My experience with various 2011s

[Gene_WI]

Only truly horrible 1911/2011 I ever had was a colt gold cup. Had a number of used 2011s and they all worked. Sure unturned mags and worn springs gave trouble in some but thats an easy fix. Only serious issues I had with a used 2011 was a worn sear, but again thats expected and easy to fix.

[rowdyb]

That sucks to plow through that many things and not be happy. What I have noticed is there is a very wide discrepancy in what people describe as a problem or working perfectly.

 

To some who say, "My gun works perfectly when I do X,Y,Z and A,B and C without fail" to others it would be "My gun doesn't work right because I have to do X,Y,Z and A,B and C." So I can understand how someone would feel unhappy with a series of 19/2011 guns.

 

Why? Because for some people all mechanical things should be plug and play. Your lawn mower should start after sitting all winter in the garage with the same gas it had in it from October. The microwave should cook every time you press a button. In this case, sadly, I think it is tough for some to swallow that spending over 4 grand on a gun doesn't equal a perfectly performing machine for the life of the gun, no matter what you as a user do or introduce into the package.

 

Do not ride an Aprilia or Ducati if you want Honda like interfaces and maintenance. Do not shoot 9mm 19/2011 guns from custom builders if you think you can shoot any factory ammo you want out of any mag you want and that parts will just drop in and out. They just simply won't. Some enjoy and accept this and some do not. (I fall more into the do not camp). I can see how it would be galling if your first foray made you think all the rest would be like it, as they clearly weren't.

 

I also no longer own multiple 19/2011 guns, actually having none at all currently. The amount we spend on guns sometimes doesn't equal a similar amount of easy ownership. Certain models of gun take far more owner engagement, especially when shot regularly and in decent volume or rounds. (Every gun is perfect in the safe)

 

I hope this guy finds a gun owning experience he likes. I also hope the folks who bought his guns got them to run great. (As I've sold a few guns where I very clearly said "I can't make this work, just so you know.")

 

For anyone new reading this thread, it is unreasonable to expect any 19/2011 gun to take any ammo, any mag, any part and work all the time. Nothing is drop in, everything has to be fitted, finessed and tested.

[GrumpyOne]

21 minutes ago, rowdyb said:

That sucks to plow through that many things and not be happy. What I have noticed is there is a very wide discrepancy in what people describe as a problem or working perfectly.

 

To some who say, "My gun works perfectly when I do X,Y,Z and A,B and C without fail" to others it would be "My gun doesn't work right because I have to do X,Y,Z and A,B and C." So I can understand how someone would feel unhappy with a series of 19/2011 guns.

 

Why? Because for some people all mechanical things should be plug and play. Your lawn mower should start after sitting all winter in the garage with the same gas it had in it from October. The microwave should cook every time you press a button. In this case, sadly, I think it is tough for some to swallow that spending over 4 grand on a gun doesn't equal a perfectly performing machine for the life of the gun, no matter what you as a user do or introduce into the package.

 

Do not ride an Aprilia or Ducati if you want Honda like interfaces and maintenance. Do not shoot 9mm 19/2011 guns from custom builders if you think you can shoot any factory ammo you want out of any mag you want and that parts will just drop in and out. They just simply won't. Some enjoy and accept this and some do not. (I fall more into the do not camp). I can see how it would be galling if your first foray made you think all the rest would be like it, as they clearly weren't.

 

I also no longer own multiple 19/2011 guns, actually having none at all currently. The amount we spend on guns sometimes doesn't equal a similar amount of easy ownership. Certain models of gun take far more owner engagement, especially when shot regularly and in decent volume or rounds. (Every gun is perfect in the safe)

 

I hope this guy finds a gun owning experience he likes. I also hope the folks who bought his guns got them to run great. (As I've sold a few guns where I very clearly said "I can't make this work, just so you know.")

 

For anyone new reading this thread, it is unreasonable to expect any 19/2011 gun to take any ammo, any mag, any part and work all the time. Nothing is drop in, everything has to be fitted, finessed and tested.

