Thompson 1911 Auto-Ordnance .45 ACP Shooting Review "Warning - Terrible Pistol" Pre-Kahr
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- The Thompson Auto-Ordnance Corp 1911 made in West Hurley, New York was an inexpensive 1911 using inferior parts. Don't buy one unless you are willing to replace most of the internal parts.
Well back in the 80's AO 1911's were very popular. I've shot them 0 issues and they functioned fine as any.
Bought my AO 1911 in 1995. Have shot thousands of rounds. Keep it cleaned and greased, never had an issue, never had to replace any parts.
mine is a smooth shooter as well haven't had a problem at all
Same here, but mine is from around 1988. After some FTF on the first trip to the range, I had the feed ramp polished, and 36-ish years later it's still going strong. (I'm sure I just cursed it by praising it).
I would agree on the hammer spring, I don't think it would take a lot to bring this pistol to light . It does seem to be accurate. Thanks for your review. Stay Strong 💪.
I won one in a raffle when they first came out. Replaced all the springs, the barrel bushing and added a guide rod. Shoots like a dream.
If you want a cheap 1911 go for a Rock Island. They’re really solid guns.
Or Tisas m1911. Great weapon
Even if I don't like the gun you're reviewing I always like your reviews. Thanks again. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. 🦃
That pistol shot pretty darn good! Be worth getting the spring replace to cure misfires. The thing that I found funky about this gun is it’s trigger!! Looks short leaving a gap below and above the trigger guard.
Yeap, that is the ugliest trigger I've ever seen on a 1911 pistol 😝
@@mixup98 Yeah that is noticable Lol.
I bought an Auto Ordinance 1911 made in West Hurley, NY way back when. Its milspec, so I changed some parts, springs and pins from Wilson Combat including the mags. Runs like a champ and accurate. Love it and trust it.
This guy's a freaking good shot!!
Thank you MrTuco40 👍🤠
Thank you for shooting once in a while one handed. I only have my right arm, I am trying to learn as much as possible watching your videos.
Expert marksmanship with off hand pistol demonstrating here.
My .45 auto is a Kimber “ Royal “ and is really quite beautiful. Made in Yonkers New York.
Love the tele transport intro. Just sorta materializes out of no where.
Must be near Area 51 Tonopah Nevada.
Good morning Bill. Thank you for the nice compliment. I used to own a Kimber 1911 Custom Target but unfortunately I sold it about six years ago....wish I still had it. Don't tell anyone but yes, I have been to Area 51 👍👽
I have a "MODEL 1911 U.S. ARMY" by auto ordinance. Bought it in Yucca Valley CA when I was stationed at 29 Palms (1995). I went to buy a Norinco .45 and the Auto Ord was right next to it. The Norinco looked terrible so I paid the extra $25 for the Auto Ord ($250). It's parkerized and looks really nice 5 feet away and it looks like an issue .45. All the parts fit correctly and the safeties work perfect. Remember back in the 80s/90s Colts were expensive. Auto Ord was kind of the only other game in town if you wanted a .45. Sure there were Spanish LLama .45s but they weren't parts interchangeable with issue .45s. My Auto Ord runs great. It took about 200 rnds to break in but it's been running great for 26yrs. Luckily there are a lot of affordable .45s available now.
Yup, we avoided those back in the 1980s. I got a basic Springfield Armory 1911-A1 that was reliable with decent parts and gradually customized it myself. Didn't really need much, just tuned springs, carefully modified sear engagement, larger thumb safety, match bushing, Pachmyr trigger and flat mainspring housing.
Nowadays I'd probably just buy a Ruger or S&W 1911-A1 type. They seem to have done all the usual basic mods at a reasonable price.
I would love to see you revisit this gun after you've done some work to it. As always....Great shooting! 👍😎
Stay tuned Mark!
I love your Chanel and most of the time I think you’re spot on. I think you however missed the boat on this review. I bought one of these in 1982 and the only thing I’ve replaced is the grip safety spring. The one I have is very reliable and accurate. I paid $275.00 for it in 1982.
