Advice for someone shopping used

[Schuyler113]

I cheaped out on my pistol when I started shooting 3-gun to make sure it was going to a hobby I was going to stick with. Ended up with a Polymer80 that I've been shooting in open - aftermarket Glock 34 slide, compensator, RMR, Timney trigger. I've been shooting reloads at the bottom of minor power factor, but really just to give me a reasonable target to aim for also being new to reloading. I'm not shooting anywhere that checks / cares (2/3gun and random outlaw pistol matches just really for fun and to compete amongst friends). This has kind of quickly led to me sliding in to open just for certain "fun" upgrades - Offset red dot on rifle, 12+1 shotgun, etc. However, I've ended up enjoying it more than expected and am tired of constantly tinkering with a poylmer80. So it's time to get something a little nicer.

 

I've been looking at used open setup czechmate, or a new platypus. However the aluminum frame is kind of a bummer to me on the platypus, and I'm just not thrilled about the idea of being an early adopter. I bet rev2 is going to have a lot more bells/whistles.

 

The more I window shop though, the more I keep coming back to buying a used open 2011 set up. Frame mounted optic, compensator, etc. I am looking at the $2-3k price range. Which brings me the purpose of this thread: If I am looking for a used 2011, I have a couple questions:

1. I am not really looking to take on someone else's tinkering, so I'm planning to stay away from anything where the core pistol was a DIY build. Any major red flags / things I need to stay away from?
2. Anything major that is going to be non-adaptable if I decide to leave open down the road? Only thing that came to mind that wasn't just swapping parts was potentially having to get the slide milled if it's using a frame mount for the optic.
3. I very much enjoyed the squirrel fart minor 147gr reloads. If I were to purchase a gun set up for major, is there anything outside of swapping recoil springs I would really need to do to set it up for minor? (Previous advise on here has told me no).
4. Any general advice you would you have for someone looking to get in to their first 2011, particularly something set up in this configuration?

 

If I wasn't looking to hold out until after the holidays, this WTB thread is an example of something that definitely caught my eye: 

 

Thanks everyone!

 

[Open1215]

this may help with question 3 about the reloads. 147g mouse farts may not work the comp much. I would try messing around with some slow powder and a lighter bullet. Loading a 100g or 90g bullet will still be a mouse fart but the extra gas generated by the powder will help work the compensator.  If the current set up you are running has a comp you could try that out a bit now. The load may change because a 2011 can be loaded to a longer OAL and some barrels are slower than others. 

I will say that working on a Glock vs a 1911 or 2011 is night and day different. Almost everything for the 2011 will need to be fit to the gun. Hope this helps a bit.   

[DavidSeavey]

if you're gonna play with extra light bullets, look into berry's 100gr hollow base projectiles, they're hollow base makes it longer so you don't have to load super short. 

 

i ran a czechmate for many years in 3gun and uspsa, pretty much only shot majjor ammo, didn't want to mess with the gun switching loads. but i also didn't want to set up multiple open guns for each game. 

 

but that's what i'd do now if i were starting over.  i'd very much consider something like an older sti steelmaster designed to shoot minor, they're lighter for all the non pistol portions of 2 and 3 gun games, and still fast and flat.  but now i'd probably go with something designed like the staccato xc or whatever atlas has the shorty comp and put a slide mounted optic on top.  that way for the 2/3 gun games you can much more easily run a retention holster.

[zzt]

Some 2011 Open guns cannot be set up for minor and run 100%.  I have one that will not, and one that will.  The one that will uses a 6V recoil spring, a 17 lb. mainspring and a large radius on the firing pin stop.  I use 124gr at 132 PF for minor.  Any lower than that and it becomes unreliable.  Muzzle rise is more than when I shoot 9mm major loads through it (with a 9 lb. recoil spring).

 

The 38 Super barrel on the gun you list is worthless.  You are never going to shoot it.

 

A frame mounted slide ride puts the dot 2" above the bore.  You definitely have to adjust for close shots.

 

Since you only want to shoot minor 9mm, why not but a good, used 2011 Limited gun.  The are quite attractive right now.  Put s slide mounted dot on it and you are good to go.

[392heminut]

21 minutes ago, zzt said:

A frame mounted slide ride puts the dot 2" above the bore.

 

I'm guessing you meant to say a frame mounted RED DOT?

[zzt]

3 hours ago, 392heminut said:

I'm guessing you meant to say a frame mounted RED DOT?

 

No.  I said a frame mounted Slide Ride, as per the used Open gun the OP is considering purchasing.  A Slideride is a red dot.

[OPENB]

17 hours ago, 392heminut said:

I'm guessing you meant to say a frame mounted RED DOT?

Slide Ride is the model of C-More that has no mount with it. It's commonly attached to frame mounts on 2011's. I even started a thread here long ago as to why it's called a Slide Ride, when I've never actually seen one mounted on a slide. No one knew why.

You may be thinking of the now-common slide mounted dots like the RTS-2, SRO, etc.

[Schuyler113]

Really appreciate the feedback everyone. The likelihood I would experience issues trying to repurpose a gun set up for major in to minor is exactly what I was afraid of.

 

Hadn't thought of the height-over-bore of the frame mount setups..... that is also something new to consider.

[MoNsTeR]

You should just buy the gun in the linked Classifieds thread. I have a nearly identical one, and it's the best gun I own. Dan Bedell makes excellent blasters (I have 3).

[kaseyj5056]

When shopping used make sure it is someone reputable 

[80seriesaddict]

I’ve found that when I’m trying to convince myself that an imperfection or something weird looking is just “lighting” or the angle of the picture that I should really listen to the more skeptical parts of my brain. It’s always an imperfection, it’s never the lighting.

[Nathanb]

And it’s a used gun. One that’s probably been used to shoot matches.  My main gun has plenty of scratches and paint rubs 

[dogtired]

I think for 2/3 gun a well set up CO/LO gun would work just fine.

Edited January 24 by dogtired