Is a Glock 21 harder to shoot well including fast followup shots than a 1911 with a good trigger?

This should be fun...

When I started shooting a 21 back in the late 90s, I'd have said "yes". The weight of the 13 round magazine kept the first recoil pulses low, but increased as the magazine emptied.

I'd find breaks in the shot string within the last five rounds that were recordable - but not critical. We were shooting informal matches, and nobody was going to Nationals - it was fun and bragging rights at the beer table afterwards.

Compared to my 1911, the results were less noticeable under the same target run - with an all steel pistol.

Maybe I just shot a 1911 "better", and hadn't had enough experience with the Glock - I do know that we could see a difference in the recorded times between the two.

Today, with a "Short Frame" pistol that fits my hand better, I'd say it depends on how each pistol is set up - the Glock has extensively more aftermarket products than "back then", resets and trigger weights are adjustable to your needs.

It's tough to beat a well tuned 1911 - IMHO, YMMV.

A lot of the debate comes down to training and experience - you tend to do better with what you train the most with.

Agreed on the well tuned 1911.

The only Glocks I've owned have been 19s. Sold the first one after about a year and a half. Doing a lot of target shooting and shot my CZ 75 better so sold the Glock to buy more ammo. Over time I realized there was a lot to like about the 19; lighter wt, easy takedown, always works with minimal maintenance and got another 19. I've shot this one more than the first one so shoot it better. I'm thinking I might feel the same about the 21. Got to admit I like going shooting and putting the Glock away without cleaning it. It always works and when I finally clean it I can take it down, clean it and put it back together in about five minutes.

If you are good with a Glock trigger (which just takes a little serious practice), then they are pretty close. The only possible issue that might favor the 1911 to any significant degree would be your hand size. The Glock 21 and 20 have beefy grip frames.

I shoot a 1911 better than any other handgun. Maybe it’s because nothing fits my hand better, though.
My old custom 1911 I shot IPSP Competition with for many many years has a trigger that breaks at just about 1.5 lbs.

All my Glocks have a Factory 3.5 lb trigger disconnecter. And even though some of those have “worn in” really well, they are still not near the trigger on the above mentioned 1911.

And while I “think” I Shoot my Glocks very well, if it came down to Shooting fast AND accurately, I’d still choose my 1911.

No it is not harder.

I shot both in USPSA for years.

For slower, bullseye type shooting, I will take a 1911, due to the trigger. However for shooting quickly, such as in USPSA style events, the G21 does not take a back seat at all and in fact is one of the softest shooting .45s you are going to find. They are extremely easy to shoot fast and accurately with.

I did quite well in a lot of matches, beating a lot of 1911 shooters, shooting a lightly tuned G21.

While I don’t have a G21, I do have an M&P45 and an all steel full size 1911 in 45.

I shot the M&P in a match last month and thought man this thing is shooting soft, I mean the sights barely moved. After the match I shot my 1911 with the same ammo and the recoil difference was noticeable.

I shoot the 1911 probably a little more accurately but I’m faster with the M&P. The only G21 I’ve shot was not bad either.

The M&P .45 is accurate and very comfortable to shoot and with the same grip angle as a 1911 feels good to most shooters in the hand. My Glock 10mm G20 recoils less in my mind that a Colt Delta Elite I owned.

The very first Glock that I ever purchased was a G21.....still have it. Makes an awesome House/Truck gun, and as stated you can doll them up any way you wish these days.

Other than Night sights and a 3.5 Ghost trigger connector, mne is stock. if i didn't love carrying my S&W625 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt so much when i',m in the Mountains......i'd think hard about setting up the G21 to handle .45 heavies and run with that in a Diamond D chest rig........14 rounds of 230-250 hardcast at a good speed....what's not to like? I bought the G21 baby brother, the G30s to carry in the Mountains as well.....11 rounds in a compact package, and carry a 13 round spare mag. Truth be told....I wear it most every day at work. I never know if I'll come across a Gator, a Boar, a Bear, Snake, Meth-head, or a disgruntled customer whacked out of their mind.....i like to be prepared for all contingencies..... Now that it's "Snake Season" I usually carry a shot cartridge in the chamber as the first round......they are effective and I don't have to worry about ricochets etc.....



Frog---OUT!

Froggie is right. I have two Block 21s. One is set up as a 45 super with different springs, guide rod, and 9" barrel. The other is set up as a 50 GI. So both are non-stock. But they have the original trigger/connector setups. Be Well, RZ.

Froggie is right. I have two Block 21s. One is set up as a 45 super with different springs, guide rod, and 9" barrel. The other is set up as a 50 GI. So both are non-stock. But they have the original trigger/connector setups. Be Well, RZ.

