Tag: 1911

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1911 AIWB appendix concealed carry holster

Crossbreed Holster – The “Upgrade” Clips are Polymer!

So, I ordered the 5-hole belt clips for the Crossbreed holster I recently bought.

The package arrived yesterday. When I opened it, I was disappointed. They’re plastic. The original clips are metal.

On the left is the original clip (metal); on the right is the 5-hole clip cost extra ($10) – it is plastic.

Crossbreed is all over the place with this holster.

I’d complained in an earlier post that they should include some type of wedge system. Yeah, it’s a hybrid holster, but it needs something to help with grip tuck (something more than just the claw).

I now believe that the claw that they have should stick out more, as well.

I also believe they should include 5-hole clips with every holster – why nickel and dime folks to death with pricing of parts that are actually needed to dial in the holster? An appendix holster that has no adjustability of ride height or cant is a bad holster, in my opinion.

And on top of all the above, and I posted about this a few days ago, the shell for the Commander-sized 1911 is not deep enough; they have 4″ 1911s listed as an option, but that’s a non-standard size as far as Commanders go. The standard sizes for 1911s are 5″, 4.25″, and 3.5″, not 4″ and 3″. I had to cut the muzzle portion from the shell just to get the gun’s trigger inside the shell.

I pretty confident that I’m not going to continue using this holster. I just waiting for the chance to get a Tenicor, then this one will be sold or go into my box of unused junk holsters.

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1911 AIWB appendix concealed carry gun belt holster

I Added A Wedge to My Crossbreed Hybrid Holster

I was able to rig up a wedge to the Crossbreed The Reckoning holster.

I used heel gels (ala Dr. Scholls) and velcro.

I carried using the holster most of the day. It’s a HUGE improvement! The pelvic hot spot is no longer a hot spot.

At first I thought I needed more wedge, but I’ll play around with the holster height – I can affort to raise it a bit so that the muzzle is not right above my junk (remember though, this is a Commander-sized 1911 I’m trying to appendix-carry).

Once I get the 5-hole clips, I’ll have better cant and height adjustment.

Every day, I feel that I’m getting this thing dialed in a bit better. The thing is, this holster isn’t exactly cheap. I shouldn’t have to be tweaking things like this. IMO, ALL AIWB holsters need to include a wedge (possibly adjustable). Yeah, I realize that each body is different, but if I’m going to spend $100+ for a holster, it needs to be better configurable. Another thing: Crossbreed should be including 5-hole clips with these, as the holsters are marketed as AIWB-capable. They already included the claw – why the claw and not also a wedge and 5-hole clips??

Pics of the holster (on and off the body):

This will give approximately 1/4″ of leverage and pushes the grip into the stomach, helping with less printing of the grip. And yeah, the leather is already wearing (and this photo is zoomed-in).
Secured with velcro. Velcro is stuck to clear packing tape (sticks better this way than directly to the leather).
This protruds out a bit, purposely – I wanted a good buffer since this area is a strong pressure point.
How it looks now.
This is pre-wedge install.
This right here is what counts! This is MUCH better than the above picture – less printing!
Categories
1911 AIWB holster

I’m Currently Experiencing Issues Carrying at the Appendix Position

For now, I’m back to carrying strong side.

The issue is that I’m having some issues carrying at the appendix position. Part of it is a holster issue. The Crossbreed Reckoning needs a wedge – the claw alone won’t tuck the 1911’s grip into my body enough and the gun’s muzzle is putting pressure on my lower abdomen. Also, I doubt that I’ll be able to bend over fully while carrying a Commander-sized 1911, but will better assess things once I’ve made some customizations.

I ordered some velcro patches and a set of Dr. Scholls heel gels. I’ll be attempting to make my own wedge (the velcro has adhesive to stick to the Reckoning’s leather backing).

I’ll ensure I add enough velcro so that I can fine-tune where the wedge is placed on the holster, so that I can better adjust it to hide my 1911. I will use a hair dryer after the velcro is placed on the holster so that it sticks better (I’m hoping the leather allows the velcro to stick without issue – it’s not soft suede).

I’m also going to order a set of clips that offer better adjustability (5-hole clips for this holster are here). Doing this will allow me to better place the holstered gun so that it’s not awkward for me.

The above-mentioned customizations will hopefully have me carrying AIWB full-time soon.

Categories
1911 Commander holster

New Holster On The Way!

I ordered a kydex holster with a leather backer today, as I wanted to take advantage of Black Friday sales. I didn’t want one of those small kydex-only holsters (I have one for my Grand Power and it’s uncomfortable to use).

