The 1911 Platform Observations

The 1911. It’s a fantastic shooting platform. I had gotten away from it for some years and now I’m back to it for the time being. As an instructor I’ve made many observations on the guns and the shooters and I think I’ve come up with some conclusions.
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1. The 1911 demands loyalty. You can’t cheat on it and have it be faithful back to you. If you are going to carry a 1911, you need to marry it. Here’s why… In most every class I’ve taught that had a 1911 shooter in it, I’ll catch a guy draw his weapon, push out from the high compressed position, and then crush his trigger to no effect because he forgot to sweep the safety off. Most of the guys that do that, do so because their other guns are not 1911’s. They are Glocks or XD’s or M&P’s or something altogether not 1911’s. Don’t cheat on the 1911. Because that’s going to lead some issues.
2. Don’t go shorter than 4 inches. 1911’s that are shorter than a “Commander” start to give up reliability. You give up other things as well to the point that you are detracting from the fantastic qualities that make the 1911 the 1911 in the first place. The long sight radius, the accuracy, the pointability… These things make a 1911 what it is. Chopping them down to 3 inches… you’ve ruined it. You no longer have the pointing, the accuracy, the very things we love the 1911 for. And I’ve never seen a compact 1911 of any sort complete one of my handgun courses without turning into a hot mess of problems. The Commander is 4.25 inches. Many 1911 makers are doing a 4″ version, and they seem to be running just about as well as any good full sized 5″ “Government” model. Shorter than 4, it’s effecting the geometry and the timing and it’s just not worth the risk in reliability for the perception of greater concealment.
3. The 1911 needs to be well lubricated. Some guys like oil, some grease, and others a combo of both in different places. However you like it – that’s fine. As long as you oil it. Most every 1911 I’ve seen with issues that wasn’t shorter than 4″, was a pistol that was bone dry. Just like an AR-15, it can be hot, and dirty… but it can’t be dry. The 1911 likes to be wet.
4. The 1911 is a traditional type of pistol so it needs a traditional type of holsters – leather. Good leather. Most 1911’s are north of $1,000 dollars, so don’t even think about it letting it ride in a cheap rig. And remember what I said about marrying the 1911? That means showing it the respect that it deserves… let it ride in something nice. Let it know you care. Here’s the other reason… The 1911 is not for the Duffers. It’s a pistol for the experts. It’s for the experienced shooters. It should show some miles on it. Let it get some holster wear, let that holster break in… And you do that by #5…
5. You Must Train with it. Practice your draw. Practice your re-holstering. Practice getting that one thing that the 1911 excels at – that fast and precise first round heavy hit. All gunfights have one thing in common. That first shot. Make it count.

Bundy Ranch

Yes, I’ve been quiet about the Bundy Ranch situation.   Fine… You want my opinion?

Bundy is a nutter and owes his grazing fees.  But he also has a point.  I believe the States should control their own land and not the Feds through the BLM.  I know a lot of guys that work for the BLM and they are good guys.  But in Nevada, they are over-stepping quite a bit.  Pulling back like they did was a smart move.  They had nothing to gain by pushing further.
Harry Reid is right when he said that this isn’t over.  The BLM will make their bones on this.  That much is for sure.  Because it’s BLM land, not Nevada land.  The Feds will get their due.  They are like the Lannisters from the Game of Thrones.

Does anyone really think this is about Turtles?  Does anyone really give a crap about the turtles?  Las Vegas is killing them because they have too many.  Even though they are “endangered”.  Really?  What’s really going on?

The BLM controls most of the western states.  This is patently wrong.  See the Feds made these huge land grabs by offering PILT deals.  Payments in lieu of Taxes.  The States turn over “unproductive” land to the Feds and get payments from the Feds in return.  “More than what they would earn in taxes” or so they said.  Utah took it.   And it so happens that the PILT money is a fraction of what they would be making on the revenue from the Mineral Rights… OIL MONEY.  Crude, Tar Sands, Oil Shale, Fracking… Black Gold… Texas Tea… And then all the Natural Gas on top of that.  Billions of dollars worth and the Feds pay out Pennies in PILT.  Nevada gets PILT payments as well.  How’s that working out for them?

Now, in Nevada, they don’t have as much oil as Utah.  Not like in the Uintah Basin.  But Harry Reid’s son has a solar energy deal with China… a deal that is supposed to happen on that contested land.   You can bet the farm – er – the Ranch… sorry… That Harry Reid is fully set and ready to destroy the Bundy’s so his son and he can make some bacon on that land the Bundy’s are raising beef on.  Reid is ready to go Full On Waco on the Bundy’s.  Yet that clown points a finger at the people that are saying “hey, that’s not right” and calls them Domestic Terrorists.  Well, I can’t say how I feel about Reid.  The G-Men would be knocking on my door if I did.

All I can say about this situation in Nevada is “Follow The Money”.  Who benefits from this?  Nevada?  No… Nevada doesn’t get nothing.

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Huh…  Looks the Sheriff might be getting some scratch.  The Reid Family sure is.  But the people of Nevada are getting the thumb screws.  As are all of us…  Because this is a States Rights issue at the core of the Bundy’s arguement – and it’s an issue that needs to be looked at.

When I ran for office in 2010 in Utah, my platform had two key issues I wanted to push.  Taking Back Utah and Constitutional Carry.  Now, when I was running, the US Forrest Service had just shut down the majority of the routes through the Uintah Mountains.  Trails, Dirt Roads… basically all access to old family hunting grounds that the people of Uintah County had been hunting for generations.  I was there at the meetings and listened to the proposals and listened to the people – and let me tell you.  The Feds didn’t give a damn.  They had their goals to accomplish.  Keep everyone where they could be found easily.  “For their safety” and to keep the wear and tear down on the trails.  Yeah – by concentrating all that traffic in one big loop.  They never explained just how that works.

Utah can manage Utah better.

Nevada can manage Nevada better.