[sprice]

In your experience and opinions what are the best 1911 brands and models?

[Jason_G]

No offense, but this is sort of a dysfunctional poll. You've got production pistols up against customs and semi customs. Sort of like comparing bologna to filet mignon.

Jason

[BornAgainBullseye]

for the money Taurus has the best bang for the buck followed by The Rock'olas. You can get a Taurus in Stainless for $600. Mine is not, but that is neither here nor there. I have not yet come across somebody at the range that can shoot another .45 inside my spread with it. What is scary is I can shoot a little tighter group with my CZ52, but it has ergonomics of a 2x4

[Walkalong]

You've got production pistols up against customs and semi customs
Well, he does say "best for the money", but it is a tough poll.

I like many of the choices though. :D I could live with 12 of the 15

[Jason_G]

for the money Taurus has the best bang for the buck followed by The Rock'olas.

Rock-Ola was a jukebox company that made M1 carbines during WWII. Are you talking about the RIA?

Well, he does say "best for the money", but it is a tough poll.
Yeah, I didn't see the "for the money" part. It still really depends on what price neighborhood you can hang out in. For under $400, the RIA would be hands down the best bang for the buck IMO. For $600 to $800, I would look at STI real hard. Between $800 and $1,000, I would go (did go) Dan Wesson, with Fusion right behind. For $1,200 on up, you are in semi custom and custom territory, and I would go with any of Les Baer, Ed Brown, or Nighthawk. There are a lot of full custom smiths out there that will also build a top notch pistol, but you're talking about years long wait lists and such.

YMMV.

Jason

[possum]

i am a huge Springfield fan and loyalist so i always recommend them. i love their xd line and their 1911 models, i own one of each as a matter of fact, and plan to own more in the future.

i like the SA loaded, Mil spec, as well as thier operator models, i have an MC Operator and i love it.

I have alot of experience with kimber handguns as well, and one of the great things about Kimber is the amount of various models, and options that they have avaliable.

Kimber has the TLE, The warrior, pro carry series, the Tactical model, Covert series, they are all great options.

[twodawgs]

I have an RIA and a Springfield. Best buy was the RIA but the Springfield has many more features, (at a higher cost).

I voted for the Springfield.

[orionengnr]

Well, I have owned:

One Charles Daly (built by RIA/ArmsCorp)
Two Springfields
Three Colts
Four Para-Ords

...and seven Kimbers (looking at number eight)

If I told you that all I currently own are Kimbers and one Para (that is actually my GF's), would that tell you something?

Not going to say "best", but "favorite" seems to apply... :)

[Treo]

I like 1911s but I don't consider myself an afficianado. IOW I'm just as happy W/ my RIA as I would be W/ the most high end pistol on the list, and niether would take the place of my CZ75B for EDC.

I voted RIA because that's what I have

[Dean Williams]

Best for the money. I don't know how you can beat the RIA if that's the criteria. You put in eight rounds and it spits out eight empties every time. Mine eats up anything I've ever put in it. They're so reliable it's kind of uncanny. My particular example is also above just "good" in the accuracy department, especially considering the tiny sights.

This poll will probably only tell what people like most, or to which brand they are most loyal, regardless of the "best for the money" part. I mean, someone out there is going to wonder why you left out Llama...

I voted RIA because it seems best for the money. If the poll was "nicest handling" or "prettiest" or "best for bullseye", I would have picked another brand.

[Scratchy]

Went shooting last Friday. My friends Colt series 70 had problems and my Taurus 1911 ran fine.

[gunlocators1]

I perfer Springfields and STI's but I typically will smith them to my specifications. I personally would buy a GI Springfield before i did a RIA then later add all the bells and whistles. With that said RIA are not bad guns at all. Next option not best bang for the buck but I like to build 1911's off STI slide and frame sets as well. Just my opinion

[CDH]

In the big scheme of things, I vote for Colt of which I have three (stainless full size, stainless Commander and Lightweight Commander XSE).

50 years from now, it's likely that only 2 or 3 of those brands listed will still be in business, and Colt will be one of them.

Plus, 50 years from now, I'm willing to bet that it's the Colts that will be most sought after.

[exflatlander]

I have never had an issue with my Dan Wesson Pointman (I have the commander-sized Guardian Deuce).

The most accurate 1911 I have owned and using Chip McCormick 8rd mags it east just about anything I put through it.

[1911shooter]

Easiest poll ever, Wilson Combat. own 3 of them and will never be with out one. also have a Nighthawk, Baer, and a Swenson 1911 that is just about perfect. But for my money the Wilson tops them all

[English Bob]

Springfield Armory

[Marine_wannabe]

Springfield Armory.

[northshooter]

If Money was no object, hands down Les Baer. Depending on my Budget a Springfield Armory Loaded or a Kimber TLE fits the bill nicely.

