steviesterno

hey all, i've been hit by the "I want a new gun bug" and have had an itch for a 2011 for a while. I prefer a single action trigger, and I carry a 1911 and shoot one in single stack. I'm thinking I should consolidate stuff again, get one pistol to shoot all events that I shoot (steel, 3 gun, USPSA, HD, range toy with eventual suppressor, maybe carry). I'm really liking the STI Tactical or new 3 gun pistol. I feel like I could shoot that in any division I'm interested in shooting. However, I'm having a hard time stomaching the cost. I already have an M&P pro and full size, and enjoy shooting them well enough. we just had our first kiddo (6 weeks old yesterday) so in my head I know I won't be shooting any serious matches or competitions in the near future. I can't tell if it's worth the 2 grand when I have a college fund and day care and stuff to worry about. But, if I sold the M&Ps I would only have to come up with maybe $800, which seems reasonable. but at the end of all that, I would have a 5" 9mm with extended mags and a rail.... which I already have in an M&P. So is it really worth all that trouble and expense if I want a 2011 but won't shoot it to it's capacity? Should I buy one now before what I bet are prices going up, or not bother if it's not going to get used for a few years? Should I just slap an apex trigger and heavy guide rod in the M&P and shut up about it? I know the "life is too short to shoot guns you don't like" argument, but i already have my custom 9mm CCO for carry and a les baer. Range sessions seem like they will be a few minutes to stay fresh, rather than all day affairs like they used to be. Another consideration is I'm getting an NFA trust for my anniversary (badass, right?). should I just save up and spend some of that "gun money" on shooting toys (a centerfire can and short shotgun, which I have wanted for a decade). so many toys, so little time and money...

accidental double post... please close

Unfortunately I'm not set up to do the work to go from 80% to full ready to rock lower, so I'm trying to find 100% somewhere

@mpeltier thanks for the head's up... I called and spoke with the manager there and they can only do 40 as a minimum order size. guess I'll keep looking...

20% further from your hand, not closer to your target. Unless he was shooting at a target from 5 inches away the science is irrefutable. 6" is 1" more than 5". in all maths, 6>5 (remember the alligator eats the bigger one). so 6" is more better than 5". I've competed with 6" 2011s, 5" 1911s, and 4" 1911s and 2011s, and I don't think it makes much of a difference to me at least, if the bays are short and the action is fast. once you get out past 20 yards and have smaller or hidden targets (or the damn little steels in 3 gun) is when it makes a difference. I carry a 4" now because it's easier to carry, and accurate and fast enough inside 20 yards, which is where I see the need. If I shot mostly long range or was going to hunt with it or my RM was a jerk, I would get the 6". Otherwise 5", 5.4, whatever seems like a good compromise. Currently building my dream do-everything gun and it's a 5", full dust cover, railed, lightened slide, 9mm 2011 with threaded barrel, FO sight in the front, blacked out rear. I see that as perfect (again for me) for steel matches, 3 gun, USPSA Lim Minor, HD, maybe carry if needed. I prefer a heavy gun with a light slide, as it helps me keep it steady when I'm winded or hustling a 3 gun stage. the lighter ones point faster, but not worth a miss after a 40 yard sprint firing shotguns from the hip.

anybody have any experience with these guys? http://www.rangetool.com/store/ar15-lower-custom-serial.html saying they can do it with the Lower for $100 shipped.

a 6" barrel gets your bullet almost 20% closed to the target compared to a 5", so there's less room for you to miss. it's science. I had one, bushing barrel lightened like a 5". the sight radius was nice and I'd get it again if they were the same price as a 5" STI. looking limited minor for 3g. I have good eyes so the extra sight distance didn't help me that much.

Does anybody know of a company that does custom serial number lowers? Looking to grab my son his first rifle. He's only a month old but I'm in Texas, so I'm already a little late. Would be willing to buy one for the wife and one for me while we're at it. I tried to do this with a 1911 or 2011 but the build cost was prohibitive. I can build this rifle in 22 and then full caliber if he grows myself, so I like that idea.

here's a picture of my CCO, the grips add no size to the gun. Crimson trace makes these, and they have amazing customer service. My buddy picked up a green laser but he was having trouble with it. He called, and they had a new one on the way and a prepaid box to return the other one. the bottom pic is a Glock I had with the red dot. If you want it for night matches, get one of the LED versions. they are brighter. I don't think the bulk is worth the trouble, but I still have pretty young eyes.

having run both at night matches and in 3 gun, I can tell you that a laser can be a great tool on the rifle and pistol, but was a hindrance on the shotgun. It was great inside 8 or so yards as you just flash the dot on the A zone and pull twice. I shot a bunch of targets on the move with the pistol and rifle without getting a great sight picture or even bringing the rifle up to shoulder. On the shotgun and on far rifle targets, I spent too much time chasing the dot for 8" steel. I was much faster to shoulder the rifle, get the sight on it and blast. that said, there's little cons of a laser on a competition gun. If you don't need it or you're focusing on the sights, it doesn't matter. if you do need to shoot from a weird angle or one handed, it helps. The new green lasers are super bright, day time visible, and add no bulk to my CCO sized (IDPA) 1911. besides, a high powered laser flashed onto a USPSA target will occasionally make them fall down on their own.

thanks everyone! I presented the other day, and we got 8 overwhelming positive speakers against 2 antis. we shall see how it goes.

Springfield. It's a known base for building a good 9mm 1911, and I'm carrying a ROC because I trust it and it works. The safety doesn't matter if you're a righty. And if you really need an ambi, add one. the front strap doesn't matter to me... a bit of grip tape is better and significantly cheaper Serrations don't matter. a 9mm 1911 is easy enough to rack, you don't need them. if you want more grip, add a piece of that grip tape you're already playing with for the front strap. SA is a known product that runs great, supports shooting sports, and will work for you to build off later.

