3" 1911

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Byrd666

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I'm looking for a 1911 with a 3" barrel under $1000.00 with some minor conditions/requirements

NO TOOLS REQUIRED for field strip - IMPORTANT
Reliable enough to carry on a daily basis
Reliable enough to use on a daily basis, not just carry, but to fire often as well
Will NOT need another grand to make it a reliable weapon
Prefer it to be warrantied, just in case it does crack under strain, etc.
Prefer 9mm or .40 - not a deal buster, just a prefrence

Any ideas guys and girls?
 
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Defnder, Agent, Solo,Some officers,just google 1911, 3" with standard bushing, you should get a hand full
 
I've got a Kimber Ultra Carry II in .40. Read lots of issues with Kimber's but so far mine has been good. Maybe mine can't read. Wife likes it. As far as No Tools it comes with a little curved wire for take down. A YouTube search will show how to take down the Ultra Carry II without it. The bigger Kimbers need it but you can get it field stripped without tools for the Ultra Carry.
Mike
 
For a reliable 3" 1911 style gun in 9mm or .40, the only one that I'd consider dependable enough to carry is the Springfield EMP. If you change out the grip screws, you could detail strip it without tools

I got mine NIB for under $1k, but with the recent price increases, you'd likely have to find one that has been previously owned.

When the barrel of a .45ACP sized 1911 (the EMP isn't) gets much below 4.25", your window of functionality gets much smaller
 
3" 9mm 1911? Springfield EMP. I wouldn't even bother considering anything else. Reliable, a joy to shoot, nice trigger, excellent warranty, very pretty.
 
Byrd666 said:
I'm looking for a 1911 with a 3" barrel under $1000.00 with some minor conditions/requirements

No tools required for field strip - IMPORTANT
Reliable enough to carry on a daily basis
Reliable enough to use on a daily basis, not just carry, but to fire often as well
Will NOT need another grand to make it a reliable weapon
Prefer it to be warrantied, just in case it does crack under strain, etc.
Prefer 9mm or .40 - not a deal buster, just a prefrence

Any ideas guys and girls?
Click to expand...
You're looking for unicorn of a gun......a mythical "beast" of sorts.:scrutiny:
 
I've got a Colt New Agent in .45 (they come in 9mm, and if you want sights the Defender is essentially the same gun) and a Springfield EMP in 9mm (they also come in .40). The EMP may be hard to find for under 1k, but it's possible.

Neither requires tools to field strip, both ran reliably out of the box. If I had to pick one, it'd probably be the EMP.
 
PabloJ said:
You're looking for unicorn of a gun......a mythical "beast" of sorts.:scrutiny:
Click to expand...
I have been loking for the same thing. I can't reccomend the path I have taken right now. I really, really like the 1911 platform and started off with a 5" Kimber Raptor. Then I picked up an ATI 4-1/4" GI and it has been a great gun so I picked up an ATI Titan 3-1/8 Officer model. I have been working on the reliability because the original recoil springs didn't hold up to regular practice. The Colt Defender spring package looks like it will work fine. I aso picked up two different spring packages from Wolf Springs and have to try them out. The gun costs $420 from Buds and the springs have been very cheap. I have been following this thread
http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=291804&page=9

for ideas and insights. Once I have a few hundred error free rounds I will trust it to carry.


I know many people like the Kimber Ultra Carry 1911's and use them as their main ccw's. I haven't had the money to get one yet but it is on my bucket list. I also like the EMP's but they are pretty expensive also.
 
I've met lots of happy RIA owners, however all of them owned full sized or commander length 1911s.

I'm interested to hear from owners of officers length RIA 1911s. Shorty 1911s don't have a good rep for reliability to begin with (though I've learned they can be great when they're made right) and I'm interested to know how RIA does with them.
 
My Colt Defender was absolutely perfect.

Then I put those cursed XS Big Dot sights on it. YUK.
 
Been carrying a Springfield GI micro compact .45 for 5 years now. great gun. the GI runs around 550.00 new. the loaded version which is light weight,beaver tail,night sights,lowerd and flared ejector port and long trigger (also can get with or with out light rail) for around a grand. they are 3 inchers and .45 cal.
 
Thanx all for the responses. Please keep 'em coming.

I was researching the ATI and the RIA when I started thinking about what choices might actually be available. Glad I did, I completely forgot about the Colt models, and I never knew about the Sprinfield mini GI model.

Now for a few follow up questions

I've heard horror stories of Kimber's QC and CS, have they gotten any better? Or is it a headache I'd really just rather avoid? And some questions have been posted here and there about warranty issues without resolve. Do ya'll know if they (Kimber) have gotten better about that?

I've heard and read of some horror stories about the P.I. brands as well. Slides being cracked right out of the box, spring, extractor and or other problems with both ATI and RIA as well as the AC, American Classic, line. Magazine problems along with FTF and FTE from all three seem to be a more prevalent problem with these brands than any others. Is this really the case?

I know any manufacturer of firearms, or of anything for that fact, is likely to have a few bad apples here and there. And that almost all firearms need a break-in period. I just don't want to have the hassle of sending this off to the factory every ten days. Just looking for a good pistol right outta the box. I think we all want that.

Add on -

test drive? - Does that mini GI have a simple break down, meaning no tools and such?
 
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Byrd666 said:
I just don't want to have the hassle of sending this off to the factory every ten days. Just looking for a good pistol right outta the box. I think we all want that.
Click to expand...
It's beginning to sound like what you're looking for is a Kahr 9mm...K9 (steel) or P9 (polymer)
 
Well, not to throw gas on a fire concerning Kimber, but I had an Ultra Eclipse from their Custom Shop that had several issues...I finally figured out all of it's problems and got everything set as it should have been from the factory and it ran fine. I've read of many happy owners so don't let my problem child scare you off if you want one.

In fact, I have several other full size Kimbers (pre series two .45s and series two 9mm's) that run fine and the Ultra Eclipse was the only one that I even considered selling - which I did to friend who is happy with it. Now, my "officer" sized .45 auto is an RIA, yep ... got it in trade from another friend, put a set of double diamond wood grips on it and she's good to go and accurate too. I only feed it 230 FMJ but out of a short barrel, I don't expect any expansion and really wouldn't want any that might slow the bullet down any more than it is so that the needed penetration will still be there - but that's another story....anyway, I recommend you check them out..they are priced right and I've only read good things about their customer support...yep, I am impressed with mine.
 
Another vote for the Colt Defender. VERY reliable and digests everything I've fed it.
 
I have a Kimber Ultra Carry SS TLE II in 45acp. Mine has been flawless right out of the box with the factory mag and Wilson 47D, 1400 rounds and counting. It has become my main carry gun now for 6mo. Love the compact size. The std sights on the base model are hard to see, so night sights may be needed.
 
My Kimber Super Carry Pro experience was not a good one, both with the pistol and their repair work. I've posted about it before so I won't repeat it all here.

My Colt Defender has been 100% trouble free from the start, with well over 1,000 rounds through it. It was my carry until I couldn't resist buying an STI Shadow.
 
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