I’m specifically looking for an IWB holster that’ll fit Commander-sized 1911s. As well, I’m looking at appendix holsters (AIWB).

Personally, I want a Tenicor Velo4 but Tenicor is not participating in Black Friday sales, although they do have sales of blemished holsters, but do not currently have any for Commander-sized 1911s. I’ve also added the Tenicor Velo4 to my Elfster wish list (that’s how my family and extended family tracks gift purchases), so there’s a chance that someone will buy it for me for Christmas.

I’m also interested in Tenicor’s Certum holster (the Velo and Certum are not the same holster – the Certum has better adjustability and can be used as both IWB and AIWB, but the Velo is dedicated to appendix carry).

I’d also been looking at the Vedder LightTuck, but their sales folks aren’t helpful enough to help me commit to the purchase – I needed to know if the holster fits the Rock Island Armory Rock Ultra MS, and they said it wouldn’t but when I researched with Google, I found that there are a decent amount of folks using the LightTuck with RIA 1911s. Also, the LightTuck is maybe $5 less than but also less refined than Tenicor holsters. Due to those details and the fact that the Vedder sales folks were unhelpful, I decided to give my hard-earned money to a business other than Vedder.

While I wait to see if someone buys me the Tenicor for Christmas, I decided to buy Crossbreed’s The Reckoning holster and opted for the claw. I didn’t want to wait another 30 days, especially since I’m not sure if anyone is going to buy me the Tenicor.

I almost bought the The Reckoning holster system (which includes a mag holster side car), but was trying to keep costs down – I can always buy the side car separately. This specific holster can also be converted for strong side carry (in case I don’t like AIWB).

The holster was 25% off for Black Friday sales (was a bit over $50, excluding tax and shipping).

This will be my first time using an AIWB holster. I may find that I don’t like the holster, but it’s reported to be very comfortable. If I find that I don’t like it, I’ve the option of returning it. We’ll see.

Categories
1911 9mm RIA Rock Island Armory

Range Visit Summary For 11/15/2022

I visited the range for the first time since April 2022. I’m still focusing on 1911s, and I’m preparing to carry my RIA Rock Ultra MS in 9mm.

Why carry the 9mm instead one of my 45ACPs? The two 45ACP 1911s I have are the Metro Arms American Classic Commander and the Tisas Duty (full-sized). I’ve found that even though the heavy metal frame soaks up a good bit of the recoil of those 1911s, 9mm shoots even better from the 1911 frame. As well, 9mm is cheaper and easier to find, locally or otherwise.

Another thought: If I end up ever having to defend myself, I’d have to temporarily give up my gun for case evidence. I do not want to give up any gun but of my 1911s, the ugliest is that 9mm Rock Ultra! While it’s the ugliest, I shoot it the best, by far!

I didn’t want to bother with capturing video footage during this range visit, so I have none, but I did keep the targets and I’ll post them down below.

The below pictures are in chronological order of when I shot at them. Each second picture is a picture of quick range notes (written on the back side of each target).

I shot between 7 and 10 yards – anything further and I struggle to see where I need to hit (all but one target are designed to be shot from 7-10 yards. My actual range notes will be at the bottom of this page.

I’ve two holsters that’ll fit the Rock Ultra without issue, but I’m wondering if I should try carrying appendix – I’m eyeing a holster but need to know if I can commit to it before spending $100-120 on a AIWB holster.

I also just bought two extra 10-round mags so that I can use my two WC mags for carry duty.

Photos of the targets:

I numbered in which order I shot at each mini-target.
I numbered (and circled the number) in which order I shot at each mini-target. I also counted each hit per mini-target.
I aimed between the dead space between the right-side mini-target, attempting a group of five.

Range Notes:

**********************

I brought 350 rounds with me, but only shot 228 (one box of 50 was half empty).

I brought the following brands:
Norma 115-gr FMJ (100)
Federal Hi-shok 115-gr JHP (50)
Belom 115-gr FMJ (50)
Fiocchi 115-gr FMJ (28)

Of the total, there were 8 FTFs and one FTE (stovepipe). It was with one brand of ammo – the Federal Hi-shok JHP. The FTFs were almost certainly due to the hollow points – I expected as much. The FTFs only occurred at the top of each mag (top 3 rounds). After the 2nd-3rd round, the issue stopped. It stopped after 3 mags, as well. Note that the mags were Wilson Combat mags and two ACT mags. It happened with both mag brands, so this wasn’t a mag issue.

