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A non-Strider question

Larry Vickers is probably the most sought after smith at the moment. Unfortunatetly he only builds about 15 or so pistols a year since he is still active duty. They are pricey but well worth it. I had a Springfield mil-spec which I regret selling......never had a jam which is rare among 1911s. I also had a Para-Ordnance P-13 that unfortunately jammed every 3rd round. Too bad cause I really liked the pistol but I sold it. I'll stick to my P7M13. :D
 
I agree with you about Larry Vickers. A friend of mine has 3 pistols on order from him and the wait time is going to be pretty long. I consider Larry Vickers kind of the Mick and Daune of 1911's.
 
Reed, I'm not sure, but I heard the Smoking Hole stopped making guns. He did some interesting things with the aesthetics of .45's, ARs etc., but I don't think he did much with the internals.
 
Sir.. If your budget isnt as big as most of our ego's, and your looking for an econmical, practical 1911, that has many of the needed improvements already done and yet can still do all the "high speed race gun, trendy tricky fixer-uppers" then you cant go wrong with a Springfield.
I went through the police academy with a Combat Elite and my instructor (a veteran officer, as well as sport shooter/competitor) laughed at my $700 Elite...at the end of my weapons training, on certification day as a matter of a fact, he handed me his personal arm... a Springfiel .. and told me "... now, do it again..." I improved my score slightly, but cut all my times down by an agragate of almost 25%... because the pistol was smooth, tight, and didnt stovepipe, jam, or hang up in any way! The pistol was stock SS springfield with no aftermarket modifications(out dept would not allow officers to make aftermarket modifications to out arms) I sold my Colt and bought a springfield, and took my girl out to dinner, bought me a Benchmade knife, several practice rounds and still had pocket change with the money i had left over... sure you can spend a grand or two.. but before you do .. ask if you will really need a race gun or a tacticle spec. pistol. Even on the mean streets i never encountered a dozen piseed off bowling pins that i had to "mow down" in a matter of time measured to.001 of a sec
Just my personal input on the 1911 .. for what its worth
 
Izrafil,
I think they have stopped, I really liked their folder, and they never got back to me. Oh well.
I like STI frames with the full dust cover underneath.

Nervous,
I agree with you, the Springfield is tighter and smoother than Colt wished they could be. I have shot two and both were out of the box and beautiful as functioning pieces.

Dwenslen,
Good luck on what you decide, and let us know.

Reed
 
I'm going today at lunch and am still between the kimber "classic custom" and the springfield loaded.
I guess it will depend on what stock they have at hand. Both companies have had problems, but who hasn't?
springfield has more sharp edges, so I'd get a stainless one so I could "de-horn" it myself. and I prefer black.
Probably at this point the kimber is first, SA second.
I love some of those customs, but it is more weapon than I need.
I'm surprised we never heard from Tom Mayo on this-I thought he was a big 1911 shooter....
cheers and many thanks,
Derek
 
My Two Cents:
The 1911 world is full of high and reasonably priced guns. For the reasonably priced stuff, it's kind of like the old saying "there's an ass for every seat", in other words there are many good choices.
For the more custom guns, there are many great pistolsmiths/armorers out there and there are many imposters. My only suggestion, and I am an avid 1911 guy, is to be sure to handle a piece of the guys work before buying in order to get the feel of it and op check it for function. Obviously this is not possible from the pistolsmith so finding someone who has one and is a knowledgeable person is a good thing.
The 1911 is a big part of American history and no other pistol in the world will perform along side of a properly built 1911. It is also a fun thing to read and learn about. There are 66 variations of 1911/1911A1's that were in service by the US Govt. since 1911 and the pistol continues in use today amongst our elite.
Finally, regarding Smoking Hole. The guys name who builds these pistols is Aaron Harris and make no mistake about it, they are the most incredible pieces of work I have ever seen. He has successfully built pistols from scratch and is responsible for MANY of Infinity, STI, and SV's current designs. The work he does to the inside of the pistols is every bit as impressive as the work on the outside and if you can ever get ahold of his work, it's worth the time and money he charges. I have fired his pistols before and would not hesitate to say his work is second to none.
Best holiday wishes to all!
Duane Dwyer
 
According to some of the former "Team Smoking Hole" guys I shoot with, Mr. Harris is no longer in the gun, or the knife, business. They tell me that he is currently either making custom Harley gas caps or high-end, TI, slot car frames.
 
at lunch I picked up a kimber "custom classic" stainless...I've never liked stainless, but it was the only one they had with fixed sights, and the finish looks like a matte, more durable bead blast, so it is semi-non reflective. not that i do anything that requires a reflective firearms....
am anxious to put it through it's paces tomorrow AM before work. The frame to slide and barrel to slide fit were outstanding, but we'll see for sure tomorrow.
Thanks for all the comments and help. kinda odd how so many of us have similar interests includeing Striders.
Now all it needs is some "tiger stripes" and a "FWP" and it will be good to go.
cheers, and many thanks,
Derek
 
Figures, I find a gun and start saving and the guy decides to do something else.

Good to hear you got one, let us know how you like it. As for tigerstripes, I could ask some of the guys on AR15.com if they have a coating maker that was in your AO. Then you could get some one to sand blast some stripes, but that would leave exposed stainless, and you might need some kinda clear coat to go over the entire thing.

I am going to ask anyway because that sounds different.
Reed
 
I think kevin mcklug (mad dog knives) did one up with yellow and black stripes-looked butt ugly IMO, but as DD said-"there's an ass for every seat."

cheers,
Derek
 
Straight out of the box, I have had better luck with Kimbers than any others. (I have 3 now) As for Tiger Stripes? I have done several now with Boron Carbide. No holster wear whatsoever in leather or Kydex. I put this gun on with my pants every day and the Boron Carbide is the best coating I have ever tried. A good combination would be Chromium Nitride for the silver and Boron Carbide for the black. I should be getting a slide back in the next day or so for my new Kimber Polymer hi cap with a different striping pattern and I will post a pic as soon as it gets back.
 

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You guys want BC stripes, let me know as Bodycote gave me the exclusive on the selective finish like that!

Jerry, that was funny! :D
 
I had no idea Kimber was such a great pistol. You learn so much about guns at the Blade forum. ;)

Is Kimber still the best for concealable .45s? Does anybody else come close?
 
Rob,

I have been a gun collector/shooter for 22 years and have never seen anything as cool looking as that slide. Very sweet. Reminds me of Clark Damascus slides. I wish I had a stainless piece just to have it done.

Cheers,

Hal
 
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