opinions on 1911's

MadDaddy

MadDaddy

Joined
Apr 8, 2005
Messages
1,440
ok guns folks. I am looking into getting a 1911 style .45 and would like some input on what you guys shoot, have shot and what brands are a good value and are reliable. :)
 
What are you looking for? There's a full spectrum of 1911's out there, form basic mil-spec pistols to tricked out Star Wars uber blasters.

Also, what are you thinking about laying out, cost wise? You can spend a modest sum or mortgage the farm.

-ExM
 
ExMachina said:
What are you looking for? There's a full spectrum of 1911's out there, form basic mil-spec pistols to tricked out Star Wars uber blasters.

Also, what are you thinking about laying out, cost wise? You can spend a modest sum or mortgage the farm.

-ExM
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Well I don't need some match grade costom gun. I am leaning towards something a little more tactical with a rail (since I have a Surefire X200) single stack is fine. I am concerend with reliability and nice smooth shooting, I have heard stories of broken extractors etc. and would like to avoid all of that. I would like to keep cost under a grand.
 
Better watch it MadDaddy... the 1911 obsession may eat up all your knife money. I know it has for me! I asked a similar question on this forum about 6-8 months ago. Do a search and you will find some good advice. But, I'll make it simple for you.... COLT. (anything else is just a copy.) My next COLT 1911 will hopefully be the CCO, a commander slide on an officer's frame. Quite possibly the best CCW piece there is. Then again, I gotta wait for frickin' Illinois to go CCW. (yeah, when pigs fly! or when Blago and Daly die/get booted out of office)
My first 1911 is a COLT MKIV series 80 enhanced govt model. It's like I was born to shoot it.

Best of luck on your search, check out www.1911forum.com

edited to make the url correct.
 
For under a grand, I still think the real sleeper out there is the STI Trojan

Handled one a while back and it is *tight*. Talked to several satisfied owners and have read of many more. You can find ;em four just under $900, new. Lotta gun for the $$, it would seem.

On the wish list for me.
 
I have 3 1911's 1) Kimber Tactical Custom 2)Springfield 3)Wilson
but my fav. is my H&K 45. I think :D Para makes a 1911 under 1000$


Zoo
 
Hi All-

There is a gentleman named John Moses Browning who is extremely knowledgeable on the topic of 1911 pistols. Speak to him or his wife Jenny at their shop toll-free at 1-800-867-5309.

~ Blue Jays ~
 
The good "old" Colt Combat Commander Enhanced is my favorite of the 1911-type .45's.
 
Hey Mongo....this sounds familiar huh? :D
Anyhow, I have owned roughly 30 some odd 1911's over the last 7 years or so. Everything from basic Springfield Mil-Specs to high end Wilsons, Les Baers and my favorite, a Novak built Colt 70 series. From owning all these things I have found (for me anyways) that saving my money and buying the best I can possibly afford has resulted in guns I am the happiest with. Maybe I have turned into a gun snob? I understand that a Springfield MIL-SPEC will, within reason, do what my Thunder Ranch will do......but man, shooting the two side by side there is no comparison. I can't really put it into words, you'll have to handle a few nice ones to see what I am talking about. Kinda like a Sebenza and a Kershaw. Both will get the job done but......you get the idea.
Best bang under $1000? Springfield Armory "Loaded" or a used TRP. Lifetime warranty and great customer service. I work (now part time) at a large gunshop/indoor range, so I do have first hand exp. with most of the makers and their warranty/customer service. Older Kimbers (no Series II stampings) are very well built as well. The new ones seem to be ok, but I have seen too many broken external extractors and messed up firing pin safety parts to be comfortable with them as a serious carry gun. As Mongo said, Colts are nice too. I am not a fan of the Series 80's parts, but the seem to work ok. I had a 1991A1, the supposed worst Colt 1911 ever made with well over 40,000 rds down the tube. Had to replace one firing pin, one extractor and the usual recoil springs.
I don't know if I have helped at all here so...For what it's worth and Your mileage may vary.
Aaron
 
I was given a Colt 70 Series Combat Commander. It shot well. I had it done up by Cylinder and Slide, and $1,000 and one year later, it is simply the most accurate handgun that I have shot yet. Like 2" at 50 ft, just goofing around.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
You can get a Surefire meant to go on a rail-less 1911.

