Alright, what do you all think 1911 decision?

[Twisted Chemist]

Me too. I also have the Ronin. Love it.

Took the Ronin, the SA35 (HighPower clone) and my EDC S&W Shield to the range on Sunday. All the weapons functioned flawlessly with a mix of ammo brands. Going on 400 rounds on the SA35 and 600 rounds on the Ronin without a hitch. The Ronin needed a short break in time ~100 rounds during which there was one failure to feed but the next 600 rounds have been without any problems. Received the SA35 from my wife for Yule. It has run without a single glitch from the beginning. The Shield is like the Energizer Bunny, it just keeps going and going...



Edit: Ooops, the Zombie loads should have been on the .45 pile. I load Hydra-Shoks when I carry but I had a few of the Zombie rounds left and wanted to see if they functioned.

 

[Targa]

I really like those SA35’s but I need another 9mm like a hole in the head.

As for my choice of 1911. I have decided on the Kimber but that will come in a month or so after an overtime shift.

 

[Mark_Mark]

I really like those SA35’s but I need another 9mm like a hole in the head.

As for my choice of 1911. I have decided on the Kimber but that will come in a month or so after an overtime shift.

I’m not buying anymore guns until July!

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

I’m not buying anymore guns until July!

Yeah, RIGHT!

 

[Targa]

^^^You beat me to it!..

 

[Riomouse911]

I have had good luck with my 1911’s, in both .45 and 9mm. All shoot well and haven’t hiccuped for me once. I did put on a Cylinder & Slide 4.5 lb trigger kit in the SA Ronin, it was about 5.5-6 lbs out of the box.

The Kimber Stainless Target II is silly accurate in my hands.

The SR1911 .45 is more accurate for me than my SA Loaded .45.

Springfields are a 5” Loaded .45, Ronin 9mm 4.25”, V-16 Long Slide .45 Super.
Kimber s are a Stainless Target II 5” and a 3” Ultra Carry Ii 9mm’s.
Ruger SR1911 is a 4.25” .45.

9mms


.45’s. (A CZ 97B snuck in there.)


I must say I do not like full length guide rods. For some reason SA uses them in a few of their guns like the Loaded and V-16. Luckily the 9mm Ronin isn’t one of those FLGR models.

Good luck picking a winner, let us know what you bought and how it shoots.,

Stay safe.

 

[defjon]

Series 70 Colts are best series.

View attachment 1206218

My two examples (original and reissue) would only feed 230 gr ball

 

[trackskippy]

My two examples (original and reissue) would only feed 230 gr ball

Which is what they were designed to use, the originals anyway. Its also why you saw the changes come about once people wanted more than just ball, smaller sights, etc. Not a bad thing, but not always a good thing either.

My sweet spot with them was mostly the original guns with a couple of minor changes, T&P/reliability package and some better sights. Thats it, and nothing else really needs done. Those guns always worked and were accurate and reliable. Any time I strayed from the Colt and GI guns is usually where the troubles began.

I still think the Series 70's Colt GM's and Commanders are the cleanest/nicest examples of the 1911's.

 

[defjon]

Right...just odd as the reissue a few basic steps could be done to feed jhp. My old gi ria had no problems, and several springfield gi and milspecs were good to go as well.

Only have a milspec, sold the colt and kept the one that can run any bullet profile I come across. The colt seemed better for nostalgia...and I'm a guy who actually thinks there isn't a whole lot 45 ball can't do that needs done from a pistol...

 

[Armybrat]

I got the nostalgia for a 1911 and picked this package deal up from PSA yesterday.
Pretty nice for $599.99 these days if I say so myself.

 

[anothernewb]

Well. I'll be the odd man out and buck the general trend. Between the SA and the Kimber, I am going to vote Kimber

I had one springer years ago. maybe almost 20 now. whenever the RO first came out. That one was great. Like a moron I traded it off....Sadly, all of the others I have bought since then have been.... less that ideal. To be fair, I haven't ever bought any of the higher end models like an operator or TRP. and I know others who have had excellent experiences. However, my prodigy was the final nail in the coffin for me and Springfield. Not that the prodigy is a bad gun (now). but it did need some work to make it what it should have been from the factory. Fitting and work that IMO should have taken place before it was sent out, on a model at that price point IMO.

I've got several kimbers as well, and aside from one grand raptor 2 that had one of the grittiest triggers I've ever seen (I blame it on bad MIM - totally resolved with a drop in EDM sear and hammer) they have all been excellent firearms. However, I bought that used at a stellar deal - clearly the previous owner got sick of the trigger too and dumped it.

Now in thar price point, I would go with what several others have suggested. I have 2 SR1911s and I love them both. But Dan Wesson IMO punches well above it's price point. Although I admit I don't know what the cost is anymore for something like a Heritage. It might be astronomical now.

 

[tark]

I have 6 1911's, 3 in 45acp,

I only have one, a retirement present from Les. That's it off to the left. Sure beats a watch or a fishing' pole!

 

[cfullgraf]

I've never had a 1911 not shoot well with 230 RN bullets, maybe after a little tuning. Designer HP bullets are a different matter.

I have had good luck with Colt 1911's.

My 45 ACP 1911 with an optical sight.
I've assembled a couple 1911 pistols chambered in 45 ACP that perform well. One is my only optical site 1911.