Good morning Daniel. Apparently Thompson got lucky and put out a few good pistols, but not very many.
One thing about you mixup98, you always give an honest review. Good shooting, as usual.
Thank you Skip 👍🤠
My first pistol ever was an Auto Ordnance 1911a1 GI parkerized that I bought in 1995. Paid $350.00 at Sports Authority here in Virginia. It had some feeding problems in the beginning, but I bought Colt and Spring Field armory magazines and then it worked fine. I still have it in my safe. Good video thanks
I happen to build 1911s and I first started with the auto ordinance similar to yours. Never had the problems you have, but you have to realize that the military only used “ball” ammo in the 1911. There must be some modifications made to shoot lead and hollow point rounds or flat points. I still own that weapon and it shoots very well.
I have one of these that I inherited from my dad. I havent done much research on it but from what I did, it seems to be from late 70s/early 80s. It was actually the first handgun I carried because that's what I had. I eventually bought another gun and started carrying that and didnt shoot the Auto Ordnance 1911 as much. When I was carrying it and shooting it regularly I dont remember having any issues (other than the front site coming off, but the gun is 40 years old and I have no idea how many rounds through it). When I do rarely break it out and shoot it (dont really shoot it much anymore because I have other 45s and it has more sentimental value) I have noticed a lot stove pipes and feeding issues, but I kind of just attributed that to the magazine I had for it. I didnt know these guns had these issues, and now Im glad that 1. I didnt have to shoot mine in self defense when carrying it and 2. That mine did seem to work pretty well when I did carry it. Mine is pretty much just a safe gun now and has more sentimental value to me than anything.
I have an original 1960's Auto Ordnance 1911A1, in parkerized. When I tried to get an exact date of manufacture, KAHR was unable to go back that far, as records were not available. I have only the best to say about mine. When I look at yours compared to mine, the differences are amazing! I've owned it for 35 or 40 years. I still own it because it doesn't misfire or misfeed, anywhere as yours did. Sad to see for sure.
I never had a problem with mine either. Changed all springs, grip safety and slide safety. I also replaced the trigger down to 4lbs.
I used to have one and I never had any issues with it. That's the thing about these low-tier manufacturers: The parts don't hold up over time and the QC is hit or miss.
You're right about hit or miss. Fortunately I got this pistol running pretty good with about fifty bucks in new parts.
I'm glad you recommended the Rock Island Armory 1911. That is the one I'm looking at. Thank you for posting.
Excellent choice! I am hoping to review a Rock Island 1911 sometime in the near future.
After getting my licence , my first gun was a Kimber Custom Target 2 . Was very pleased with it till I got deathly ill 5 years ago . Now , I can't pull the slides back on any semi-auto handguns . Now I'm a wheel gun type person .
Ive got diabetic nerve damage in my hands, so I can relate. My favorite gun now is a Ruger gp100👍
Sorry to hear about your illness, Bill. I also owned a Kimber Custom Target 2 and I absolutely love it. I sold it to a friend that really, really wanted it and I'm still kicking myself for selling it.
Years ago I stopped by my LGS to find the owner at the counter with a box of parts. Yup! A Thompson .45 . No strike, bad safety, horrible trigger, etc. Typical issues.
Right there,, I tore down my Colt ser 70 mk IV and swapped out *ALL* internals, springs, safety and trigger.
Magic! It functioned just fine.
Friends dont let friends buy AO
I had an older Auto Ordinance 1911, it would stove pipe on the next to last round almost every time, changed magazines, changed the barrel, changed the barrel bushing and springs. Eventually I got to the extractor and that fixed it. It shot like a champ after replacing the extractor. I wound up letting it go because I bought a Gold Cup Colt, I have regretted letting it get away from me ever since.
You definitely have the most beautiful ranges on the planet
👍🤠
I think once you replace some parts it will be a decent pistol. Seems accurate when it fires. Best thing is you helped someone out by buying it. Years ago Dad picked up a pre 1950 High Standard 380 from a neighbor whose husband passed away. She wanted only $25. He gave her $40. Then we found out we couldn't hit a barn door with it. 😆 It helped her out though.