These are words of wisdom. 

 

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

[Drmike]

On 12/28/2020 at 9:55 AM, CHA-LEE said:

 Congrats on your new Atlas Titan purchase!!! Since every gun and shooter is different I would suggest getting a range of recoil springs from 10lb - 13lb so you can tune the muzzle return characteristics to match your grip pressure. The best tool for tuning this is to use slow motion video while shooting the gun to see how the whole gun moves around as the slide snaps back forward. I have a two part video series that talks about this spring tuning stuff on my YouTube channel.

 

Other than that, you will need to verify that your ammo OAL and Powder drop matches what the Titan needs. I always suggest that people optimize the OAL of the ammo first, then tune the powder drop to achieve the velocity that you desire. I started the below thread that talks about tuning the OAL. Check it out.

 

 

Thanks CHA-LEE.  I have already viewed the video.  I appreciate the great content that you provide, and also took advantage of the free mag with your discount code.

 

Cheers!

[Drmike]

1 hour ago, rowdyb said:

That sucks to plow through that many things and not be happy. What I have noticed is there is a very wide discrepancy in what people describe as a problem or working perfectly.

 

To some who say, "My gun works perfectly when I do X,Y,Z and A,B and C without fail" to others it would be "My gun doesn't work right because I have to do X,Y,Z and A,B and C." So I can understand how someone would feel unhappy with a series of 19/2011 guns.

 

Why? Because for some people all mechanical things should be plug and play. Your lawn mower should start after sitting all winter in the garage with the same gas it had in it from October. The microwave should cook every time you press a button. In this case, sadly, I think it is tough for some to swallow that spending over 4 grand on a gun doesn't equal a perfectly performing machine for the life of the gun, no matter what you as a user do or introduce into the package.

 

Do not ride an Aprilia or Ducati if you want Honda like interfaces and maintenance. Do not shoot 9mm 19/2011 guns from custom builders if you think you can shoot any factory ammo you want out of any mag you want and that parts will just drop in and out. They just simply won't. Some enjoy and accept this and some do not. (I fall more into the do not camp). I can see how it would be galling if your first foray made you think all the rest would be like it, as they clearly weren't.

 

I also no longer own multiple 19/2011 guns, actually having none at all currently. The amount we spend on guns sometimes doesn't equal a similar amount of easy ownership. Certain models of gun take far more owner engagement, especially when shot regularly and in decent volume or rounds. (Every gun is perfect in the safe)

 

I hope this guy finds a gun owning experience he likes. I also hope the folks who bought his guns got them to run great. (As I've sold a few guns where I very clearly said "I can't make this work, just so you know.")

 

For anyone new reading this thread, it is unreasonable to expect any 19/2011 gun to take any ammo, any mag, any part and work all the time. Nothing is drop in, everything has to be fitted, finessed and tested.

 

[Drmike]

Rowdy, this is well stated.  Like most, I started shooting different pistols, but was drawn to the 1911’s back in the 90’s (and 2011’s just two years ago for competition).  Like most, my initial experience was underwhelming, they are not plug and play.  Once you have the knowledge to tune your ammunition and maintain the pistol as it is meant to be maintained, the results are more than worth it.  Put in the time, that trigger and the ergonomics are worth it!

Edited December 30, 2020 by Drmike

[cheby]

I was a production shooter for quite a while.  Started with glocks, then CZ. I had issues with all of them especially when I used some aftermarket parts. I shot limited with CZ for a while as well. Also had feeding problems with some modifications and aftermarket parts. Everything was fixable even though some issues took longer to figure out. I broke quite a few things on all guns especially with 40sw. That included a barrel, frame, sights, and slides. I am not even mentioning springs, slide stops, and other small things. I even had to change a gun at the nationals in 2018 after multiple issues with my CZ...

