acaixguard

Leather or nylon belt? For leather, Milt Sparks, Alessi, Ritchie Holsters are some I would look into. For nylon, the Ares Gear Aegis belt gets my top vote. As for the Galco, it sucks. Mass produced junk. Stick with smaller hand made leather holster shops such as Sparks.

Haha! The blade is called "The Rat", made by Headhunter Blades. Includes a trainer too. The light is the Malkoff Devices MDC SHO. Both are used only as functional tools of course!

New EDC...

Probably another dud, like all Kimbers made since the early 2000's. Wonder how many MIM parts are used internally.

Uhh, it starts at $95!

http://www.vickersguide.com/ Looks like it should make for interesting reading and visuals.

Definitely a worthwhile class (if overcrowding isn't an issue). I took the LAV pistol class a few years ago and it was a great learning experience. A few small suggestions in preparation for the class... 1. Really concentrate on accuracy. For those that don't know, Larry's classes are very focused on accuracy. The round count isn't going to be as high as some other classes, but each round you fire really counts. Hint: trigger control and basics is often taken for granted 2. Have a thick skin. LAV can have a pretty blunt sense of humor. Be ready to be called out openly if you do anything stupid or shoot poorly (all in good fun though). He is also very straight forward as to what he thinks of particular guns and gear. If you show up with a Kimber, SIG 1911, Springfield XD in a crappy holster and can't take it if someone doesn't like your purchases, better not attend. 3. Lube your pistols! When I took the class, some guns started choking due to just a little bit of rain, which was enough to wash away the little bit of lube some people had in their guns. Show up in the morning with adequate lube, and re-apply during your lunch break. 4. Bring as many mags as you can carry on you. 5. Don't be afraid of asking questions during breaks. LAV, despite how he appears on videos or what others on the net say about him, is pretty friendly and helpful. He'll show you the same respect you give him.

I highly recommend Joe Riedy. Great lineage of instruction, and Joe himself is an outstanding instructor. http://www.sightsandtrigger.com/

All of the attributes you listed

It's definitely not cheap, but that's the reality of today's 1911 market. You can find cheaper 1911s, but you won't find one better than WC for less money.

Best way to center sights is to get a set of digital calipers. Center the sights by making sure the edge of each side of the sight is equidistant to an object off each side (I use the flat side of some old 1911 stocks I have). Then make adjustments as needed after you test fire at the range.

Try coupon/via code 'mpi' if you order from Rudy Project (www.e-rudy.com) for a significant amount of savings. Haven't tried this week but it was still good late last week. If you are torn between different Rudy models, just order a bunch and try them on. They offer an awesome 90 return policy, which includes return shipping. Just keep the glasses in like new condition until you are sure what you like.

Just some food for thought, but you're talking about a Springfield Mil Spec (a great base gun btw). How would you feel if this was a high end custom 1911 that costs over $3k? It's just as possible on an expensive gun too. It's probably best to change perspective on how you view an everyday type of gun. It's one thing if this was a Swenson or Heirloom Precision 1911 that you want to pass down to future generations, but a Mil Spec is meant to be used and abused. That said though, if you are dead set on keeping a stainless gun looking new, you may wanna find someone who can bead blast it for you.

Rudy's are the $hit! I love Oakleys for casual wear, but you can't beat Rudy when it comes to optical clarity, adjustability, lightness, and customer service.

Just ordered a new set of shades to replace ones I recently lost from OakleySI. Definitely worth signing up for if you qualify.

Sights should be a mandatory replacement the day you bring it home. Anything else is optional, but for my tastes, I also upgrade to the Vickers mag release button and also a good stippling job.

I have both. Hard for me to decide which I like better. I would say though, I find the G19 to be the more versatile. Shoots almost as well as a full size pistol, yet small enough to carry (if you go to other states of course). The G19 is probably the ideal balance when it comes to size vs performance.

