[beefums]

Ok I just bought one. I was at the gunshop and I really liked the trigger pull and size of it. The slide seemed to feet decently to the frame so I bought it.

I have not taken it to the range yet, but I have seen tons of reviews saying how big a peice of crap it is.

Can someone PLEASE make me feel better about this purchase? I intend on using this for a new carry peice.

[JDGray]

You didn't buy a high point! That should make ya feel better:D

[beefums]

Yeah that doesn't help. :neener:

Does anyone have anything good to say about them? I am taking mine to the range tomorrow so I'll see how it is. But until then I'll feel like crap!

[JDGray]

Dont feel bad, unless you paid a Kimber like price for it. Inexpensive guns can be just as problem free as big dollar guns. My Ruger 45 wasn't a ton of money, and it's a tack driver. Just go shoot your new gun, and enjoy it! Be sure to give us a range report.:)

[edwardyoung]

I've owned three Charles Daly 1911's. Two full-size and one Officers-size. I ran hundreds-thousands-of rounds through them, with no problems that weren't attributable to the 8-round magazines. No problems with my 7-round mags. Poverty, and revolver-itis, caused me to get rid of them. I was looking for a Commander-sized CD with a barrel bushing instead of a bull barrel, but found a Colt and a Kahr/AO first. The stainless full-sized gun had to go back for service. Not because of a failure, but the MSH didn't fit to suit me. They paid shipping both ways and replaced the MSH. Some people call them Filipino beer cans, but I never had any problems with mine. I wouldn't feel like crap. Don't let the Colt/Kimber/Springfield guys' criticism get to you. Try the M1911.org CD forum. Talk to Ivan http://forum.m1911.org/forumdisplay.php?f=17

[beefums]

Thanks man! I am going to shoot the snot out of it. If it has to go back to the factory - it will. My springfield had to go back to the factory so not all the springer guys can brag!

[chaim]

I have a Charles Daly 1911 I bought about 5 years ago. That was around the time the current models were out ("enhanced"), but mine was one of the older non-enhanced models (so it isn't supposed to be as good).

I have had a couple problems, but nothing that causes me alarm. I'd expect a few hiccups in a gun that has run over 10K rounds, and most of the hiccups have been when the mag spring or recoil spring wore out and needed replaced. It is reliable and accurate. The original mags were crap, but I replaced them with McCormack Pro Mags and Shooting Stars and they work well.

My best friend has a Kimber. His $900 Kimber is definately a nicer gun than my inexpensive Daly. It feels better, you can definately FEEL the quality in the gun, and it looks better. My Daly rattles now (over 10K rounds) and his Kimber doesn't. However, in the functional areas of reliability and accuracy, there is really no difference between his Kimber and my Charles Daly.

Is my next 1911 going to be another Daly? No, it will probably be the Kimber Pro Carry I've been eyeing for years now. Will I buy another Daly 1911? Probably, and I'm probably also going to buy their Hi-Power as well. I love my Daly, it is one of my favorite guns. It is the gun that started me on 1911s and I will probably never part with it. Yes, I would buy it again, though I'd probably shop around a bit (it was an impulse buy, and I found out later that at the time most local shops had it for about $50 less than what I paid for it).

[KingAirDriver]

Congrats on the new purchase!

I've got a Charles Daly 1911, which I bought new about 4 yrs ago, and probably has about 1000-1500 rds through it. From day one it was giving me problems. It's had numerous FTFeeds and FTE. I've always kept it very clean and take great care of it (still looks new), but it will still do a lot of weird things from time to time. Once, it ejected an empty casing and an unfired round at the same time!

Anyway, I hope you have better luck with yours than I had with mine! ;)

[orionengnr]

http://forum.m1911.org/index.php?

A 1911 forum with individual areas for owners of everything from Armscor/Daly to Wilson.

http://www.1911forum.com/forums/index.php?s=

Another one.

Lots of good reading. Have fun.

[1911 guy]

I own one. It's several years old, is my daily carry pistol and has several thousand rounds through it. The only problems I've had were magazine related. There are better pistols on the market, but the Armscor pieces work well and are inexpensive.