I used to think that 1911/2011 platform was outdated and too high maintenance. However,  many people around me were shooting various 2011s with zero issues. I am talking about guns that are shot over 50K a year. Two particular examples of STI DVC were not cleaned properly and never disassembled in 2 years yet worked without any problems. The person who owned them just didn't know how to do that....

So I switched to 2011 last year.  In my experience it has been the most reliable and low maintenance gun I have ever owned. I bought MBX, STI, and SVI magazines. I used Grams and TTI gutts. Everything works. The SVI magazines are indestructible. Yes, the gun is way more expensive. Yes, I broke a couple parts in it as well. But compared to anything else I had, it's just amazing how little I had to do to it. 

 

 

[yigal]

1 hour ago, cheby said:

 Everything works. The SVI magazines are indestructible. Yes, the gun is way more expensive. Yes, I broke a couple parts in it as well. But compared to anything else I had, it's just amazing how little I had to do to it. 

 

 

what parts u broke?

except rear sight loose   and  bad extractor in ours club all sti guns never broke  any part .few of them over 50k (9mm factory ammo only)

1911 properly tuned is very good platform.

 

[cheby]

23 minutes ago, yigal said:

what parts u broke?

except rear sight loose   and  bad extractor in ours club all sti guns never broke  any part .few of them over 50k (9mm factory ammo only)

1911 properly tuned is very good platform.

 

I broke two things.

1. The ejector (from EGW) I think it was too long and I was hitting it during the reloads. The replacement was shortened to address that.

2. I also broke a dawson mag release. I use the IDPA length mag release from dawson because it's shorter. I broke it  during the major match unfortunately. It looked like it was defective from the beginning. I called Dawson and told them about it.  I got the replacement. it's a cheap part that takes 30 sec to replace but the timing was bad.  Freak incident

[yigal]

8 hours ago, cheby said:

I broke two things.

1. The ejector (from EGW) I think it was too long and I was hitting it during the reloads. The replacement was shortened to address that.

2. I also broke a dawson mag release. I use the IDPA length mag release from dawson because it's shorter. I broke it  during the major match unfortunately. It looked like it was defective from the beginning. I called Dawson and told them about it.  I got the replacement. it's a cheap part that takes 30 sec to replace but the timing was bad.  Freak incident

thank u. we don't use this parts.

[geraldskip]

The DVC 3 gun and DVC Limited were both great guns that hit the perfect spot. Dealers got them for like $2200 and you could find them priced around there if you knew where to look. Absolutely fantastic deal for the $2500 range. I've owned two and shot about 6 of the DVC line and each was a great gun (although I did have to tune the extractor on one of my personal guns).

 

The new Staccato's are nice, and the P works great with the "light" spring and 3 gun, but the XL is a joke for $3600 (and you can't find them lower, I think dealer price is like $2900).

 

Custom 9mms are great, but I don't think they benefit a ton from metal grips like 40 cals do.

Good luck with your search. If you are still looking for a good 9mm 2011, I would recommend Warwick Tactical. Very reasonably priced and very nice. I've owned two and I like them more than my DVC 3 gun and a buddy's Hyperion. My new PT Honcho also shoots boxed ammo incredibly well if you are still questing for a metal gripped gun. Message me if you have any questions and I'll do my best to help.

[geraldskip]

Also, I find it funny that the OP made a post about "who is buying the $5000 9mm 2011s???" and then comes to this thread and says that he has owned two 9mm Atlas's and an Akai (assumed 40 cal?).
 

Lol.

[Joe4d]

I changed parts on my STI Eagle 40 for preference but not for failure. With the exception of the 2 piece FLGR which along with everyother 2 piece FLGR is a total POS design.  They ALWAYS come unscrewed on me during shooting.  (and save the captain obvious blue loctitght replies)

I took a 5 inch 1 piece rod, cut it exactly 1 inch longer than a standard GI guide rod, put it in the gun and commenced to run it without a hiccup.
Only issue I ever had with my STI

Having same problem with my RIA 6" 45 although it uses a plug that adapts it to a 5" drive system, have yet to find a guide rod combo I am happy with.