Accurate 1911

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GeneH

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hi folks.

I have gotten two out of three. M&P 9C, pardner pump protector shotgun, but I still want A 1911.

but I want an accurate one to start practicing on and maybe soon shoot at the local range that has tactical contests all the time. as A rule, from what ive read, 1911 are more Accurate Than polymer guns. I do want to Also use it as A hd backup.

I am aware that A gun only shoots as well as the shooter, but given the choices below, which one would you pick up to head over to the tuesday night tactical contest at the local range?
SA GI
SA Mil-spec
Para GI Expert
Colt Series 70
Taurus PT1911
RIA Tactical
STI Spartan

by the way, and very important, would a 9mm 1911 be less Accurate Than A .45acp 1911? the idea of A 1911 in 9mm (like thE STI Spartan) is very attractive since I stocked up on 9mm ammo and nine mm is cheaper.

if what youd recommend is not in the list please indicate.

I apologize for the weird capitalization of some words and for bad punctuation but im doing this on A phone. yes I just had to enter this post tonight.

cheerS
Gene
 
You already have 9mm, give .45ACP a try-out, especially in a M1911 platform.

Colt, Springfield Mil-Spec would be a toss-up as first choice.

RIA or STI second choices.

Taurus or Para third tier.
 
STI Spartan hands down, its currently the only gun i really regret getting rid of think was super accurate, thing was amazing great trigger tight, smooth operation ect
 
you have 5 brands of 1911 in your list, all great and accurate but with a price difference between them.

i would recommend the RIA Tactical ( i have one and it's damn accurate) because it have a few upgrades that you will want later on if you go with a GI model.

the idea of a 9mm 1911 is great because 9mm shots more flat than a .45acp cost less (great for practice and competitions) and with today's ammo a 9mm can do everything a .45 do and still cost you less if you want to stock up to share ammo with others guns.

Now, i think a 1911 must be in .45acp because that's keep the gun in it's original caliber so you can find way more parts and upgrades for it than a 9mm 1911.





ETA:

This is a video of a RIA accuracy test, (look at the back dot in the paper)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCsa91BrChw
 
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Of the guns on your list I would go with the Colt - because it is a Colt. And, because it is the only one on your list that is made in the USA - waving the flag...

As to the 9mm being as accurate as the .45, no it is not. You may find some 9s that are more accurate than some 45s, but all things being equal the .45 is more accurate. If it were not there would be a bunch of guys shooting 9mm at bull's eye competitions. There are not.

The difference in accuracy may not be enough to consider, because the shooter must be good enough for it to matter. However, the .45 round has more inherent accuracy than the 9.

The only thing I know of that a 9 can do better than a .45 is pass between the ribs without nicking a bone. A 9 can do that. A 45 cannot.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, you can double tap faster more accurately with a 9 than with a 45 because it doesn't have the recoil of the 45. OTOH, it is unlikely you'll have to double tap if you hit COM with a 45...
 
loop said:
Of the guns on your list I would go with the Colt - because it is a Colt. And, because it is the only one on your list that is made in the USA - waving the flag...

As to the 9mm being as accurate as the .45, no it is not. You may find some 9s that are more accurate than some 45s, but all things being equal the .45 is more accurate. If it were not there would be a bunch of guys shooting 9mm at bull's eye competitions. There are not.

The difference in accuracy may not be enough to consider, because the shooter must be good enough for it to matter. However, the .45 round has more inherent accuracy than the 9.

The only thing I know of that a 9 can do better than a .45 is pass between the ribs without nicking a bone. A 9 can do that. A 45 cannot.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, you can double tap faster more accurately with a 9 than with a 45 because it doesn't have the recoil of the 45. OTOH, it is unlikely you'll have to double tap if you hit COM with a 45...
Click to expand...

we have a .45acp lover :neener:
 
Get the best Colt, Wilson, Dan Wesson, or Kimber that you can afford. But, more importantly, get one that TIGHT. Tight = Accurate in a 1911 pattern pistol. if you're not sure how to evaluate one, get someone to show you. You don't have to buy new either. Used may be preffered if you don't have a grunch of cash for a custom shop job.
 
