AH1356

I have an STI Trojan (5") and STI Escort (3"), both in 9mm. The Trojan is for competition and bedside table duty and the Escort is my EDC. Both are extremely well built and very accurate. The Trojan is was a bit finicky with the stock magazine, but runs 100% with Wilson Combat 10rd mags. The Escort has maybe 400 rounds through it without a single failure. I could not be happier with either one and can't recommend STI highly enough. Pics here if interested: http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/show-tell/20361-1911s-5.html

For what it's worth, I have an LCP and like it a lot. It's definitely not built for long sessions at the range, and I hate the trigger (I'm a 1911 guy). But it does what it was built to do very well. It disappears in a pocket and is surprisingly accurate. You could do a lot worse than the LCP for a BUG or a summer carry.

"I have had my hands on and shot all the above gunmakers guns..." must suppress jealousy... I have bought a couple of stock guns through Brazos. If their gunsmithing is half as good as their customer service then they must make fine pistols. If I manage to talk myself into a limited gun theirs will be high on the possible list. Thanks, Aaron

Just out of curiosity, who are the other 4 smiths you would want to build your competition gun?

Leroy - PM sent re Escort. Cheers, Aaron

My class was 12 shots each at 3,7 & 15 yards. In each case the first 6 were one at a time, and the second six were at our own pace. We had our choice of range for the last 14 shots to total 50 rounds, so long as it was at least 7 yards. A "hit" was anything anywhere in the black of a full sized silhouette target. I can't remember what passing score was, maybe 70%. I suppose people who are lousy shots still have the right to defend themselves, but I was shocked at how lax the marksmanship requirement of the class was.

And the prize goes to pjblurton for being the first to list 5 actual beers. 1. Rogue Shakespeare Stout - had it at the brewery years ago and it is my favorite to this day. 2. Close second: fresh homebrew from the keg in my garage. Can be anything from wickedly hoppy IPA to a crisp refreshing witbier to thick meaty Russian Imperial Stout. 3. Lots of other good ones, but here are the basic criteria for this beer snob: - If you've ever seen it advertised on TV then I probably won't drink it. - If its name contains "light" or (worse) "lite" then I definitely won't drink it. Cheers, Aaron

This is on a fast track to the Supreme Court. There some smart lawyer on our side will ask something like "If the states can override a citizen's rights under the 2nd amendment, by what logic are they restrained from overriding his rights under the 1st, 4th, 5th, or any other?" Legally, this should be a slam dunk. Unless of course Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, or Kennedy get hit by a bus between now and then...

Legal issues aside, the real question to ask yourself is this: Are you sure that you and your family are safer with a gun or without? Are you A) sure that you are no longer a potential danger to yourself or others and sure that you are capable of making that determination for yourself? The gun is a tool with which to protect yourself. If you aren't 100% sure that you and your family are safer with you owning a gun then I would err on the side of caution. Just my free advice - and worth every penny.

The short answer is it depends - this is one of those short questions with lots of long answers. Any one of the answers will be right in some circumstances, wrong in others, and likely to cause arguments among the 1911 fans. You're right that grips are a piece of cake to change, assuming you stay with the same thickness. Changing grip thickness may require you to change bushings, but that's generally not tough. Beyond that, trigger, hammer, barrel, and other parts may drop in on one 1911, require a ton of work to fit in another, and never fit others. With what you list, mainspring housings are fairly easy to replace and in my (limited) experience have not required any fitting. I'm sure there are some mainsprings that do not fit some pistols, and obviously a Government MSH won't fit an Officer grip. I just replaced my trigger today. The new one did not drop in to the frame and required some patient sanding to fit. I'm sure other pistols with looser tolerances would have allowed it to drop in. I believe there are screw-on pic rail options out there but that is one that I have not personally tried. If the grip safety improvement you're looking for is to add tension that can be done by bending the right portion of the sear spring slight backwards. Be careful and go in small increments. If that's not what you're referring too then I might be able to help if you're more specific. Guide rods may drop in or may require fitting or may not fit at all, depending on what kind of setup you have now and what kind you want. If you have a standard GI guide rod a full length guide rod will add weight forward, which may help reduce muzzle flip. Guide rod preference will cause arguments. Go with what works for you. Disclaimer - Disclaimer - Disclaimer. Your mileage may vary. Results not typical. I am not a gunsmith or an 1911 expert, nor do I play one on TV. I'm just a shooter who enjoys tinkering. There are no doubt many people here with more experience than me. If you really want to learn more about 1911's, check out 1911 specific forums like forum.m1911.org. When in doubt, get an expert opinion from a gunsmith. 1911's are pretty robust, but you can break stuff if you're not careful. Hope this is helpful.

OK - I'll play. Here are my two: STI Escort 9mm - daily carry: It's bigger brother, STI Trojan, also 9mm: Maybe it's time to grow the family a bit... Cheers, Aaron

So we will be able to carry in the restaurants that serve wine but not beer in Metro if this passes? Are there ANY restaurants in Nashville that serve wine but not beer? I live in Williamson county, so none of these council members care what I think. If this foolishness passes I'll be brewing more of my own. A good homebrew beats most commercial beers anyway. The founding fathers were all gun owners and most were brewers. What could be more American than brewing a batch of beer with a gun on your hip? And no, governor, there is no alcohol present before fermentation, so I'm not "mixing guns and alcohol." Cheers, Aaron

I'm not Juan, nor have I encountered him. A buddy of mine is with Metro so maybe I'll ask around. Fairview politics reminds me of Kissinger's quote about university politics: "... vicious precisely because the stakes are so small." I usually shoot at Uselton's, where my wife and I are members. I have read some unflattering comments about them on this forum. Please - let's not start that again...

AlumaGrips come with a plastic thingy (I think they call it a "GripSaver" or something like that) that you sandwich between the frame and the grip. It prevents steel-AL contact, so there should be no corrosion or scratching. It is too thin to notice, is not visible under the grip, and is cut for ambi safety in case you have one. As for heat conductivity, I have never noticed an issue.

"Snappy's Pizza, China King, and Las Plaza... what's not to LOVE!" Don't forget the Sonic! All the more reason to be a good cook and brew my own beer!

Hello all. I enjoyed lurking for a while and have started posting a bit, so I figured I'd introduce myself. My wife and I live in Fairview, having moved here from Dallas. This forum has been a great resource, especially for information about local training. We shoot and carry 1911's, and I'm eager to try IDPA or USPSA. Just what I need - another expensive and time-consuming hobby to add to cycling and home brewing. Cheers, Aaron

I have them on both my 1911's, in compact on my carry piece and regular thickness on my government. They provide a very secure grip and look great doing it. I tried several grips before I settled on these and I wish I had tried them first. There are lots of thickness and checkering configurations so try before you buy if possible. Their customer service is outstanding as well. I had a small problem with my last order that was promptly and cheerfully resolved. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Dry fire practice in my bedroom. Any other circumstance I can think of, I would holster my pistol and immediately draw my phone.

+1 on training in general and +1 Todd and Dustin at CIS. I took their advanced concealed training class. I learned a lot, had a great time, and I will go back to them for more training.

I was fortunate enough to be in this class. I learned a lot and had a great time. I will definitely be back for more training with CIS. Todd and Dustin are excellent instructors. They clearly know their stuff and they know how to teach. That's a rare combination. I can't recommend this highly enough.