This gun is accurate as all hell! I ate the middle out of a target at 10 yards (shot 50 rounds). It’s flat-shooting. Yeah, the initial grouping had opened up but I found I had to just be steady (and watch my breathing as well) to get tight groups.

I will probably begin to carry this gun, which is why I put so much ammo through it this range session. I just need to refer to my notes on which JHP this gun didn’t have issues with – I think I shot some 9mm SD ammo through it last range visit.

Rock Ultra MS in 9mm
Categories
1911 45ACP American Classic ammo B45R JHP Metro Arms Rock Island Armory SDS Imports

My Thoughts Regarding 1911s and Jacketed Hollow Point Ammunition

One thing I’ve never done is attempt to carry a 1911. Carrying means I’ve to test JHP before committing to carrying. Everyone knows (or should know) that most 1911s don’t always readily shoot JHP.

I currently have shot 429 rounds from my SDS Imports DB45R 1911. Most of that ammo has been FMJ. Since I’ve been curious about it’s carry capabilities, I’ve been trying to shoot JHP from it, initially with mixed results.

I initially shot Remington HTP 185-gr JHP, which generated several failures to feed (FTFs).

I also shot Federal LE 185-gr JHP as well (maybe 25 rounds), which also generated some FTFs.

I documented in a previous post that I’d shot International Cartridge Corporation’s (ICC) 45ACP 155-gr frangible hollow points. For the most part, these shot without issue. That ammo can be used as defense ammo.

This past week, I shot 20 rounds of Underwood ($$$) 45ACP +P 230-gr JHP. 8 of the 20 rounds generated FTFs. I was using Wilson Combat mags with this ammo. Since this ammo is expensive and since it generated so many FTFs, I will stop shooting that ammo through the DB45R. Once I suspect that the gun will shoot it without FTFs, I’ll test the ammo again.

I shot Inceptor ARX 118-gr defense ammo (non-JHP), using the WC mag. There were no FTFs.

I shot PMC Bronze 185-gr JHP (non-SD ammo), using the WC mag.. There were no FTFs.

I shot Hornady Critical Defense 185-gr JHP, using the WC mag.. There were no FTFs.

So, I now know that I can use the following ammo as viable ammo for self defense:

  • ICC 155-gr FHP
  • Inceptor ARX 118-gr
  • PMC Bronze 185-gr JHP
  • Hornady Critical Defense 185-gr JHP

I plan to continue to shoot the PMC Bronze JHP ammo as range ammo, to continue the break-in process of the DB45R 1911.

During this round of testing, I also shot the same ammo listed above from the Metro Arms American Classic Commander (ACC) 1911 chambered in 45ACP. Note that I didn’t shoot the Critical Defense nor the Inceptor ARX from this gun, since the projectiles will almost certainly feed without issue (I tested them by chambering a round of each make, as well).

I shot most of the ICC 155-gr FHP ammo from the ACC 1911. There were initially a few FTFs, but I believe the issue was a worn recoil spring. I replaced the recoil spring and the FTFs disappeared.

I shot Underwood (again, $$$) 185-gr +P JHP from this gun, using the WC mag. This ammo was almost TOO hot, but in the gun’s defense, it isn’t as heavy as the DB45R 1911, so there’s less weight to mitigate the recoil of this hot ammo. The ammo was so hot that I had to pause in shooting the 8-round mag, since my hand was in pain. Even so, there was only one FTF, but I’m sure this may have been because the ammo was so hot that I was beginning to limp wrist.

The Remington HTP 185-gr JHP was tested the visit prior to this visit. There were some FTFs.

I also shot some of the Federal LE 185-gr JHP…there were two FTFs with that.

The rest of the listed ammo shot without issue. I’m at 520 rounds shot through this 1911, so it may be close to being broken in, which is why there’s less issues with JHP with this gun.

I also shot my RIA Rock Ultra 9mm MS 1911. I also have a RIA Tac Ultra MS 1911 which has a 22TCM barrel and spring, as well as a 9mm barrel and spring. I installed the 9mm barrel and spring for this range visit.

Both 9mm MS 1911s ran without no feed issues whatsoever. I shot several types of SD ammo, some of it JHP and some of it frangible ammo. I did have one failure to extract (FTE) with the frangible ammo when shooting the Tac Ultra, but that’s to be expected with 100-gr ammo (this ammo make was Hevi-Shot).

I was extremely impressed with the 9mm MS 1911s. I’m thinking of just carrying the 9mms instead of the 45ACP 1911s.

I’ll continue to document the testing of shooting the defense ammo.

Categories
45ACP American Classic B45R Commander Metro Arms SDS Imports

45ACP Self Defense Ammo On The Way!