Any time I’ve had a pistol or rifle that wouldn’t group, polishing the inside of the barrel with metal polish & a swab really helps. Let the swab rotate in the rifling, don’t hold it still and force it straight through the barrel. Clean the bore with Coleman fuel before firing. (much better than any bore cleaner or acetone) Coleman fuel will remove gunk long after acetone shows a clean swab. You can actually feel the barrel warm up while polishing. This has always brought a non-accurate barrel back to being fairly accurate for me. Don’t over-do it!!!
@@boomstick4054
I have seen barrels that had the rifling worn smooth, and no amount of polishing will help a worn smooth barrel.
@@carminemurray6624 The main thing the polishing is really accomplishing is totally removing all lead or copper deposits that a normal cleaning doesn’t remove.
I bought an AO 1911 in the early 90’s and it was a POS. A work friend that was familiar with 1911s worked it over for me ( Colt barrel, springs and stone smoothing). One of the best shooting 1911s after that.
Jumpin Jack Flash
Bought an Auto Ordnance late 1990's; thought it was the same maker as the Thompson Machine Gun. Only fired it one time (.40 S&W) because any of reviews I read were not complimentary. That was the one made in West Hurley, New York; it is my understanding that there is another location where these were made that performed better work on that weapon. If the weak parts can be identified, it might save time and expense for current owners.
Really love your channel. Its void of ego, and unnecessary fluff. It feels like the terrain you film in. Clean and simple. I lived in Bakersfield California for 16 years, and the i love the deserts of the American Southwest. I enjoy watching other firearm channels as well, but your the only one I'm subscribed to.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Mixup98 !!!!!!!!!!!!!
You too, Jerry! Thank you.
I guess it was designed to train for not flinching, haha :-)
You're right, the pistol was designed for controlling flinching and practicing malfunction drills 👍😁
I hate to see a bad 1911...
Nice shooting, as always Mix.
For what Numrich had the nerve to charge for that pistol they should have sunk some money into using properly heat treated firing pins, properly fitted parts and springs with enough strength to consistently function. Using a famous name to make sales, Thompson/Auto Ordinance.
Well, the good news is 1911's are pretty simple, easy to work on, and replacement parts for the most part are pretty inexpensive. I know you will get it functioning better. It is frustrating having a firearm that gets those light primer strikes.
The gun looks nice and seems to be pretty accurate. I think it's worth saving.
You're right, they are easy to work on and I just received my parts for this pistol and hopefully I will have an updated video posted in the near future.
I got mine for $150. I put a new firing pin for $8, new sear spring for $12, and a new barrel bushing for $15. Although who cares if the grip safety doesnt work. For a beater gun it has been running well for me for 20 years. It doesnt like anything lighter than 230 grain ammo.
I bought a well used AO Competition Model made in Hurley, NY. It’s a little loose, but has been pretty reliable for me.
Thanks for making the point that these guns were made when Numrich Arms (Gun Parts) owned Auto-Ordnance. That was a long time ago. Auto-Ordnance is now owned by Kahr Firearms group and the quality has significantly improved. I owned a gun shop and would shudder when I saw someone bringing in a West Hurley 1911. I was also a licensed gunsmith and performed service and repairs out of my shop. The West Hurley guns were horrible. The new Auto-Ordnance 1911's are pretty good and also priced very competitively.
Hello Captain Bob. I have heard that Kahr is making some fine 1911 pistols and it was important to me that my viewers knew the difference between the new Kahr 1911 pistols and the older Auto-Ordnance turds. I did replace a few parts in my Auto-Ordnance pistol and it is shooting much better now.
@@mixup98 firing pin and firing pin spring is a must. The magnum research guns are much better and usually cheaper.
I bought one of these a few years ago, just because I wanted a 1911. It has been a great gun, with very few issues. I did have to replace the extractor, but that was a minor job. I also put a heavier recoil spring in, just because it had trouble locking up with steel cased ammo. It runs on all cylinders now. The only major problem that it has, is that, the serial number starts with AOC.
