Hi there everyone...
I've been looking to purchase my first 1911 and have looked at Kimber, Smith and Wesson, and Springfield. All seem like quality firearms and I havent heard anything negative about any of them. The only 1911 I have shot was a Colt MK IV and I noticed that all the brass had large dents on the case mouth. My question to you all is; does any of the 3 above do the same thing to the cases? I will be reloading everything that goes through that pistol and I'm concerned that these dents in the case mouth may be hard to 'clean up'. Now this may be a common issue with 1911s and may not matter at all. Any input and/or advice would be appreciated. Also, any advice on the models I've listed would be appreciated too.

Thanks JR

Hi there everyone...
I've been looking to purchase my first 1911 and have looked at Kimber, Smith and Wesson, and Springfield. All seem like quality firearms and I havent heard anything negative about any of them. The only 1911 I have shot was a Colt MK IV and I noticed that all the brass had large dents on the case mouth. My question to you all is; does any of the 3 above do the same thing to the cases? I will be reloading everything that goes through that pistol and I'm concerned that these dents in the case mouth may be hard to 'clean up'. Now this may be a common issue with 1911s and may not matter at all. Any input and/or advice would be appreciated. Also, any advice on the models I've listed would be appreciated too.

Thanks JR

I'm a big fan of dan wesson 1911s. Particularly in their new 10mm platform "razorback."

Love the cartridge..nice to see someone make a quality gun chambered in it.

Hi there everyone...
... The only 1911 I have shot was a Colt MK IV and I noticed that all the brass had large dents on the case mouth. My question to you all is; does any of the 3 above do the same thing to the cases?...

Thanks JR


NO! A properly operating 1911 will not do that. The Colt you shot may have had a weak recoil spring, or some other problem causing the dents.

I'll just say that I'm a Kimber fan. Awesome 45!

NO! A properly operating 1911 will not do that. The Colt you shot may have had a weak recoil spring, or some other problem causing the dents.Not only will a pistol problem cause dents in the cases but a shooter problem will do the same thing. Particularly "limp wristing" the pistol while firing. All in all, the .45 ACP is a very stout pistol case and seldom will a dent be the cause of discarding a case. More likely discards are caused by a 275 lb. shooter with a size 13D foot stepping all over the cases while they are on the ground. Just make certain that the expander has room to enter the casemouth and all will be well again. I use a piece of bar stock to pry open dented casemouths just enough for the expander to clear before I start sizing them. I have even used a pair of padded pliers to help round off the casemouth. Sized .45 ACP cases with slight dents and scratches, will function just fine in the robust 1911! :)

Hi there everyone...
I've been looking to purchase my first 1911 and have looked at Kimber, Smith and Wesson, and Springfield. All seem like quality firearms and I havent heard anything negative about any of them. The only 1911 I have shot was a Colt MK IV and I noticed that all the brass had large dents on the case mouth. My question to you all is; does any of the 3 above do the same thing to the cases? I will be reloading everything that goes through that pistol and I'm concerned that these dents in the case mouth may be hard to 'clean up'. Now this may be a common issue with 1911s and may not matter at all. Any input and/or advice would be appreciated. Also, any advice on the models I've listed would be appreciated too.

Thanks JR

JR - I shoot (10's) of thousands of .45's each year through several 1911's...stock Kimbers (CCW), custom Springfields etc. Raoul is correct; if set up properly you'll not have dented case mouths. IMO Kimbers run great right from the box, in fact the only ones i've seen, sold, etc that have fits are Colt's. If you're interested, I've got a NIB S & W 1911 for sale right now, Sc model, Commander length that looks awesome. If I wasn't already up to my eyeballs in 1911's I'd keep it. Let me know. Will sell below retail...

Ahhh, the 1911, one of John Moess Browning's many gifts to us all.
I have had two springfield 1911s and they were wonderful shooting irons, still own one of them. IMO you get your most band for the buck with springfielf 1911s. The other companys make fine ones, no doubt about that, but for me I like the SAs

I can't speak for the S&W's, but I shoot a fancy Kimber and a basic "loaded" SA and they are both good pistols. I'd take the Kimber over the SA, but I'm partial to Kimbers.

Colt is living off it's name in my opinion, haven't seen anything I would spend MY money on from them in quite some time as far as 1911's go. I do have a GM in 9mm that I shoot more than any other pistol I own, but as with most Colt pistols it has the obligatory gusmithing done to be a decent pistol..which costs more than the pistol.

As the others have said, the dented case is a sign of a sick pistol or limp wristing the pistol in question. Best way to determine is to have a few different shooters shoot it. Recoil springs are very inexpensive and can cause the problem. A piece of wood dowel rod will get the cases into reloadable shape with ease, just put it in the case mouth and press against the dent..small ones go away when it goes through the sizer die. Needed or not, I change my recoil springs as a matter of regular maintenance at intervals depending on the chambering of the 1911 in question.

Colt is living off it's name in my opinion, haven't seen anything I would spend MY money on from them in quite some time as far as 1911's go.

Kimber is living off Colt's name as well.......Why else would they call it a "1911"?

I have a COLT MK4/SERIES'70 that I bought new +28 years ago Its been tricked out some, but its a fine gun and I can not think that the other come a longs are any improvement given the same config..
Jim

I have a Colt 1991A1 Stainless I bought new 5 or 6 years ago and it works just fine. I had a problem with dented case mouths too. They weren't big dents, just enough to see, and the expander took care of them.

I bought two new recoil springs from Wilson (many others will work as well or better), a light one for my target/plinking loads and a heavy one for "surplus" and defense loads. That cured the case mouth denting problem completely, as long as I use the correct spring for the loads. I don't make or use "medium" loads in this gun, it's either "watch the bullet in flight" or "knock a barn down".

This gun has always fired and fed every time, except for the round I forgot to put powder in. I don't recommend that experience...

The only other modification is the Tritium sights I had installed when the stock rear sight fell out (yes, it fell out one fine day at the range...). I did have a full length guide rod in it for a while, but it made field stripping a pain, so I took it out and haven't had any problems. I do use the Wilson shok-buffs since they are cheap and they don't seem to cause a problem.

The gun is more accurate than I am, but that isn't saying much. I can routinely group 10 shots in 10" or less at 25yds with the millitary ball ammo I have (Aguila and Federal), and usually under 4" with the best target loads I have made, as long as I take my time and pay attention. That's good enough for me.