Sharp as a Marble - Possibilities and emotional attachments

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Guns. Lots of Guns.

So, just random IRC conversations has brought up the fact that someone might be interested in trading a 10mm 1911 for the Gun Blogger .45. While it's just talk at the moment, it really got me thinking.

I'm dying for a 1911 pistol in 10mm. I love my Glock 29. I love the 10mm platform. Shooting 10mm in IPSC would be good for several reasons. Easy to make high power and don't have to worry as much about the old farts stealing my brass. Plus, ammo interchangeability with my carry piece is also nice since I'd also more than likely carry the 1911 at times as well.

The cons are that I happen to have an emotional attachment to the Para USA Gun Blogger .45 and that .45 caliber 1911's are generally easier to procure than 10mm, meaning backup pistols for competitions won't run me an arm and a leg.

I love the Para. I'm a fan of the LDA, I have no problems admitting that. Not that I can't get used to a SA trigger, mind you, but switching from the Glock to the Para and back is not jarring. The pistol is the right weight, the grip is comfortable, the Crimson Trace grips make practice at the range better since I can visually see why I'm missing. While I had a few issues with the pistol out of the box, those items have been resolved and now it shoots like a dream.

If I had the money, I'd buy a 10mm right out, but I don't and therefore trading is my only option. And at some point, I would have to buy another 1911 in .45 because that's the way JMB wanted it and therefore to protect my soul, compliance is required.

Luckily for me, it's just idle chatter at this point, but it does make one think. And makes one hate the people who can afford new guns all the time.

posted @ 7/9/2009 9:35:17 AM

Comments

aczarnowski says:

on 7/9/2009 10:37:53 AM

Don't trade it.

I'm mostly past my "never sell a gun" phase but history is valuable. If you think of that first margarita with your spouse every time you look at the blender don't get rid of the blender either.

Robb Allen says:

on 7/9/2009 10:44:08 AM

Meh, I get over sentimentality a lot easier than I want to admit. I pack-rat stuff, and my wife has forced me to throw away things I thought I'd never be able to. Two days later and I've forgotten all about what it was.

If I had the money to only ADD firearms, then I'd be happy to 'never sell', but I don't so trading is the only way I'm going to be able to try out new things at times.

aczarnowski says:

on 7/9/2009 11:13:15 AM

I hear ya Robb. Different people are different. And I'm not a big fan of stopping the world spinning.

Pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get rid of that Blogger45 though. A solid platform I shot well in a common caliber with some history behind it would beat out everything else in my safe.

Just a bit more momentum for the world is all.

Weer'd Beard says:

on 7/9/2009 12:49:08 PM

Comming from somebody who thinks the LDA is crap, and would LOVE to get a 10mm 1911 (or hell just an EAA witness...which might be easier for you to afford, Robb!)

I'd say keep it. That's a special gun, attached to a special time, you shouldn't sell it for anything, nor should your kids/grandkids when they inherit it after your passing.

Some things are just too valuble.

My Father-in-Law keeps talking about trading his snubbie .357 (I think it's a 2" Model 13), it has a crappy trigger, and is of dubious value both practically, or monitarily (hence why he thinks of selling it), but it's my Father's carry gun. I've told him if he wants to be rid of it, I'll buy it from him at whatever the price and he can use my cash to buy whatever he wants, because I want my grandkids to be able to shoot their Great-Grandfather's gun.

Seriously if you want to chuck 10mm for short money look at the EAA Witness. Essentially a CZ-75 made in 10mm....which is essentially a DA Browning Hi-Power with the rails milled inside the frame.

I've heard good things about them, and they sell for short money in free states.

Stretch says:

on 7/9/2009 12:54:39 PM

I loved my 1911 10mm. But I wouldn't buy another. Keep the Gun Blogger .45 and drop broad hints to Mrs. A that a Colt 10mm would make a great gift.

Robb Allen says:

on 7/9/2009 1:01:04 PM

Stretch, may I ask why you'd not buy another?

And hinting to the Mrs. that another gun would be a great gift is the equivalent to saying "Hey honey, why don't you punch me in the stomach after kicking me in the man-berries?"

I'd need to score about 3 or 4 more web jobs to even think about purchasing another pistol.

However, the point does remain that the GB45 is a custom run and technically quite rare pistol.

Wolfwood says:

on 7/9/2009 1:51:49 PM

I'm not following this. You've got a quality pistol in a caliber you need that has sentimental attachment and is irreplaceable. You're thinking of trading it away to try something new.

10mm isn't going away. Save a few bucks here and there and get it in a few years.

DirtCrashr says:

on 7/9/2009 1:59:51 PM

As a rifle guy I don't get the 10mm thing. It goes to 11? I've seen and handled Chris Byrne Anarchangel's couple of Ted Yost tuned ones, nice! But still to me it's like .30-06 vs .308 - somebody please 'splain it to me and please not in Harley/Honda terms of, "if you don't get it I can't explain it." BTW I do have a couple-three handguns in .45 - two semi-auto ACP's and a Colt 1909 revolver.

Jay G. says:

on 7/9/2009 2:11:41 PM

Robb,

Why not get a G30 to match the GB45? They run ~ $550 new, should fetch about $400 or so used in America...

Gun Shy Tourist says:

on 7/9/2009 3:43:38 PM

Weer'd Bears said:

"Coming from somebody who thinks the LDA is crap"...

Would you care to further elaborate on that? I am curious what your complaints are.

harp1034 says:

on 7/9/2009 4:05:02 PM

If you get rid of that .45 you will kick yourself form now on. Keep it and make the 10mm a goal. If you really want it you will find a way to get one.