👍😁
One of the greatest things I learned about the 1911 platform was it's ability to be tweaked. Just about every part on that firearm can be changed out with relative ease and a little know how. I bought an old RIA 1911, first handgun I ever bought as soon as I was 21, and it ran great. But I knew I could make it run better. 12 years later that sob is rock solid, and has never given me any issues. Change a few parts? Sure. But it wasn't anything major. It didn't take me long to do, and the results were phenomenal. Wilson Combat trigger, tritium night sights, Wolff extra power spring for my hand loads, new grips, pachmayr rubber grip insert, extended slide release and safety, etc. Man you can really have a lot of custom fun on that platform and it's still my hands down, favorite pistol platform. I know, I might be walking a little on the old school side of things, but if carrying firearms created by Saint Browning is Fudd, then so be it. Lol.
That very true, most parts on the 1911 will inter change with another brand ONLY Difference i seen was the barrels
@@426superbee4 Yes sir, only minor fitting is usually needed when you get after market parts like a trigger or extended safety. I think it's a great platform for a guy who wants everything out of a handgun. You can customize it, work on it easily even for a novice, you can hunt with it if you have a long enough barrel, plenty of game has been taken by the 1911, it's great in competition, great for self defense, easy to use, easy to maintain and these days they come in 22mag, 380acp, 38 super, 9mm, 10mm, 45acp and on and on. It's hard not to like and that's why I never understood some people's hate for them.
@@Sam_the_Sham_and_the_Pharoahs Me either 👍
On a positive note; that was some damn good shooting with a gun you just got. Even if I used your chair; I don't think I could match that. Enjoyed.......F J B
Because the changes worked, the results weren't as bad as we'd hoped. Thank you for the warning! Greetings from Brazil.
You are very welcome and greetings from the United States.
Just picked up a auto ordinance 1911a1 don't tread on me put 50 rounds through so far and she's like a dream
I praise your noble gesture of helping out your friend's spouse. I live 13000 kilometers away from the mainland so many of our purchases of imported products are not easily attended to by warranty service. We do however, have many parts for the 1911 since this is 1911 country.
I have encountered WWII 1911s with many parts that have to be replaced and this is an expensive restoration.
job.
I have one of those I bought in the 1990's it has Model 1911A1 U.S. Army stamped on the left side of the slide. I've fired thousands of rounds thru it and it is going. I did replace a lot of parts and did some upgrades like a full length guide rod. I do get failures to feed sometimes but I think it is more the mags than the gun no misfires. For the money I paid and put into it 20+ years and still going is a bargain.
I bought an auto ordnace in 1982? and carried it for several years.The 1911 I'd carried in the Marines some years prior was made by Remington. I was certain the parts on each were interchangeable. The auto ordnance didn't like semi wadcutters and refused wadcutters; ramp issues. I don't remember a misfire. I was however quite dismayed when the slide stop started walking out of the gun during firing. A new slide stop purchased from the range officer,(who had a bunch of them?), solved the problem. Since those days I've progressed through Colt to Kimber.
I de-progressed from Colt and Kimber to Auto-Ordance 😢
Kahr Industries as you said is a good company that now makes the Auto Ordnance / Thompson brand firearms. I own an Auto ordnance / Thompson 1911 in stainless steel which is the Trump Make America Great Again model. It shoots like a champ, love the quality and smooth recoil.
Awesome! Thank you for the great feedback on the Kahr 1911. Just so you know.....I'm jealous about your Trump pistol. Happy Thanksgiving, John.
@@mixup98 Happy Turkey Day to you too.
These are great pistols to learn all about 1911s. I have one of the same era. It wasn't very reliable at first, but over the years I've replaced many parts. I even fitted an aftermarket barrel to it. It is now very reliable and very accurate. There's no gun better to learn all about how a 1911 works and is tuned, cause you'll need to do it. The parts I've replaced on mine and work done include: barrel, barrel bushing, guide rod, slide stop, recoil spring, magazine, extractor (and tuned it), firing pin, polished feed ramp, trigger job & Cerakoted. Along the way I learned lots and had fun. It will now shoot 230 gr. hollow points, 185 gr. SWC, and 230 gr ball accurately and reliably. For me, it was worth the effort as there is lots of me into it. When I'm gone and my wife or son sell it to some shop, I hope the next buyer takes a chance on it cause they will get one nice shooting 1911 - cheap.