If you look in my 45 range bag

Half are Glock mags
Half are 1911 mags

I may never know which I like better

I will have to keep shooting them both
I will let you know when I figure it out
Hank

My old 21 has a 4.5 pound trigger, according to the box. It still is my favorite Glock. I think it shoots softer than my 1911.

Thanks to all for the info.

I'll stay where I am. Things here aren't so bad I need to have an armory to survive.

I ran across a utube video that made reference to .... “the lords caliber” 😆

If you are going to shoot enough to get good you will have to spend big $ to get a 1911 that is as dependable as a Glock. If one actually exists.


mike r

Ken Hackathorn made a very similar comment while we were taking a break from shooting one day. The topic was 45s other than the 1911. The Glock 21 and HK USP were being discussed. Ken had said that you could spend a lot of money getting a basic 1911 tuned to run as well as those two guns. Or you could just buy one of those and proceed to get good with them.

That of course made me want to add an HK USP to the .45 Fold, and later I acquired the Jedi Master's own USP. OB1 KENobi himself passed his USP .45 on to me.

A few issues to consider there. Firstly slide weight. The Glock 21 has a more massive slide, so that will effect speed of recovery between shots. Then there's trigger pull type. Generally the 1911 trigger is considered superior to that on a Glock or any other striker fired handgun. Thirdly there's the grip size and shape. Many feel that the 1911 fits their hands better, which would lend itself for better handling all around, to include follow up shots. Then there's grip angle, which is different between them, and may effect recovery time. It really, however, comes down to the individual. You'd really need to try both and see which is best for you.

PS Oh crap! This is an old thread. Just realized it.

The M&P45 is the softest shooting 45 I’ve ever shot. It also fits in the same holsters as my M&P9. 45 that feels no bigger than a 9mm. For it’s slimmer grip, you do lose 3 rounds with flush fit magazines compared to a G21.

If size isn’t a concern, the G41 is a winner as well.

Am I the only one who wishes Glock would stretch the grip on the G37 to fit 45 and 10mm? Even with less capacity, a 45 or 10mm the size of a G17 would be neat...

I've been wringing out an XD 'Mod.2 45 ACP Sub Compact’ for about a month and so far, really like it, I may pick up a 4" Service model to explore the 45 Super and/or 460 Rowland.

That M&P 45 frame has me interested.

Partly because S&W has come out with the 10mm version and I could use one as a test gun for ammo production, and the 10mm versions come with a slide cut for optics. I keep thinking that it may be possible to have a multi caliber gun, like I do with my large frame Glocks. My G21 .45 converts to 10mm in just about a minute, so I wonder if the same is possible for the S&W. I have heard some good things about the new S&W 10, as far as the handling characteristics, so it has my interest. Plus it would make a fine dual purpose lightweight gun when hiking in predator (Grizzly) country then going into town. One gun for both tasks.

Have you fooled with the 45 Super any, Mackay?

I don't have a G21. I do have an M&P .45 and it is probably the best general purpose do anything anywhere .45 ACP I have ever owned. The M&P 10mm is very interesting to me also. With that said, I have a G20 10mm that I have killed deer, hogs, a cranky rattlesnake and had in my hand with a big boar black bear 20 yards away that seemed irritated at sharing the trail with me. I have a great deal of confidence in that G20 and fifteen 220 gr. hardcast at 1200 fps.

M&P45 love:

That looks nice. I would like to shoot some other striker fired 45’s just to compare them.

I would bet that most people would find the feel of that M&P in their hands superior to the feel of the Glock 21.

The Glock 21 frame is big. My Glock 41 (same frame) is a Gen4 and is as slim as it gets, and it’s still meaty. You do get 13+1 capacity. The M&P45 grip is the same width as the 9/40 frame, but its a bit longer from the back to front. If you are comfortable with a medium/medium-large M&P9/40 backstrap, the M&P45 with a small grip mod will feel real familiar.

Very little.

I played around with it many years ago in a G21. I had to fiddle with recoil springs and mag springs to handle it and finally considered a comp. I ended up deciding that I could simply roll with +P style ACP loads and achieve what I wanted and use the same mags and everything else, though a heavier recoil spring was (and is) often used.

I’m just now starting to change out springs to run different loads. I feel like most springs are “Winchester White Box” rated and full powered loads benefit from a heavier spring. Well, except the Gen4+ G19. I swear those have G23 recoil springs in them.

I’ve also noticed hammer-fired guns are oversprung and I almost always go to a lighter hammer spring. (I’m looking at you, SIG)

Some years back I put a 24# Wolff spring in my G21 and loaded up some ammo a bit hotter than +P with 230gr XTPs. The ammo in the magazine was nose-diving and not feeding properly. I'm guessing from the slide slamming forward that much harder with the heavy spring.

I decided it wasn't worth the hassle and extra beating on the pistol.

Thanks I appreciate it.