1911- Which One?

[ditto1958]

We've been discussing the "1911 Bug" in another thread, and it go me to thinking. My problem with getting one is which one? The thing is, I don't think there is any one 1911 that I can settle on. I think I need at least four or five of them. And they ain't cheap.

Then there's ammo, which is definitely not like buying 9mm. Factory 45 acp is often quite a bit more. So that means buying dies and reloading components....

What a slippery slope!

[BigAl52]

Lots of choices and I read from several forums that contain gunsmiths. For the money and they make several models a Rock Island arms is a good way to go. The Ruger is also a good choice. But if you are after one with a little more quality and bells and whistles my favorite hands down is a Sig 1911. I have 2 of them along with a Kimber. I would not spend the money for another Kimber as the Sigs I own put my Kimber to shame. If you want to spend a little more money hard to beat a Dan Wesson or a Les Baer. You can also go up from those it just depends on how deep your pockets are. Al

[RanchRoper]

There are some good looking 1911's in the Cimarron Uberti catalog as well.

[ditto1958]

There are some good looking 1911's in the Cimarron Uberti catalog as well.

The polished blue WWI replica from Cimarron is actually one of the ones on my list.

[Coach]

Look at the Springfield line up of 1911's......

They are a good value for the money.

[North Country Gal]

Have had good luck with Rugers, SAs, Kimbers, S&Ws, STIs and, especially, Sigs, but mixed results with current production Colts and some minor issues with factory supplied mags on a Remington. My favorite of all and every bit as accurate as the most expensive has been my SA Mil spec, a gun that has survived several purges. It's a gun I will never sell. Have friends with Taurus and Rock Island 1911s that have been very happy with their guns. Have heard good reports on Desert Eagle 1911s, too.

Bottom line is that you do not have to spend big bucks to get an accurate and dependable 1911. It's mostly a matter of the features packaged with the gun that determine the price in guns under $1000 or so. Do yourself a favor, though, and inspect before you buy a gun in this price range. Lots of variation in triggers, finish and fit, same gun to the next.

As for ammo, we buy aluminum case Federal for $16 a box at Walmart. Shoots fine.

[RudyN]

I have three 1911s. Two from Springfield Armory, a G.I. and a Mil-Spec. My third is a Les Baer Premier II. I like them all

[Bugs]

Save up and buy a Baer. You can thank me later. Here's why:

Kimber: Way over priced for what you are getting. Loaded with MIM parts and have that crappy Schwartz firing pin safety. Open any gun rag and there is a 2 full page ad for Kimber. That cost is passed along to you. I have handled brand new Kimbers with barrels that are rusting on store shelves. No thanks. My wife has small hands and just had to have a Kimber Ultra Compact II. Gun had multiple FTF's. I had to replace and tune the extractor and all was good. Second trip to the range she was firing and the gun just looked funky so I stopped her. Pistol had sheared the guide rod foot off and launched the guide rod into the stratosphere. The foot is screwed on to the end of the guide rod assembly and is a weak point in the design. Kudos that the gun would still fire with no guide rod but what a weakly designed guide rod assembly.

Springfield: Missing a VIS cut (can be fixed by a competent Smith but should already be done), bonded instead of pinned ejector, and the ILS lock system in mainspring. The ILS I can live with because it's an easy fix. Also MIM parts.

Colt: I "used to" really like Colt but their QC is lacking lately. Also sloppy slide to frame fit. Also not a fan of the series 80 firing pin system. Several MIM parts and nylon/plastic MSH. Some coming through lately have had rust forming under the wood grip panels; possibly off gassing from outsourced wood supplier.

Sig 1911's is a love or hate affair. I don't like the look. Also IMHO a 1911 should have an internal extractor not an external extractor like the SIG. Had one for a while with lots of FTF's and FTE's. Most likely a lemon cause most shoot well.

Also many (including those 1911's not listed here) have billboard sized logos on the slide flats that detract from the guns looks and FCS which many do not prefer.

Les Baer: A lot of pistol for the money. No MIM parts all tool steel. Hard fit. Good barrel. Can be made to order with no FCS, single sided safety, no roll marks on the slide, etc. so you get it the way you want it. Plus it will shoot the lights out. A really good semi custom 1911 made and fit correctly. This is a pistol you can give to your grandkids. Pistol has a little different take down method if you do it correctly; tightly fit barrel bushing. My latest PII has well over 3K rounds down the pipe and is still rock solid tight.