Sounds like you’ve got the 1911 of Theseus hahaha!
@GetTheFO Hey, I had to Google that. I do! Thanks for the reference. It was educational.
@@cooper57m Always love to share an obscure reference haha
Had one that was made in the early 90s. Rattled, crude finishing, OK accuracy and reliable when 230gr round nose ammo was used. About what one expect at such a low price point.
New springs and quality magazines will improve the reliability of your problematic 1911.
Another great video. Love the 1911 content On the day my Colt O1911C arrived back from Colt with new three dots sights because the original rear sight slid out of the dovetail on me. They updated me to basic three dot sights at no charge. Very familiar with Kahr arms (Justin Moon) as I,ve owned several and the fact that they bought Thompson and auto ordinance (desert Eagle). I did not know that Numerich owned Thompson. Bought many apart from Numrich and even stopped there a couple times when you could buy parts over the counter. Keep up your informative videos. Totally jealous that I can’t walk out into the desert and shoot like you.
Good morning Mike. I have ordered gun parts from Numrich for decades and I love the company but yeah, they did make some poor choices when producing the Thompson 1911 pistol. Here in Nevada we have millions of acres of land that are open to the public and yes, in most areas we can walk out into the desert and blast away. I am truly a lucky man.
@@mixup98 Yes, jealous of being able to shoot outdoors and your excellent shooting skills.Stay well, Happy Thanksgiving, and God Bless.
@@mikediodati1149 it is wonderful you wear short sleeves in November!
Same here I used to get parts from them by mail order because we didn't have sell phones and I didn't know they owned Thompson. My first 1911 was a Springfield compact Delta V10 and it was a bit choose wit ammo and that thing was Magna Ported .
I bought an Auto Ordnance receiver in 1983 and built a gun using all USGI parts. 40 years and 20,000 rounds later I still own it. It has been rebuilt three times, reparkarized once and now most of the important bits are Ed Brown.
Good to know.....thank you onmilo.
I’m so glad you shared this video.
I guess a lot of us have at least one gun that seems to bring out the Yosemite Sams’ in all of us.
Happy Thanksgiving!
👍😁
I had a auto ordinance 1911 minted in the early 2000s. I thought it was really well made and it shot amazing. Sadly it was liberated from my house 2 years ago.
I believe your pistol would have been made by Kahr if you bought it in the early 2000s.
I have that same pistol. I bought it used at a pawnshop about 20 years ago in like new condition for $200.00 plus tax. It use to stovepipe jam with every magizine or type of ammo I put in it. It sat in my gun safe for 18 years and recently I dug it out and replaced all the internal parts with parts from Wilson Combat. It now runs perfect with no jams of any kind and it hits what I aim at.
Well, I would sure be interested in seeing how it performs after you go through it and replace those parts you mentioned. I always enjoy hearing about a problem firearm that gets transformed after a little work and then becomes a jewel. Please keep us informed.
Thanks Mixup....it's always a pleasure.
I have a feeling it will run pretty good once I replace a few springs. Stay tuned!
I guess I have the only one that is flawless... Very accurate, tight groups, well made, original without any mods, not one misfire, used a variety of cheap mags, had three different shooters and all were delighted with its performance. One had never fired a1911, I did I not like 1911s due to past experience with two expensive ones, and the last shooter was a 1911 fan boy who has at least 4 of them. My son declared it a "magic" gun and claimed it. Made me promise not to "tinker" with it....
I'm jealous Christopher! Seriously, thanks for the comment and Happy Thanksgiving.
Picked mine up in the eariy 80s Never had a problem. It`s my every day carry.
I bought an Auto Ordnance 1911 years ago. Fired some white box Winchester through it. One round blew up and totaled the pistol and injured my hand. No more Winchester or AO !
