725$ to spend in a 1911....witch one?

[marine 97-03]

Ok I was looking at an R1... but now the STI SPARTAN (9MM) is in the running what others are around that price range and should be considered feel free to post pics. Thanx guys.

 

[leadcounsel]

Pick up a RIA or a Citadel for under $500, and spend the rest on good mags and ammo.

 

[tuj]

STI Spartan is a great gun, I have one in 45.

 

[meanmrmustard]

Pick up a RIA or a Citadel for under $500, and spend the rest on good mags and ammo.

This. Primarily, RIA. Best bang for buck. Pun intended.

 

[TAKtical]

Rock island armory 2011 tactical, or any rock island honestly. All of the tactical models besides the 2011 are under $500. That will leave you enough for some grips, a nice magwell, some wilson combat mags, ammo...

 

[marine 97-03]

Kinda wanting one in 9mm....I have a lot of 9mm ammo already ....

 

[ponchsox]

The Ruger SR1911 is a great value under $700.

 

[Shuler13]

Spartan V gets my vote.



Or the Spartan III

Or the Rock Island


Or all three
.

 

[MICHAEL T]

I go for a good used Colt or use that money to put in layaway and buy a new one,.

 

[WoodchuckAssassin]

I don't have any experience with the 9mm 1911, but if you already have a dooms-day stockpile of 9mm ammo, I say go with it. Personally, I have more 45 ammo then anything, and my Ruger SR1911 is all I need for whatever comes my way.

 

[Jaymo]

That Ruger sR1911 is sweet.

 

[firesky101]

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_1171/products_id/27389/Taurus+1911+45ACP+8rd+Stainless+W+Rail

I have never owned a Taurus, but this one has been catching my eye lately. You get a lot of 1911 for the $$$.

 

[meanmrmustard]

That Ruger sR1911 is sweet.

Except for the novelty hasn't worn off, and unless you get ridiculously lucky, they're not under $725 after tax.

 

[Jaymo]

That's a fact, meanmrmustard.

The Taurus PT1911 is sweet, too. I'd have to replace the grips, because I don't like the thin 1911 grips.

I think we all need to email Ruger and hound them into making blued SR1911s and commander versions.

 

[Coltdriver]

I picked up a nice, stock Colt Officers on Gunbroker for $715 shipped.

I could sell it today easily for $715.

You just save a little more and you can get a solid piece that will hold its value.

 

[Oldnoob]

Ok I was looking at an R1... but now the STI SPARTAN (9MM) is in the running what others are around that price range and should be considered feel free to post pics. Thanx guys.

Hi OP, are you looking for 9mm or 45acp? If just in 9mm, at your budget I think Spartan is the best you can get.

45acp wise, I think Sig 1911 are great pick and some of the options can be have at that price range.

 

[drsfmd]

Used gun from a better manufacturer. As others have pointed out, there are colts out there in your price range, you should even be able to find a used Kimber.

 

[Georgia45cal]

At this price range, you're going to get a gun with at a lot of investment cast and MIM parts. The question then becomes, who makes the best investment cast and MIM parts?

Ruger has been casting parts for a long time and I trust Ruger more than any other marker to not screw up MIM and cast parts. Very rarely, will you hear about Ruger's cast revolver frames, cylinders, or other parts failing.

I'd go with the Ruger SR1911.

 

[marine 97-03]

I could go with .45....... don't have as much 45 ammo as I do 9mm....but I can start To add more.

 

[marine 97-03]

]Are there Mim parts in a STI Spartan .....what about the sig XO

 

[Quick Shot xMLx]

Bought a Magnum Research 1911 for $540 barely used. They are around $700 new. Can't say enough good things about the gun. I only have around 400-500 rounds through it but they have been flawless. The fit and finish is great. The trigger is might just be the best trigger I've felt on a factory gun that was under $1000.

 

[marine 97-03]

I will look st those too...sounds interesting

 

[LiveLife]

Are there Mim parts in a STI Spartan .....what about the sig XO

Someone can correct me if I am off but as far as I can tell, MIM parts in my railed Sig 1911 TacPac (XO based) are slide lock, grip safety and frame safety. Here are pictures of slide lock and grip safety showing injection marks.

As to the quality and durability of MIM parts, I think that depends on the maker. I have 5000+ rounds on my Sig 1911 and no parts breakage.

This is from STI's FAQ page - http://www.stiguns.com/resources/faq/

"Q: Does STI use any MIM parts?
A: Yes. We, like most manufacturers, do but not in any of the “critical” stress or wear components. Our good friend Bob Serva of Fusion Firearms has graciously allowed us to quote his response to this question - http://rabbit.30de.com/resources/faq/faq-mim/

Gentlemen, the hysteria over MIM has been going on for many years. The facts are that MIM and PM (powder metal) are modern manufacturing processes that do have their place. Many parts lend themselves to MIM processes due to their shape and function. I have been working as a manufacturing engineer and closely with the firearms industry for over 20 years. I can give you some of my experience and facts of MIM and PM:

Q: Are MIM parts of lesser quality than cast, forged or barstock?
A: NO. MIM and PM parts if designed and processed properly are as good as the other process for most small part applications. Design, material selection and heat-treatment processes play a big part in quality and serviceable life of the part. For example, most people don’t understand how many products they use everyday that are MIM and PM processed. Items such as the transmission gears in your car, valves, the jaws on the cordless drill you use and many types of carbide tooling for machining to name a few.

Q: Why do manufactures use them in their product?
A: Quality and cost. MIM and PM allow for consistent process that produces repeatability and good quality parts of complicated geometry. Tooling for MIM parts is very expensive and you need to produce a product with some volume in sales or it is very hard to justify the costs.

Q: Can you make substandard quality MIM parts?
A: Yes. Again, design and process control are critical to good quality MIM parts. But this is also true with cast, forged, or barstock parts. If good manufacturing processes are not followed you will get parts of sub-standard quality.

Q: Why do we seem to see more MIM parts fail?
A: This is pure Numbers. Most production firearms include MIM or PM parts- Yes, you might not want to believe it but most all pistols, revolvers, and rifles contain MIM or PM parts. Most people, without knowing the difference, have been using these for many years. Why we hear about it more is because the majority of pistols and revolvers have some MIM content in them. So, if we want to look at this logically you have to think in PPM. (PPM is Parts Per Million- it is a basis to how to figure a parts failure rate and its effect on the product.) For example if in 2005 there were 500,000 pistol produced with MIM slide stops and the failure rate worked out to be 1 failure per 1000, we would see 500 MIM slide stops fail. If in the same year we produced 50,000 with bar stock slide stops with the same failure rate we would hear of 50 failures. So Yes, we do hear of more MIM failures and we probably should due to the fact that they are, at a minimum, of 10 to 1 in annual sales.

So Yes, MIM does has its place and it can and does produce high quality and durable parts. Yes, some will fail, just as cast, forged, and barstock parts also fail. I have used 1000’s of STI parts in production 1911’s over the years and the failure rate was basically the same with MIM as with the other manufacturing processes. I have worked closely with the people at STI for many years and their designs and process controls are first class. They do not skimp or try to cheapen their product to save a nickel. They use the best processes and materials available and they always have the goal to offer their customers products of exceptional quality and attention to detail.

 

[marine 97-03]

I posted a poll on this question .

 

[awfulkanawful]

Just my 2 cents....Ruger SR1911

I did ALOT of research and my choice came down to Ruger SR1911. MADE IN USA every part ! Wonderful customer service......it breaks , they fix !
I did consider Rock Island though.......but settled on the Ruger for $689 OTD