Are they worth it?

You bought another one two weeks later. You tell me.

All depends on what you're looking for the gun to be and/or do. If all you need is a serviceable, reliable sidearm, then the price you pay for a top flite 1911 isn't worth it.

If you enjoy the manual of arms, trigger feel, and heft of a 1911 -- and you enjoy a bit of the "satisfaction" of owning something many consider to be a top tier example -- then sure.

If the money is easy enough for you to come by and to part with and having that gun is worth more to you than the other opportunities represented by possessing that cash, then of course the gun is "worth it."

Every transaction we choose to make is the exchange of something we value (usually mone, i.e. freedom/opportunity represented by a portion of our own fiscal "worth") for something we value or at least desire and expect to value more than the amount of financial potential we had to sacrifice to get it.

Sometimes the criteria we use are objective. But not usually.

If they weren't worth it, you wouldn't see a large number of companies producing variants of a century-old design, and selling every one they produce.

I own three examples: a Series 70 Colt that I bought cheap and rebarrelled, a Series 80 stainless Colt, and a Les Baer SRP in hardchrome. I enjoy them all, but don't desire to own many more.

I carried 1911s for three decades, and still enjoy shooting them. I have, however, gone to polymer-framed carry guns - weight and capacity won out.

I have more M1911 pattern pistols than any other type or design in my collection. It is a truly classic pistol in every sense of the word and has always been worth the asking price for me.

Besides being a proven handgun, "Old Slab Sides" has class and mystique few other guns will ever have. And it has history ... a valiant history that simply refuses to either die or be degraded. To me, it's one of those things in my heritage I cherish. Not for it's monetary value, but for what it stands for in terms of both American ingenuity and the will of Americans to fight for freedom in a world that seems to be bent on denying those freedoms.

Is it worth the price? Oh yes, it most certainly is ... in more than one context.

I can't speak to the really high-end ones as I don't own and haven't shot them (they look nice and I'm sure they shoot nice too).

This said, for the less than $500 (not including tax and any shipping) I paid for my Rock Island Tactical (and that $500 includes two mags I bought from Armscor), this one was seriously worth it.

I have about 200 rounds through it now, and my most recent 50 rounds at the range at 15 yards left nothing that a basketball wouldn't cover (even including my yips) and the vast majority (around 40 rounds +/-) in a grapefruit-sized hole centered slightly above the middle of the target. I wasn't rapid-firing, but I was shooting pretty much as quickly as I could re-acquire, so that was pretty good for me. The mass of the pistol was helpful with that.

Since I'm not particularly great (on pretty much any day I can pick out 4-5 guys on the firing line that are way better than me), I was pretty happy with the thing.

Further, my smith looked at it when I stopped by the other day, pulled out his trigger scale, and found a 3-pull average of 4 pounds (range 3.9-ish to 4.1- ish). He also said nice things about the fit and finish of it. Experience with him tells me that he's a pretty straight shooter (ok, bad pun), so I take that assessment at face value.

I voted yes. John Browning was a genius when it came to shooting ergonomics, including the Hi Power. Of the six 1911s I own, three are in 45 auto and three are in 38 Super, I'm expecting delivery of a custom 10mm railed Commander this summer.

Once you familiarize yourself with the 1911, about 1,000-1500 rounds, you'll begin to realize why it's the choice for a number of SWAT/HRT and specialized Marine units.

Depends. I don't think I could EVER drop the money on what the custom ones cost (ie, Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer, etc), but anything up into the low $1,000's (Colt, Kimber, Springfield, STI Trojan, etc) I think can be worth it for someone who's really into shooting.

I kinda consider the 1911 the Corvette of the gun world. MOST people don't know how to drive/shoot one to its full potential, and some might even be dangerous with it, but for one who really knows what they're doing you can get more performance out of one versus a "daily driver".

mgmorden said:

Depends. I don't think I could EVER drop the money on what the custom ones cost (ie, Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer, etc)...

Click to expand...

I didn't either, but a few things came together to change my mind. I've always had a special affection for the 1911, and older S&W wheelguns. For three decades, my primary handgun was a 1911. I had a couple of 10k+ rounds fired years on 1911s. Then, many years later, I decided I wanted something lighter, with larger capacity, and learned to shoot Glocks. I found that I still enjoy 1911s, but spend most of my practice time on what I carry.

When my father passed away last December, I spent some time reflecting on life in general. Dad always admired fine firearms, but could never convince himself to buy any. When I graduated college, I bought him a Walther PPK/S, because I knew he'd wanted one for years. Unfortunately, it and his .38 both were stolen sometime during his senior years. A couple of months after he passed, I got a surprise payout of a little life insurance policy he had bought 40 years ago. My sister and I each got a small sum, and I thought he'd want me to do something special with it. The Les Baer is the culmination of that effort. It's a fine shooter, capable of 1.5" groups at 50 yards. I've only started getting acquainted with it, but it will get a lot of range time.

Could I afford it otherwise? Yes. Could I afford more of them? Yes. Will I buy more of them? No, one is the right number for me. Just one, as a rememberance of Dad.

Yes, the trigger alone is worth the price of admission IMO. You can pick them up from 400 bucks to 10,000. It's all about what you feel it's worth. I own 4 right now, that number will continue to increase as that's about the only gun I am interested in now-a-days...

If it is worth it to you, then yes it is "worth it". Value and price is set by buyers and the marketplace. The fact that a brand new in box Colt Government Model, or Series 70 Repro cost around $1K is because buyers are willing to pay that price, and the seller, Colt, can still make money at that price point.

I like 1911's, so I own a few Colts, and a Springfield. They are worth it to me. YMMV.

I've owned close to 30 over 1911s over the years, from every decade they've been produced, by a number of manufacturers, and at just about every price point you can get them. They've all been worth it. I've never had one I didn't like, and there have been some I really loved.

Standouts have been

1974 Series 70 Colt
Dan Wesson CBOB
Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special
And its looking like my Remington R1 is also in this category

They are worth it to me simply because I shoot my best with the 1911.

People have been buying and shooting 1911-style pistols for over 100 years.

Many, many manufacturers produce 1911-style pistols.

While 1911-style pistols may be costly to acquire, they also bring in real money when sold.

Obviously, millions of people around the world think they are worth the money.