Another new to the 1911 thread

[mooner]

Hello all,

I am considering a 1911 style handgun and have done a bunch of searching and reading on this forum. I am specifically looking at the Springfield GI, Springfield Mil Spec and Rock Island Armory Tactical. I have held them all, but not back to back as I have not been able to find a dealer in my area with both Springfield and Rock Island.

I was hoping someone would be able to tell me what the advantages of benefits are of the Mil Spec over the GI model are. Also, how desirable are these and in your opinion are they worth it

High Profile 3 dot sights - I get this

High Hand grip- ?? looks like the area near to top of the grip is narrower to allow getting a higher grip. Does the Rock Island have this?

Beveled Magazine Well - Easier to insert Magazines I assume? Is this important to have?

Polished Feed ramp and throated barrel - More reliable feeding? Is this important to have?

Lowered and flared ejection port - More reliable ejection? Is this important to have?

Angled slide serrations - Cosmetic?

The Rock Island gun has a Target trigger and Hammer. I assume target trigger is better than the basic trigger they have. It felt pretty good to me. The target hammer looks different than the ones on the Springfield's I have looked at, but what is the advantage? The Rock Island gun does not have a forged frame, it is cast. I realize this affects strength, but they are making 1911's with aluminum frames, so how important is this?

Any first hand experience anyone has with either is greatly appreciated. It seems that both brands have favorable reviews and not too much in the way of negative reviews. They are both made overseas, but that is what it is. Right now I am favoring the Rock Island due to price. I don't mind spending more to get more, but the value (real value, not perceived) has to be there.

Thanks guys and gals. You are a wealth of knowledge.

 

[David E]

Spend a little more and get a Springfield "Loaded" model, or an STI "Spartan" model. It'll save you money and frustration in the long run.

 

[mooner]

Thanks for the input David.

What features do you feel Springfield "Loaded" model, or an STI "Spartan" model offer that make them better? What sort of frustration are we talking about here? Are the other models not reliable in your opinion? If so, what are you basing that opinion on? Any and all opinions appreciated, I just would like to hear some reason's that you have that opinion.

 

[HisSoldier]

I have an RIA and am in awe of what it does as well as my 1911's that cost 3 times as much.

"High Profile 3 dot sights - I get this"

I like three dots for carry, but for target prefer flat black target sights.
http://www.gunaccessories.com/ChampionGunSights/Adjustablesights4Pistols.asp

"High Hand grip- ?? looks like the area near to top of the grip is narrower to allow getting a higher grip. Does the Rock Island have this?"

Not sure but I think the RIA frame is like the 1911 A1

"Beveled Magazine Well - Easier to insert Magazines I assume? Is this important to have?"

I don't like the extended well, but a beveled well built into the frame is not ugly. Those big mag wells are way ugly to me. For competition I would think a faster more sure reload would trump ugliness.

"Polished Feed ramp and throated barrel - More reliable feeding? Is this important to have?"

If you are talking about a polished barrel feed ramp then yes, important, but the frame ramp should not need to be polished, since gazillions of 1911's function well without any additional polishing. Here's a website addressing throating.
http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/tech/reliability_secrets.htm

"Lowered and flared ejection port - More reliable ejection? Is this important to have?"

A lot of these things may matter a good deal if the purpose is for self defense, if your life depends on it you may want all your ducks in a row.

"Angled slide serrations - Cosmetic?"

Yes.

Not mentioned, but many people like forward slide serrations while many do not, to me they are ugly, and add to that they don't help me load any faster or surer.
A lot of this stuff is personal opinion, but when you pay for a gun with all the bells and whistles you get them whether you want them or not, like forward slide serrations.
A trigger weight of 4 lbs or slightly less is very nice for target, a little more trigger weight for carry may be wise, and as I mentioned, three dot sights may be great for carry, as they help acquire the target faster, glow in the dark inserts? Will you possibly need them? These are questions only you can answer.

I tend to look at some of my 1911's as range guns, and others as self defense weapons. If a gun is finicky but only gets fired at the range that's irritating but not the end of the world for you. Reliability is very important for a carry gun, accuracy may not be quite as important as what you need to impress your friends when punching holes in paper.