[beefums]

See someone mentioned the "feel" of quality.

I had the decision between a (used) Colt Commander 70 Series and the Charles Daly. The trigger pull just wasn't right on the Commander. The Commander rattled and I really did not like it.

The safety was really smooth on the Charles Daly, the trigger was crisp, it had some nifty sights on it.

We'll see. I found something on the inside of the frame near the ejection port. I am not sure if it is a deep scratch or a crack.

[Dr_2_B]

Beef,

As much as I hate to make you feel bad, I own a CD 1911 and it is the only pistol I own that I will not carry for defense. I'd rather you be safe than feel good. Also, be very clear on this - mine would fire without the grip safety squeezed. Test this one carefully because it scared the bejesus out of me.

Best of luck toy you. And buy a GLOCK.

Matt

[wally]

My Charles Daly CS is almost as good as my Kimber Ultra Carry and cost a whole lot less. I carry the Kimber (in our short "not summer" season) and practice with the CS. Its been every bit as reliable and has been shot a lot more. The sub-compact 1911s seem to eat recoil springs -- start getting failures to go into battery after 800-1200 rounds.

So having spares on hand is a wise move.

--wally.

[beefums]

I own a Glock already. I kind of like it actually.

I took the Charles Daly today to the range and it was a champ. It did not have a problem at all. Not a FTE/FTF. I got bored of it working so reliably so I threw some Hydra-Shocks in there - nothing. It worked fine.

All in all I am very happy with my purchase. I will definately be carrying the CD - that is how confident I am. Now, I just need to decide which to carry (between my Glock and 1911) and when. :neener:

[1911 guy]

Check out www.1911forum.com and contact blackdragon. His name's Ivan, he's a honcho with CD and will set you up with service.

As for buying a Glock, we 1911 fans will do so right about the time Gaston makes one that is as ergonomic as a 1911. Until then, I'll stick with real guns. Why is it that every time a 1911 discussion comes up, some Glockophile chimes in with "buy a Glock"?

[shooting4fun]

G'day beefums, and et al.,

Wow, what a thread. So far CD, SA, and Glocks have all been mentioned. I own at least one of each and shoot them all at various pistol matches throughout the year. My CD has been a very good value 1911 pattern for me. I have the full size that I've owned since they changed to what they currently call the EFS.

I purchased the EFS as my second full size 1911 pattern. I wanted one that was a shooter but I could experiment with it as I wanted to learn more about the “tuning” of a 1911. Well, this particular piece didn't require much tuning. Other than some very slight work such as cleaning up the trigger channel and some slight regulating of the sights to my liking, we went racing with it.

Understanding that some folks may have had some significant issues with theirs, I can only relay my own shooting experiences. This particular gun of mine runs, and runs well at that. Overall, my CD has held up well through all those seasons of USPSA matches. All the original pieces have past the test of time and mileage. As for fair wear and tear, I did have to change out the original springs as they were used up after a couple of seasons (nothing out of the ordinary there). I'm still running with the original trigger group components. Yes, they are not the prettiest looking pieces such as the bigger name after-market components but they are suitable for how I'm using them. I've examined the engagement surfaces and the wear patterns associated, the fit is still good and nothing is requiring attention... yet. Hey, they all need attention from time to time as the fair wear and tear sets in.

As of lately, I have been trying out an alternate set of grips. The original wood (walnut?) worked well and felt good. However, I did do some shooting in less than stellar weather so I have recently changed out the wood grips for some rubber double diamond panels.

So, bottom line, it is not a bad looking gun, it holds up reasonably well, baseline accuracy and reliability has been on par with basic models from SA. All this in my book puts the CD at a good value. Get some trigger time in with yours and let us know how it goes. Cheers!

[beefums]

Good post man.

[knoxx45]

One of the writers for “Combat Handguns” gave one to his son for his 21st B-Day for a carry gun. I don’t think that someone who shoots and writes about guns for a living would give his son a POS for a carry gun.

[PILOT_OF_LIGER_ZERO]

On my list C.D. is on top. I oun 2 C.D. field grade 5" and have had not one single problem with them. you might have a problem with the blueing but both of mine i got a matte finish but to me there the champs. :D