Worth The Wait and the Money

I refuse to let anything get to me today, not even the daily bull........bu.......buh........"BALONEY" of these blogs.......(right Brenda?)

As a rule, I NEVER shoot on a weekend because I rarely have an "area" to myself as I do during the weekdays (people riding dirt bikes, etc).  But this morning, I made an exception, even though it WAS a tad breezy out there.

Prior to World War I, Utah's famous gun designer, John Browning, made a gun for the ages, a 45 caliber semi-auto pistol that would be designated "Model 1911", the year it was accepted into the military, where it served the Army, Navy & Marine Corps faithfully and dependably for 72 years, until DOD replaced it with the "wimpy" 9mm in 1983.  The old 45 is a battlefield legend.

The "Model 1911" became so popular, that several gun manufacturers, (such as this Springfield Armory model shown here) made their own versions over the next 10 decades).

With all the crap going down in this country, most people (even a lot of gun owners), never gave a thought to the old "1911" turning a CENTURY old, and is STILL being made.

And then, just before New Year's of 2011, word got out that RUGER was making one! 

While Ruger DOES make auto-pistols and they're even BETTER-known for their revolvers........they have never made a "1911", and a lot of shooters have asked them to do it.....................well, what better time to do it than on the "100th anniversary?"

In the opening months of 2011, a few of the new guns showed up at the NRA convention, for gun dealers to see & hold......."to whet their appetites",  and the excitement really stirred.

From the gun magazines to YOUTUBE...................

.........the "test guns" found their way into the hands of the experts, and while not all of us can shoot as well as THESE guys.......it DID give everyone a pretty good idea of what the GUN is capable of!

Now.  Ol' "Zook" has shot Ruger pistols for 40 years (along with Smith & Wessons, Colts, etc)..........so I KNOW how well Rugers are built.  They're "affectionately" called "engine blocks" within the gun fraternity.  (Not quite as "refined" as the Colts & Smiths, but a whole lot stronger).  Built to last through YOUR lifetime, your kids, AND your grandkids.  You really get your money's worth when you buy a gun with their name on it.

I already HAVE a "1911" (that Springfield which is the first photo in this blog).  And it shoots beautifully.  So..........did I need another one?  Nope.  Couldn't begin to justify it.

Didn't "NEED" another one...........but RUGER was finally going to build one.  It HAD to be good..............they've never built anything that WASN'T.

I WANTED one.  If for no other reason except that Ruger was going to make it.  Well..........it seemed like the "rest of the gun world" wanted one TOO, and even Ruger themselves were not prepared for the orders that came flowing in.  It's a very involved process building it, and they aren't pumping them out in any great quantities, so as not to compromise "quality control."

I ordered one last Spring, along with a lot of other folks.  I won't bore you with the details of attention to detail of manufacture, except to say that the way these guns are made, only "up the desire" to own one.

Then it was fall.  Then it was Christmas.  Then it was 2012 with Easter just around the corner.  Cabela's had two of them under their glass cases that sold within 30 minutes of each other, and a few that were "special-orders."  The larger sporting goods chain stores always seem to have initial priority, with the smaller stores in small towns getting THEIRS "eventually", which is fine with me, because the smaller stores do not have the OVERHEAD, and can sell for less.

But then, time suddenly BECAME an issue.  Ruger announced two days ago that they were no longer taking orders for ANYTHING........rifles, handguns, shotguns, didn't matter--------their backlog was so great, they couldn't keep up with demand, and it will be ANOTHER 2 or 3 months before they will even ACCEPT anymore orders.

Other manufacturers are getting behind as well.  223 ammo is drying up right now.  I could write a political blog off of this, with the reasons for the backlogs.......but I won't.  It ain't worth it.

I came home and wondered "what if?"..............If I was EVER gonna get one of these new Rugers, I would have to find one that was already out there in the system, and they are being "scooped-up" as fast as one hits a gunshop.......which isn't very often.

Nobody knows what's gonna happen in November, and I wasn't going to wait through another Christmas if I didn't have to.........but that's what would probably happen.

