Budget 1911s and their trigger pulls.... How are they, generally?

[John G C 1]

I've been reading threads about budget 1911s, like ATI and Charles Daley, and Rock Island.

Doesn't seem like many posters mention trigger pull. Question: How are the triggers on these.

I have an STI Trojan 1911 that is very very nice! This is my main gun and it is not going anywhere. I have heard the STI Spartan was much the same gun but less money just because the frame was made abroad. If so, too bad they no longer make the Spartan.

(side note: kind of weird that a few posters bought a budget gun and then spend money for a new barrel and sights and grips. Why not spend all at once for a higher priced model?)

 

[railroader]

I use to have a RIA tactical. The gun was reliable and the trigger was decent. The sights and finish were just ok. Recently I found kimbers for a little more and they are much nicer. I recently purchased a two tone kimber and all it needed was a lighter hammer spring. Other than that the gun has a nice fit, finish and 3 dot sights. Mine's in 9mm and its very reliable. Here's the kimber in 45acp for $599 shipped.
https://www.smga.com/p-104725.aspx?searchEngineName=kimber-3200301-custom-ii-two-tone

 

[John G C 1]

Gee, 599. Good price.

 

[CDW4ME]

I've got:
Ed Brown Special Forces, Les Baer UTC, Dan Wesson Valor all in 45 acp
Colt Delta Elite and Ruger SR 1911 both are 10mm
Wife has a Ruger SR1911 CMD lightweight 9mm
The trigger on my Ruger or Colt feels about the same as my Brown, Baer, Wesson ....

I increased trigger resistance on all of them.
When trying for 1/4 second double taps (pairs) I do not want the 2nd shot to break unintentionally.
My trigger finger is "heavy" from 20 years of Glocks, irreparable finger conditioning.
I adjust my 1911 triggers for a take up I can feel and a "positive" force to break.

My 14 year old son said after shooting the Delta, "I knew if pulled the trigger any more it would go off"
That's exactly what I want.

All that to address the OP's question, factory trigger on the Rugers was "good" for a "budget" 1911, if you equate light (subjective) to being "good".

Edit to add: above reply mentioned hammer spring, one of the first things I do is replace the typical (standard) 23# with a 25#

 

[Jonesy814]

A friend has a Rock Island and the trigger pull is as good as any production gun.
I think people put too much emphasis on trigger pull. They think that a half pound lighter is going to suddenly make them a better shooter. It's not. Time at the range sending thousands of rounds down range while paying attention to the trigger press, grip and sight alignment is what makes you better. It's a skill that has to be developed. There are no shortcuts .Practice moving your trigger finger without letting the rest of your fingers sympathetically move. Develop muscle memory. Challenge yourself by shooting at 10 or 15 yards instead of 7 yards. Buy a case of ammo and spend time with your gun Instead of hiring a gunsmith to spend time with your gun .

 

[pblanc]

I have a Rock Island full size "Rock" model 1911 which used to be known as the Tactical. I think that the trigger action is quite good. I wound up changing the trigger shoe to a long shoe aluminum model because I have large hands and the trigger reach suited me better. I made a bunch of other modifications to the pistol but I had no inclination to mess around with the sear or hammer.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

I have a Zenith Girson MC1911C (Turkish) that I paid $370 for, since "budget" was mentioned. I've had it for about a year and it's been great so far. The trigger was definitely heavy for a SA when I first got it but it's smoothed out and gotten a little lighter with time. I would say it's for sure acceptable now but nowhere near a nice 1911 trigger.

Anyway that's about as budget as you can get with a new 1911 I think.

 

[Riomouse911]

I had a Charles Daly full-size 1911 (I believe Armscor made them). The gun wasn't bad; trigger was fine, fit and finish OK, inside was a bit rough, though.

The only Issue I ever had was the safety broke in half when I was cleaning the gun. I guess it must have been a bubble in the MIM part. I replaced it with a Wilson or Baer unit off Midway (Can't remember which one) and it worked just fine for years.

I sold it to a buddy when I bought a Springfield 5", and it's still plugging along.