I plan on carrying one of my 45ACP 1911s, although I haven’t decided which to carry yet.

I bought another Alien Gear holster and it arrived last week. This holster fits the new 5″ 1911 that I bought, the SDS 1911 Duty. I’ve never tried to carry (inside the waistband) a full-sized 1911. I tried carrying the 1911 Duty two days last week. While it is thinner than my Canik TP9 Elite SC, and carries better, but it is LONG! It is long to the point that I can’t store anything in my left right-hand rear pocket.

The Alien Gear holster is very nice and isn’t the issue. It’s just that the 5″ 1911 is longer than that I’m used to and I don’t think I’m going to be able to get used to it’s length. I’ll keep the holster anyways, just in case I decide I ever need to carry the 5″ 1911.

I’m 90% sure I think I’m going to attempt to carry my Metro Arms 1911 Commander instead. I’ve a holster shell that will fit unrailed 1911 Commanders. It is currently mounted to another Alien Gear backer and will fit the gun, but the backer is meant for smaller handguns. I’ll use it for the Commander regardless.

Before carrying either gun, I need to test SD ammo from both 1911s.

I ordered the following ammo:

  • 3 x 50-round PMC 45B Bronze 45 ACP 185 gr JHP from White Birch Armory (the same place I bought the SDS 1911)
  • 3 x 20-round boxes of Underwood 45 ACP +P 185 Grain JHP from MidwayUSA
  • 3 x 20-round boxes of Underwood 45 ACP +P 230 Grain JHP from MidwayUSA

I should be able to find acceptable ammo from the above batch, and after testing, I’ll order more for carry purposes.

I’ll keep you all updated on if there are issues with using the JHP with either 1911.

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.45 ACP 1911 B45R magazine SDS Imports Wilson Combat

I Upgraded To A Wilson Combat Magazine Release On My Tisas Duty B45R 1911!

Regarding the SDS Imports 1911D B45R I recently purchased, I mentioned here that it had problems with some non-OEM mags. Specifically, Wilson Combat mags were hanging upon insertion attempts. The Metalform GI mags were exhibiting the same symptoms, too.

I stated that I’d ordered a Wilson Combat magazine release. Well, it arrived Friday. I’d never removed and installed one, so that was something new to me, and it took awhile to understand how I needed to remove it, as well as how I needed to install the new one. It was simple, once I understood what I needed to do.

Once it was installed, I checked to see if the mags would snag/hang on the mag release catch. For the WC mags, they don’t. The GIs are weird, as they begin to stag and end up not snagging – there’s some slight resistance. The feed lips on the GI mags are not rounded, so I believe they’re more susceptible to resistance. I think they’ll wear-in over time, though.

So, I recommend the WC magazine release button, spring, and screw (they’re not a set…you’ve to buy each). As of now, the cost for the three parts is approx. $25.

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ACT frangible Garrison mag release Mecgar PMC SDS Imports Springfield Armory Wilson Combat

One 1911 to Rule Them All – 5″ 45ACP!

UPDATE: I posted to Reddit about the new gun here.

I went to the range today to have my new 1911 transferred to me – the SDS Imports 1911 Duty B45R.

I got there at 9 AM. I turned in the paperwork by 9:15 AM. I was given the gun at 9:20 AM.

The gun was immaculate. It also appears that someone cleaned the gun. It wasn’t pristine-clean, but it had no cosmoline on it (I’m not sure how these guns are normally shipped/stored – many are covered in preservative, which is what cosmoline is). It did have lube on the the frame and slide rails. I cleaned it anyways.

Surprisingly, the gun came with two Mecgar mags! I was expecting one mag, so that’s a big plus. I’ve spoken with other folks and they state that theirs came with one mag. My gun also came in a case. Those other folks stated theirs came in a cardboard box.

The gun is cerakoted but almost looks like it’s parkerized. It is black with a silver trigger and barrel. It has backstrap serrations but has a bare frontstrap. The ambi safeties are not bulky and have extended levers…they look nice!

I’d two other mags – branded Wilson Combat. I planned to use them with this gun at the range this evening. I also planned to use my ACT mag that came with my Metro Arms ACC 1911.

I had a small stash of 45ACP – two boxes of International 155-gr frangible ammo, which doesn’t perform all that well. I also bought two 50-round boxes of PMC Bronze 230-gr FMJ from the range when I arrived. Before I’d left for the range, I’d had the time to swap out the black plastic OEM grips with brown/tan/black grippy G10s that complement the gun.

I ended up shooting the two boxes of International and shot one of the two boxes of PMC. The PMC felt as if it were hot ammo (it always does). The International ammo surprisingly had no misfeeds.

