Evolution of the 1911 in Pictures The evolution of the 1911 started in 1898 with the pistol that became the Colt Model 1900. Chambered in .38 Auto, it was a locked breech, short recoil operated pistol that sported a twin linked barrel…one fore and one aft…and a non-tilting barrel. The Colt Model 1900 The next […]
Hybrid vs Wadcutter 1911 magazine BY now, most have read of the difference the “Hybrid” magazine has made in the feed reliability in the 1911, in spite of some damage done to the feed ramp. Not a cure, but a dramatic difference all the same. His trouble started with “Nose-Dive” misfeeds with the feed ramp […]
The 1911 Magazine Design: The Wadcutter Magazine Many people sense that I have nothing but disdain for the “Wadcutter” type magazine. I suppose that’s partly my fault, but it’s actually not true. The wadcutter magazine is an excellent design…for what it was designed for. Take it outside of its venue…trying to use it for something […]
This question pops up from time to time, and the explanations are as varied as both types of guns. For a long time, I stuck to the technical aspects, but not long ago…I spoke the simple truth…and a barroom brawl erupted almost immediately. They’re ALL recoil operated. There are mechanical differences in the way they […]
Lessening recoil with Reduced Radius Firing Pin Stop for 1911 A few years back, I addressed a problem that a guy on on a gun forum was having with an unstable extractor. It was clocking…or rotating…and causing him a few issues. The cure was to closely fit an oversized firing pin stop, and the only […]
Just recently, a flurry of sudden interest has emerged due to my sending a test magazine to a member in hopes of addressing his recurrent 3-Point Jam/Failure to go to battery headaches. It’s a specific type of magazine, that…although is only a slight modification of hundred year-old technology…is largely unnoticed by the large percentage of […]
1911 Observations: Then and Now There are two basic problems with the 1911 pistol. One is that it’s been around for so long, a lot has been lost in the translation. I hear the pundits speak of it being “finicky” or “Picky about ammo” and that it requires constant attention to keep it running. One […]
Coonan .357 Magnum Automatic, best of both worlds. Dan Coonan, American gun designer, developed the Coonan pistol, chambered in .357 Magnum around 1977. Initially he designed a working magazine, to feed a rimmed case designed for a revolver. When he was satisfied that the magazine worked, Dan began to build a prototype using standard Government […]
1911Headspace Over the years, I’ve had more than a few heated discussions over headspace in the 1911 and other autopistols that headspace on the case mouth…but since this is a 1911 discussion, we’ll focus on that platform. Headspace is determined by the linear measurement from the breechface to the chamber shoulder. This is known as […]
The MIM in 1911 Bugaboo The first pistol that I noticed containing MIM parts was an early 1991A1 Colt. I saw it again in another Colt bought just a matter of weeks later. I bought the pistols specifically for beater duty, and I’ve beat’em long and hard ever since. The pair is approaching 400,000 rounds, […]