Nothing else to do for awhile yesterday, I called around to the various Boise gunshops, and got the usually (snicker) on the other end of the phone.  The LAST place I called was a gunshop on Ustick where I've had repair work done recently, and the man says........."UPS just delivered one a couple of hours ago."

"WHAT????--------are you SERIOUS?"

"Yep...............we've had it on order for 10 months-----it's the FIRST one we've been able to get."

"Hey....I'm in Mountain Home, I can be there in an hour, can you hold it until I get there?  Want a credit card number to hold it?"

"No Mike, we know you...........just GET here, I'll pull it back out of the case right now."

I was there in just UNDER an hour.  The gun cost me about $250.00 MORE than it would have here--------------but I never blinked an eye.  Things are really uncertain right now in our hobby, and THIS was a "bird in the hand", as they say.  People are really on edge right now, and if Obama somehow gets re-elected------well........that's for another blog, if at all.

It's been a long wait..........a lot of last-second "jumping through the hoop"  and a little more money.................but I GOT the "friggin" gun!

It came with both a 7-round AND an 8-round magazine, and a carrying pouch (unless you'd rather carry it in a holster).

As you can see alongside the Springfield, the Ruger is of classic "1911" design, just built a bit thicker (that's in keeping with "engine block" tradition).

The SR 1911 is more than "just another 45", (which is why I've wanted one so bad).  Each individual serial-numbered gun is made entirely from it's own assigned block of pre-tempered stainless steel, so that EVERY part is metallurgically matched.

It has a titanium firing pin, an adjustable trigger (pre-set from the factory at a crisp 4  1/2 lbs)..........dove-tail grip safety and standard right-hand thumb safety (although an ambidextrous double-safety is planned somewhere in the future).

The SR1911 leaves the factory with custom Novak 3-dot sights, which provide superior target definition.  The gun is a class act.

Of particular interest to ME, is that every piece of these 1911's, right down to the last spring & pin, is made right here in the USA.  There is NOTHING on this gun that's sub-contracted from ANYBODY.  Most gunmakers cannot say that, and Ruger makes a big point of that in their advertising for this particular pistol.  This is truly an AMERICAN-made 45 automatic!

Ok........it's well-built..........and it looks GREAT..............how does it SHOOT?  The gun writers are raving about it............lets go find out. (Even on a Saturday, if I can find an "empty" pit).  And while there WAS a slight breeze THIS morning, I decided to go out anyway.

The wind isn't much of an issue with 45 caliber bullets at short pistol range, but sometimes the gusts will vibrate my target stand, making it necessary to time the shots "between the gusts"----which was the case this morning.

Shooting at 25 yards ("between the gusts"), I put the first two a little high & right, getting the "feel" of the gun.  Recoil was very comfortable, with the 230-grain PMC full metal jacketed roundnose bullets.

Putting the Allen wrench to the rear windage screw, I brought it "left"......., and fired two more..........a bit TOO far to the left.  My 2nd adjustment would be the last one.  I "split the difference" back to the right------and brought it DOWN just a bit.

Through the "10" ring and into the orange dot with a couple of them.  At this point, it was good.  Time to put the target away and go after pop & beer cans, after which I got ANOTHER pleasant surprise.........

I can't remember the last time I went out someplace with an automatic pistol and recovered all the empty brass, as most pistols just "toss 'em everywhere" as they eject the empties.  I fired 35 rounds this morning out of a box of 50, and even the EJECTION system was so consistent, it threw all 35 within a 2 or 3 foot radius of each other!

It tears down for cleaning just like any other "1911" I've ever owned or shot, but the workmanship in THIS one really shows.  Stainless steel is harder to machine and work with than standard blued 4140 molybdenum, and the machinework along the rails is really first class.  This gun was definitely "worth the wait", as the gun critics have written.

The SR 1911.  I'm finding it to be everything they said it was.  Sweet shooting and VERY WELL BUILT.  As you would expect from ANY gun from Sturm, Ruger & Company.    And after this morning's "range session".....having to spend a little MORE for this one quickly became a moot point.

It was "worth the wait."