New owner..

[gfen]

All that stuff that you read about informed decisions goes out of the window right quick, sometimes.

Not that you try to be an uninformed consumer, or one of those guys. Although, it would almost seem that firearms is a pretty common place for impulse buyers, I should know.. I'm one of them, now.

Oh, it started right simple enough. "Gonna buy a handgun," I think to myself. The part where I get confused is recommending a .22 Buckmark to a friend about six weeks ago, to the now with the bill of sale for something that is most certainly NOT a .22LR pistol.

Needless to say, it rapidly escalated when I went out to do some shopping. I didn't even MEAN to buy it, I tell myself, it just called out my name. When you're there, in the shop pricing and oogling and generally wondering which one you're gonna bring home, when you see it down there, in the last cabinet, sitting pretty, begging for your eyes.

You make the fatal mistake, "Excuse me.. could I see that Colt down there in the last cabinet."

Five minutes later, you find yourself alone in the forest of hunting rifles across the room, head bowed in thought. "Can I afford it? Should I do it? Man, what kinda crap is she gonna give me? Just how much recoil is it? I should do it, I mean, the design is nearly 100 years old. Its the serious competitor's handgun. It wouldn't be so popular if there was a problem, right?" A final consideration of the total bill, of the look she'll give you when you walk in...

Well, as you know from the first few lines of this long winded introductory post.. I did it. How could I not? A Colt M1991A1, series 80, used, of course. Not sure of the year, I haven't been bothered enough to try and devote real effort to that, yet. I presume that folks around here have access to that, and with a serial number someone can probably assist? For a bit over $375. Sure, the finish is a little worn, but then, I like that. Yeah, there's a big scratch in the finish, but then I won't feel as bad when I put one in it. Hell, I've never even shot something so big, but I'll learn to enjoy that in time...

Most importantly, its mine all mine.

All that said, hi, I'm a new forum member. A new handgun owner. A new Colt owner. A whole lotta new, eh?

[SMMAssociates]

I'm a relative newcomer here too - I inherited an old Commander a couple of years ago, and didn't really touch it until last April.

(I also bought a new Para Tac-Four about the same time. The wife didn't quite appreciate that.... :eek: )

I've learned more in the last few weeks about the 1911 than I ever thought possible. (Read the "Broken Extractor" thread.)

Great bunch of guys here, with a lot of useful information, and they seem to tolerate me. :o

(The Para gang seems to tolerate me more - something about "these things are _really_ strange." :cool: )

I lucked into the Commander being "ready to go" other than a much too heavy trigger. The other problems are largely my doing. Ask somebody, though, if you come across anything that doesn't seem "right". I'm still learning about "little things" that make the 1911's more comfortable, more reliable, etc.

(A buddy just put "finger groove" Pachmayrs - with wood inserts - on his 1911. Big beavertail too. My Commander's got the older style Pachmayrs. Not a "leave the wife and kids", but I like it. I'll probably do the beavertail. Just little things....)

Enjoy!

Stu.

(The Commander, and the Para, are by no means my first handguns. I've been doing this since 1968. First 1911's, though.)

[GCT00427]

gfen,

Welcome to the forum. This is a nice place to learn and participate. Just a word of warning. Once you have the Colt disease, you will not be able to cure it unless you buy a new or new to you Colt once in a while. One is never enough. So, start saving now for your next fix :eek:

Best wishes and congratulations on your purchase.

Chuck

[John]

As Chuck put it right above, a new 1911 every once in a while is a good cure for the 1911 disease.

If you do not get your medicine, in the proper intervals, you risk ending up like me, starting web site and forums sites about your favorite firearm and spend your time taking care of them. Damn those Greek firearm laws!!! I am a sick man and I can't hope I'll get my medicine!!!

LoL

Oh yeah, welcome to the forums.

[gfen]

Haven't even had a chance to take it out, yet. I purchased it late Monday night, was busy the next two days and Thursday morning had four impacted wisdom teeth pulled, and some other dental thing done.

I figured Vicodin and firearms probably weren't the wisest combination in the world.

