1911 in 40 S & W

[beavdha]

How many makers are there of the 40 S & W in the 1911 model?  Would this make a good concealed carry piece?  Say in the officer's model or commander's model?

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive been considering one myself. Ive been looking at a sti and les baer.

[beavdha]

Excuse my irgnorance  but who is STI?

[TScottO]

STI makes the best production run of 1911 style pistols on the market and they are American made. Their guns are machine made, hand fitted and are built to last many thousand rounds. In the competition ranks, STI is a common name but they haven’t been discovered by most of the shoot public. Their marketing is targeted towards competition shooters. While they are not cheap they are excellent guns and they make them in many different calibers.

Check them out:

http://www.stiguns.com/

Take Care,
Scott

[williamlayton]

Yes, I have an STI and I got it thru Dawson Percision.
Very good weapons and the service is good.
SVI also is another, though they are real pricey and a longer wait. They have some good inovations.
The STI suits my thoughts just as or better and They are convenient, for me.
Blessings

[Nuttinbutchunks]

Hmmmm. If it were me, and the size was of no differece, I would go with the .45. All things being equal, I would prefer the larger round.

[Lloyd Smale]

reason for the .40 in a 1911 is mostly the same as the reason for the 9mm 1911s and that is lack of recoil for competion shooting. Personaly the reason id go .40 is that i despise the 9mm!

[williamlayton]

The 1911 is manufactured in many different calibers, by most serious mfg's. .38 super, 9x23, 9x18, .40, .45 .357SIG, .10mm  and to a lesser degree, or, are available in .45 gap, .38 etc to infinity.
The choice of the caliber is dependent upon the carrier and the mindset.
.45 is slower and a bigger hole, some would argue more shock.
.40 is about the same without the same recoil though I prefer the recoil of the .45 & .357 Sig over the .40.
The .38 Super is faster and flatter as is the 9x23 but flash and recoil is softer.
Some would argue the 9x23 is the best overall carry caliber others have their own thoughts.
Buy one of each, you will sooner or later.
Blessings

[amorak]

gents, i am going to have to take exception to what you are saying on this one, i shoot extensively with a 40 springfield and a 45 kimber custom.
the recoil and the muzzle flip with the 40 is noticibly more, look at the ballistics, much higher velocity with the 40. if you are standing alongside someone shooting both of the above aforementioned guns, you can really see the difference in the greater recoil with the 40 cal.

[Lloyd Smale]

I guess the idea is to load the 40 lightly. With a light load and 150 grain bullets its substaintialy lighter in recoil then the 45 with 185s loaded light. Granted you have to spring for the load but you need to do that in a .45 anyway. Another advantage with light loads is that your dealing with a smaller more effeciant case.

[beavdha]

williamlayton -  you said that you prefer the recoil of the 45 or 357 sig over the 40?  Why?  In a short barrelled (conceal carry) wouldn't you want the lighter recoil?  That is why I was thinking of the 40  instead of the 45 is there much difference in the recoil?

[Iowegan]

Last year I built up a SVI in 38 Super and a conversion kit for 40 S&W. The SVI slide has a removable breach face so you can change it for any semi-auto cartridge. All you have to do to convert it is buy a magazine, barrel, bushing, breach plug, extractor, and use the proper recoil spring.

I used a 10 lb recoil spring and loaded some very light 40 S&Ws with 155gr bullets. The accuracy was amazing and recoil felt more like a 9mm.

SVI and STI used to be the same company (Strayer Voigt) but they had a fall out and split. Both share some common designs but each have their own unique products. Superior quality but you pay dearly.

[rbwillnj]

I have owned Kimber Stainless Gold Matches in both 40 S&W and 45 ACP.  I purchased the 40 because I too thought it would have less recoil.  It didn't, I sold the 40, and bought a second 45.  If you want less recoil, reload you own ammo, and go to a lighter load.  There is still plenty of room to reduce the load vs factory, and still make power factors.

[beavdha]

Well I guess I may go with the 45 then.  How well can you conceal a full size 1911 model?  Do you have to move down to the Commander or officer's model to conceal?

[BamBams]

It's not too hard to conceal a full size 1911.  I like to use a Galco MOB holster and wear a vest or loose shirt.

[Nuttinbutchunks]

I conceal a Ultra Compact SA that uses a ten round magazine. It's perfect in my waist band.

[beavdha]

Thanks guys!  I appreciated all the info.  Now to go out and look at what is available and affordable.

[Echo4Lima]

Find a 1911 Delta Elite in 10mm instead of the .40.  You'll be much happier with a Cadillac instead of a Bug.

[357magnum]

I find that in the 1911 platform, the .40S&W has less perceived recoil.  But that's me, YMMV.

Below is my STI in .40S&W that I ordered from Dawson hard-chromed.

[williamlayton]

357 Magnum
Looks like we will have a brother-sister act here in the next day or two. I will pick up my 9x23 from Paul then.
Also a Trojan
Also H/C.
Does Ford's do their HC, I know the company is in  Fla.
The looks give me, hopefully, great anticipation. I had some black paper grips put on mine.
Looks very good, thanks for the pics.
Blessings