Seems safe to say I've ruffled your feathers here. Please show me in my post where I even mentioned "reliability" between any of the brands. Clearly we don't see eye to eye on this, as "occasional hiccup" doesn't constitute a rock solid gun in my book. That consitutes a gun that is only fit for range duty.
Not at all. All my guns are expected to run 100%. My point is that 9.5 out of 10 RIA owners report reliable guns. There are occasional issues with some. Also by "occasional hiccup" I also mean failures to feed because you have never changed your mag springs or used crappy mags, or have erratic extraction because you have a weak recoil spring. Etc.... Also I do not have feathers and do not take the interweb seriously.
In the local perspective living in FL, I can regularly get my paws on a SAI GI for ~ $500, Mil Specs at around $550. Ammo costs here are around $18/box of 50. Even if the savings actually were $200, that would only get ~500 rounds, or enough ammo to determine if you can actually trust the pistol. From then on, you've still got yourself a RIA.
Then you live in a market good for GI SAs but a bad market for ammo. I am still paying $300 to $329 for FMJ brass cased 45 ACP delivered to my door. If the RIA runs and meets your need and your criteria what is the problem?
That is correct. I want no part of a high dollar cast frame when a forged frame is what has proven its worth for 10 decades. Let's put it into perspective; a MIM-filled gun is sitting on a table next to a gun with 0 MIM parts. You are about to throw one into your holster for a hike several miles away from civilization. Two legged vermin and 4-legged critters are a realistic concern. Which one do you grab? The one that is "just as good" because it has "good MIM" in it? I doubt if very many people would choose the MIM-filled gun. Oh, and yes, I've broken MIM parts before, yet in the past 20 years I've never had any surprises with forged parts breaking out of the blue. Replacing MIM in a SIG costs $70. Do the same with the catfish pistols and you'll invest another $200.
Your money your choice. The question you have to ask yourself is how many of the people looking at low end 1911s have the same criteria? Again big difference between a range toy and a defensive weapon. I personally carry a Colt CCO, DW CBOB or a Les Baer TRS if we are talking 1911s but that does not mean I would not be comfortable with any 1911 which has proven itself reliable. In today's economy a lot of shooters have to choose the best they can get at a price point. Those who can choose to spend more are in the minority and should count themselves lucky IMHO.
Based on the GSR label alone, your gun was most likely was an abomination made by Matt McLearn and team using none other than the Caspian components you've mentioned earlier. SIG no longer uses Caspian components, they make the slides and frames in-house. If I remember your SN correctly, I'm pretty positive you were a part of the SigForum back when all that went down, so you should already know that.... SIG does indeed have a stain on their name these days, but the current 1911s are a step above what has infected the P-series.
Already stated...IIRC the orginal GSR I owned had a cast Caspian frame. Actually if you know your history on the gun when you got a good one it was a nice pistol. It had a Storm Lake barrel, Caspian frame and almost every part was premium. The issue was the monkeys at Sig had zero experience fitting 1911s and the QC sucked. Sorry to break it to you but the QC still sucks. It does not matter if it is a P series gun or a 1911, with and external extractor cough... cough. Same plant same company same philosophy. There is not some magical halo surrounding 1911 production in Exeter.
Cohen is there running the Kimber playbook to a T. Just because they moved production of parts in house does not make them better. Sorry but Sig under Cohen is a shadow of what it was when it was a German company. Kind of like the current Kimber is a shadow of the company that once revolutionized the production custom-like 1911 world using CNC and MIM parts. Moving more metal and higher profits does not equal better products. I would consider an older Clackamas Kimber with quality MIM but would never consider a current production Kimber. YMMV.
As for Colts not loosing value, on the planet I inhabit, used guns do not fetch the same prices as brand new guns unless the value of the dollar plummets and the actual selling prices of the guns are on a steady increase. Both of those factors are at play these days. I don't buy guns to sell, I buy them to shoot...and I shoot them a lot. As such, what I ask of a pistol may be seen as unnecessary to some. Most makers know that people will only shoot maybe 2,000 rounds through their guns in a lifetime. They fill their guns with cheap parts and second rate labor and pass a very minimal amount of savings down to the consumer.
See the point you are missing is that most people sell that Combat Elite for $1000+ if you can find one in my area. People pay 6% tax on anything they find in a shop in my state. That is the market. You can get a lot of Taurus 1911s not so many Colts. My Colt guy, not in this area, sells a ton of them and I buy a lot of stuff from him and he treats me right. For example I can get OTD, including my $10 local transfer, under $700 for a Colt 80 series Govt. I have passed on Combat Elites delivered for under $900. If I shoot 2000 rounds and then pass it on in near perfect condition I can recoup most if not all my money because in my local market NIB = $1060.
Its has nothing to do with the $$$ or the price of guns in general it has everything to do with buying smart and knowning the market. I personally buy and sell guns when it suits me. Some years I will not sell anything other years things go because I am not shooting them as much. I own guns to shoot them if they are not being shot I replace them with things that will be shot.
To the OP again it all depends on your budget, your criteria and your intended use. I tend to agree with Zerodefect that in the long run you are better off buying quality once and paying a bit more upfront but I understand not everyone can do that.
