Entry 1911

Stay with Colt, Kimber and Springfield and not always in that order.

I have a Springer which has never let me down.

Stay away from cheap mags.

High Standard is not the company they used to be years ago. High Standard made very nice target 22 pistols which would run with the big dogs. They won't today.

Don't rule out the Taurus Pt-1911. I bought one over the weekend, shot it today and it was everything I'd hoped it'd be and more.

Out of all these previous 1911's I'd owned, the taurus blew them all away!(flame suit on)

Wilson CQB
Kimber SS Target II
Springfield A1
Charles Daly

Good luck!

jpatterson said:

I got an offer to trade my XD.45 for a High Standard 1911

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High Standard branded 1911's are now manufactured in the Philippines, they are roughly equivalent to Rock Island and Charles Daly. Not a horrible choice for an entry level gun, but far from the best choice.

jpatterson said:

Are parts generally universal drop-ins or are they specific to make/model/size of the pistol itself?

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There are "drop in" parts out there, but they generally don't drop in without fitting, and if they do it's because they are built to such loose tolerances that you probably aren't going to like the performance you'll get. To get the proper fit and performance, you're going to have to actually fit the parts correctly. Doing so takes some time and know how to do the upgrades and end up with a safe, properly functioning weapon, especially if you go screwing with the fire control group. A 1911 going full auto on you will ruin your day.

jpatterson said:

Okay, I understand the favored brands by now but can you upgrade any low-level 1911 to a decent/upper-grade one? That was my question.

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No, not really, and certainly not without spending more money than you would have spent on a higher quality gun to begin with. Take a $450 High Standard, drop $400 worth of upgrades in it, and guess what you have? A $450 High Standard.

At the end of the day, you're going to get what you pay for. If you want a low end gun to plink with and learn the 1911 platform on, a Rock Island or High Standard will suit you fine. If you're wanting to end up with a $700 gun, buy one to start with. You simply can't make chicken soup out of chicken poop, it just doesn't work that way.

Keep your gun. Save some money. When you can afford something decent, then trade. Otherwise you'll end up with something that probably won't run as nice as your XD and you'll want to trade up again anyway.

Colt
Springfield
Kimber
Dan Wesson
S&W

my rock island has shot 400 rounds without a problem

I see what you were after now......and have to agree with VHinch. I know a couple of guys with Rock Islands. They seem like good enough pistols for the $ but I still question PI's ability to make frames and slides which will stand up to a lot of rounds.

Luke, I'm glad your RI has made to 400 rounds. I require a 1000 rounds with out problems before I would carry any pistol on duty.

I carried my Springer on duty 10 years before I found the Glock 35.

I also have a high end 1911. It's so nice I won't carry it on duty. Not because it hick ups, it doesn't. It's just plain too nice to beat up. I will leave that up to the Glock.

If you are interested in one of the 1911's made in the Philippines I would suggest going with the Rock Island tactical pistol. It has better features like upgraded sights and beavertail for not much more than the standard model. http://www.centerfiresystems.com/AC-RI1911TAC.aspx

P-32; While I cannot speak for all P.I. (Philippine) made pistols durability, ARMSCOR and RIA are great guns and can last more than 400 rounds . (Im from the P.I.) If you get the chance to visit IPSC competitions in the Philippines you can see a lot of shooters competing with their ARMSCOR pistols side by side against springfield, colt, para and others. However, NORINCO 1911s still continue to outnumber and outrun even the high-end 1911s. A friend of mine has one and had clocked more than 20thousand rounds with his NORC with an occasional recoil spring change.

For heavy customization I'd go for the NORINCO against RIA, that if if you can find one in your area. So what if you'll spend 500USD more to upgrade and still end up with a cheapo-chicom 1911, these guns are tough and reliable to start with.

Goodluck anyway with your decision.

+1 on the RIA tactical. You will have a great shooting entry level 1911.The funny thing that everyone seems to forget is the original 1911's were designed to be reasonably priced military manstoppers with few frills.I'm of the opinion that the RIA is probably the best value 1911 made right now.CNC machining, good quality materials and a great factory warranty service.

Just went through the same considerations myself. I wanted an entry-level 1911, but needed something other than the basic military-style sights, since my middle-aged eyes aren't what they once were. I settled on a second-hand SA Mil-Spec (not G.I.). I have no intention of heavily customizing the gun, figuring that if the 1911 bug bites really hard, I'll be saving up to purchase a high-end gun at some point in the future. The Rock Island Tactical was a strong contender, but in the end, the Springfield won out.

entry level 1911

It's my understanding that all of the Philippine made 1911's are made by Armscor. In our local shooting club they have been running much better than the Taurus's. Taurus has a good guarantee, but it takes what seems like forever, I personally do not want a firearm that takes close to a year to get serviced. I have a Colt, a Springfield and 3 Kimber 1911's and I think I'm going to buy one of the Norinco or Armscor pistols. They are made with cheaper manufacturing processes, but I think they are sufficient. You won't get your money back for up-grades to any firearm, if your concerned about value buy a Colt or Wilson already equipped the way you want it. If I were a young man contemplating my next expenditure of a $1,000.00, I would buy a loaded Philippine .45 and a Dillon progressive reloader and spend the rest on loading components.

Shop carefully.

If you think you want upgrades from a standard configuration, make up your mind now and buy a pistol with those upgrades. It will be cheaper by far. Having said that, I bought a Springfield G.I. and had it worked over into a custom build, but it took about a grand in labor and a few hundred more in parts. I knew what I was getting into because I wanted a very specific setup. If you don't know what's involved, the sticker shock can be a bit overwhelming.

The Philipino guns are decent for the money, but for not much more you can get a better pistol in a Springfield or base model Colt. Kimber seems to be putting out a decent gun now that they've gotten rid of the external extractor sillyness. I've got a Charles Daly that's probably six years old and has passed 10K a long time ago with no problems. I'm not sure I'd expect that to be the norm, though. My several Springfields have put more ammo downrange in the same or less time with equal gusto and show less wear. Finish is better, too. The CD has almost none left.

There are no "drop in" parts for the 1911. There are parts advertized as such, but they never deliver. Expect some fitting for everything.

I'd tend to agree also with the opinion to keep the XD and save up for a 1911 a bit down the road. If you're serious about using a handgun, you need more than one.

I can't imagine giving up my XD45 for a 1911. Just buy an entry level 1911, so that you still have a reliable, high cap 45. And if I was looking for a (semi) entry level, I'd get an STI Spartan.

For my money, I would recommend the Springfield Millspec.

I work part-time in a local sporting goods store and the fit on the last 6 Springfield Milspecs have been nothing but outstanding. 2 of the 6 were as well fitted in the frame & slide as my custom 45's. I showed them to my gunsmith who was amazed. There was no movement laterally or verticly in the frame & slide. The barrels were solid at the hood and the bushings were tight.

Add the fact that the ejection port is dropped and tapered, sights are ok.

FWIW
Stork

I'm not following. What might happen that would result in your being "stuck to one pistol?" If you're looking at the political landscape, I can't see change on firearms regulations happening rapidly under either new administration, and if bad changes do happen, I suspect the pressure would be toward "no gun" rather than "one gun." Help us understand your thinking.