Well, I have a hard time accepting that survey as being anything even CLOSE to valid. In the vernacular, it's about as useless as teats on a bull.
Self-report surveys are about the worst form of data gathering, statistically speaking, that you can get. People "misremember" according to their biases and prejudices (good and bad), for one thing; for another, the people who respond to self-report surveys tend to be cranky and dissatisfied compared to the general population.
But to address some specific problems with this particular survey:
1) There is NO definition of malfunction given, and no differentiation between TYPES of malfunctions. This point alone makes me want to puke all over the "study" and stop writing this post.
2) There is no provision for determining conditions. For example, was the gun field-stripped, cleaned, and lubricated properly prior to first firing? If so, how thoroughly? What type of lube was used?(I am AMAZED at the number of gun nuts who think WD40 is a good gun lube, as one observation.) At what temperature was the "testing" done? Was the gun cleaned sometime in between Round #1 and Round #300? If so, how? Was it relubed? Etc, etc, etc.
3) There is no provision for standardization of ammo. Cast bullet handloads using Bullseye or Unique are gonna gum up the works a lot quicker than WinClean.
4) There is no way to determine the experience or skill of the shooter. A tyro limp-wristing his first 1911 with hardball ammo has as much "say" in the survey as an expert armorer.
I could go on but I won't. I've already been accused by more than one 'Fire member of being a pompous, pontificating azzhole. But I make my living in a field that requires me to read a LOT of truly scientific, peer-reviewed material on a regular basis, and that requires me to sift through it critically; and even at this level, I have to throw out 80% of what I read in the journals as being useless crap, for reasons such as the brief summary I've written above.
So take my criticism of and absolute disdain for the 1911forums survey however you will. But if you use it to guide your choice in purchasing a firearm, you're going to get results that approximate the amount of thought you put into it when you read the "study", and don't come crying here when your choice turns out to be less than optimal.
Do yourself a favor. When you buy a new gun, ESPECIALLY an upper-end 1911, recognize that it's gonna have tight tolerances and it's gonna take you several hundred rounds to get the gun to work flawlessly. When you take it out of the box, strip it down and clean it thoroughly, then lube the crap out of it, fire a bunch of CLEAN ammo through it. Take it home, strip it down again, lube it again, and fire a bunch more CLEAN ammo through it. Keep doing that until you aren't experiencing any more malf's.
I wouldn't even DREAM of carrying a pistol for any kind of serious purpose, whether personal protection or competition, until I've put at least 200 bobble-free rounds through it. HINT: this means if it takes 800 rounds of ammo to get the frame-to-slide fit to settle in reliable, I'm not gonna carry it until I've put ANOTHER 200 trouble-free rounds through it.
End of rant...
Last edited by DocRocket; 03/01/12.
