Good 1911 .45ACP for $500-$700

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Sniper66

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Looking to advise a nephew about a good 1911 .45 for around $600. plus or minus. I'm not that familiar with .45s in that price range. I've shot Kimbers belonging to friends, but they are too expensive for my nephew. I have had good pistols, but they are kinda low on my interest list and I've not learned that much about them. Help if you can. Thanks.
 
Agree with frogfurr, RIA is your best best if buying new. Made in the Philippines but good quality. I had one and had no problems with it. Would buy another if was looking. Or you could buy used, and that opens up more possibilities in that price range.
 
What I always recommend is pay attention to the sight dovetails and the grip safety.

Most folks don't understand not all 1911 sight dovetails are the same. If you want a particular type of sight, night sights or adjustable sights, different dovetails will give you different options, and not all options will be available for all dovetails. This from Kensight will show some common dovetails. https://kensight.com/common-1911-sight-dovetails/

Not all grip safeties are beavertail grip safeties, and not all grip safeties will fit on all frames.

If you choose wrong on either of these choices, you're going to spend a lot of time, effort, and money fixing your choices.

I point this out, since when you are talking in this price range, you're going to get a lot of recommendations for the RIA GI gun https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fspgi-standard-fs-45acp-8rd

This gun will fit your price range, but it will have little GI sights, and a GI grip safety. If you like those, great, but if you want night sights or adjustable sights, or you really need to have a beavertail grip safety for comfort, replacing the stock parts for what you want will often be difficult and expensive.

Spending a little more for something like this https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fs-tacrock-standard-fs-45acp-8rd may give you more of what you want.
 
I have and shoot regularly a RIA and stainless Springfield Amory and would suggest either, also I have an ATI GI model that has been flawless also.
 
Girsan - Made in Turkey, who is not particularly a friend of the US.
RIA - Made in the Philippines, who is a friend of the US.
You decide.
 
I have a Colt series 70 gold cup national match, a Ruger commander, a Remington Rand of 1943 and the best one I shoot for accuracy, dependability is the $490 Rock Island Gi military copy with low profile sights. I broke in this gun in with 4 brands of hollow points followed by 500 rnds of rnd ball. One fail to feed and that is all. The tiny sights are very accurate for 25 yds and I carry this gun every chance I get for personal defense. Great quality in every way.
 
I would get a Colt base model at that price. they had one of the Classic series at my LGS for $725ish +\- I recall. Should have picked it up
 
Springfield Garrison $850 or the Ruger Nightwatchman, $719. That’s about the entire list in that range, pushing the envelope yes, but perhaps he has an uncle who might make a magnanimous gesture to fuel a worthy interest.

I used to tell people here all the time that a garage sale is often what separates them from what they can currently afford and what they really ought to have or want.
 
Sniper66 said:
Looking to advise a nephew about a good 1911 .45 for around $600. plus or minus. I'm not that familiar with .45s in that price range.
Click to expand...
Hands down RIA Tactical (Now Rock Standard). With enlarged chamber mouth, will reliably feed even sloppy reloads and I now call RIA "Glock" of 1911s. Samples I shot kept up with my railed Sig 1911 out to 15 yards. While some higher priced 1911s have trouble feeding LSWC/HP ammunition, RIAs I have shot fed LSWC reloads reliably all day when my railed Sig 1911 started to slow down after 300 rounds from tighter chamber and required cleaning.

Tactical/Rock Standard has most popular upgrades over GI model (Beaver tail grip safety, Flat main spring housing, Novak style sight, Ambi safety, Skeletonized hammer, Full length guide rod, Skeletonized adjustable trigger, grip panels. etc) at lowest cost.

Here's another gundeals list with $410 + $25 shipping being lowest cost - https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/4806015514312

51431_ROCK-STANDARD-FS-45ACP_right.png

https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fs-tacrock-standard-fs-45acp-8rd
  • Classic 70 series design
  • 5” button rifled barrel
  • Full length guide rod.
  • Low profile angled rear sight (Novak style)
  • Skeletonized hammer
  • Skeletonized trigger with adjustable over travel stop
  • Ambidextrous safety
  • Checkered rubber grips
  • Crisp factory 4- to 6-pound trigger
 
Last edited:
There's a ton of 1911s in that price range, actually.

Like as not, the best way to "pick" is to go to the LGS and decide, in your hands, which one seems to "fit right" the best.

That might be sights, it might be grip safety, it might be railed or not railed, it might even just be the price. Only person who is really going to know is you.

