18+ Content Warning

By clicking Enter, you confirm you are 18 years of age or older and agree to comply with all applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Notice: Any content or member activity - including anything you may buy, sell, transfer, or discuss - must comply with current and upcoming laws.

Members are encouraged to stay informed: California Firearm Laws: 2026 Outlook & 2025 Recap . Responsibility for compliance rests solely with the individual member.

caguns.net

Welcome to CAguns.net!
Join our growing community where you can ask questions, share knowledge, or browse our classifieds section.

Sign up for a free account today and unlock full access! Once registered, you can search, post, and take advantage of exclusive features unavailable to guests.

A note on why more of the site now requires an account: automated scrapers and AI systems have been crawling our forums and classifieds at a scale. Requiring sign-in for those sections is the most effective tool we have. It takes a minute to register, it's free, and it keeps what happens here between actual members.

New to California gun ownership or trying to keep up with the changing laws? Check out our sister site CA2A.com — free courses, plain-English legal updates, and step-by-step guides built for California owners.

Advanced features are available only to registered members. Register today!

  • 📢 Classifieds Update — Effective Monday, September 21

    Starting Monday, the free Classifieds ad limit will be lowered from 3 to 2 active ads.

    Verified accounts will keep their limit of 3. All other account limits stay the same.

    Existing ads are not affected and will remain up until they expire.

    Want to keep 3 listings and add features like removing comments and emojis? Upgrade/Verify your account

    More information here

Thoughts on 1911s vs. 2011s in California

C&r Browning hi power. I have one on the way which bears the naughty eagle stamp. Actually it's a liberation model from the first run after being freed of occupation using the leftover german parts. A friend has a cz 75, I couldn't miss with the thing. While not having tried a hi power as of yet, I figure it's going to be very close. And the individual I got it from off GB is happy to ship to CA and modify mags to 10. He's got quite a few as of now but I got the only one with the eagle. All for 1500 or less.
 
Double stack is too fat for me. Feels like a Glock. Don't feel the need for more than 9 rounds as 10 is the limit anyway. Sort of defeats the reasoning for a 15 round 2011 if you're limited to 10 rounds.

Keeping the Springer 1911 9mm target and the EMP.
 
I wanted to love the double stacks and way back when was more than once tempted to pick up a Para Ordnance P13, but they just felt too chunky and I never could get past that.
 
Last edited:
Would like to buy a staccato but not with ridiculous 10 round limit law. Kind of pointless.
 
WWJMBD—interesting point about Hi Powers. I’m a huge fan, love how they feel in the hand, but never got around to buying a real one, or a clone. For me, they come in second, after 1911s, as the most instinctively pointable and ergonomic autoloader ever. But for some reason, I’ve always thought of Hi Powers as service/duty sidearms. Can you recommend a forum or blog about accuratizing Hi Powers?

Mannyy—instinctive comfort as a skill multiplier is a good point. Unfortunately, between work and wifey, I don’t get to the range as often as I’d like to. I actually CCW a Springfield EMP 3, which it what made me check out their Loaded Target.

When I was browsing, the youngsters and my LGS showed me some Staccatos and that Sig(?) 2011 everyone is jonesing for. The triggers all felt good, but I didn’t feel an instant wow factor. (The FUD aesthetic runs deep in me lol).
Between B&H and Cylinder and Slide for springs/trigger components, a match barrel, and some Novak/Heinie you can have 90-95% of a well tuned 1911. At that point, both guns shoot better than nearly every person shooting them.

I bought an FEG with a terrible trigger off of here, like 8-9lbs and gritty. I replaced the main spring and recoil spring with some B&H springs, and installed a C&S hammer and sear. It's down to about a 2.5lb glass break trigger, but the OG sights are bent so whatever I point it at is pretty safe at 20 yards. If I get it cut for some better sights, I'll add some more goodies to it. B&H also sells a two stage recoil spring setup, an improved trigger mechanism closer to JMB's original design, and match barrels. I've seen a few of the SA-35s pop up on here for about twice MSRP, but they're still a decent deal vs doing all that work on one of the other clones or an FN. The only thing the SA-35s are really missing are the match barrel, and the B&H improved trigger is still a little nicer. If you've really got some money to throw at it, C&S does some nice custom work, but they did recently change hands.

I've thought about getting an EMP, next time I see a 4" EMP pop up for less than a grand, I'll get it. XL gloves fit snug, so honestly a Commander feels as small as I would want a gun to be. If I don't like it, my wife or kids will at least be able to shoot it. I don't have a CCW, but if I do eventually get one, it would just be to have one in the car when sensible, or in the kit out in the woods/desert, and most of the time that'll be a Gov. in God's caliber.

As far as the 2011s, for that price I'd rather a Wilson, an on the cheaper end with the upcoming Kimber, I'd still rather a Dan Wesson or Baer 1911. Fudd or not, I think making a better pistol has been a fools errand for roughly 115 years.
 
I built a 2011 for competitions with a very specific purpose with a specific capacity. If you are just shooting at the range and only plan on using 10 round mags there's zero reason to get a 2011. Maybe if you like the grip modules, but the essential mechanism is the same as a 1911 with like 80% of the same parts.
 
Would like to buy a staccato but not with ridiculous 10 round limit law. Kind of pointless.
I bought mine because (I guess I'm ever the optimist)....If and I mean IF the laws ever change then I can just buy the high round mags and be good to go....
I'd also like to think that someday I'll smarten up and get out of this awfully run state and move to free America. Which is unlikely but one can dream right?
 
Buy what fits you hand and points naturally for you. You could get a 1911, in .45 or 9mm, send it out for a trigger job, and buy a reloading press for less than Staccato.
 
Double stack is too fat for me. Feels like a Glock. Don't feel the need for more than 9 rounds as 10 is the limit anyway. Sort of defeats the reasoning for a 15 round 2011 if you're limited to 10 rounds.

Keeping the Springer 1911 9mm target and the EMP.
How does the tigger weight, feel, reset, etc. compare between your EMP and Loaded Target?

My experience with the latter is limited brief handling at a couple LGS. I thought it felt felt a bit more tuned out of the box, compared to my EMP, but that coulda been a shinny new gun placebo effect.
 
Back
Top Bottom