Best 1911 for the money

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IMO most of the people that talk trash about the PT1911 have never even owned one, they are just repeating BS written by some other nim-witt on the internet. It is a fine pistol and it is not cheaply built, its just an affordable 1911 that shoots great.
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I do own a PT1911 ... an aluminum frame version with a rail. I got it used locally for $475. For that price, it IS a great gun. Mine runs well, only have probably 6-8 FTE's out of around 500 rounds fired. I'm sure a simple extractor tune would fix that, but it's not a gun I'm planning to count my life on, so I've left it as is. I wouldn't have any problem recommending it at that price or close to it, but I wouldn't go above $650 or so for one.

My biggest surprise with a lower end 1911 has been with the new Para GI Expert. I've been running mine very hard and it's been 100% out of the box. That's surprising because of past experience with Para's, but it seems they sorted these out before dumping them onto the market.
 
Best 1911 for the money, or best cheap 1911?
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Very good point. I stated I wanted to spend less than $1000 but I am not opposed to spending a little more if I'm getting a better quality firearm for the money.
 
Beside a fancy name and a huge price difference, what does that "Ed Brown" have that the PT 1911 does not, for PRACTICAL purposes? Is there a guarantee that the "Ed Brown" will NEVER suffer a FTF, 100% certainty that it will NEVER jam, etc?
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True you do get these features but I for one dont want them and actually have to shop around a bit and special order a 1911 without a beavertail grip safety and extended everything and bevelled this and that. Go with a 750 dollar Colt Commander.
 
rebel71 wrote:
Mostly for carry/home defense. Full sized. Stainless.
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I believe at least one responder mentioned STI guns, which are very highly regarded for quality. One dealer/gunsmith who has good prices on STI is
www.brazoscustom.com/
On their website in the red area at the left, click on "STI guns".
I did not find any that were all stainless steel, but they do offer several that have a stainless steel slide.
 
Springfield Loaded!!

I got my Springfield Loaded in stainless for $700, NIB. If was a choice between it and a PT1911, it's not even close.:D
 
plus one on the Dan Wesson

I've had my Bobtail for three, maybe four, years.

Thousands of rounds through it. One FTE, when fired by another shooter.

IMO, best value for the money. It is tight and it feels right.
 
I've had a ton of different 1911s over the years, including some high-end ones. I currently own several different makes. IMHO, at this point Dan Wesson is making the best 1911s for the money. I just recently picked up a DW RZ-45 Heritage for under $1,000.00 and it is about as good as you are going to get in a production 1911 for under a grand.

Best regards.
 
Right now my vote goes to the new Para Ordnance GI Expert. I've got a couple now and they are great.
 
(besides a fancy name and a huge price difference, what does the Ed Brown have that the PT1911 doesn't.)

Well, I guess that's true. Why buy a mustang when a pinto will get you to work and back. Boy! Am I a dumby.
 
I have 1,300 rounds through my Taurus. Just a baby but it has been trouble free.

That's all the money I had to spend on the gun at that time. In fact I was going to buy a RIA but the guy talked me up to the Taurus. I'm glad I listened to him. For the 500 dollar price point, I think it is the best choice.

1,000 dollars is a whole nother world.

If I had 1,000 to spend. I could get two Taurus PT 1911's. :)
 
rebel71, just keep this in mind: No amount of money will buy you the skill to use your 1911. Nor will the brand name on the slide make you a better shooter. Maybe you're already proficient; maybe you're not.

If not, you could learn to be a decent shot with my $510 RIA Tactical...... or, you could learn on a $1,500 1911 that has more bells and whistles. My RIA Tactical will do sub-two inch groups at 21 1/2 yards and that's 100% factory. Most people will never be able to shoot it to it's capability.

The day that there are only two shooters left on earth, they'll still be arguing over which brand 1911 is the best. So, determine your requirements (casual, target, action competition etc. shooting) and make a list of features you think you need. Then look for that pistol no matter if made by Dan Wesson, S&W, SA, Taurus, Les Baer etc. As long as it's within your price limit, buy it and don't look back. Just practice, practice, practice and have fun.
 
jpwilly
You like your ergo(falcon) grips?
Have a set on one of my 1911s.
I like mine ..even though we may not be "supposed"to!
I HATE kool-aid!!
 
I'll go along with a couple of earlier post and suggest STI. Not as well known as most of the big name manufacturers, but well respected by 1911 enthusiasts and in competitive circles. Their guns are hand fitted, very smooth, have excellent triggers, and are scary accurate. I have 4 STI pistols and they are superb. For $1k you can get the STI Trojan. Check out Brazos Custom Gunworks or Dawson Precision. I have purchased STI pistols from both and they are great folks to deal with. Both are STI distributors so you won't find better prices.
 
I'd have to vote for Taurus. Mainly because I wanted a 1911 in .38 Super. That chambering is usually a $150-300 premium from the well known makers and the only other maker of a reasonably priced .38 Super 1911 is RIA, when you can find them. Add in stainless steel and that's another $200+ premium.
 
jpwilly
You like your ergo(falcon) grips?
Have a set on one of my 1911s.
I like mine ..even though we may not be "supposed"to!
I HATE kool-aid!!
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Yip, that's them. I had to fit them due to the ambi saftey lever and Wilson mag well. But they are excellent grips. I have an Ergo grip on my LR-308 too.
 
Best bang for the buck in my opinion would have to be the Dan Wesson.
I've owned a Para, Taurus, and a Kimber. Those are three brands that it will be a cold day before I ever buy another one. I don't currently own one, but I would consider buying the DW for a sub-$1000 dollar pistol. I do own 3 of those more expensive ones though (same brand) and a couple of plastics (not Glock).
 
I believe the Taurus and been represented very well on this thread.


I'd be interested in a stainless one as well. A long-slide would be very cool. ;)


Here's me own.
TaurusPT1911-1.jpg
 
Sell!?!

I buy a gun because, in my judgment, I like it - NOT because I might be able to sell/trade it!!! I couldn't care less about resale/"retrade" value.

And I'm still awaiting a genuine response to my inquiry whether "better fit, better finish, better this that and the other" - instead of "good ENOUGH fit, finish, etc." - will GUARANTEE 100% flawless performance {including at the time - God forbid - when it has to be used FOR ONE OF ITS MAIN REASONS FOR ACQUISITION - self-defence}.
 
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