I have one made in Worcester Mass. 2011 . Kahr must have fixed issues because mine functions smoothly and flawlessly. I like it as much as my Colts. Great video.
Thank you Jim!!
Those old Thompson Auto Ordnance 1911's were made from parts ranging from GI surplus to cast steel parts made by lowest cost suppliers. I think the early ones were made up from mostly surplus parts, but as the surplus parts supplies were exhausted, cheaply made cast steel parts were substituted. Yes, even the slide was cast steel, some barrels also appeared to have a parting line from a casting mold. Pin holes in their receivers were not always exactly where they needed to be. Getting a good one required luck, getting a bad one seemed to be much easier to accomplish. Mine was a bad one, but I turned it into my learning and project 1911.
That's right. I would love to get one .I would send it to Willson combat and get one of there turn up package deals
I remember those in the 80's/90's... a buddy had one and he said it was a POS...he traded it quickly
Nice video as always ... yeah doesn't seem like a very good pistol but somewhat fixable so it's ok. 1911 parts aren't expensive so it's worth it since the barrel is good.
It definitely has a good barrel so I will put a few bucks into the pistol to get it running good..... I hope.
Until the end my question was going to be, would you recommed an ria 1911. Answered before I asked. My dad gave me his sears 1943 leather holster he used in vietnam, I still haven't bought a 1911 to put in it, a ria gi model seems period correct.
Haja a missfire festival. But also a festival of proper aiming and shooting. Respect to you sir. Saludos from Argentina.
Thank you very much for the nice compliment Mario and greetings from the United States.
Feeding the led semi wadcutter is a positive sign
I was certainly surprised but yeah, it was a very positive sign that maybe this pistol is worth salvaging.
The new ones under Kahr Arms are immensely improved. They resemble a USGI 1911 more closely as well.
I have an Auto Ordnance 1911 that is a Kahr built gun. Runs like a champ.
Got to admire a man who knows it's Ordnance and not "Ordinance".
Every Auto Ordinance firearm needed mods after I bought them new. Weird, it was like some of the strangest things you’d never expect. My 1911-A1 had a smooth bore barrel from the factory like a shotgun, and an awful magazine that wouldn’t feed rounds. I fired it, it was semi accurate at about 25 feet. The Tommy gun wouldn’t feed rounds because it had an original 30 round magazine probably W.W2 era in the box.
I had one many yrs. ago. Nothing but trouble. After changing many parts, Colt replacement parts. Also polished many sharp edges! Then it worked good so someone wanted a cheap gun ,so sold it to him. He was ok them for ever. So much work & money. I then got a Colt & made some light changes. And still have it . I built 6 from parts,
Yes all worked great but some took longer to get them right! But all were happy & still are!
At least that barrel is a winner. A new set of springs and a properly fitted safety should have it in good shape.
Wow that's some great shooting! Especially one handed
Thanks! 👍🤠
This man is so cool he always know whats hes talkin about every video is entertaining and informative hats off to you sir im a big fan from the phillipine.
Thank you Floyd, I really like your very nice comment. Greetings from the United States and I thank you for watching my videos.
I got mine, the military model, parkerized. I got mine in 2004. It's been faithfully serving me and I can only remember one failure, first magazine I put through it. So they have improved
I would say that this pistol is worth fixing. It shot very well aside from the misfires.
I certainly agree with you Paul. I have to have an updated video posted in a few days, depending on the weather.
My buddy bought one of these back in the mid 80’s. He got it through the Shotgun News and, IIRC, it was under $200. His really did not have FTF or FTL problems, but pretty much all the other problems yours has, and it was gritty. It was accurate as well. I just ordered a new safety catch and all new springs and it was fine after that, never a burp. Oh, and in those days, we were shooting close to 500 rounds a month. With all said and done, it was still less than half the price of a new Colt.
