Who made it best and why do you think so?

For a production gun, my vote goes to Colt. If I'm spending $800-1200 of my own money, it better have the Pony on the slide. My pair of Competition Models are as accurate as I can take advantage of and as reliable as any Glock I've ever owned. (The .38 Super has not been as fool-proof as my Walther PPQ, though the .45 has been so far. To be fair, the PPQ has been more reliable than any Glock I ever owned.)

Next up, I'd have to vote Wilson Combat. Even though I've never owned or examined one, their reputation says a lot.

Additional mention, I've always wanted to put my hands on an Ed Brown pistol in person.

Pre 70 series Colts, due to their use of forged steels and unparalleled pre WW2 finishes- even the military guns had bluing so deep you could see your soul in its reflection......
Ruger for new production, ya they're cast, but so is everything else these days and nobody does it better than Pinetree. Plus they are fairly priced and nicely finished.

For a true to the the original GI on a budget i would say the rock island but if money didn't matter (that would be nice) the Colt is the way to go.

Wilson combat makes top tier 1911's. Best in the custom 1911 world is gonna be about as subjective as one can get. My vote went for Wilson because you're not gonna get a better 1911, only one just as good. Fit, finish, and aesthetics are pretty close to unbeatable on a Wilson. In the $900-$1200 range I like Colts and Dan Wessons. S&W also has pretty much the most underrated 1911's on the market, they just work well. And yes that company in Illinois that a lot of us despise also makes a pretty darn good 1911. In all actuality every 1911 maker on this list would be a good purchase, but Wilson combat is just a step above the rest, more so compared to the likes of ed brown, nighthawk custom and STI full custom

Sure there are better built 1911s but I'm still going to go with Colt.

I am not sure how one can make a fair comparison between a semi custom Wilson and a low end stock 1911. I have 2 Wilson Combats, some Colts, some Springfields, and I have previously owned Kimber, S&W, and Sig 1911s.

The Wilsons are considerably better finished and more accurate, and equally reliable when compared to stock guns. But they cost about three times as much too.

So if you are asking me, who makes the best 1911, I would say Wilson.

If you ask me who makes the best 1911 per dollar spent, I would say Colt, S&W, Sig, and Springfield are all comparable. I have had horrible, unbelievable reliability issues with a few Kimbers, and would not own another one because of this, though some people say their Kimber works fine. In my experience, it is as easy to find a unicorn as a reliable Kimber. But that is just based on my limited experience with maybe 3 Kimbers.

You don't list STI.

I guess nobody wants to stick up for the Remington R1 either......

Production guns would be Dan Wesson hands down. They're much better than a Colt.

As for the best? A full in-house build by any of several different smiths. Just be prepared to lay down around $8-10K and wait a while.

Cannibul said:

Production guns would be Dan Wesson hands down. They're much better than a Colt.

As for the best? A full in-house build by any of several different smiths. Just be prepared to lay down around $8-10K and wait a while.

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Yep. Ruger makes a better lowish budget than Colt as well, IMO. I dont like overpaying to have a pony on my gun.

I prefer Colt's because they run the best of all I have tried.

Not listed. Randall. But then I'm a southpaw so a lefty 1911 is the cat's pajamas.

It doesn't really matter...'cause they're all just a derivative of the genius of John Moses...

Colt, because they bought the rights to market Browning's design.

Kimber, because you don't manufacture the most 1911's, for no reason.

Smith & Wesson, because of all the factory 1911's I own, it's the most accurate and is 100% reliable.

I would have voted for Dan Wesson if it was specified "Pre-CZ" days when Dan (...Dang it!! I can't 'member his last name!!) ran it.

Sam

Baer, not the most attractive but excellent function and accuracy. Shooters not safe queens.

the Best? SVI makes the best 1911. a year build time, . runs like a raped ape. accurate as all hell. guarantees 1.5 inch at 50 yards minimum. every part made in house ,milled from billet. full option open class gun id guess run 7,000$. fancy engraving and inlay run way above that. (they outsource engraving and inlay)
a barebones SVI id guess would cost around 4000-4500$

iv got to hold and shoot a SVI signature grip limited sight tracker gun...it you can afford it and willing to take the wait time , its worth every dollar.

Best: Wilson

Best value: <flame suit on> Taurus.

Best entry level gun: Rock Island Arsenal.

I've shot a couple Wilsons, and owned the other two.

Still like the Colts, though.

The OP implies (and look at the actual poll, guys) production 1911s, NOT custom or "semi-custom" (even though the OP included Wilson Combat for some inexplicable reason with the production manufacturers).

Overall, for my lifetime, I'm gonna go with Colt. But to be fair, I've got some Kimbers and Springfield Armory 1911s that I think are just as good. As far as current production (though the price tag is now excessive), I'll give a nod to Dan Wesson.

Now if we're talkin' custom/semi-custom, I'm an Ed Brown guy ... (as 3.5K is about my ceiling for a pistol, YMMV) ...

Colt.

Because Pony.

ants said:

You don't list STI.

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............or Singer, or Remington Rand
There are only two types of handguns, 1911s and everything else.
And only two kinds of 1911s, Colt and everything else.

Why wasn't Les Baer on the list? Oh, it's slot was taken by stupid CZ.
Just standard Baers come with a 3"@50 yard guarantee, their 1½" guns come with that guarantee at 50 yards. They may not be as pretty as Wilson's, but are more accurate. If Wilson was on the list, their kissing cousin Nighthawk Custom should have been too. One gun, One gunsmith.

Odd assortment of manufactures for sure. CZ owns Dan Wesson so Im not sure why that would be on there twice. Christensen Arms is kinda from left field.

My vote would be for

That's a highly subjective question, really depends on what flavor of 1911 we're talking about. It's not really an apples-to-apples comparison if we are talking $600-$800 GI type guns from Colt or Remington versus $3k+ Ed Browns and Nighthawks.

Norinco
Hands down the best for the money.