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Toughest 1911?

7K views 31 replies 24 participants last post by  Rovah18 
#1 ·
Who makes the toughest most resilient 1911? The 1911 that you can drop in the ocean and then toss into the dry sand on the beach and pick it up and empty the magazine no prob? Of course no 1911 may be able to survive the torture test I just devised but what I'm really asking is what 1911 can withstand the most abuse before failing?
 
#2 ·
Any of them. Because your chances of failure are going to be dictated by dumb luck, not who makes a "tougher" 1911. They're all made to the same basic design standards. Of course, a steel-framed one will outlast an alloy one, but I assume you aleady knew that.
 
#7 ·
#8 ·
Ben B. said:
The one with the loosest tolerances.
That was my first thought. Many people think Colts are some how less than desirable because they can hear a rattle when shaken. Think of this as the sound of reliability. Glocks get a lot of hype as being the uber reliable gun....they are fitted loose! Push down on the bbl hood on a Glock.
 
#11 ·
A Detonics Model 9-11-01 was put through a torture test, being shot 31,000 rounds in 5 days. It's my understanding that the Georgia Tactical Officer's Association was given the "freebies", as each officer was allowed to shoot 500 rounds for free on any given day, just by signing up. Some came back for more, amassing 1500 rounds or more before the week was done.

The gun was fired 6,000 rounds per day for five days; and on the last day 7,000 rounds went through it.

No powder solvent cleaning was ever done on the gun. The head gunsmith just cooled it off every 1,000 rounds or so, wiped it out with a paper towel, and brushed it with a toothbrush, and (according to what I've heard), occasionally dug some of the remanufactured ammo fouling out of the breach face corners with a small screwdriver. He then put a couple of drops of oil in the rails and locking lugs, and the next officer stepped up to put another 500 or 1,000 rounds through.

The gun is still being shot! If I've got the story straight, (and I believe I do), after a year in the safe, that gun was taken out, without having been cleaned since the last 1,000 rounds were put through. It was fired on TV by the guy in the Outdoor Life chanel show. It still ran just fine.

Man! That's a tuff gun! I've also heard there's a similar model that's been given a mud test by some SF boys at Ft Bragg. It apparently passed the test and has been held in high esteem by all who have shot it. The Detonics guys in the booth at the NRA show were showing off pictures of the mud test. It looked brutal. I'd like to see any other 1911 variant pass that test! I wanna see the pictures, like the pictures I've seen of the Detonics pistol.
 
#12 ·
The link punkgunner provided was actually very impressive. I was sure at least one of those guns like the Wilson or Kimber would choke due to tighter tolerances...was I ever wrong!!! This indeed gives me hope for my shakey-wakey SA GI, and restores my faith in the 1911. I thought there was a reason tunnel rats in viet nam liked the 1911, I remember why now.
 
#13 ·
That article ( wich i provided a link to in my last post) "sealed the deal" for me when i was deciding on getting a Rock Island Armory 1911.

Seeing how much that UNDER $400 was capable of going through and still performing beautuifly made me sure i was making a great choice!

:rock:
 
#15 ·
rondawg said:
I can't open that article on my home PC...is that the one where the writer tests several 1911's by burying them in sand, dirt, mud and water, and trying to make them fail? And none did?
Yes. A very good read IMO.

Im sorry you cant get it to open. Search around, you may find one you can open. Try searching under RIA PRESS.
 
#20 ·
The difference between what the linked article shows vs what was done to the Detonics is worth noting. The pictures at the Detonics booth showed that the slide group was separated from the frame BEFORE both were put into a zip-loc baggie full of mud and sand. Then, after being swished around in the baggie, they were given a dunking in a nearby mud puddle. THEN they were reassembled and fired. That's considerably more internal exposure to mud and gunk IMHO. Everyone who saw the pics was pretty much in awe. I know I was.

I have no desire to do that to my 9-11-01, but it's nice to know it can take such punishment and still work.
 
#22 ·
I imagine new ones might be scarce in the local gunshops while the company is said to be relocating to North Carolina. But I've seen both new and used ones for sale on the internet sites like Gun Broker, etc. Used Seattle made guns, from back in the 70's and 80's usually go for less than the used Georgia ones that were recently manufactured. The new ones have a MSRP of $1200, but usually go for less. One dealer on the internet sez he bought out the last of the Detonics inventory before they closed down and began their transition. If so, he might have some new ones.

I'm obviously a fan of these guns, and I'm not selling any of mine! I own some from both era's, and love 'em all too much to part with. I especially like their all stainless steel construction, being as I have corrosive sweat. At their NRA booth I heard that even the coil springs are made from a type of stainless steel spring alloy. I like that. My sweat gets everywhere and I wouldn't want the small parts inside the gun to rust while the outside stays shiny. As such, the Detonics approach to "stainless steel firearms" makes more sense to me.

Good luck!
 
#23 ·
really the 1911's that you could get today it would be questionable if it would function after the dirt, sand, mud and water test. most 1911's made today are made too tight to function properly without extra care. if you could find a true mil-spec 1911 it would have the best chance of functioning after the gunk test. i have seen too many custom and semi custom guns fail from lack of cleaning to mention. i do have a 1911 us pistol that was made in 1945 that has not been cleaned in 10 to 15 yrs. it won't feed hollow points but then i don't care if it feeds them, its a hard ball gun plan and simple. the only thing i've done to it is spray the outside with gun oil to keep it from rusting shut on me. it's not the prettiest pistol you ever saw but it hasn't failed to fire in at least 10 yrs. the last failure it had was due to the magazine not the gun.:cool:
 
#24 ·
just a guess

I suggest the better answer is Nighthawk's Vickers model.
Their GRP has been earning some respect in actual use, too.

No, I don't own one; no, I ain't buying one; no, I don't care - because I have morethanone gun.
But no Glocks :scratch:
 
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