 

[Nuclear]

I have a Citadel 1911 in 38 Super (made by Armscor), basically an RIA tactical model. It was a little over $500 and the trigger is good, a bit of take up, not too heavy, not too light, pretty smooth, not worth having a gunsmith mess with.

 

[MedWheeler]

I have a Tisas (ZiG) "GI-type" from Turkey that ran about $340 about a year back or so. I think it's got about a five-pound trigger, but I haven't shot it enough to break it loose yet. It's definitely heavier than the trigger on my second 1911, a Remington stainless "enhanced" Commander.

Being a double-action shooter, and with far too many guns to have gotten used to any trigger type, I doubt I'd know a bad 1911 trigger in the hand.

 

[bannockburn]

Worse trigger pull I ever encountered in a 1911 was on a used AMT Hardballer a friend of mine had. Best trigger on a budget 1911 was with an RIA that my same friend bought to take the place of the Hardballer.

 

[entropy]

The RIA I had was fine.

 

[rskent]

My question would be, are the internals in one of the models mentioned good enough quality to do a trigger job?

 

[DDDWho]

I don't know if its "budget" or not. I have a Remington R1S I gave $600 for with a rebate of 200 rounds of HTP ammo that I figure is worth $150 making the gun's cost about $450.
It has the best trigger I've ever pulled. When my Bro-in-law shot it he said "WOW right out of the box" He has 3 1911s one of which has been modified for competition.
I've thought about things I could do to it to doll it up a bit but can't come up with anything. I love it just the way it is.

 

[1-12 INF (M)]

I know a guy that insisted on buying the cheapest 1911 he could find, which was one of the Turkish guns. I shot it, and found the trigger to be gritty and made the gun difficult to shoot accurately. It functioned fine though, and while no target gun, was perfectly serviceable. Still, it wasn't the gun for me.

 

[351 WINCHESTER]

They are better than the Colt's of the 70's & 80's & maybe the 90's until Colt got some competition.

 

[warnerwh]

I have a Citadel which is made where Rock Island guns are made. It is very reliable, more so than a Kimber I had and I have had no jams I can remember. Trigger breaks fairly crisply and not very heavy after a bit of creep. If it wasn't a house gun I'd do a trigger job on it but I am pretty picky. Actually I don't understand how people can stand stock trigger pulls so I guess I am the odd one.

 

[Tallball]

I have a Tisas "GI-type" from Turkey that cost $399 about five years back or so. The trigger is fine. It functions well. I don't think it's ever jammed.

I also have an RIA double-stack that had some mechanical issues (I had to send it back twice before it was fixed properly). I'm not sure what it really cost, since I traded a couple of other pistols for it: maybe $400ish. The trigger is fine. It's reliable now, depending on the ammo.

My FiL has a $350ish Filipino 1911 (forget who the manufacturer was) with very nice sights and grips that cost $360-something. Its trigger is nice and the sights are very good. It's been completely reliable so far as I know.

 

[1-12 INF (M)]

I have a friend who is a craftsman woodworker that says - "I can't afford to buy cheap tools." For me, I'd rather buy a finer-made gun, even if I have to shoot it somewhat less to make up the cost difference. Can a Rossi .357 shoot equally well as a Python? Perhaps, but there's other differences that make the Python worth 5x or 10x more. YMMV, diff'rent strokes, etc.

 

[1KPerDay]

I have 2 RIAs and they have nice 4-4.5 lb triggers. The GI is better than the tactical but both are good triggers.
Neither is close to my 3.5 lb Dan Wesson which is the best 1911 trigger I've ever felt.

 

[Choctaw]

I have a friend who is a craftsman woodworker that says - "I can't afford to buy cheap tools." For me, I'd rather buy a finer-made gun, even if I have to shoot it somewhat less to make up the cost difference. Can a Rossi .357 shoot equally well as a Python? Perhaps, but there's other differences that make the Python worth 5x or 10x more. YMMV, diff'rent strokes, etc.

Awesome, except the OP is asking about budget autoloaders and not over-the-top expensive revolvers.