B Woodman says:

on 7/9/2009 5:20:56 PM

Keep the .45.
If you sell/trade it, you will regret it.
Shoot (bang!) I'm just jealous because I don't have any 1911 .45.

Jeff says:

on 7/9/2009 5:48:22 PM

I'm still in the never sell a gun camp. I've only bought one new gun this year compared to ~10 last year (my first year of shooting. Would I like to try something new, sure, but all the guns I have, I bought for a reason and that reason is still there. If you hated the Blog45 and never shot it, I'd say trade away. I don't see a reason to get rid of a gun you want to replace eventually. Just scrimp and save until you can buy the 10mm outright. If it takes a few years, so what?

@GST, I'm guessing his complaints are the same as mine and most people who don't like it. It's an answer to a question nobody asked. The whole reason for the popularity of the 1911 is the excellent feel of the single action trigger. If you don't like single action triggers (due to being uncomfortable with condition one carry or whatever reason), there are plenty of other pistol designs out there.

Robb Allen says:

on 7/9/2009 6:21:48 PM

Jeff, if you want a DA style trigger though in a 1911 pattern pistol, then what would you do?

I think the 1911 style is more than just the trigger, it's the grip angle, width, etc.

Gun Shy Tourist says:

on 7/9/2009 7:43:48 PM

Jeff,

I like condition one in a single action as well, but lets look at this from a different angle. The LDA is a "double action" pistol with a 5-6 lb trigger pull...every time. In fact, the LDA is in condition one, but the hammer doesn't indicate it, and in concealed carry mode, is not cocked back in a locked position, making a smaller imprint. Yes, the single action trigger is faster, but if you seen Todd Jarrett unload a mag with the LDA, you must admit that it is pretty fast. The LDA system is way better than the Glock in my opinion, and so it has a niche market with some 1911 owners who do not like the Glock grip angle. Will it ever appeal to the single action chauvinists? I have seen a few of them soften up after running through a mag or two. I rarely meet a pistol that I don't like, but I will also openly admit that the LDA has its merits based on my above statements.

Stretch says:

on 7/9/2009 8:13:13 PM

Robb, I wouldn't get another Colt 10mm (Delta Elite) for the following reasons:
1. Operating cost: magazines, ammo and springs (yes, has TWO recoil springs) can keep you in .45 supplies twice as long.
2. The recoil is manageable but does induce numbness faster than .45. A decided SMACK vs. the .45 shove.
3. The Gun Blogger .45 is special. OK, not a rational reason but a damn significant one.

Joe R. says:

on 7/9/2009 8:33:43 PM

Have you had a chance to see a Dan Wesson Pointman in 10mm? I'd give up the Delta Elite to get one of those! I live in the PRM and the Pointman isn't on the list...

I like the 10mm better than the .45. Recoil is snappy but controllable. Pistols that I own in 10mm:

1) Glock 20
2) Colt Delta Elite
3) Glock 29

Keep saving for one of the 1911's in the caliber. Also on the list is the Kimber Eclipse but I like the Pointman better.

Joe R.

OrangeNeckInNY says:

on 7/9/2009 11:19:57 PM

They might steal your brass if they realized they could take 10mm cases and trim them down to .40

Gun Shy Tourist says:

on 7/10/2009 1:56:35 AM

In the end, it is really about shot placement and who shoots accurately first. A .45 is more than enough with the right choice of ammo, especially when you consider the characteristics of the wound channels it creates. If one is not sure, then it is time to transition to another weapon. (shotgun etc)

Weer'd Beard says:

on 7/10/2009 7:13:00 AM

Gunshy. Well besides the odd behavior of the LDA if you don't properly allow the trigger to reset, and the reputation of poor quality Paras have (sounds like they've changed that, but I'm slow to trust)

The idea of a DAO gun with a manual safety and a grip safety (that doesn't actuate a firing pin block) just seems like a goofy gun, and the fact that they built it around a 1911 makes it even goofier.

The LDA would be ideal if it was simply a Kahr IMHO
http://www.kahr.com/PA-1_45acp_tp.html

Or just a standard 1911 SAO gun.

Jeff says:

on 7/10/2009 11:15:21 AM

"Jeff, if you want a DA style trigger though in a 1911 pattern pistol, then what would you do?"

I'd hope I came to my senses. ;-) I'm just not seeing a situation where I'd want that. I don't see any advantage, for me, over a C&L 1911. I already have a gun with a 5lb DA-ish pull every time and a 1911 grip angle. It's a Smith M&P :) If I'm gonna carry a gun with the weight and size of a 1911 and a manual safety and a grip safety, why not take the SA trigger with it?

Also, I'll second Weer'd's comment on the quality reputation. The two Paras I have experience with were jam-o-matic POS. (One LDA hi-cap, one SA single stack) I'm told they're good these days, but I'm happy with my Smith scandium commander.

Gun Shy Tourist says:

on 7/10/2009 1:54:32 PM

I have some PARA LDA's that are about three years old or so. They shoot fine and are very accurate. Of course, they have been tweaked to the max. The only thing, is that the double stacks do not like wad cutters for some reason. It appears to be a magazine issue. Everything else flies through them just fine. I have found over the years that all of the production pistols have their quirks. I have heard first person horror stories about nearly every manufacturer, including Kimber. In the end, the LDA is a unique beast, and it is not for everybody. I personally have no problem switching from an LDA to a single action.

Comments have been closed on this topic.

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