Springfield 1911A1: GI, Mil Spec, or Loaded?

You have to ask yourself what features do you really want and what are you trying to make this pistol do. The price of "upgrading" a 1911 depends entirely on what you want to put in it. "Upgrading" is subjective. People have their own ideas on what makes the "perfect" 1911. Hence "custom". I'm personally more of a GI-type 1911 fan and the only customizations I like are sights and grips.

Since price is an issue and you just want a 1911, start off with a GI or Mil-Spec and see if you really like them and you'll get a better idea after familiarizing yourself with the pistol on what you want to do with it.

I bought a Mil Spec not long ago. The difference for me is that the GI sights are borderline non-functional while the Mil-spec sights are just fine. The Mil-spec exhibits pretty good accuracy right out of the box, but if it doesn't satisfy you, you can just get a tighter barrel bushing for around $25, and it'll shoot about as well as any other non-custom 1911 will out of the box. The barrel on it has plenty of accuracy potential.

Taurus PT 1911

I know this not on your list but you may want to look at them because you said:

dubious,
I'm not rich... far from it. I probably shouldn't buy another gun... but I really want a 1911 sometime in the not to far off future.

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That being said then you should look at the Taurus PT 1911.


I'm waiting for the Sainless to come out and I'll be getting one of those also.

I would suggest that you get the Mil-Spec because it has all the main performance "upgrades" done to it already without changing the no-nonsense charachter of the pistol.

Just the better sights on the Mil-Spec is worth the extra bit of cash you pay for it but you also get lowered ejection port, polished & throated barrel ramp & magazine bevel. It is definitely cheaper to get these as part of the package rather than pay a smith to do this later- it could cost another couple of hundred dollars worth of labor.

Don't think the "loaded" is worth it. By the time you are familiar with your Mil-Spec, you should know what you want done to it in terms of upgrades. -You may feel that you don't need anymore upgrades at all.

Getting a Match barrel really depends on what type of shooting you plan on doing. If you want to seriously compete, then you should be getting a different gun altogether.

Get the milspec and fix it up like you and your wallet likes

I have the LDA Bi-tone model with night sights. I love this pistol. Noticeably lighter than the traditional 1911's. Very balanced with a loaded mag.

Solid!

If you get a GI or a Milspec, you will spend more money on mods to get it up to par with a Loaded (less money when you get the Loaded at the get go). This is why I chose Loaded (better value if you are going to modify your Milspec or GI anyhow).

For the extra features you get I would go with the loaded. It would cost you more then the difference in price to have all these added

The Taurus 1911s (of recent vintage) are getting very good reviews; it seems they are competitively priced, too. Good luck.

Based on your parameters (low budget) that narrowed it down to the Mil Spec and GI IMO.

I have, love, and shoot the hell out of my GI. I got the GI to build something like what my father would have carried in Vietnam and what my grandfathers carried in WWII. I'm going to get a Loaded also, but the tribute was more important so I got the GI first.

For the money, the GI is a great pistol. It groups well, functions great, and despite being a reproduction, feels like a part of history. Keep in mind, the GI is more of a combat pistol (hit a man sized target and kill it) and not a target pistol. IMO, the sights on the GI are it's only downfall, but hey...that's what the grunts had!

For someone who just wants a good shooter, with decent sights, a few upgraded features, and is reasonably priced, I think the Mil Spec is your best option.

Nothing wrong with the Loaded though, just be prepared for fork over some more dough.

Little Or No Money

Springfield's MIL-SPEC

Little Or No Money
Springfield's MIL-SPEC

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+1

Noww on sale at www.budsgunshop.com $600 delivered No interest No payments for 90 days can't beat that.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_24/products_id/32592

Been shooting 1911s since 1959, when $25 would buy a nice GI pistol with some ammo money left over.

Picked up a Mil-Spec a while back. Only significant change I made was fitting up a slightly higher front sight in a dovetail cut to zero it where I wanted. that done, it shoots very well. Good sights, good trigger. I see no need to muck it up.

The GI is good, but if sights are important, get the Mil-Spec. I personally think the GI sights are usable and an important part of the classic shape/function, but I won't lie, they are not for everyone.

Don't buy a Springfield to modify because the Loaded is basically everything that people would do to it, but already done and for less money than modding a pistol. Modding a pistol to make it yours is nice, but not if you are strapped for cash.

If you're low on funds and you want it soon, get the GI and spend the money later for something high end when you can afford it.

If I was going to save up for a little while, I'd get the Mil-Spec only because the features on the Loaded don't really appeal to me

GI gets my vote.

well...

...the Mil-Specs' I've seen or bought, are usually better fitted and have a stainless one-piece barrel...shoot to point of aim, have sights that work for Ex and tend to be better regulated than the Loadeds...I don't care for the Novaks that came on my loaded models and they all needed assistance to shoot POA/POI...The loaded parts were just not as well fitted or as durable on the samples I had...YMMV

I say go for the Mil-Spec. Shoot it a while and see what you need changed on it if anything. I bought an NM prefixed Mil-Spec that comes with the one-piece stainless barrel, stainless bushing and undercut front sight. I shot it for a while then sent it to the Springfield Custom Shop for the following; beavertail, skeleton hammer, extended thumb safety, 10-8 Performance Rear Sight, 10-8 Performance Long Solid trigger, 4.5# action job, polish the ramp and throat and reparkerize the whole gun. I paid $366 for the gun and $420 for the parts and mods. So for $786 I got a great 1911 with parts that were hand fitted, the sights I wanted and no forward cocking serrations.

Here it is, but it's a poor pic.

If you want a beavertail, extended safety and "Novak" type sights, you'll save a lot of money buying the loaded...without question!!

mil-spec

Have you had a chance to shoot both a Mil spec and a more tricked out 1911? You may want to give it a try. One difference you'll notice is the Mil spec has an arched main spring housing which is just the ticket for me. The Loaded models come with a flat mainspring housing which I don't care for personally, but alot of people prefer it. The Loaded models also tend to come with a long trigger while the Mil specs have a short trigger. It's sort of a toss up for me, but to some people it makes a bigger difference. Same thing goes with the extended beavertail grip safety. I like them pretty well for a range gun, but for everything else, I prefer a mil-spec type grip safety. For some people though, the mil-spec causes them to get hammer bite if they have larger or chubbier hands (my hands are on the large side, no problems). The extended safety lever is the same way.

Basically what I'm trying to illustrate is that all the bells and whistles aren't necessarily better for everyone. They do alter the feel of the pistol, so you'll want to handle both of them, preferably in live fire, and decide which fits you better. My first 1911 actually had all the bells and whistles, and I spent a little bit on some of the parts to convert them back towards a Mil-spec configuration, just because it's more comfortable for me. You'll have to decide for yourself what style you prefer based on more than just cosmetic considerations.

Have the 5" GI-45 and the 4" Loaded Champion.

The sights are tiny on the GI-45, while the Champion has the Novak night sights.

Don't have the "Mil-Spec" version, but as I understand it has better sights and the lowered/flared ejection port.

So, it boils down to YOUR preferences & budget.

even with the tiny sights, I prefer the size/feel of the GI-45 over the smaller Champion.