Heading out today, finally. Yeah, my jaw is throbbing but I haven't taken anything beyond ibuprofen... Today is a good day, and I do believe I've earned my little get-well gift. :)

Looking forward to being a regular..

-g.

[SMMAssociates]

G:

You got me to thinking.... The guy I inherited the Commander from was deep into Vicodin. Perhaps that's why the trigger was so heavy.... (Medical necessity thing there.) Hope the jaw's back to normal.... (Been there too.)

I've learned a couple of important things here:

1. You can do about anything you want, right or wrong, to a 1911, and if it'll still function at all, you probably can trust it. For a while at least.... :eek:

2. A gun designed to double as a wheel chock, although a bit more effective as a weapon, can easily be turned into a fine, high-quality piece for defense, target, plinking, or just plain fun. At which point it becomes more finicky than Morris the Cat.... :cool:

(But a little care will keep it running fine. :) )

Now, put down the mouse, and run out and buy a couple more.... :D

[gfen]

That's it, I'm hooked. Finally took it out at first chance. Fires like a dream, goes where I want it, and fits in my hand.

Absolutely a dream to use, I'm surprised by how easy to control it is, I expected more due to the size of the cartrdige, but its not bad at all.

[SMMAssociates]

Great! :D

You'll love it....

I'd actually shot the Commander I keep talking about some twenty years ago (if it's not the same one, it's it's twin!), but had forgotten about it. Somewhere along the line I decided to take it out a few months ago after leaving it on the shelf for a year or so, just to see what would happen.

It's pleasant to shoot, and, as you said, "goes where I want it to." My 18-year-old daughter likes it, too. She doesn't like the Para.... I like 'em both.... (Wearing the Colt right now.)

The thing that most people don't realize when they start thinking about BIG bullets is that when you avoid the super-lightweights (this applies to things like the .357, too), you end up with a lot of weight in the gun. This is a nuisance in an ankle rig, or if you're a shrimp like my daughter, but for most people it's just not that much more, and that makes for superb handling.

Enjoy! :D

[suprchrgr]

New to the forum, but not to the 100 year old classic. i bought my first "1911" in 1995, a AMT hard baller. Then in 1997, a Springfield Mil-spec. Those are long gone. Now I own 2 Colts, a 1991A1 and a series 80 Government Model, both beautifully stock, the way they should be.

With out a doubt, the greatest auto pistol ever made. The simplicity, power and sheer numbers alone have secured it's legacy.....but damn these things are loud! Do not forget your hearing protection.

[John]

Have you ever been shooting next to someone with a Glock 9mm Para or .40 S&W???? Then you know what loudness is. The .45 will sound like a pussy cat purring into your ears.

LoL

[SMMAssociates]

John:

You think a 9mm is loud? My regular shooting buddy brings a big Beretta (I forget the model - it's the same one the U.S. Military went with) all the time, and it's a popgun compared to his 1911 or my two .45's. (My 9mm S&W M39's not exactly quiet, but you _know_ when one of us fires the .45's.)

Matter of fact, it's not a lot louder than our PPK/S's.... (He liked mine, and went out and got his own. Mouse gun of sorts, but better than a cellphone. :p Mine's an original Walther made in Germany. His is the S&W variant. I like his a little better, but with Pachmayr grips, it's a toss-up. He's going to put something like those Pearce grips on his when he can.)

Now, there was a guy at another range one afternoon that was firing something that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission might have been interested in. I was two lanes away and it still bothered me. (By the time I got a chance to ask him how that did on tanks, he'd left. Looked like a .45, but I wouldn't want to put that in mine if it was. :eek: )

[Wes Janson]

I've had an opportunity to shoot both Sig Sauer 229 in .40 S&W, and a Sig SP 2340 in .40 S&W. The 229 was slightly quieter I think, or about the same, but had a harder kick. The 2340 was softer, but much noisier. Also, both are just way too bulky for me. I've fallen in love with the 1911's grips.

