circular scratch on the left side of the frame just beneath the rear of the slide stop. Where does it come from? Well …
Some of the manuals tell the owner that when reassembling the gun from a field strip they should just push the slide stop in when it’s in line with the appropriate notch on the slide. The problem is, the plunger is in the way. The user quickly figures out that if they start with the rear of the slide stop down under the plunger just a little bit, they can push up and in almost effortlessly with the little stud on the inside of the slide stop pushing the plunger aside. And voila, we have the idiot scratch.
The term “idiot scratch” came from 1911 purists. I’m not sure I can agree that it’s “idiocy” to take a shortcut to reassembly if the only damage it causes is a minor finish blemish, but if you want to avoid it, here’s how.
You’ll feel like you need three hands, but you can do it. Assuming the pistol has the G.I. bushing configuration John Moses Browning designed, just leave the spring hanging out from under the bushing for now, bring the slide back as shown in the accompanying photo, and use a small flat-head screwdriver to hold the plunger back as you insert the slide stop straight in until it is seated. I’ve found the tip of a ball-point pen works well in lieu of the screwdriver.
Conclusion
I hope the above will be of help to those new to the 1911 platform. And remember, get high-quality training from a skilled instructor. The 1911 might be an “old” design with some unique quirks, but it is one that has stood the test of time and is more than capable of being your best choice as a self-defense firearm.
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