The list in this range is pretty long. Armscr, RIA, Tisas, Grisan, Ruger, even STI, Remington, SIG, and Colt (those last two will be just over at your top edge, but used examples can be less).
 
Stay away from anything not made in America, for a variety of reasons.

Colt, Dan Wesson, Springfield Armory, SIG (made in NH) are the best of the mass-produced, American guns.
 
gunsrfun1 said:
RIA - Made in the Philippines, who is a friend of the US.
Click to expand...
Yes, and I would add the Kahr / Thompson (Auto Ordnance) which is in the same price range and is made in the U.S.

You can start (in either case) with their basic GI models, but if you want a true WW2 clone, you will have to spend some money on upgrades.

Here is a picture of two WW2 clones that I put together. The top one is based on the RIA, and the bottom one on the Kahr / Thompson. Note that the RIA requires more modifications (the whole slide has to be replaced because the factory RIA slide has a very noticeable beveled ejection port), but when finished, it is more authentic. The Kahr / Thompson has more usable parts (ergo, the cost of conversion is much less) but its big drawback is that it has the Series 80 firing pin safety. That can be removed if a filler piece is used.

If you don't care about historical authenticity, they're both good out of the box.

IMG_0306a.jpg
 
Sniper66 said:
Looking to advise a nephew about a good 1911 .45 for around $600. plus or minus. I'm not that familiar with .45s in that price range. I've shot Kimbers belonging to friends, but they are too expensive for my nephew. I have had good pistols, but they are kinda low on my interest list and I've not learned that much about them. Help if you can. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Is he looking for a commander or a Govt length? If it were me I would push the budget up $100 and get a SA Garrison. They can be had for $700 shipped to your FFL.

https://www.smga.com/springfield-armory/45acp-5-garrison-blued-47608

If you do not mind where the come from the SDS Tisas would be my next recommendation. $384

https://dahlonegaarmory.com/product/sds-1911b-45acp-cerakote

RIA Standard FS $430

https://g4gguns.com/product/rock-island-std-45acp-8rd-5-pk/
 
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WVsig said:
Both regimes encourage or sanction what amounts to slave labor to deliver their products at the lowest price point. Two sides of the same coin.
Click to expand...

Turkey has made some fine guns and for many years, plus for NATO as I understand, I doubt that's done by slave labor. They have cheap, skilled labor but they also do not have to put up with US EPA or OHSA. I had a Tisas made in Turkey and it was fine, the Ruger I replaced it with was Made in USA.
 
JTQ said:
What I always recommend is pay attention to the sight dovetails and the grip safety.

Most folks don't understand not all 1911 sight dovetails are the same. If you want a particular type of sight, night sights or adjustable sights, different dovetails will give you different options, and not all options will be available for all dovetails. This from Kensight will show some common dovetails. https://kensight.com/common-1911-sight-dovetails/

Not all grip safeties are beavertail grip safeties, and not all grip safeties will fit on all frames.

If you choose wrong on either of these choices, you're going to spend a lot of time, effort, and money fixing your choices.

I point this out, since when you are talking in this price range, you're going to get a lot of recommendations for the RIA GI gun https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fspgi-standard-fs-45acp-8rd

This gun will fit your price range, but it will have little GI sights, and a GI grip safety. If you like those, great, but if you want night sights or adjustable sights, or you really need to have a beavertail grip safety for comfort, replacing the stock parts for what you want will often be difficult and expensive.

Spending a little more for something like this https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fs-tacrock-standard-fs-45acp-8rd may give you more of what you want.
Click to expand...

This is good advice but I often take the different approach. I often recommend to people to buy a bone stock Colt GI. These days that means a Colt Classic. I did not recommend that here because of the price point. The Colt Classic has usageble sights, thumb safety and a match barrel. These days they are $850-$900 guns. They used to be $700 guns. I then recommend the new 1911 shooter shoot 500-1000 rounds out of the base stock Colt. From there you will learn to shoot and know the basic platform. Then you can either modify the gun or from a place of knowledge source your new gun with the "upgrades" that you want and need not the ones someone else choose for you. The reason I often recommend a Colt for this is because if you decide the platform is not for you if you bought smart you can get 95% of your money out of the Colt. Can't say that about other brands.

Too many people jump right into the "upgraded' 1911s but do not understand why they need them or what they actually do for them. An experienced 1911 shooter knows the difference. Knowledge and experience is learned and earned behind the trigger it isn't bought out of the box ready. YMMV

750984.jpg
 
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