First time buyer. Springfield 1911-a1 or a glock?

[bjl95mustang]

I'm a first time buyer and I am looking for some advice on a good handgun. A guy I work with's friend is selling a Springfield 1911-a1 .45 super. I will find out what model it is tomorrow. This guys grandfather was a gunsmith and his grandson ended up with it. All I know it is a silver with back grip and he said it's about $900 new. He shot it about 6 times and he wants $450 for it.

Or I was looking at a glock .45. I am going to go and feel them out in the next few days and see what fits my hand the best. I can buy one from gt at LE cost here in austin because i'm a firefighter.

I have shot a glock and a s&w piston and 357 revolver, but I have no idea what to look for.

I want to get a good gun for shooting but I don't want to spend over $500 on one. I'm going to go to the saxet gun show next weekend here in austin.

Any other brands I should look into or any advice you can give me.

Thanks,
Brandon

[onac255]

the 1911 sounds real nice but glock guns are great too so I don't think you could go wrong with either one.

[idleprocess]

If guns were cars, the Glock would be a low-end Honda Civic and the 1911 would be ... a higher-end sports car.

Glocks run forever, are low maintenance, inexpensive, decidedly low-frills, acceptable but not spectacularly accurate, and not quite so loveable when it comes to operating them.

1911s are (more likely to be) temperamental, require routine maintenance beyonfcleaning, are fairly pleasurable to operate, expensive, can be made stupidly accurate (for a pistol), and the nicer ones are almost heirlooms.

Which one is best for you depends on what you're doing and how you want to treat your firearms.

Glocks are great low-maintenance "utility" guns. I have one with ~10k rounds through it that's been cleaned maybe a dozen times in two years. It still runs like a top and looks new (save for the wear on internals).

1911s are more maintenance-intensive but downright pretty with very nice aesthetics and ergonomics (on the better models). They also feel more ... permanent ... than Glocks and other polymer-framed handguns. Beware that 1911s can be picky about ammunition and magazine selection.

[idleprocess]

If you buy a full-size Glock in .45ACP, I would suggest looking at the G21SF model (for "slim frame") unless you have large-ish hands. I say this as a former G21 owner with large-ish hands that were just large enough to grasp the G21 comfortably.

[TXSUT]

Originally Posted by bjl95mustang

Springfield 1911-a1 .45 super.

What is a .45 super?

[juwaba98]

Originally Posted by TXSUT

What is a .45 super?

.45 Super - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Leper]

Shoot both pistols and decide which one you shoot better with and feels better after a few rounds.

Personally, Glocks don't feel right when I shoot them. I much prefer the XD. That is just a personal opinion. If that 1911 will not shoot regular .45acp, you may want to look into the price of ammo for it. That is a financial fact.

[idleprocess]

Originally Posted by juwaba98

.45 Super - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Looks like it's just .45ACP loaded in excess of +P+ ...

[Shorts]

I'd pay easy pay $450 for a 1911 Springfield .45acp. I'm stumped about the "super" though

I agree with the thought above about it feeding .45acp. I don't think I'd take it if it didn't.

[TSU45]

You can shoot ACP out of it all day if the spring isn't heavy. Hard to pass on a custom Springfield for $450.