? 1911 to buy

IMHO:
The American Classic & American Classic II are VERY good, VERY inexpensive 1911s.
Retail is about $500 or so.

The ACII has all the features of the expensive models at 1/2 the price.
It has the extended beaver tail, lowered/flared ejection port & Novak 3 dot adjustable sights.

The down side is that the grips look like crap & it only only comes with one mag.
(but that mag is a very good 8rd ACTMAG.)
And it works flawlessly with $7 mags.

I put Altamont grips on mine.
http://altamontco.com/experimental/products/pistol/1911/#1911_Premier.php



The AC is a stock GI model which retails for about $450

I hear theres a pretty nice stainless loaded 1911 in 9mm in the WTS Section.... -_-

Oh, boy! This thread could set the record for longevity on THR. Everybody is gonna have their favorites and it sometimes takes three or four 1911 purchases before you find the one you really like. I have a number of custom high dollar 1911s. Wilson Combat, Ed Brown, Colts, Nighthawk, Kimbers and a Sig. I've sold or traded several others. I like my Kimber TLEII. It's a full size pistol, all steel, has as good a trigger out of the box as other more expensive 1911s and will shoot any commercially available round I've run through it. I've had no problems with it. Initial cost should be in that ~ $1000 range. I've changed grips several times maybe because I'm a tinkerer and am compelled to do upgrades I don't necessarily need. That's just my fun.
I'm not familiar with RIA or some of the other recommendations but I'm sure they are fine workable pistols. I have been thinking about the STIs because they have a good rep for 1911s.

I'm always in the market for something new. Be careful about used guns unless you trust the seller(esp. gun shows). Yay long years ago I got a great deal on a used full sized Colt Gov't model only to find the sear had been too aggressively filed down and I had a full auto pistol in my hand. That wasn't good---luckily I'd only loaded a partial mag at the range. If I buy a used pistol now I always have my gunsmith buddy tear it down and do a total inspection before it's fired. Caveat emptor!

Well, I just picked up my new R1 today, and even though I knew they are well made, I'm still impressed. Fit & finish is top shelf, trigger is clean and crisp, and barrel lock up is very tight for a GI-type 1911, so I expect accuracy will be good. They took a little hike in price recently, but still a very nice pistol at a reasonable dollar figure. I'll do a full review once I've made it to the range.

KIMBER Pro Carry II. Recently got this one for just over $900 with a Galco Leather IWB holster and tax...

Colt .45

Colt Officers .45 ACP.

You have got to have choices so here are several.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/411539804

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/1171/products_id/411539799

The Kimber looks just great but I like parkerized on a 45. What do you like is what counts though.

SW1911sc by S&W. I'd steer clear of Kimbers, due mainly to the many reviews on many forums of reliability issues. Watch any review online with video, or read an extensive use review, and predominantly they are negative in the reliability department. I know, opinions or experiences are hit or miss, but so much so that I'll never buy one.

The second link j1 gave is also a fine, economical choice. It's a great shooter.

Smith and Wesson

I bought a smith and Wesson series E scaduim frame about a month ago , for the size and power you can't beat it , I also have a Sig Scorpian they are both great guns but if push come to shove I would go with the Smith E series

grubbylabs said:

Thanks for the responses every one,


I have gotten a lot of what you would by but very little as to why, what features does your recommendation have that you think puts it above the rest?

Thanks.

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You want to avoid the following: an external extractor, full-length guide rod, Series 80-style firing pin block, and a Swartz safety. That knocks a lot of recommendations off the list. All, in my opinion, adversely affect reliability or ease-of-use of a 1911.

I'd say you want a standard mil spec to start, in other words. RIA does a decent job with those. So does Norinco. The Springfield Range Officer is frequently mentioned at this price point, as is the Ruger. If you pick up a standard mil spec model, I'd lower and flare the ejection port, and while you're at it, get a decent gunsmith to look it over.

You want to avoid the following: an external extractor, full-length guide rod, Series 80-style firing pin block, and a Swartz safety. That knocks a lot of recommendations off the list. All, in my opinion, adversely affect reliability or ease-of-use of a 1911.

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MachIVshooter said:

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And, more to the point, they don't give you anything you need.

Get a series 70 Colt.

If you had 800-1000 give or take a few, what 1911 would you buy and why?

I want a 1911 for both fun and a ccw.

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Well you can buy this one, but it will cost you a hell of a lot more then a grand!

Colt, Remington or I'd look at the Mag Research DE 1911G... I haven't shot one yet but they look and feel very good..

I love my Rock Island and I love the price I paid for it almost as much. Otherwise I'd invest in an STI or if you can find one used a Dan Wesson.

Springfield Loaded. Either stainless or the Packerized model. Everything that a good carry gun needs and nothing more. Only thing I would delete is the forward cocking serrations but that is just personal preferance.

And, more to the point, they don't give you anything you need.

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Nor is there anything wrong with these features. Just different. If you're a purist, I suppose it matters. I have/had 1911's with just about every combination of those things, and they all worked just fine.

I just recently bought a Sig Carry Fastback. There's a review of it on here. I bought it as a potential replacement for my Colt Officers' Model because... well... I'm just not all that crazy about the Colt. It's a fine pistol, don't get me wrong, but it just doesn't seem to fit me well.

Things I like about the Sig:

• It's a Commander-size pistol, with 4.25" barrel and full-size grip. This means it has a somewhat longer sight radius and a little bit more weight out front to help mitigate recoil. It also means that it takes a full-size magazine, so it has one more round on tap.
• It comes with really nice snag-free night sights. They present a good sight picture, day or night.
• It's got a bob-tailed butt, and that roundness seems to make it fit my hand better. Purely subjective, but there ya go.
• It's all stainless steel, frame and slide (finished in black 'Nitron'). I don't mind carrying a bit of extra weight around, and in my opinion, stainless is just more durable than aluminum. I can't speak to the durability of scandium as used by S&W, because I just don't know that much about it. I do know that I like the weight when it comes to handling recoil. I also know that as long as I don't abuse the pistol too terrible much, it'll be handed down from my kids to their kids, long after I'm gone.

Hope this helps you some.

How is the metal on a Rock Island? I know they are cast, but some casts are good, some are bad. Is the RIA a gun that will hold up over time? I'm in the market for a replacement truck gun and none of my local shops have any 1911s accept a few collector pieces or Rock Islands. They look good for my purpose, but I'm worried that they may not hold up.
Mauserguy

You're unlikely to wear out a RIA gun, they're quite well made.