Ayoob: Why I Don’t Want a Custom 1911

By Massad Ayoob

Posted in
#Guns

When I was 10 years old, I read Jeff Cooper’s articles in Guns & Ammo magazine in which he extolled the 1911 “.45 automatic” as the ultimate gunfighting/self-defense handgun. What he wrote made a great deal of sense to me.

All these years later, it still does.

The basic 1911 .45 has been protecting Americans for over a century without needing fancy upgrades. While a custom one can be exciting, in most cases a plain vanilla one gets the job done just fine.

Slim and flat, among the easiest of full-size “fighting handguns” to discreetly, accessibly carry concealed. Unarguably adequate in power for its task, all the more so today with improved ammunition. It’s been long-since proven reliable. It has a low bore axis to minimize muzzle rise and contribute to accurate rapid fire, and a straight-back, short, easy-to-control trigger pull enhances rapid-fire hit potential under the highest stress imaginable. And, thanks to the genius of John Moses Browning, it has redundant safety features.

Ayoob’s hands-on experience with 1911 models like the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec confirms what generations of shooters already knew — the basic design delivers when it counts most.

Since 1911 — and really, mostly, since 1960 or so — gunsmiths and master pistoleros found ways to enhance the original pistol. Today we have a broad assortment of calibers to choose from, and higher cartridge capacity versions. We have target sights, we have optical sights, we have laser sights. Clever gunsmiths came up with accessories which reduced both muzzle rise and rearward recoil impulse, colloquially known as “kick.”

But, you know what? While today’s 1911s may have more flavors than Howard Johnson’s famous ice cream, plain vanilla still works pretty darn well.

The Choice of (1911) Flavors

When I was a kid, it was a big deal that Howard Johnson’s had 28 flavors of ice cream. Heck, there are way more than 28 flavors of 1911 when you factor in calibers, sizes, and manufacturers.

Professional gunsmith performing custom magazine well work on a 1911 pistol frame to improve reload speed and ease of use. The beveling process requires specialized tools and expertise that significantly increases the final cost of custom builds. Plain jane 1911 models function reliably for defensive purposes without enhanced magazine wells or competition-grade modifications. Custom shop services can add thousands of dollars to basic pistol prices, with top-tier guns costing $3,000 or more. Standard configuration models like the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec at $725 feed dependably without beveled mag wells. The practical benefit of faster reloads matters more for competition shooting than real-world defensive encounters. Gunsmiths have offered magazine well improvements since the 1960s, but military and law enforcement used unmodified 1911 pistols effectively for decades. — Custom gunsmiths can bevel magazine wells and add countless enhancements to 1911 pistols. But a basic 1911 can certainly perform well without these bells and whistles.

Let’s look at just one manufacturer, Springfield Armory. You can get your 1911 in a double-stack 9mm like the Prodigy holding all the rounds you want. You can get several models already cut for optic sights if you shoot better with those. Want something small and light? Turn the catalog page to the EMP (Enhanced Micro Pistol) series. Fancy? They have those too.

Massad Ayoob firing a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 pistol demonstrating the reliable performance of affordable standard configuration models. The basic .45 automatic feeds jacketed hollow points dependably thanks to factory throating for modern defensive ammunition. His shooting form shows the low bore axis design that minimizes muzzle rise during rapid fire without custom compensators or ports. Plain jane models like the Mil-Spec start at $725 compared to $3,000 or more for fully customized variants. The fixed sights on standard 1911 pistols proved adequate for military, law enforcement, and civilian defensive use throughout history. Ayoob's sample gun has been satisfyingly reliable in testing, validating his preference for economical proven designs. The straight-back short trigger pull enhances rapid accurate fire under stress without expensive gunsmith trigger jobs. — Ayoob’s Springfield Mil-Spec proves that basic 1911 models can shoot accurately and reliably without custom work. Also, their price point makes it accessible while delivering proven performance.

Still and all, for many shooters’ needs a “plain Jane” version will suffice. Your basic 5” barrel all-steel 1911 .45 auto is the gun that earned its rep from the trenches of World War I to the proverbial sands of Iwo Jima to the tunnels of Vietnam, and even found its way into the 21^st century’s war on terror. In its standard configuration it was carried in the holsters of many Texas Rangers and other lawmen, and protected the homes of countless Americans. Pistol-packers discovered early on that its slim profile made it easy, comfortable, and surprisingly concealable in everyday carry.