I have a Thompson/Kahr 1911 that I was able to tune and shoots well. I installed a Colt 45 ACP barel with about 3000 rounds throungh it and accuracy improved markedly over the cheap barrel provided by Thompson/Kahr. (FYI, The 45 ACP barrel installed inthe Thompson/Kahr was replaced by a 38/45 Clerke barrel in the Colt 1911. Both projects were successful.)

9x19 Colt 1911's are fun to shoot but I'd prefer 38 Super for a 9mm cartridge. Yes, they are not as available as oither more available cartridges. But with reloading, 38 Super is more power than 9x19./

 

[katonahjohn]

I'm a Springfield fanboy. A Range Officer (9mm), an Operator (9mm), and a Garrison (45 cal). All have run well for me. The Garrison started off with a few stove pipes, but after the first 50 rounds nary a bit of trouble.

 

[tommy.duncan]

I have a Kimber custom 2and Springfield Garrison and Ronin.

All shoot good,I mean it's a 1911, Out of your choices I would go with the Ronin.
The better shooter out of the bunch.

 

[Walkalong]

My Springfield runs great, my Kimber runs great, my Colts run great, my S&W runs great......

 

[tommy.duncan]

My Springfield runs great, my Kimber runs great, my Colts run great, my S&W runs great.....

I agree

 

[nofendertom]

My ATI runs great, my RIA runs great and my Tisas runs great.

 

[LV Gun]

I always say I prefer Springfield but I bought this today from a friend of mine he said it was to heavy and has shot only about 500 rounds through it . I paid him $300.00 for a RIA FS Ultra in 9mm came with 4 Mec Gar mags that look brand new . I think he just doesn’t like1911’s because every thing else he has are Glocks.

 

[Tall]

Kimber gets a lot of negative traffic on the internet. Most of that can be traced back to some of the guns they produced years ago with external extractors. External extractors done right work as well if not better than internal extractors. But Kimber was one of the 1st to use them on a 1911 and they did have issues with them. Smith & Wesson and others have made 1911's with external extractors with no issues so it seems to have been a Kimber only problem.

But the Custom II was Kimbers least expensive 1911 and always had the traditional internal extractor. I've NEVER heard or read anything negative about that pistol. I have one that is 20-25 years old that has worked perfectly for me.

I've been out of the loop concerning 1911's for a while. But I used to have a couple of S&W 1911's and felt they were the best I'd ever owned. I hear good things about the Ruger's too.

I have had a Kimber Custom II since 2004. It has been very reliable, to the point of being somewhat boring. It is a good product.

 

[Rodfac]

Best big bore, carry piece I've ever owned: Sig 1911 RCS, alloy frame, match trigger, Novak Sights, Officer's grip length, checkered fore and aft, with a match 4" bbl. It's all I'll ever need.

​

But for full size, 5" bbl'd .45's, I've had good luck and excellent accuracy with a Colt Gold Cup Series 70, two Ruger SR1911's, a cpl of Colt Series 70 Gov'ts, and a Remington-Rand 1911A1....in about that order of accuracy. All, BTW were equally reliable. To add to the fun, I have a Marvel .22 match grade upper that fits on the Gold Cup, SR1911 and the Remington-Rand.

Others here have liked a goodly number of Kimbers, but the ones that friends brought out to our farm range 8-10 years ago would not run through a 7-round magazine without malfunctioning...not acceptable for a carry gun IMHO. Kimber also refused to work on them until 200 rounds had been fired....Hope that sorry state of affairs has improved.
Haven't shot any since then so maybe their CS and QC are acceptable now...and I'll admit their 'pretty'.

Best regards, Rod

 

[doubleh]

+1 on disliking full length guide rods. Major PIA in my opinion and if they do any good I'm too dumb to tell what it is.

 

[Gary W. Strange]

About a year ago. I was looking to buy maybe a Wilson or Baer. When I talked to my friend at the local gun shop, I buy from, he told me he had some Dan Wessons coming in, that I should look at them before I laid down that kind of money. I a week or so he called and said they were in. I went and looked at them and I was very impressed. I ended up buying a stainless V-Bob. The fit and finish is impressive. It’s tight, but not too tight, slide works smooth. The only thing I changed was grips. I like wood grips. After shooting it, about 250-300 rounds, I am still just as impressed. I own Colt, Springfield and Kimber. The Dan Wesson is way ahead of any of them. You should look at a Dan Wesson before you buy. They are a completely different animal than the others.

 

[nofendertom]

Interesting that the little bobbed part isn't checkered.

 

[Gary W. Strange]

Interesting that the little bobbed part isn't checkered.

It is odd it’s not checkered. I think if it was checkered, the bob, could possibly be hard on the lower section of one’s hand, or could possibly hang on clothes, if it’s concealed. That’s the only thing that comes to mind. I think you can buy a mainspring housing that is checked, but it’s not that big of a deal to me. I like the way if feels and shoots as is. Kimber and some other makers are putting plastic mainspring housings on their 1911s. I changed it out on the Kimber I own. I am not sure how plastic will hold up over time. You have to look to realize it’s plastic. They do a good job making it match. The plastic make it look and feel cheap and cheesy to me.