So you want a reliable 1911 without breaking the bank? Look at Colt, Kimber, and Springfield. New Colts, or 70's era Colts, older Kimbers, and older Springfields.

Anyways, once you go to a 1911, you should understand why almost everybody loves the trigger.
 
Thanks for the info so far guys.

would it be wise to look into maybe getting something used? and what are some general things I should lookout for on a used 1911 (sorry if thats too broad of a question)
 
Do you know what wear points to look for? That takes time and effort to explain, it might be better if you had a 1911 experienced friend to look at the piece for you.

Me personally, I would say if you could find a used 1911 with the beavertail cut, Novak dovetails and feed chute, that would be all the cutting necessary for a top notch gun. Hard to find all that in an economical package, though.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Do you know what wear points to look for? That takes time and effort to explain, it might be better if you had a 1911 experienced friend to look at the piece for you.

Me personally, I would say if you could find a used 1911 with the beavertail cut, Novak dovetails and feed chute, that would be all the cutting necessary for a top notch gun. Hard to find all that in an economical package, though.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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I've been reading up on allot of this, so I am getting an idea of what to look for. Also I do have a shop that I trust and won't try to just dick me over.

btw, I like you sig
 
For bedside, a Colt 5". For carry, if you can find one, a Colt CCO. The CCO is my every day gun. I actually have two top ends for it - the original Commander, and an Officer Model top end.
 
Practical Use said:
For bedside, a Colt 5". For carry, if you can find one, a Colt CCO. The CCO is my every day gun. I actually have two top ends for it - the original Commander, and an Officer Model top end.
Click to expand...

Howdy Practical Use... gimme a holler about your CCO. I am coming into one soon! :D
 
There aren't very many 1911s with light rails out there, if that's what you want, but they can certainly be found both new and pre-owned. Both Springfield and Kimber have light rail models, as well as Sig GSR. If you want to go the semi-custom route, Wilson Combat makes railed 1911s as well. They also just started making a new model with bolt-on rail, but it hasn't been around long enough to know its long term durability. And I personally don't care for the way it looks anyways... Buying pre-owned certainly carries some risk, but could also save you a lot of money; you just need to know what to look for and what questions to ask. I've had good experience buying guns on-line. You can reduce your risk by buying a gun by one of the manufacturers with lifetime warranty - Springfield and Wilson are the ones that come to mind first, but most every other high-end 1911 maker will have a lifetime warranty, or a satisfaction guarantee as they call it. Then there is the most expensive, but also the most rewarding way of going about it - a "full house custom"... :)

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Aleko, Sweet gun, Springfield?....I was at the shop last night playing around with a few different manufacturers and so far I have taken a liking to Springfields and Kimbers, as they have pretty much everything I am looking for. I wasn't all that impressed with the Sig GSR, it didn't have all the details that the Kimber and Springfields had in the same price range.

While I was there I picked up a Taurus PT-24/7 in 9mm for my wife, it shoots real nice for the price and has allot of nice features. I decided to keep saving up for the 1911 so i can buy the gun I really want the first time.
 
MadDaddy said:
Aleko, Sweet gun, Springfield?....
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No, it's a "Model 1911B US Army" 1911 built by Wayne Novak on Caspian Titanium frame and Caspian slide. This gun was featured in a June/July 2004 issue of "Handguns" magazine.

MadDaddy said:
[...] so far I have taken a liking to Springfields and Kimbers, as they have pretty much everything I am looking for.
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It's a tough call between the two, although I personally would probably go with a Springfield. Kimber has had too many problems with MIM parts breakeage and their new external extractor malfunctioning. Also, I don't like the Series II safety they put in their guns now, and it's not easily removable. Springfield's ILS, on the other hand, can be easily removed by replacing MSH. Springfield also has lifetime "no questions asked" warranty, whereas Kimber has a 1 year warranty. If you could find an earlier Series I Kimber in good condition, it would probably be your best bet - they built better guns back then, IMO.
 
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