[bigmike45]

There are a lot of great production guns out there......I know as I have had at least one of most of them, and like a Chevy Impala or Ford Crown Victoria, they will get the job done. I work hard for my money and from time to time like to spoil myself si I bought myself a Wilson Combat CQB. I love this gun.

[Eightball]

My Kimber does pretty well for itself at the range, has some nice features, and has a more "fine tuned" feel to it than most Springers. So, I voted Kimber.....as would most of my coworkers whove owned a ton and now primarily own Kimbers. But I'd say a Springer is a nice and close second.

As for the custom shop jobbies.....it's hard for me to see the increase in perceived performance versus the money spent, especially when many of them cost over half what I paid for my car :uhoh:

[FoMoGo]

I voted RIA.
Mine has any feature I would want except for night sights... and they are coming.
I know lots of people who love kimbers, but I have seen more kimbers malfunction than any other pistol at the range.
They are beautiful guns... but in my personal experience, I have seen a lot of reliability issues.


Jim

[davepool]

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg279/dpool50/fusionlongslide022-Copy.jpg
I voted fusion, i have a few 10mm 1911s ,this is my favorite, about $1900.00 custom built to my specs

[kimberfan]

i'm a kimber guy myself, if ya cant tell :D

[OleCodger]

I'd love to have one of the $3,000 custom 1911's but until the "wealth gets spread around", I'll have to go with the Taurus. Kinda like being poor all my life....if I've never been rich, I don't know what I'm missing. And everytime I press the trigger, the Taurus goes BANG and hits where I point it so what more could you ask for??!! Well, maybe more shells and time so I could shoot more.........

[nwilliams]

I'm a big fan of Colt 1911's myself. I've had my Colt XSE for about seven years and after many thousands of rounds it has yet to malfunction on me.

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb264/nwilliams27/1911-4.jpg

[knockonit]

Well, I own quite a few, and have to say my fav is a norc, never let me down, next would be teh pointman, ria, colt, para, taurus, and then the list goes on and on.
My two norcs have over 9k rounds each and get sweeter as time goes on, never a problem, except the shooter himself.
happy new year

[rklessdriver]

I will say Colt has gotten their act together with the XSE line the past few years. Quality has gone up to a decent consistant level in line wit the $800-$900 asking price. The XSE's are probally my number one recommendation for someone who wants an good quality 1911.

The new Combat Elite is a beautiful pistol well worth the just under $1000.00price tag. Yesterday on GB I saw some new Colt Special Combats with nite sights and the classic style strait serations on the slide (rear only)... So many people have been asking Colt to make this type of pistol for years. I about shead a tear when I saw one.

They are making the 70 Series again... generally trying real hard to make the guns people want to buy, at prices most people can afford and that's a good thing from such a great old company.

You get a lot of gun for the money with a new Colt, and you get a REAL Colt that will be a real Colt pistol for ever. It will always be worth more, both $$$ wise and pride of ownership wise.

The RIA's, Tarus's, CD's, ect are basic prouduction 1911's no matter how many bells and whitsles they hang on them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a basher, IMO they are good quality 1911's mostly. If you don't want to save an extra week or extra couple of weeks to buy a real Colt, IMO there are good alternatives out there and some are better than others. Do your research and buy what your comfortable with.

Les Baer, Ed Brown, Nite Hwak, RRA ect are boutique mfgrs that build the cream of the crop. Hand fitted to perfection - these 1911's are for the buyer who has about $2K or sometimes more to spend on the best 1911 he can get his hands around. Nothing wrong with that if you've got the money. I saved up for months and months to buy a new Baer PII and have been thrilled with it.

Now there is this niche market just above REGULAR basic prouduction 1911's, but under the boutique mfgrs. S&W, Sig, Springfield Armory, STI and Kimber occupy this space. Good stuff most of it, but it cost more than everything except them boutique mfgs too. These days for that kind of money I'll either take a step back and buy another Colt or save some more and buy top of the heap.
Will

[wccountryboy]

Rklessdriver pretty much nailed it. Colt seems to have gotten their act together, and offers a pretty good value for the $$. You will be paying a few bucks for the Colts prancing pony
I would say that both Kimber and Springfield offer something for almost every taste adn budget. An SA GI or Milspec is in the $600 range, and the entry level Kimbers are about $750. It really depends on what features you want or need. I actualy think you may get a little more bang for the buck with SA or Kimber. I think the tolerances are a little tighter than Colt, and probablely a few more bells and whistles.
I'd skip by the the bottom- tier import guns. Most gunsmiths won't touch them, so you can't upgrade it. For a couple hundred bucks more, you're at an SA Milspec, which can be used as a base for a build.
Budget is the really limiting factor. $600 gets you in the door with a soild quality gun. $800-$1000 will get you a great, well built pistol with a few upgrades. $1k to about $1500= a production gun with any feature you can think of, and great fit and finnish. If you really can't spring for $600+, I can't recommend the 1911