Other than the firing pin/main spring issue that you are already aware of, I’d say that thing was treating you fairly well. I have a West Hurley AO 1911 that’s older than yours. I got it for a song, gave it a good bath, gave it a new firing pin and spring, slide pin and spring, plus a barrel bushing and it works just fine. Although I will admit, 1. It doesn’t hit targets as confidently as yours, and 2. It doesn’t tolerate cheap ammunition very well, jamming occasionally. It has no problem at all with high rent ammo. (Hornady). 1 just might be caused by operator error :) 2 maybe an extractor? Either way, it’s way better than the 1911’s I was issued in the Army. I guess that proves my standards are pretty low. :)
First, your comment made me laugh. Second, thank you for your service in the Army. Third, thank you for watching my video and have a great Thanksgiving.
I bought one for $250 nearly new, and it shoots flawlessly, and I've shot thousands of rounds through it. It's also much more accurate than my other cheap 1911s. I own a handful of high end customs as well, and my AO honestly performs as well as they do. It just isn't as comfortable to shoot. It could use some professional dehorning because after a few hundred rounds, it can and does make the webbing on my shooting hand a little raw, and it isn't from the hammer biting but the rough edges on the frame.
It's one that makes you appreciate the others that work all the time.
You are spoiled shooting the Ruger! I've been shooting various 1911's for years, Ruger's are Accurate & Reliable. My favorite Commander. Colt 1911 Competition is my fav government. Good job
Yes indeed, I love shooting my Ruger SR1911. 👍🤠
Totally agree. I have the "General" (Commander) configuration. Bought it in the 80's. But after I replaced the horrible trigger, crappy sights and hammer, it was better. Should have just bought a Colt.
I bought an Auto Ordnance 1911 back in 1988. I live near West Hurley NY, back then they were part of Numrich arms. The pistol gave me nothing but problems, I went back up to West Hurley and they did a few things to the gun so it did work better. They did ask if I was using 230 FMJ ball ammo as recommended, and I replied yes. Even with their tweaks, HP and wad cutters would not cycle all the time. I replaced the barrel with a Les Baer one, the gun functions 100% now with any type of ammo. Although if I'm using a crappy magazine, it reverts back to its old ways sometimes.
Mine will feed and function with semi wad cutters but I did notice that the chamber is very tight on my Auto Ordnance. I had a few rounds that wouldn't chamber but those same rounds would chamber in several other 1911 pistols. In this video I used Ruger and Colt 1911 magazines and they were flawless.
I enjoy your channel so much, man. No frills and no BS. Just super good content. Really glad I found you on here. Cheers.
Welcome aboard Thomas and yes, my son and I are glad you found our channel. Thanks for watching our videos and greetings from Nevada.
@@mixup98 Thank you! And right back at ya from the Green Mountain State!
Like you said. At least it has a good barrel. Fire control group is trash but that can be replaced. Hopefully the sear spring or grip safety aren't misaligned, putting some wonky drag on the mainspring / hammer assembly. Good luck.
My dad had this gun about 25 years ago. Damn thing didn’t work good at all out of the box. He sent it to get all polished up and smoothed out. It was a great gun after that.
Too bad that a winning gun parts company like Numrich made this so poorly.
Yes, please do a follow up after replacing mainspring, and others like the firing pin spring, grip safety or sear, safety detent or safety lever. It obviously looks very accurate. It’s funny because the first place that comes to mind to buy the parts to upgrade/replace is Numrich! Haha!
I should have a new video posted on Thursday....Happy Thanksgiving!
@@mixup98 Thanks for letting me know! Happy Thanksgiving to you, your son, and your families, too!
One data point doesn't show a trend. And neither do two data points. But for what it might be worth, I bought one of these a few years ago -- made by Kahr -- and it has been flawless. I bought it to have an inexpensive M1911 for use by students (rather than expose my other "better" pistols to potentially being dropped or scratched by newbies). But it has always served me well, and, despite to small GI sights, has become one of my favorite .45s.
Several people commenting on this video alone create more than two data points. At the very least it shows poor quality control, something very important for a gun.
Well... it is a good looking Pistol, and it seems to be accurate (when it fires) I was going to mention hammer spring, but you beat me to it, nice shooting though, Thank for sharing. Stay Safe My Friend. 👍🇺🇲
You also stay safe out there Joseph and as always, I thank you for watching my videos.
