1911 on a $600 budget

Huh. I was going to suggest a Colt 1991A1, but it seems they've gone up a bit since I bought mine when it first came out. About 900 or so new, starting.

*sigh*

I am really happy with my Citadel 1911. (full size, RIA) It seems to shoot really well, feeds SWCs just fine.
A new one should meet the $600 price point.

Another vote for STI Spartan.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

Chief, the base Colt 1991 Government Model can be found at a couple of internet dealers for around $700 these days. I almost bought one last December when Colt had a $100 rebate on them, but was saving my pennies for something else.

My stepbrother has a basic RIA. He bought years ago, has fired thousands if rounds through it, has had zero issues, and likes it a LOT.

I got a Turkish Tisas. Same story. It has NEVER malfunctioned. It is more accurate than I am.

The last time I checked you could get either one of them for $400 or less.

Many guys are going to claim their low end 1911's are awesome, never jam and are absolute tack drivers.

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Sounds just like my $450 Metro Arms 1911. No problems whatsoever.

Springfield: Mil Spec, not the GI. (Sights are better).
Only drawback is only beavertail that works without welding up is SA
or Smith and Alexander as grip tang size and shape is unique to Springers.
Cheers, J

tomrkba said:

Wrong gun type. "Budget" and "1911" do not go well together.

Many guys are going to claim their low end 1911's are awesome, never jam and are absolute tack drivers. I've played with these lower end guns and invariably had problems.

I did get lucky once and scored a used Colt XSE for $650.

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Yeah. Because if you dont buy a cult like they did, you're lying if you say it runs/shoots as good. Fanboyz, hmmph.

The Ruger gets my nod too. I have a 5-inch and it's flawless. For carry, I'd look at the new LW version.

For $600, I would be looking for a used Springfield Loaded.

I'd look into Les Baer or Wilson Combat's offerings.

Thermactor said:

I'd look into Les Baer or Wilson Combat's offerings.

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Or a Glock 19?

Sergei Mosin said:

Chief, the base Colt 1991 Government Model can be found at a couple of internet dealers for around $700 these days. I almost bought one last December when Colt had a $100 rebate on them, but was saving my pennies for something else.

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If I remember correctly, I bought mine at $450 back when they first came out.

It's not been changed at all and has never given me any problems in the thousands of rounds I've shot through it since then...and that's what, nearly a quarter century now? Hard to argue with that kind of performance!

But still...a budget is a budget and the 1991A1 is nominally out of the OPs $600 budget. At least new, without some kind of deal.

Ruger SR1911 or STI Spartan.

For $600, I would be looking for a used Springfield Loaded.

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Good luck finding a Springfield Loaded for around $600. They go for closer to $800 in my area.

Cabelas puts the STI Spartan in 4 and 5 inch lengths on sale for under $600.00. I like the F.O. front sight and LPA rear sight on the 5 inch. The trigger on the Spartan is excellent.

Metro Arms/Bersa.
Good luck finding someone who actually owns one to complain about it.

With a $600 budget, it's going to be very hard to get a good out of the box reliable 1911. For the most part, I'd say the price floor for a reasonably reliable 1911 is around $850. For $850, Sig, Springfield Loaded models, or Smith and Wesson are the guns to get. Are there other options for more budget friendly 1911's, yes there are, but the QC is far from ideal.

To be totally honest, if you want a 1911, put the $600 down as a deposit on a Wilson Combat 1911 and in the 24 or so months you have to wait for it to be built, you can save plenty of cash to cover the balance that will be due before they ship the gun to your FFL. The biggest advantages of going this route, you will get a gun that is going to function flawlessly right out of the bag and you're going to have exactly the features you want and none that you don't.

The biggest thing that I think people don't realize about the 1911 is that they are a gun that doesn't lend itself well to mass production. They required skilled fitting of parts if you want everything to mate up correctly and if you want the gun to function properly.

My vote is for the Remington R1. Though I don't think you'll come in under $600, you won't be much over, and they are a rock solid, reliable and pretty accurate pistol. Mine won't quite run with my Kimber Stainless Target II 10mm for making itty bitty groups, but it is every bit as accurate as any of my service pistols, more than some. The thing has not missed a beat, either, whether 230 gr. ball, 250 gr. LRNFP, 185 gr +P or anything else I've thrown at it.

Comparing it to it's nearest competitor, the Springfield GI, the R1 has nicer finish, much better sights, a better barrel and a lowered & flared ejection port. But it still retains the GI look if you don't nitpick those minutia.

With a $600 budget, it's going to be very hard to get a good out of the box reliable 1911.

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Nonsense. You just have to have appropriate expectations, meaning that a quality 1911 in the $600-$700 range is gonna be no frills, like the Remington R1 standard or Springer GI.

Ruger SR 1911 You'll be glad you did

I get a kick out of people that think a $600 1911 is unreliable out of the box. You can get a lemon no matter if it's a $600 gun or a $1600 gun. I bought a RIA Tactical back when they were $350 and haven't had any issues with it. It will digest anything I feed it (to include HP rounds).

The main differences between upper and lower priced 1911s are fit and finish. Yes the more expensive ones have a nicer finish and tighter slide to frame fit. But there is a misconception about slide to frame fit effecting accuracy. Barrel to slide fit has more to do with accuracy. I carried a 1911A1 while in the Army that sounded like it would fall apart if shook but the barrel to slide fit was good and I always qualified expert with it.

A buddy of mine has a Kimber and it jammed and was not as accurate as my RIA. I'm not bashing Kimber, just showing that you can get a lemon from them too.

The 1911 is one of those guns that if you're going to get one you may as well get a good one if you don't already have one.

walker944 said:

Good luck finding a Springfield Loaded for around $600. They go for closer to $800 in my area.

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A new black finished Loaded is $749 at Bud's.... $600 is about all I would pay for a used one.

Harry1969 said:

The 1911 is one of those guns that if you're going to get one you may as well get a good one if you don't already have one.

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My buddy just bought a basic RIA. It was a little over 400 bucks. It feeds good and shoots groups as good as most any out of the bix 1911 I have seen. It's not fancy looking and only has basic sights, but it works great.

Yes you can get an acceptable 1911 for about $500-$600, but you can just as easily get a complete junker at that price point. At that price point, you are going to lack the QC that is present on a slightly more expensive gun (i.e. $800-$1500 price point), and certainly are not getting the attention to detail that goes into the assembly and fitting of a custom gun (Baers and Turnbulls starting around $1700 all the way up to stupid expensive). I've had and have 1911s that cover a wide section of the price and quality spectrum from relatively inexpensive that functioned well enough to relatively expensive paperweights.

What I can say is that I've had a very positive experience with my Wilson Combat pistols at the higher end of the price spectrum, at the mid point, my Springfield TRP was outstanding and I've had a couple of Kimbers in the same price point, one was a solid performer, two were far from it. At the lower end of the price spectrum, I had a Springfield Loaded that performed well, but left a lot to be desired in terms of fit and finish. Same for Springfield GI.