Single vs Double stack

I don’t have much input because I’m in the same situation. Following for responses!

dupydoc said:

Men
In the market for a new 1911
There seems to be a renaissance with 2011 offerings
Can i get some thoughts on single vs double stacks 9 or 45
Is it just capacity?
Also your experience with your favorite DS gun irrespective of price
Thanks

Click to expand...

Similar natural shoot ability of a 1911 plus more bullets. biggest con is the mag price.

Not many double stack 45’s out there most likely get more on a double stack 9mm. I had an Atlas Athena DS 9mm great gun mags are expensive and grip is wider. My hands prefer single stack but I wouldn’t be opposed to getting another double stack down the road if I was going to compete in some kind of shooting sport like USPSA.

@AJP @MedicGunGuy have a lot of DS guns and compete and can probably give some guidance/opinions.

1911 for carry - preferably LW Commander in 9. Though they are not traditional 2011, I have grown fond on Wilson Combat's EDC X9 series for carry and as a nightstand gun. My latest traditional 2011 is an Atlas Gunworks Hyperion and it is a blast to shoot. I usually shoot Single Stack or Carry optics in USPSA. They say shooting Limited with minor scoring (9mm) is not the smartest but I did this past weekend with the Hyperion and it was a hoot.

I feel like in 9MM double stack is the way to go and in .45 single stack is certainly the traditional choice. 45 double stacks are rare birds but @Dwe has a .45 double stack listed for sale here on the classified. If you want a .45 double stack @Dwe would be the way to go as it's a Guncrafter, it's new and unfired and you'll probably never see another one.

No double stack pistols here it doesn’t make sense in New York we have the magazine limit to only 10 rounds on pistol’s and rifles too. Something to consider

I was only vaguely familiar with the platform when I visited my LGS and Staccato was there with every fun they make on a table. As soon as I picked on up I was in love. I wound up buying a C2 and love the 2011/Double stack 1911 9mm platform. It is the reason I joined here.

The problem with this, at least for me, is the C2 is going to turn into a gateway drug for me as I look to make my next purchase which will likey be an Atlas Athena. I also no longer enjoy my striker fired guns either.

dupydoc said:

Men
In the market for a new 1911
There seems to be a renaissance with 2011 offerings
Can i get some thoughts on single vs double stacks 9 or 45
Is it just capacity?
Also your experience with your favorite DS gun irrespective of price
Thanks

Click to expand...

You wana great double stack 9… buy a Staccato .. wana good single stack 9 or 45… buy a Dan Wesson Specialist.. there are many others to consider.. but those two are my choice’s. 👍🇺🇸

Lots of builders getting on the 2011 train these days.

Personally I love the look they offer since the frame is the width as the slide. Just looks clean especially with a full length dustcover.

Capacity may be a benefit to some but mine are range toys so I don’t really care about the extra 7 rounds.

As far as shootability, I still favor a single stack. But anyone who likes a 1911 should own at least one 2011.

I vacillate on this. I had a nightstand STI 45 built several years ago. I find that the magazine doesn’t like more than 12 rounds. My glove size is average, 7.5, but a single stack feels better to me. 12 rounds vs 8 in the mag doesn’t justify the increased grip size for me. I am trying to come to an understanding with a Wilson EDC. The grip circumference is similar to a single stack. My advice is to only consider DS if you are shooting 9. It’s not worth it in 45.

I love my double stack 9's, if you are going to shoot a 9 then more rounds is definitely a plus!

I am not aware of any current offerings in 45, doesn't mean that there aren't any, but STI /Staccato and most others dropped the 45 in a double stack because of difficulties with the magazines being reliable.

This is one of those questions that beget a lot of opinion as opposed to a lot of fact.

I have 5 x 2011s in .45 and 1 x 2011 in 10mm, they all run amazingly well, and are a dream to shoot. They are not "better" than my 1911's in 45 and 10mm, just different.

Now when it comes to 9mm, id say always go with a 2011, as I have never been a fan of 1911's in 9mm(see, opinion) and the capacity vs grip size has never been a question in my mind. I have....a lot of 9mm 2011's and only 2 x 1911's in 9mm.

Again, id go with what you want, as there are options for everything out there if you find the right gun. But, as a general rule, a 2011 or double stack is going to be the same size in any caliber(caveats applied) and same with 1911's. So if you prefer one over the other go with that, and then pick your flavor of choice....

Lots of smart people here, and EVERYONES millage may vary.....

I like both and actually prefer both in 9mm. Overall I would say I prefer the doublestacks. With single stacks I tend to prefer more traditional builds where as with double stacks I have no such reservations. Rail, red dot, fcs, magwell, the more the merrier on a DS. Then of course there is the capacity. For what I like doing, shooting steel and plate racks, I can get 3 runs out of a ds mag, vs 1 out of a single stacks

dupydoc said:

Men
In the market for a new 1911
There seems to be a renaissance with 2011 offerings
Can i get some thoughts on single vs double stacks 9 or 45
Is it just capacity?
Also your experience with your favorite DS gun irrespective of price
Thanks

Click to expand...

I gotta double stack Para Ordnance P-14 Limited… nice gun.. had it worked.. shoots like a dream…shot in in IPSC all the time.. the ramped barrel makes it a reliable feeder.. still got it,, looks new too.. Some day before I die.. I’ll buy a Staccato.. 👍🇺🇸😉

I love my single stack .45 Government Model and I will take eight .45's over 15 9mm's, but I accept that both are very effective. If I lived in a metropolitan area I would be much more likely to carry the 15 rounds of 9mm, but I am hopelessly attached to the 1911.

I owned and carried a Para Warthog over a decade ago. It is a 3" 1911-style gun in .45 with a compact 10 round DS mag. I have heard about reliability issues, but I never had a single one and it was a very small and reliable gun, especially for one carrying 10 rounds of .45acp. If I remember correctly, a buddy had a Garand that I wanted and it was part of the deal for that. I liked that gun a lot and I always figured that the replacement for it would come the day that I really do get tired of 45oz. or so in the form of a loaded Government Model on my hip and a Glock 30(or something like it) becomes much more appealing.