Features You Need

One thing that drives the purchase of a basic 1911 is economy, simply because additional bells and whistles are expensive for the manufacturer to produce. The exemplar of a plain 1911 that I’ll use here is the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec, which carries a manufacturer’s suggested retail price starting at just $725. Many makers’ top-of-the-line 1911’s will run $3,000 or more. For three grand you can buy three Mil-Specs and have money left over for holsters and ammo.

Professional gunsmith inspecting a 1911 pistol in his workshop where custom modifications transform basic models into expensive enhanced variants. Skilled craftsmen offer trigger jobs, beveled magazine wells, extended safeties, and optical sight cuts that significantly increase final costs. Plain jane 1911 models provide adequate defensive reliability without custom shop work that can add thousands to base prices. The Springfield Armory Mil-Spec at $725 delivers century-proven performance compared to $3,000+ for fully customized guns. Standard configuration pistols served military personnel and law enforcement effectively throughout history without gunsmith enhancements. Custom work might be fun and look impressive, but basic models feed hollow points reliably when properly throated from the factory. Budget-conscious shooters can purchase multiple standard 1911 pistols for the cost of one tricked-out custom build. — While skilled gunsmiths have been tricking out 1911 pistols with countless improvements, the basic 1911 has inherent strengths — and is a proven design.

Reliability of function is a non-negotiable baseline for any firearm, particularly so with one intended for self-defense purposes. A lot of the old military surplus 1911 .45 pistols were designed only for round-nose, full metal jacket ball ammunition and might malfunction if fed modern hollow points. The Springfield Mil-Spec is factory “throated” to feed the desirable-for-defense jacketed hollow point. My sample has been satisfyingly reliable in that respect. [Read Ayoob’s review of the Springfield Armory 1911 Mil-Spec for more information.]

Adequate power is another definite need in a defensive handgun. Certainly, the general consensus of both military and law enforcement today is that with modern ammunition the 9mm is not inadequate. However, in its original chambering of .45 ACP, no one questions that as handguns go — it has a more than adequate power level.

As For Wants…

I for one like adjustable sights. That said, I don’t consider them essential. Our military has never issued adjustable sight service pistols except to pistol teams and, when they had revolvers, USAF police. Modern police service autos didn’t generally have adjustable sighting until the recent trend to carry optics, and I’ve won IDPA and police PPC Service Pistol matches with fixed sight guns as have a great many others.

Massad Ayoob comparing the improved fixed sights on a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911 to the smaller sights found on original M1911A1 military pistols. Modern basic models include better visibility and sight picture without adding expensive adjustable sight costs to the $725 price point. Plain jane configurations offer adequate aiming capability for defensive purposes despite adjustable sights being preferable for some shooters. The military never issued adjustable sight service pistols except to competition teams, yet soldiers used standard 1911 models effectively in combat. Fixed sights on the Mil-Spec sit in dovetails allowing windage adjustment by drifting laterally without gunsmith fees. Ayoob won IDPA and police PPC matches using fixed sight guns, proving they work fine for accurate shooting. Basic sight improvements represent smart evolution of the platform without unnecessary custom shop modifications. — To avoid grip tang pinch, feed the 1911 into the firing hand at this angle, with tight contact to web of hand.

The rear fixed sight on a Mil-Spec 1911 sits in a dovetail and can be drifted laterally to adjust for windage. If a fixed-sight 1911 “shoots low,” a little judicious filing of the top of the fixed front sight can bring point of impact up to point of aim.

Weapon-mounted lights? You can pay a little more and have a 1911 with extended dust cover cut for mounting of an “on-board flashlight.” However, its holster will be necessarily bulkier and harder to conceal. Before WMLs became popular, we all got by learning to mate a pistol in the dominant hand with a flashlight held in the support hand, and those techniques still work. Moreover, us old gun guys who’ve been doing this for a while have accumulated lots of 1911 holsters which fit standard configuration pistols but not those shaped to mount light attachments.

Conclusion

Yes, you can spend a ton of money on a 1911 with all the bells and whistles. You can take a basic gun to a custom shop and have them completely trick it out with every option imaginable. Is that fun? Sure. Is it necessary? That’s a whole separate question.

If you ask me, the plain vanilla 1911 .45 has served to protect very well for well over a century. It can obviously continue to do so. With a pistol like the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec, you have a great gun for a great price that is proven and reliable. Sounds like a winner to me.

Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the “Go To Forum Thread” link below to jump in!