Don't know where you got the idea that my comment had anything to do with stopping power. 9mm 1911s are finicky; I would know, as I shoot mine regularly. The 1911 action is too long for the 9mm or .40 cartridges for self defense. The EMP is the solution--a shorter action designed to be a 9mm or .40 length. A 100% reliable 9mm 1911 is great, and the EMP is the answer. For competition, I'm perfectly happy with my full length action 1911 with round bullets. But I don't carry it on the street, and I wouldn't! I already have one of the range officer champions in 9mm, and it's run 100% for me. I ran low power reloads and SD loads as it was stock,and no problems. then I had it tri-topped and the barrel cut down and it still runs perfectly, even without changing spring weight. Maybe I got lucky or maybe the "9mm doesn't work in 1911" problem has been busted along with the "3" 45s don't run". as far as a single stack for HD, I'm cool with it. I prefer the 1911 pattern and shoot it best, and I would personally rather have 11 rounds of decent ammo that I could shoot well. That's why I switched to the ROC. it's about the same size as a GLock 19, and heavier. But with the good trigger and sights and years of experience behind a 1911, I know I can make a good hit at distance in a pinch. It's worth giving up rounds, to me at least.

Pick up a mag like Shotgun News, you'll see 12 different flavors, rails are old news on 1911s and definitely aren't reserved for expensive ones. sorry, I meant decent 1911s with rails. Kimber is out, Colt I won't buy and it's $900 I think, and that leaves what, RIA? also really hard to get 9mm 1911s it seems currently. all the STI options are Trojan and nicer, and the Springfields have been loaded or better.

Hey all, The university I work for in Texas is holding an open forum to discuss the pros and cons of carry on campus, as we get to opt in/out of that in August. I'm obviously very pro, and I work in a community outreach part of campus that could benefit from armed security or staff. I'm wondering if anyone has links or info to stats that could help me with this argument. I am slated to have 2 minutes to speak to the entire faculty and staff, so I want to make sure I go in with enough information to make an intelligent argument and help get this approved! Thanks!

Rails can add weight up front, which some people like me prefer. Some of us also use our competition guns for more than just competitions. My 3 gun M&P is also my HD gun. 24 rounds of ammo, good trigger, I have a lot of practice with it, and it has a good light on it when it's bedside. I think this is one of the only railed 1911s I've seen under a grand.

I have built a few and currently running an 11.5" for my HD SBR in 223 and build an 8" 300blk upper into a pistol. I like that round for the ballistics but haven't suppressed it yet. They make for a short and sweet size, handle like a full size, and accurate enough for 100 yards and in. Never tried pushing farther. The shorty 223s are stupid loud. We shot one outside without being plugged and ended up ringing for a week. If you want fun, get a 4" barrel in 22. I run it with a can and for tube that's like 11" so it handles like a real gun but is movie quiet

Eric I'm following that thread, too. Looks like with a little tai-topping it should make weight, and the rail out front and light slide should give it a good, almost limited gun feel. Not that 9mm in a full steel gun is that sharp to begin with. I don't know why but all of a sudden I'm wanting one of these. Maybe buy a 2011 frame and build it to work with this top end, so I would have a single stack and double stack option set up the same, depending on the game. or is that just crazy talk? really wanting an STI double stack in 9mm, but can't stomach the cost. it's really $1200 extra bucks to get double the rounds? that seems nuts to me. I have the ROC in aluminum and had the slide tri topped. it might be my favorite gun to shoot at the moment. Light, little recoil, surprisingly accurate. Shot a perfect score on my CHL with it. the instructor made me open my group up a little bit because the 3 yard target just had one hole in it.

I'm thinking the 9mm tri topped would be a great shooter. I had Gans work on my Range Officer Compact and it really changed how it shot. Can't imagine it doesn't make weight but I think we will need to see them in the wild

Ok so I was totally not going to blow any gun money and keep saving for an STI. But, Springfield came out with a Range Officer Operator, basically a railed and Novak sight version of the ro. I want one pretty badly for range fun and HD. And maybe competitions where capacity isn't an issue. Anybody get one yet? Thoughts?

looks like a sub-par product at a fanboy price. Para had a really crappy reputation, but seemed to get in gear and made a decent enough competition 1911. there are just too many options for 1911s any more. you can have competition ready like an STI Trojan, as is has FO sights, good trigger, good guts, runs fine, and I'm OK with no magwell since people have favorites and different competitions have different rules. Or you get entry level good guns like the RO. Good frame and slide, good enough guts, FO sights, great base to spend to customize. I have a fully customized to my spec ROC now that costs less then MSRP of a colt that would still need all that work.

that's where I think this set up shines. it seems like an ideal SBR, like a modern MP5 without the silly high price. I keep thinking about adding to my stamp collection...

I have a Glock 32 with an RMR milled in. With the 9mm conversion barrel, it's a 19 MOS. I'm not sure why they didn't make shorter slide versions sooner, I feel like shorter guns benefit more from a mini red dot than longer sight radius versions. but maybe for hunting and not competitions. I'm actually thinking of selling it since it's my only Glock anymore, as I transition to 2011/1911s

check GrabAGun for prices. that was the best around when I did similar shopping, but went with the ROC. 4" upper on officers lower. The other main CCO players in my head were Dan Wesson (2x the money) and GI (4x the money). wasn't interested in the colt. Managed to get the springfield that ran flawlessly out of the box, send it to have the barrel cut flush, slide tri topped, night sights, crimson trace green laser, extra mags and a milt sparks holster and STILL be under what the DW would have cost. shoots great and outstanding service. what more can you ask for?