Best entry level 1911?

There was a Colt XSE Lightweight posted on here a couple days ago... that would be it...

I'm leaning toward a Dan Wesson Valor.

AR15activist said:

That's like me asking about a good car for my 14 year old, and you say the 2nd cheapest lambo lol

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lol

I don't know. The flip side of the coin, you ask for a reliable Toyota for your kid, and everyone is recommending rotted out Ford Broncos and VW's with no service history. They're cheap, but cheap AND unreliable is not for entry level or for beginners.

1911's are expensive. Go all in or stay out. Colt and Dan Wesson are the only under $1200 1911's I'll ever recommend.

The companies spitting out 40,000+ 1911's can't possibly QC them or supply enough quality parts to keep up. And the ones selling for $600 or less can't have any hand fitting or QC at all and be profitable.

It's possible with revolvers and Glocks, but 1911's are a special case. Not an easy gun to manufacturer.

Yes, but if Colt is a Toyota, then Dan Wesson is a Lexus. If you are blessed with the means, then a Lexus could be an entry level, I suppose. Just not for 95% of us.

I had a VW -ugh! - spent over 200 days in the shop just warranty repairs over it's troubled life. That's a good analogy for my brief flirtation with Kimber. Again, ugh!

Colt ( if you have no objection to the series 80 mechanism ) and Springfield - those are my picks for solid, reasonably priced entry-level 1911 - the Toyota and Honda analogues. Though that Ruger is a mighty attractive package in the price range.

Edit: Nevermind. The more you stir it, the more it stinks.

Springfield gi

Riflegear.com has the Springfield mill spec 1911 on sal for $599 right now.

A few years ago my stepbrother bought a basic RIA 1911. At about the same time I bought a basic Tisas 1911 from Bud's. They both cost less than $400.

My stepbrother loves his RIA- it is his favorite handgun. He has had no problems with it.

My Tisas has had zero malfunctions ever. It is one of my two favorite semi-autos (tied with my CZ75).

Well, I have an RIA and right of of the box it had a malfunction. No luck contacting RIA to try to get the out of spec part. I fixed it myself with a $20 part which is cheap compared to returning it to them. It's been flawless since the fix.

Deleted-double post.

I've had a lot of 1911 .45's, but I stopped wanting any others when I acquired the Ruger. For me, it does not beg for upgrades of any kind. I not only prefer it over any other 1911, but also over any pistol ever made.

However, the perfect pistol for me may not be the perfect pistol for you. Some people require a safety lever on both sides, night sights, checkering all over the place, exotic slide serrations, custom magazines, tiny groups. That is not me at all. I just wanted an American made, non rattling, good sights, etc., and I found it in the Ruger. I'm not one that likes enhancements beyond what comes on the Ruger.

I take it out every day or so and marvel at its perfection and how it suits me better than anything else available at any price. Accuracy at 50 yards is acceptable, which makes it a good woods gun. Rounded corners make it comfortable to conceal carry. The 5" version (which is the one I have) makes it point perfectly. The all steel gun takes the recoil down to easy management. The grips are thin and beautiful. The tightness of it is amazing. Mine was $699 at Gander Mountain. I like it so much, I'm going to try and get the commander size, and the lightweight model. I'm greedy that way.

@ AR15activist

Counts for me. "Entry level" is different for different people. Why buy an SR1911 (or some other) and spend the purchase price all over again getting it the way you want it when you can do that in one fell swoop?

I tend to keep my guns stock.

This Remington R1 I bought last fall is a solid, tight 1911 and shoots just fine. Grabagun has them for $525, plus a $75 factory rebate right now. For $450 it is a darn good buy. No QC issues on mine, and I like the 3 dot sights better than my Springer GI.

I'd also go with Rock Island or Remington R-1.

Counts for me. "Entry level" is different for different people. Why buy an SR1911 (or some other) and spend the purchase price all over again getting it the way you want it when you can do that in one fell swoop?

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"Entry-level" is meaningless and useless as a term if it's not treated as an objective category (with perhaps slightly blurry boundaries). We're not talking about the lowest-end gun that any one person is willing to buy. The Les Baer I just bought a few weeks back is probably the "lowest-end" 1911 currently made that I'll ever buy. Even if I do take a step down to pick up a Valor at some point, I'm certainly not ever going to be buying the Ruger, STI Spartan, and RIA models that I'm recommending. But I'm also not going to be telling people that a Baer is a good "entry-level" 1911. Calling a Dan Wesson Valor "entry-level" is equally absurd.

All decent entry level 1911s.

RIA Tactical 1911-$486
SA 1911 Mil Spec-$594
Ruger SR1911-$656
Remington 1911 R1-$679
Colt O1991-$710

R1 ia a deal at 450, slickguns has them all the time, also the Sr 1911 is 600 or below, in several places including Arms list and Slickguns. If you want to upgrade, you should start out with a great frame, and I would go with either a Colt, or a SA, only because many of these less expensive guns are proprietary systems by nature, and unless you are going to throw all of the internals away and buy all new ones, it isn't worth doing.
Especially if you are planning to really build out a nice gun. If you just want a utilitarian gun, look on BUDS in the 1911 section, they have Girsan and some other off brands in the 3-4 range. There was another one they had that was their own brand that was also cheap. Slick guns has deals on ATI's and RI's all the time in the 3hundred plus range, like 339 for a Titan.
Here I looked for you,http://www.slickguns.com/product/ati, 353 for a Titan.
That's the cheapest one on Buds also even the Girsan and Tisis went up a hundred bucks since last year, they were in the high 3's at one point.

Remington....

Id say no to the R1 series 1911s because Big Green says no +P or +P+ .45acp ammunition.
Some forum members may say "hey, so what" but where will they be if the .45acp breaks?

Rusty

AR15activist said:

By definition, this gun would be either the 1st or 2nd most basic/plain model offered by a given company. Any barrel/frame length/construction materials used are fine. This gun will likely be deriving it's reliability from a looseness in it's fit. She won't be real pretty, but this should be a serviceable weapon -- a gun one could upgrade in a piecemeal fashion.

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If it's a gun you're looking to modify or build on in the future then stay away from the cheap Turkish and Philipino clones and stick with guns that are known for quality, "in spec" frames/slides/barrels like Springfield and Colt. Not only will they make better foundations for future builds, they'll retain their value. I don't care what you do or add to a RIA or Tisas, at the end of the day, it's still a cheap clone.

I recently bought a brand new Colt Commander from Palmetto State Armory for $599. Shop around and there are deals to be found.

Rock Island 1911-A1.

Colt and Dan Wesson are the only under $1200 1911's I'll ever recommend.

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What DW is 1200 new today My 2007 was 850 and tax in 2007 Seems now 2000 will get a DW .




American Classic Mine is not loose Its reliable and accurate . Metro Arms more money 600 range for a commander size . All Metro hand fitted .