One of the mags caused a failure at the very first round within it’s mag – It was the ACT mag. I ejected the mag, stripped it of ammo and put it to the side. I would not use it the rest of the range session.

The Wilson Combat mags were not flawless, but I’ve found it wasn’t a fault of the mags. The gun has a mag release that will work for the Mecgar (and ACT) mags but will not work well with the WC mags because it needs to be beveled. The mags would sometimes not want to be inserted. To fix this, I need to order a mag release from Wilson Combat. It will swap into the SDS 1911 without issue and will work with non-WC mags.

Pics of the gun:

A photo of the SDS 1911DB45R after the transfer.
These grips are NICE but a bit too slick for range use.
I shot the gun for the first time tonight (17 Feb). I used these G10 grips. I’ve no complaints…they work well, and I had no issues controlling/gripping the gun.

Pics of the range targets:

SDS 1911B45R first shots.
This is 32 rounds of PMC Bronze 230-gr FMJ at 7 yards. I was getting familiar with the trigger, sight picture, and the ammo.
I wanted to directly compare the PMC Bronze 230-gr FMJ and the International frangible 155-gr ammo. I bought maybe 250 rounds of the International maybe 2 years ago and it’s inconsistent ammo but it’s better than not having ammo. Upper left and lower right is PMC. Upper right and lower left is International. All targets have 8 rounds. All were shot at 7 yards.
These were shot at 10 yards, using International frangible 155-gr ammo. First, I shot center, then I shot upper left, then upper right, and lastly I shot lower left. I’m getting tired and it’s showing…the rounds aren’t hitting where I’m aiming. The groups are still decent, though, especially the first group.
These were at 10 yards, and all are shot with International 155-gr frangible ammo. 8 rounds were shot at each target. I’m getting tired. The groups aren’t bad, though.
This is 4 mags of 8 rounds each. The distance is 7 yards and I used International 155-gr frangible ammo. These were fast (not exactly rapid) fired, maybe 2 shots a second, starting from low ready for each mag. Not bad for me.

Before I left the range, I looked at their store items. They carry WC mags and had one full size 1911 mag left. I bought it (since it’s price was $34, which is rather inexpensive from what I remember of WC mag prices).

The gun is solid. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, aside from the mag release. It’s accurate. It’s smooth. The trigger is awesome. The finish and fitment is on par with $700-800 guns (Springfield Armory Garrison), in my opinion, yet I bought this gun for under $500. My only misgiving was that I didn’t get it in stainless steel (that version is $100 more).

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.45 .45 ACP 1911 45ACP B45R Cool Hand Gear Metalform SDS Imports

The SDS Imports 1911B45R Has Shipped!

I thought that White Birch Armory was asleep.

I’d been wondering why the order was sitting. My first thought was that they didn’t have the gun in stock. I’ve seen gun stores sit on orders, awaiting for a new shipment of guns. I was going to give them another day before contacting them to cancel the order. I also did research and other folks that bought firearms from them stated they were very prompt with processing orders.

I waited maybe 24 hours to see if the order would progress, because I needed to contact my FFL to inform them of the shipment. Well, I checked today at noon and the order was fully processed and had shipped! It caught me off-guard and I had to complete a web form notifying my FFL that a gun was inbound to them for me.

As well, they no longer have them in stock. I must’ve got the last available B45R.

The gun arrives at my FFL on 2/14 (it is currently 2/11). So, they use quick shipping too, which is unusual during Covid times, as most gun stores are using the cheapest shipping possible and it’s usually USPS, which is slow 90% of the time.

Even when the gun arrives on Monday, I still have to await the FFL to contact me so that I can make an appointment for pickup. When I pick it up, I will try to shoot it before I leave (my FFL is a range/store).

I also bought some things for it, but those will probably arrive later in the week.

I bought 3 sets of full-size 1911 grips (I couldn’t decide on one type and I’ve other 1911s that I can install those grips on). One is a set of dark red wood grips with gold screws that may look nice on the black 1911 – they might be slick, though, so I bought an extra set that I can use for range duty. The site I bought from was Cool Hand Gear.

I also bought a 3-pack of full-sized 45ACP Metalform mags with flat base plates. They are GI mags. I need more mags anyways and I think flat base plated 1911 mags look good in certain guns. I bought these from eBay.

I also thought to buy a new recoil spring, just in case I need it, but I think that can wait a bit.

I’m also thinking I will eventually want a silver barrel bushing (the one on the gun is black)…the silver will match the silver of the trigger blade.