[John]

Have a look at this:

Loudness Table (http://www.m1911.org/loudness.htm)

Rgds

[SMMAssociates]

John:

3db between the .45 and the 9mm isn't really significant.... You'd notice, of course, but it takes about 10db to be really important.

(I'm still not convinced - the .45 seems to me to be a lot louder than the 9mm, using the same source - "why in the world would you buy those?" reloads.)

I could be wrong, of course. I'm sure I made a mistake in 1969.... :cool:

I'm also wondering how, exactly, that was measured. I think the 9mm's got a sort of "cracK" effect to it, while the .45 is a "boom" - i.e., longer. The peak reading may be a lot higher than the perceived sound. IOW, the 9mm may be louder at a certain point on the curve, but the .45 will seem louder because it's lound longer....

Now that we've gone way past everything I know about this, let's go out to the range and try it. :)

Which way did you say it was to Greece? :D

[lil toad]

Just traded my 625 in on a Colt Commander series 80 Mark IV. Owe a couple of dollars on lay away yet so I haven't shot it. This is my fifth Colt and counting. If all goes well on the $215,000,000 power ball tonight I'll have many more in the not so distant future to report about.

[lil toad]

Have you ever been shooting next to someone with a Glock 9mm Para or .40 S&W???? Then you know what loudness is. The .45 will sound like a pussy cat purring into your ears.

LoL
Are you referring to the Glock shooter's loud noise(bragging) or the pistol itself? I've heard some pretty loud noises coming from the GGLLOOCCKK shooters at some competitions. Living in the dark side of the force must be hell.
How about digging up a Darth Vader mask for an icon to apply to some messages John?

[John]

Just come up with it, and I'll add it here.

LoL

[SMMAssociates]

John:

While I'm thinking of it, any way to add an avatar? I really wanted to use a picture of my Tac-Four.... :eek:

Although that target's not too terrible.

[lil toad]

I wouldn't know where to start John. I'm pretty illiterate on these computers.

[Wes Janson]

http://images.google.com/images?q=Darth+Vader&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&safe=off&start=0&sa=N

Search through until you find one you like. Give John or I the link, and then we'll take it, increase the contrast and brightness so you can see it better, and resize it down to 80x80 or so, or whatever John prefers.

[lil toad]

http://images.google.com/images?q=Darth+Vader&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&safe=off&start=0&sa=N

Search through until you find one you like. Give John or I the link, and then we'll take it, increase the contrast and brightness so you can see it better, and resize it down to 80x80 or so, or whatever John prefers.

community.hr-online.de/ cgi-bin/yabb_hronline/...

[John]

Like the man said, give me the pic you want and I'll add it. The size is max. 100x100 pixels. If you can't resize it etc., I might be able to do it for you.

Rgds

[SMMAssociates]

John:

Here's an avatar - my Tac-Four:

http://tinypic.com/c7v3p


:eek:


Or would you prefer that I e-mail the .BMP?

[John]

It's there for you to use.

Rgds

[lil toad]

It's there for you to use.

Rgds

I'll just slide on this one til I know what I'm doing.

[SMMAssociates]

John:

Thanks....

You might want to change the name, though :D ....

(If you can - I'm not sure how those things are stored at your end.)


****

Lil_Toad: I don't think John's got that Darth Vader thing up yet.

[John]

The name is not important, it's how the system recognizes the particular image file. It shows only when you select the avatar.

Rgds

[SMMAssociates]

John:


>>The name is not important, it's how the system recognizes the particular image file. It shows only when you select the avatar.<<


Yeah, I know that.... It took me a while to find it that way, though....

Guess it really doesn't matter. (Thanks!)

(For the one guy who still hasn't heard all about my Tac-Four, that's what the avatar is, with Pearce grips and an arched mainspring housing, both from Brownells. It handles better for me this way. :D )

I played with a couple of those Darth Vader designs, btw. They'd work as avatars, but not as smilies. I'm not a good enough artist to make one - they're 16x16 .BMP's, apparently, but you need to work tiny. Problem is that Darth Vader is kind of "all black", with little detail when done that small. I made a couple that I recognized, kinda, but they're not very good.