I have owned all of these brands and worked on all of these brands. Buy the Baer.

[clovishound]

Well, I will throw this out as research, rather than experience. Take it for what it is worth.

I have decided on the Springfield Range Officer full sized.

I would love to have some of the more expensive models, but cannot justify spending over a $1000 for a pistol right now. I will have to save my pennies to get the Springfield new sometime this year.

The main reason I have settled on the Springfield is that it has a lot of match grade components at a sub $1K price. Match grade barrel, adjustable sights, more importantly, it has a really nice trigger. I have rented several different models, including the somewhat over my price point Sig. The triggers on all of them, except the RO, would have to have a trigger job on them IMO. They are all heavy and do not break cleanly. Even the compact range officer has a crappy trigger. The full sized RO has a lighter pull, not extremely light, but noticeably lighter, and much smoother and crisper. I don't need a super light trigger, but I do appreciate a smooth, crisp break.

[ditto1958]

Well, the Range Officer is one of the models on my list. A Les Baer? It would be really cool to have one, but I don't think it's in the cards for me. Baers, Les Browns, Wilson Combats- I've drooled over all of those a fair bit over time. I suppose when I win the Powerball...

[Catherine]

Best wishes to you on finding the 1911 pistol that works for you!

Cate

[DaveShooter]

Lots of choices and I read from several forums that contain gunsmiths. For the money and they make several models a Rock Island arms is a good way to go. The Ruger is also a good choice. But if you are after one with a little more quality and bells and whistles my favorite hands down is a Sig 1911. I have 2 of them along with a Kimber. I would not spend the money for another Kimber as the Sigs I own put my Kimber to shame. If you want to spend a little more money hard to beat a Dan Wesson or a Les Baer. You can also go up from those it just depends on how deep your pockets are. Al

Awesome advice and right on the money all the way !!!!

[ditto1958]

Best wishes to you on finding the 1911 pistol that works for you!

Cate

Cate, one of these days I probably just need to bite the bullet and buy one. I'm sure not getting any younger.

[clovishound]

Since I didn't go into detail in my 1911 thread, I will post this here.

I've had my Springfield Range Officer for a little over a week now. I know, not a long term trial. I've got a couple hundred rounds through it, mostly my reloads.

I believe I am really going to like this pistol. It is very accurate. Once I got my reloads dialed in, it has operated flawlessly. With a good cleaning and starting it off with Frog Lube, everything operates extremely smoothly. The trigger had just a touch of grittiness to it, but that is gone now, and it's quite smooth and breaks cleanly. Once I had it apart, I was very impressed with the machining. The feed ramp was smooth as the south end of a north bound baby. The barrel has no visible machining marks at all. The slide fits perfectly and is very tight.

I did swap the wood grips with a Hogue. Thought it would look utilitarian, but it actually looks rather good with the black on black. The finger grooves help with a confident, repeatable grip, and the rubber material helps to absorb a bit of recoil.

I got this on an inventory reduction sale at my LGS. Snagged it for $650. It included a very nice hard gun case, a holster and mag pouch, and two mags. There is a promotional offer til the end of June that ships the holster and mag pouch, and 4 mags. Don't know if they will ship me the additional holster and mag pouch, don't really need them, but the extra mags would be nice.

[ditto1958]

The Range Officer seems to be a really nice 1911. Glad to hear you are enjoying yours.

[Tape]

You have to get a Colt just because it was the first. I have owned too many then sold off and ended up with a Series 70 Colt, Springfield Range Officer and a Les Baer, I also have a Springfield EMP 9mm. The rest of my firearms are Glocks and rifles.

[Bish1309]

Do you have a budget and a time line?

I just picked up a SA Range Officer compact in 9mm less than a year ago and since I got my STI, (twice the price) I am contemplating selling the ROc.

In case you might be interested, here's a teaser.



(It's the one in the middle, LOL)

I'm not trying to do any self promotion but I would be attentive to a conversation should this be something you might be interested in. No pressure....

[ditto1958]

That's a beauty, Bish. I think I'm going to get a full size 1911, but if I were looking at a compact, that would be tempting...

[Bish1309]

That's a beauty, Bish. I think I'm going to get a full size 1911, but if I were looking at a compact, that would be tempting...

Roger that!!

Good hunting.