Thread: Rather large dilema

Get the Glock.

Cheaper to shoot = more shooting = you'll be a better shooter. Placement is EVERYTHING.

Cheaper gun means more practice ammo, right? See above.

Lighter + more compact + more shots = better for defense (all service-grade handguns are pathetic in power; .45 vs. 9mm = 10,007 vs. 10,003 angels dancing on the head of a pin).

Accuracy? A box-stock G19 with decent ammo vs. an unmodified rack-grade-quality 1911 with same decent ammo? The G19 will usually win (90-95% of the time). Might win by a LOT, depending on the exact 1911 and the shooters' experience.

The low bore axis of the Glock means less muzzle flip; this makes no difference for the first shot, but can be a BIG difference for subsequent shots. If you can shoot the 1911 well (speed & accuracy), you'll shoot a G19 superbly, given some practice. The muzzle-flip thing is not caliber-dependent; I've shot these base gun models with the calibers reversed (G30 in .45 vs. a 9mm 1911) and the Glock was still quicker for followup shots, even though it was much lighter and harder-kicking.

Finally, many 1911 shooters I know tend to baby their guns. They hate to get them scratched or holster-worn. Most Glock owners don't suffer from gotta-keep-it-nice-looking syndrome. Glocks are ugly to begin with, and a few scars or wear marks just improves their character.

There was a range in Waikiki that rented guns. It was mainly for tourists (it was filled with folks from Japan when I went to it as it was right across the street from the Duty Free shop) but I seem to remember they had some kind of discount going on too.

If the 9mm caliber is a big influence in your decision then you should check out the 1911 9mm offerings out there. It's kind of like looking at this decision as choosing a woman with beauty (1911) or a woman with brains (Glock). Which works best for you? And, adding in the 1911 with the 9mm caliber (beauty and thriftiness?) and the decision gets harder. Either way you won't lose and I doubt you'll regret your decision but if you have the 1911 bug you won't be happy until you own one. To further confuse you, if you were going the $1000 route you can get a nice entry level 1911 like RI or Metro Arms AND the Glock and have both! Then you can do the accessorize thing as time and money allowed to the 1911. That way you get to have your cake and eat it too!

Get the 9mm for all the reasons DJ listed. Get the 1911 down the line someday.

If you're buying as a range-plinker/home defense gun, NOT as a carry gun, why buy the subcompact??? Get a 17.

get what you can afford to purchase and afford to shoot.

in my opinion, the glock is good to go straight out of the box from what i have seen.

There are numerous makers of 1911's in all sorts of price ranges and not all of them are trust-worthy out of the box. This is not a dig on the 1911 but more of a quality control problem. A search of glock specific or 1911 specific boards may help.

Highly recommend the Glock. Own a 17 myself, and absolutely love it. Can't go wrong with a quality 9mm to start. Get the 1911 on down the line.

For the OP

Get what you really want. Your going to have fans on either side of the issue and they are going to give all kinds of reasons why gun X is better than gun Y or visa versa. I've owned both Glocks and all kinds of 1911's. Both will do the job they are made for. Springfield makes a really good 1911. Got two of them. I am not one of the before mentioned oh God there's a scratch guys but that's because I carry a weapon then it's expected that crap will happen to it. Most all the people that carry a weapon I know are like that though. Non carry weapons might be a different story.A target weapon is not a carry weapon. They were not meant to be treated the same.

Glock makes a fine weapon for those that enjoy that type of weapon. I don't buy into the bore axis stuff being it is an obvious trade off with the much lighter frame. and you cannot compare a 45's recoil to a 9mm of the first place. They are completely different.

Out of the Springer and Glocks you mention in your post both will do the job well. It comes down to what you want and when. A Glock comes in cheaper and yes a 9mm is cheaper to shoot but it's not always best to use a dollar figure to figure how you choose to defend ones self. I carry a 45 most the time because I shoot a 45 better. So adding more rounds to a mag is not going to make me shoot better. I don't know anyone that caries just one mag. Even Glock owners.Even the LEO I know that use a Glock for work don't carry one mag. And those guys shoot almost as much as I do.

If you planned on getting a Glock then get one. ou can get a 1911 later if that's still your plan. A Glock will gold value pretty well so you can sell it if later too if you decide to not keep it. I will agree with an earlier post in that if the GLock is not going to be a CCW weapon then a 17 might be a better buy. The 19 is a compact but not a sub compact but still the added barrel length of the 17 is a pretty good idea. The 1911 you mentioned is a full size. So it would stand to reason hat a full size Glock would fit the bill well also.

Oh, and I have yet to see a Springfield out of the box that would not shoot we well as any out of the box Glock.

Many folks who have tried all the small-framed Glocks (for instance, in 9mm: G26, G19, and G17) prefer the feel of the G19. When it came time to buy my son (6'4") his first handgun, he handled all the sizes side-by-side (he'd already shot all of mine at one time or another) and chose the G19-size frame as the one he liked the best. Many other folks make similar informed decisions.

The small-frame Glocks do not all have the same grip shape/feel; as the grip gets shorter in the smaller guns, the "hump" at the bottom-rear of the grip is moved slightly upward. This changes the feel of the gun in the hand just a little bit, but most folks assume it's the shorter barrel/slide and different weight or balance, not the subtle grip modification, that affected the feel. Having them hold JUST the bare frames to remove the slide/barrel weight/balance from the equation usually reveals the G19 as the preferred frame shape/size.

The Glock in my avatar photo, above, started life as a G17, but the frame was shortened and the rear re-contoured to almost perfect G19 size/shape/length. I wanted the grip of the G19 for feel and concealment, but the velocity and sight radius of the longer G17. I'm very happy with it; it's the best of both worlds.