Colt! In .45acp.

And yes, the .45 is more accurate than a 9mm.

Of you list the 70 series Colt is the best of the bunch. The STI or milspec would be a distant second.
 
I have to agree with Loop. In my experience, the .45 is more inherently accurate than the 9mm. This is not to say there aren't some really accurate 9mm's out there.

If you shooting IDPA, pin-point accuracy may not be as critical. As far as which gun on your list, I would go with the Colt and have a gunsmith fit an oversized barrel bushing (not very expensive); well worth the effort.
 
I'd go with the Colt first, and probably the Taurus second. As someone said, the Colt is a Colt. I've shot the Taurus and it's very accurate. I own a S&W 1911 and it's a honey, very accurate; but the Taurus is just as accurate. Many of the other guns you list i don't have experience with.

The thing you must do before entering any contest or qualification is to make sure your sights are good before you start. You may need to modify either your sights or aim before the gun will shoot where you point it. My S&W is a great shooter right out of the box.
 
Out of all the 1911s that you have listed, for accuracy I recommend the STI Spartan.
I have shot a friends and it is insanely accurate and very tight.
 
I have a 9mm Trojan that has over 4,000 trouble free rounds through it. It's my range/steel plate shooting pistol. The best group so far was with a Lee 124gr cast bullet. .26" from a bench at 7 yards. (7 yards because that's the distance we shoot plates at.) I need to shoot it at increased ranges but just haven't gotten around to it.

I'm down to two 1911's and the other one is a 45 ACP D.W. CBOB. Best groups with the CBOB from a bench: .325" at 7 yards, .59" at 48 feet. I have 1,200 trouble free rounds through the CBOB using 200gr cast Lyman SWC bullets.

I had a couple of Springfield's before these two pistols and they were good shooters but I prefer the ergonomics of the STI and D.W. (high cut trigger guard and beavertail.)
 
I had a SA Loaded target 9mm that was uncanny accurate. I shot some of my best ever offhand hand groups with it. Unfortunately, it was horribly unreliable.

9mm 1911s are used by a lot of competitors. There was a magazine article recently where they were getting two inch groups at 50 yards with them.

I would get the 9mm Spartan myself.
 
Don't confuse the Spartan with the Trojan.

The Spartan is really an Armscor product (nothing wrong with that at all) and only available as a .45.

The Trojan is available in several calibers and configurations.
 
As others have said, Colt would be my first choice if money isn't a problem. 2nd choice would be the SA mil spec, I have one and its accurate & more important to me, reliable, never, repeat never had any sort of problem with my Mil Spec.
I had a Colt Combat Commander with a lot of mods done to it, beavertail, sights, and some others. It was also totally reliable. But had to sell it many moons ago for financial reasons :banghead; ;banghead:

I'm sure any of your choices would work fine. Good luck!
JohnnyOrygun
 
Tactical match? Is that like IPSC, IDPA or a steel challenge match? If you are just shooting steel the gun doesn't need to be a tack driver. Any one of the guns you listed would be accurate enough for steel.

That said get a Colt and get it in .38 super. Soft shooting like a 9MM and with a ramped barrel you can make major PF.
 
The Colt is by far the best built gun on that list.

If features not on it appeal to you, consider the XSE series of Colts, which will offer more bells and whistles but the same mechanical and finish quality. About the same price. The 01980XSE is the model number, the "Enhanced Government Model." A 1991 80 series would be just as good for a little less, but lack the "tactic-cool" features.
 
Off your list, I would go with the Colt. Going outside the list -- well, it depends on budget. Baers are very accurate and are on the lower price end of the semi-custom makers. For less than the cost of a Baer, Kimbers have a reputation for being accurate (mine was) but some people have had problems with Kimber and their customer service (like me). Sigs also make a very accurate 1911 for the money. My Sig is more accurate than my Colts or my Springfield. Some people don't like their non-traditional look.

I really like the way the Dan Wesson looks but haven't shot one.
 
70 series, (original), not the new ones.

That said, my Springfield Loaded version is deadly accurate! I'll take it over
any other any day.
 
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