Thanks! And yep, I absolutely do feel a difference. I pretty much require an aggressive grip texture. I almost cannot tolerate a stock Gen 3 Glock because how slippery it is. The Gen 4 grip is only marginally better for me. Mind you, my favorite grip is my Springfield Professional, which not only has 20lpi checkering, but I also put on the Davidson Shredder grips, which have some bite to it. I don't know if comfy is the right word to describe it. It definitely is not more comfy if you carry it on your bare skin. Guess the skin around my waist is not as tough as that on my hands. What it does do is give me a more consistent grip that doesn't slip. I took a class where it rained on us, and I definitely appreciated the extra traction stippling provides. The one part that is more comfy for sure is the trigger guard. Contouring it not only lets me get a little bit of a higher grip, but puts less pressure on my middle finger knuckle. BTW, Talon Grips probably will give you a similar effect for a lot less money. But I was willing to pay for good stippling because I wanted something permanent, and I appreciate the aesthetics of a nicely done texturing job.

I sent my G17 Gen 4 to Chad at Sweaty Muddy Bloody. Top notch work and very nice guy to boot. He has some affiliation with ATEi, so that outta tell you something. Not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for. Very clean lines and perfect texture. Minor detail but I have not seen a better trigger guard undercut. Chad contours it in a way that is super smooth, which makes any chance of getting "Glock knuckle" non-existant. I sent Chad drawings of the exact stippling coverage and pattern I wanted, and he did it exactly. http://smbguns.com/ Some pics of my G17...

I've had epi-Lasik done. First, do your research when choosing a physician. I was very close to going to a well known group in NYC, but what turned me off was all those practices seemed to be more about marketing and making a lot of money. I ended up going to the head refractive surgeon out of Wills Hospital in Philly. Make sure you choose a doctor that is a clinical practice first, then marketing house a distant second. Also, consider which procedure you want to do. I decided on epi-Lasik, which is similar to PRK, because there is no deep flap that can risk being dislodged. Because I do martial arts (jiu-jitsu), this is important to me. If your lifestyle has little to no risk of any impact to the eye, then this may be less important. I had my procedure done over 3 years ago and it's been very stable since. My correct distance vision is not likely to change...however, Lasik will stop presbyopia. It will happen to pretty much everyone once you are over 40. Reading glasses, or bifocals, will just be a fact of life regardless of whether your vision is corrected or not. I would rather just take out a pair of reading glasses as needed rather than depend on contacts or glasses all the time.

Hopefully it'll turn out to be a much better effort than the PX4.

I like an all black serrated, or non-glare rear with a U notch that is wider than the front post. I find any sort of dot on my rear to be a distraction. So much so that on my Springfield 1911, which came with Novak 3 dot tritiums, I took a Sharpie to the 2 rear dots. I may end up changing the rear someday because I'm not crazy about the sight picture, but this will do for now. As a plus, I like the rear to have some sort of surface to allow one handed charging of the slide. As for the front sight, I prefer it to be serrated at .125" width max. I used to like having a tritium dot up front, but I am starting to move away from that, and these days, I love having a red fiber optic dot. I also like to have a little bit of height with the front sight versus the height on my OEM sights. For it, it is easier to find when indexing to target, as well as track during recoil. My favorite sights so far are the 10-8 .140" U-notch rear, paired with their .115" red fiber optic front. I may give the Wilson Combat Vickers set (with red FO front) a shot on my G19, though I am unsure how much I will like the recessed U notch rear. Can't hurt to try it though.

Before jumping on the LE model, be sure you are going to be satisfied with the sights. I know that it seems like a great value for another $100, but not if you are going to change out the sights. Many people, myself included, loathe 3 dot night sights. You would be better off just buying a 3rd magazine, and then put the remaining towards a set of sights you will actually use long term.

Another G19 fan here. And even if I wasn't restricted to 15 rounds, I would probably still choose the G19 as my all around gun. While I love to shoot my G17, I am pretty much as effective with my G19, and the size is ideal for carry.