1911 - Build up Mil-spec or buy Loaded ??

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Hey all. I am casual shooter, no competition. Range use only.

I was contemplating getting a SA Loaded, DW MP7, or a S&W, but then someone suggested I get a Mil-spec and then just let a Smith add a match grade barrel/bushing and trigger job.

What are your thoughts on this route??


Also, there are not Dan Wesson dealers in Las Vegas, so I does not look like I will get to see one before buying, and I would really like to see/hold before I buy.
 
SA Loaded is not a pistol that has been 'tuned' by a smith.

You are comparing an apple with an orange.

SA Loaded does not come with a match grade barrel & bushing hand fitted to the gun. Neither does it have a reliability job done on the internals.

The SA Loaded just comes with better parts & cosmetic features.

If you just want a range gun, the Loaded should be fine. After you shoot it a while, you will know if you need a reliability job performed on it, or whether you really notice the lack of a match barrel.

If you buy a mil-spec and add match barrel/bushing + reliability job, your total costs will be much higher than the SA Loaded.
 
There is nothing “wrong” with the loaded but you will have a better pistol having a reputable 1911 gunsmith building one on a MilSpec frame.
 
save your pennies and buy a loaded one. I made a similar mistake once, but it wasn't a gun build, it was a 360 Chrysler.
 
It'll be a whole lot cheaper buying what you want instead of buying something to have altered. If you want a smithed gun watch the classifieds here, they come up pretty often (often enough to take your pick of features) and are usually significantly less expensive than having it built. If you just want a good factory gun with some bells and whistles, buy one that came from the factory that way. Replacing parts with new quality parts and paying a pro to install them adds up quick, not to mention the wait and shipping fees if not local.
 
Hey all. I am casual shooter, no competition. Range use only.
Click to expand...

If these are your requirements, I'd get the Mil-Spec... and shoot it 'as is'.

After a few thousand rounds, you'll have a better idea of what you really want out of the gun. But all you're really looking for is some good times on the firing line, I'm guessing you won't make any real changes in the pistol. :)
 
If you want the features of the loaded, buy it. I found a used milspec several years ago for a great price and built it into what I wanted. At the end of the day, I could have bought a loaded and had most of the features I added. I wouldn't have had the experience or fun however. If you are going to create something special, or value the hands on experience, build. If you want the features right now--buy.

--usp_fan
 
I've been pondering the same question, because I've always bought a stock pistol and built it up - now that I'm in the US, I have the luxury of choice between a Mil-spec or a Loaded and I'm just plain not used having that choice. Argh ;)
 
If you're just a "casual" shooter, I'd recommend the Mil-spec shooter. For that matter, one could argue that the same pistol will serve just as well for a CCW piece.
 
BTDT. I decided on a milspec. I changed a few parts before I paid it off, swapped out the short trigger for a long one (a colt trigger out of the parts bin), swaped out the arched MSH for a flat one, and ditched the pretty wood for Kimber rubber grips.

I also got a beavertail for it, and planed on having it installed after I finished shopping for it. I was going to add a (now discontinued:mad: ) surefire 610R, a dovetailed night sight up front and a yost retro rear, new sear and hammer, triggerjob, and have the barrel hardchromed while the rest of the pistol was getting refinished.

I got the beavertail. Thats it. Never had it installed. It was my house gun, truck gun, and my beater, and it ran like a top. The more I shot it, the less interest I had in changing it. So be warned, if you buy a mil-spec, you may not get around to changing this, that, and the other, since you're too busy shooting it.

As much as I hate to say it, I no longer have it. I traded it for an EOtech, and I've kept my eyes peeled for another ever since.
 
Mil Spec build up or loaded

I am thoroughly sold on the fun of having things built for me or customizing stock guns. I've done 4 Mil Specs. I have found them to be very tight and great shooters as they are; barrel bushing cut on the last one would not accept Ed Brown drop in match bushing (supposedly a superior part).
My other observation is that I have never found a "loaded" pistol that was "exactly what I wanted" the only way to do that is to have it built. Your ideas about what EWIW will change as time goes by and new products become available, but, oh well, time to build a new gun. Barrel is key.

Smiths I have used that do excellent work:
Novaks
EGW
C&S
Kings
Terry Tussey
Robar
 
Well, everyone else has already said it but I agree.
Building is more fun (and expensive)
My friend bought a GI about 6 months before I bought my loaded. He had well over a grand in his GI by the time I got my 700 dollar loaded. He drooled over my loaded (and not the appearance). Now there is no other GI like his on the planet, but my gun was more accuate, more reliable (his mags caught on the way in and out), and had a better trigger (even though his was jobed) for less cash. I am a big fan of indiviuality but the loaded is a better bargain. If I had the money I would have bought a GI or Mil spec and worked it out only because I don't care for front serrations. Actually I'd probably just buy a loaded and put a GI slide on it. :D
Whatever you do, get it in stainless so you can buff out the idiot mark when you scratch it.
 
For me, the Loaded is just perfect. Novak sights, high hold beavertail safety, ambi extended thumb safeties. Adding these parts alone to a Milspec will cost you over $300. Building up a Milspec to your tastes is a more expensive route, and you have to know what you want and don't want first. In the end, though, it will be a better overall gun.

As a package deal, however, the Loaded is a Best Buy and a perfect gun for the casual shooter. Shoot it as is, if any parts break, replace them with quality parts (Brown, Wilson Combat, EGW, etc.). My Excalibur for the longest time was a Loaded with a fitted Bar-Sto barrel and a trigger job. Shot better with that than guys did with guns twice the price. ;)
 
Thanks for everyones helpful input. I really considered what everyone said. Given what I know about myself and my life right now, I think it would be best to buy the more built up gun, even though it may not be as custom or as accurate. I think I have it narrowed down to two 1911s.

By the way, I rented a range gun this weekend. It was a Kimber 1911, custom II. It had a great trigger and although it did not look like it had ever been cleaned it worked great. I liked it and I did not think the recoil was harsh or unpleasant. I would compare it to my xd sub-compact in 9mm. As reference, I recently shot a .357 mag (ruger blackhawk) and would not want to make it a regular shooter. :what: :what:
 
I solved that problem by getting a Sig P220 to go with my Springfield GI. I shoot the 1911 to get it out of my system, and when I want to fire a simply better gun that cost far less than a 1911 of equal quality, out comes my Sig.
 
I vote for a custom II. 600-700 dollars, shoots GREAT, and has all the fancy match grade stuff. I love mine..
 
Oh yeah...

If staying with "factory custom", go Kimber...TLE will make you a happy man for similar $. Still wants night sights tho; Novak or XS.
Cheers, TF
 
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