Looking for a 1911

kamagong said:
Have you picked up a 1911? If so, let me give you a little push.

springfieldcustomcarry3.jpg


lesbaerconceptii4.jpg
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Your Les Baer looks like a beater while your SA looks like a safe queen... ...that's funny. The Baer has character, I like it.

What is the SA? Is it a customized Mil-Spec, or some kind of custom shop model?

Very nice, good pics too.
 
ElConquistador said:
Your Les Baer looks like a beater while your SA looks like a safe queen... ...that's funny. The Baer has character, I like it.

What is the SA? Is it a customized Mil-Spec, or some kind of custom shop model?

Very nice, good pics too.
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That's because the Baer has been the beater. I've had it longer, so it's had many more rounds through it. My goal is to wear out both 1911s, as well as the rest of my guns.

The Springfield is a Custom Carry from the Springfield Custom Shop. It's a nicer gun than the Baer, but most people don't believe me. The Springfield Custom Shop makes great 1911s, as good as anything from Baer, Ed Brown, or Wilson Combat.
 
I have a huge hard-on for m1911s and yet of all the guns i have purchased i still havent owned a 1911.. however after my extensive lurking online and research the gun i want to start out with is an STI Spartan they just never have them at gun shows, the more expensive models yeah sure but not the Spartan. When i graduate college im going to treat myself to either a les baer or a wislon combat, or ed brown or Nighthawk.
im suprise no one mentioned the Spartan it seems like a real popular starter 1911. fwiw ive never met a springfield armory pistol or rifle that i didnt like :thumbup:
 
Lots of people will disagree with me, but honestly, if you want a 1911 and you have a "budget"....wait.

1911 and budget shouldn't be used in the same sentence, unless it's something like "Since I bought a 1911, I'm on a budget when it comes to everything else."

A good 1911 that you can trust as a combat capable pistol is going to set you back probably north of $1k. You're best bet for trying to sneak in under that mark is to find a used Cold XSE or SA Loaded, then sending it out to a good smith for them to do some basic reliability work/inspections on.

The 1911 was conceived in an era where machines were expensive to use, and human labor was cheap. Today we are at the opposite end of that spectrum. Every single 1911 out there that is considered "one of the best" is finished by hand, by a skilled craftsman.

You're not going to get a production 1911 that never hand any hand fitting/tuning to run as reliably as a $400 Glock. If you want a 1911 that will run under the same conditions as a Glock/M&P/HK, you're going to be paying north of $2k, and waiting to find one.

If you don't believe me, borrow a friends $1k 1911 and take it to one of Larry Vickers's 1911 Operator classes. I went with a LB SuperTac that ran like a champ. Most every production Springfield, Kimber, and other non-custom gun there also stopped working or needed attention through the class.

For a base gun, Colt is making exceptional guns these days, and Springfield Armory makes some high quality frames/slides for project guns. Either of those sent to a competent smith (not every smith is competent) and carefully fit with quality internal parts, could yield a perfectly accurate and reliable 1911.
 
STI Trojan, they might be a couple hundred above $1,000, but the best gun in that price range.
 
Screw that. Trust me, an RIA is all you need*. It was made on the original machinery, as good as any military pistol ever was. It'll put lead on target as well as any other 1911. Unless you're shooting competition, or just have a hard-on for the absolute best, an RIA will serve you as well as anything priced within a thousand dollars.


*Need=Want badly, must have, not good enough, etc. . .
 
proud2deviate said:
Screw that. Trust me, an RIA is all you need*. It was made on the original machinery, as good as any military pistol ever was. It'll put lead on target as well as any other 1911. Unless you're shooting competition, or just have a hard-on for the absolute best, an RIA will serve you as well as anything priced within a thousand dollars.


*Need=Want badly, must have, not good enough, etc. . .
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Owned a RIA, and it ran for me...but it's hardly in the same league as other options.

The metal is soft, the fitting is workable but not correct...expect problems to show up down the road as the link/lugs/slide/frame interface wear at an accelerated pace. Other problems are likely to show up.

As a shooter that gets you into 1911's, they're an excellent value with good customer service. As a build gun, or a carry gun....I wouldn't use them (and I have carried a RIA GI before - long before I learned what I know now about 1911's).
 
Jim D. said:
Owned a RIA, and it ran for me...but it's hardly in the same league as other options.

The metal is soft, the fitting is workable but not correct...expect problems to show up down the road as the link/lugs/slide/frame interface wear at an accelerated pace. Other problems are likely to show up.

As a shooter that gets you into 1911's, they're an excellent value with good customer service. As a build gun, or a carry gun....I wouldn't use them (and I have carried a RIA GI before - long before I learned what I know now about 1911's).
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RIAs are a good intro to the 1911. They're inexpensive and the ones I've shot were surprisingly accurate. If all you want to do is shoot it a couple of times and then put it away a RIA is as good as any.

I agree with Jim though. If you plan on shooting your 1911 a lot there are better choices out there. A properly made 1911 will last tens of thousands of rounds. And if you shoot a lot, the money spent on ammo will eclipse what you spend on your gun many times over. It makes sense to buy the best you can afford.

Don't be afraid of buying used. Assuming that it hasn't been hacked up by some fool with a Dremel, a good 1911 with a few thousand rounds through it is just barely broken in. That's how I came by my Baer which was barely shot, but sold for a significant discount. I bought it for $1099 before taxes and fees. And with the economy the way it is there should still be plenty of good deals out there.
 
Check out Springfield.

I don't like any Kimber with a "II" behind the model number because of the extra safety.

Also check out Ruger's new SR1911.

Norinco has great steel. I don't know about US availability.
 
WOW! ton of info here. thanks guys. for now I recently bought an S&W mod-4013 .40; decent gun. my gun lust is satisfied for a few days. . . meanwhile I posted a "will trade knives for gun" post in the trading forums so I am going to see what I get. already had one guy talking to me about a Sig Saur gsr 1911. Can't wait to see what else comes up. maybe I can get a decent 1911 without having to put up any cash
 
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