Charles Daly good for the price? Piece of junk?

[killermarmot]

I've been looking at Charles Daly's various 1911 models, seen a few in stores and handled them but not shot them. I've never owned a 1911 and wanted kind of ana entry model but haven't been happy with the springfield mil spec as far as accuracy goes and Kimbers area little expensive. I like the feel of the Dalys but I was wondering if anyone can tell me about reliability, accuracy, etc. I was also considering a high power instead is the Daly hi-power decent or are you better off getting a new Browning or going with an older model? Any input would be great cause I have never gotten to fire one.

 

[Marine Doc]

Charles Daly 1911

I hade one and got rid of it.
Positive side fairly accurate at 7 yards. Forget 25 yards.
The rear sight came off after 100 rounds.
Right side ambi safty broke off when I carefully tried to take the gun apart for a through cleaning and lube.
I hade the gun repaired and traded it for a new series 70 Colt.
Disappointed with Charles Daly and extremely pleased with the Colt.

 

[WhoKnowsWho]

My Charles Daly is around 1200 rounds now I believe. Only problem was it needed a standard strength recoil spring, the original was a bit weak. Jams when it is full of sand, but so did the Springfield. Haven't had much of a problem with it at all.

No, it's not a Kimber or a Colt, it is about the same level as Rock Island Armory but it has more bells and whistles while RIA is more no frills.

 

[priv8ter]

Got one

I bought one two months ago, and I am undecided. It is accurate, and I like the feel of it. But...

I had some failure to fire problems. Here is the thread here.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68901&highlight=daly

Since then, I have tried other brands of ammo, and it still has issues with weak primer strikes. I haven't had an opportunity yet to swap out the firing pin spring yet. But, I must say it has left me with a less than happy feeling.

I have never bought an 'expensive gun' most of my collection being Ruger's and Firestorms. But...I have never had an issue with any of the 'inexpensive' guns, and I didn't expect one from my Charles Daly either. It just made me kind of mad...but the gun is a blast to shoot, when it works.

greg

 

[cratz2]

I'd probably pick one up if I happened across one for $300 brand new. Other than that, I'd just opt for a Springfield MilSpec.

You said you weren't happy with the SA MilSpec as far as accuracy but you haven't owned one... Where did you shoot this gun and how many times has this gun been shot? I've been pretty pleased with the accuracy of most SA guns and I've had several. Of all the sub $1,200 guns (1911s) from Springfield, I think they all use barrels from the same general lot and I'd be very surprised to find that the Daly's were consistantly more accurate out of the box than Springfields.

As WKW said, the Daly is comparable to the RIAs but the Daly has more 'custom features' while the RIA is more like a MilSpec. I have experience with both while I've owned neither... they aren't awful pieces of junk but they are certainly no better than entry level Springfields. They're probably a bit more hit and miss than Springfields as well.

 

[1911WB]

CD 1911

My full-size CD 1911 was a total pos. It only functioned at all with its own mags, had numerous FTF's with any kind of ammo, and was basically worthless. However, I wish I had it back now that I know more about troubleshooting 1911's so I could work on the issues; i.e., replace & tune extractor; etc.

 

[BHPshooter]

I know you're asking about the 1911s, but I voted according to the quality of their Hi Powers.

Wes

 

[killermarmot]

well it's soundin like i should just wait an extra month to get a sprinfield or two months and get a kimber

 

[Old Fuff]

The Government Model .45 is a fine handgun, but unfortunately it is an expensive one because of the way it was designed and originally manufactured. Many new buyers make the mistake of buying a less costly gun, because they see it, as you do, as an entry model. This often proves to be a mistake because the new gun fails to function reliably, parts break, and the trade-in value is negligible when you decide to get rid of it. The lower-cost product is exactly that for a reason. The maker has cut corners here and there to keep the price down.

I would suggest that you save your money until you can buy one of the basic no-frills models made by a name-brand manufacturer such as Colt. Your wise purchase will last you the rest of your life if you keep it, and give you good service. If you chose to trade or sell it you will find that most, if not all, of the original purchase price is returned.

 

[Josey]

Colt 1991s are great 45 ACP pistols. I would and I did buy the Colt 1991.

 

[magsnubby]

charles daly good for the pridce

If the price is about $1.75 i'ld say you paid to much. The gun shop had one and the price seemed right. I liked the way it felt and it's features. I Took it home,field stripped it,cleaned it ,lightly lubed it and headed for the range. What a piece of scrap metal. First mag full: the gun went boom,second round didn't go completly into battery,third round went boom,fourth round slide locked back,so on and so on. I tried various brands of hardball. It wouldn't feed hollowpoints at all. I tried the factory Mec-Gar,Colt,Springfield and Chip McCormic mags. I couldn't get more than three succesive shots without a failure. All the mags functioned perfectly in a Springfield and a Rock Island. I took it back to the dealer,he shipped it to his 'smith and i got it back 45 days later. It's been worked on three times and still won't get through a full mag without a malfunction. Maybe i'll just melt it down into fishin' weights.

 

[cratz2]

I assume your Daly 1911 was bought used, right Magsnubby?

 

[magsnubby]

charles daly good for the price piece of junk

Nope. Bought it new from the dealer in Sept of '03.

 

[Ryder]

soundin like i should just wait an extra month

Or get an RIA instead. Most owners of these are very satisfied and mine has been extremely reliable since replacing the factory magazine.

 

[spartacus2002]

There is a reason they are called "Chuckies."

I've owned one, and that is how I learned the hard way that you get what you pay for; only the rich can afford to buy twice.

Save the $$ and get a Springfield Armory or something else. I sent my CD back to the factory after 50 rounds; recoil guide plug part broke in half, gouged the hell out of hte slide. CD gave me full refund.

After 500 rounds, no flaws with SA 1911 Loaded.

 

[BluesBear]

priv8ter, you still haven't solved that problem?
Have you checked your mainspring? I recently worked on a friends 45. The mainspring cap was out of spec and would drag and cause light strikes.

 

[magsnubby]

Now i know why they call 'em Chuckies