Hey, wait a minute! I have one of these, and I'll have you know...
Your review is entirely correct.
I have replaced my barrel, slide stop, mainspring housing, recoil assembly, springs. It works OK now but the mushy safety and tiny sights are making me crazy when I try t shoot it.
I must admit those sights sure do seem awfully small.
I'd replace every spring including the hammer spring from a quality manufacturer. I think it is worth the love. Please post an update video.
My updated video will be posted tomorrow!
While the fit and finish isn't comparable to a colt, Ruger, etc, these aren't bad guns. This video was annoying to watch because I have one of these from the 80s and I have only had one misfire in the last 200 rounds. That's after buying the gun from someone who had it in a closet for the past 20 years, and I still haven't cleaned it. I'm going to clean mine and polish it after watching this video. I paid 500 for mine because I like older guns.
The finish is prone to rust however, I had mine in a area with high humidity apparently and now I have to clean a bunch of surface rust specks
Edit: enjoyed the video actually, the AO is a legit 45 acp that you can have alot of fun with. But yeah, I want a kimber or an actual colt now.
As somebody that's 1911's for his entire life and has been maintenancing them and doing all kinds of gunsmithing two of them... You know you just have to replace a couple pieces inside of that fire alarm and it will be perfectly fine. But I'm pretty sure you know that already.
I have a quote-unquote competition model from the West Hurley plant. It was a turd when I got it. But I ordered everything through Wilson combat... Now... I trust my life to it.
One thing I do love about the 1911... Is the ability to customize and custom fine-tune it to your own preferences.
In a pretty damn certain it is the absolute safest pistol out there. I mean if I'm mistaken by all means feel free to correct me anybody. But I mean think about all the different safeties that the series 70 has. And then with the series 80.. which I don't like... You get one more safety feature.
Bottom line though any 1911 it does not matter whether it's bottom-of-the-barrel or absolute elite top-shelf you will eventually be replacing pieces inside of it because they're going to wear out.
Looks like a good gun for a complete polish and rework an excellent gun for a mid level Smith to make a beautiful custom....👉😉this guy right here has been searching for the right 1911
the new Ruger Ronin line is cheap & sweet
I believe Springfield makes the new Ronin line of 1911 pistols although Ruger does make a sweet 1911, too.
@@mixup98 it is Springfield, sorry; very sweet 1911 for under $1k
Those misfires are a built-in safety device to prevent you from using excessive force. IIRC, West Hurley, NY made Thompson submachine guns( prior to 1986) using original G.I. parts from the war. When the parts started to dry up, they began using inferior aftermarket parts, including the receiver. I've heard of owners swapping out parts for original ones and in extreme cases, hiring a gunsmith/welder to fix a cracked frame.
I had one years ago that I bought off a friend for something like $50. He didn't want it because it was junk. I kept it for a few years before selling it for $100. They do make great paper weights.
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the beauty of a 1911 like that one is you can make it into a good working gun easily by changing all the springs and make other improvements by changing other parts on the gun also. a wilson combat spring kit should make it work everytime you pull the trigger.your right that a rock island gi model 1911a1 would be a better buy. thanks for another great video.
when i was younger and i was watching police shows, old gangster movies, they all carried the thompson .45acp it carried 8 in the magazine compared to the six round wheel gun...so the thompson .45 looked like a really great gun...it was not until i was an adult that i started watching the different movies and tv police shows and they all carried these hand guns that had 15 rnds magazines then it was wow these guns are better than the single magazine 8 rnd....just wanted to share a young memory...
@@mikebite229 you seem to be misguided. The thompson is a submachine gun. This video is about the 1911
What a beautiful place to shoot an unremarkable gun.
This gun makes me want to give my revolvers a big hug.
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I heard that weren’t built that good, I have a Kahr Auto Ordnance BKO and it is the best 350.00 45 I ever bought. It eats everything I run through it and even with the barley visible sights (60 yr old eyes) it is very accurate. Hell you even make a piece of crap look deadly
Mine just needed a couple of magazines instead of a major overhaul. After about 30 years of heavy use I replaced the firing pin