first 1911

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armadio

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Hello gun- people!

I would like to buy a 1911.
My limitation is of cause the money i would like to spend on the gun.
Doesnt mean that i want to buy a garbage pistol, just because of the price.
I cant tell you exactly the prices, because i live in germany and the prices are totally different. a ruger 1911 costs about 980 €, that will be about 1320 $. You pay about 700 bucks right?

Ok these are my options:

1.) A second hand brazil- made springfield trophy match, 70 series i guess. It has a hexagon bit inside the bushing, someone told me, that this is a sign for the 70 series. It was owned by a hunter as a backup- pistol, so it is in a good condition. Everything fits tight. No shaky barrel or slide.

2.) Ruger SR1911. Just because of the reviews i would buy the gun. Never touched one.

3.) Ok, here come the lower priced 1911 pistols.
Armscor/ Rock Island Armory, or Tanfoglio. According to some reviews they are good pistols, some reviewers say they suck.

I`ve shot a norinco 1911 and the finish was awful. How are the above mentioned pistols compared to Norinco, Springfield, Ruger in terms of quality, reliabiltiy and accuracy?

My decision would be the springer, but i`m not really sure...

Would be nice, if you could help me out!

Thank you!
 
Hey armadio

That Ruger is really a nice gun.

The Springfield Milspec model is a great entry level 1911. The only thing I changed out in mine were the extractors to Wilsons. The Springfield is a reliable shooter, and scary accurate with the right loads.

When looking at your first 1911, I'd also start looking at what grips you want as those are usually aftermarket, and a holster. Pachmayr grips give you finger grooves and I put one on each of mine as they are really comfortable.
 
hi "yo mama". :D

Thanks so far!

The springfield fits like a glove in my big hands. The pachmayr grips with the rubber part feel also great to me.
A holster will be bought for ipsc. Because i am not allowed to carry a pistol. (A fullsize 1911 wouldn`t be my first choice for that.)
When i start competing in ipsc classic, i will definitly need a holster.
 
RIA has a very good reputation. Their customer service also has a good reputation. As does Ruger and Springfield.

I don't believe Tanfoglio makes a 1911.

The big things I like to have guys look at are the grip safety and the sights. Most folks new to 1911's don't notice those things, but they can be a big deal to you down the road. Getting a gun without the option you like will often require some frame grinding or major slide work later if you want to change them out.

Some just can't stand a 1911 unless it has a beavertail grip safety. The Ruger will have one, the RIA GI won't, but the RIA Tactical will. I suspect the Springfield Trophy Match has a beavertail grip safety.

Most 1911's, and for that matter, most semi-auto pistols will have fixed sights. The sight cut on a 1911 with adjustable sights, which I assume the Springfield Trophy Match has, will be different than the sight cut on a fixed sight gun. If you don't like those sights, your options will be limited.
 
Series 70 vs Series 80 are really Colt terms.

Most 1911 users when saying "Series 70" really mean the gun has no firing pin safety, though that isn't the main feature on a Colt Series 70 1911.

To determine if the gun has or hasn't a firing pin safety, you can lock the slide to the rear, turn the gun over so the magwell is facing you, and look at the underside of the back of the slide. If there is a moveable plunger on the slide, it has a firing pin safety, if not, then it doesn't have a firing pin safety. Many would call a non-firing pin equipped 1911 a Series 70.
 
About a week and a half ago I bought a Citadel 9mm 1911 from Cabela's. It was on sale for $100 off. It's a very close cousin to the RIA. I bought a 9 since I reload 9's. It sports a full length recoil rod and has 2 mags in the box. There's nothing cheap about the fit 'n finish. It is a good quality 1911.

This is my first 1911. I mainly do target shooting and don't mind the weight of a non-polymer pistol. This thing is accurate! And the all metal construction/weight make it "recoil friendly". I've put around 250 rounds through it and there's been no problems.

PS - Cabela's still has them on sale @ $500. Their website only shows the 45 but this applies to the 9 as well.
 
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tanfoglio makes 1911 pistols. ea witness 1911 called in the us.
Click to expand...
You are correct. I was not aware of that.

http://eaacorp.com/hand-guns/

While there are many that are fond of the the Tanfoglio line of CZ clones, virtually nobody, at least in the US, has a good opinion of EAA customer service. I don't know how long Tanfoglio has been carrying (or building, if that is what they are doing) 1911's, but there would have to be some compelling reason to choose their 1911 over the long list of other 1911 makers that have a much longer track record.

EDIT to add: The compelling reason could certainly be that you live in Europe, like Tanfoglio, and you have better access to their products rather than those available in the US. Chances are also good you wouldn't have to deal with the US EAA customer service.
 
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I have the Ruger and love it. Out of the box it is a very good performer. QA seems a little blotchy as I have seen many with different results, but mine has been excellent for the price.

The Springfield Trophy Match is in a different category than the Ruger. If you can get the Trophy Match for the same price as the Ruger, no question, get it.
The Ruger is great for it's range, but the Trophy Match is a higher performance pistol. If the Ruger was a Camaro, the Trophy Match would be a Corvette with more performance options.

RIA has a good rep for making start in pistols. This may be your lowest cost option to get into the 1911 world. It may be the most efficient way to start, allowing you to make changes at a lower cost as to see what suites you the bests. After you have had time to see what suites you best, you would have a better idea of what options you desire from a higher end line.
 
My first 1911 was a Regent 100. Nice Turkish made gun. No bells or whistles and didn't feed jhp well. Still not a bad hardball shooter at all.

Next I had an RIA compact. The gun gave me several issues, but Armscor made it right eventually. I would say that it had more to do with the compact versions being a little more finicky than the build quality. I would buy an RIA full size 1911 any day.

However, I bought a Springfield Loaded 1911 at Christmas, and I don't think I'll be able to go back to anything less. Beautiful, reliable, and the most accurate pistol I own. Hardball, jacketed, ash trays...feeds and fires without an issue.
 
A friend of mine had an RIA 1911 and after working on it for him (added beavertail grip safety and extended slide safety), I came away very impressed by their build quality and overall construction. For myself I have much more experience (all positive I might add), with Springfield Armory and Colt 1911s. From your choices (and limited budget though you don't say how much the used SA Trophy Match and the RIA cost), I would probably go:
1) SA Trophy Match 1911 (sounds like a decent gun and guessing it costs somewhere between the Ruger and the RIA guns)
2) RIA 1911 (likely the least expensive but a good bang for your buck, or Euro)
3) Ruger 1911 (most expensive but great quality from the ones I have seen and comes with a lot of extra features on it)
 
I've Norinco and Armscor/RIA 1911 pistols. The Norinco was a bargain in its day, but my RIA is a better shooter.

My oldest RIA 1911 is well over 15,000 rounds through it and still going strong. I've also RIA 9mm 1911s, one "widebody" the other single stack, that are each well over 10,000 rounds. I think they are one of the best buys on the market right now.

Unless you really want the "GI" look, get the RIA "Tactical" model, its only $50-75 more and has much better sights, ambi thumb safety, and beavertail grip safety.

I say get the RIA and spend the savings on ammo.
 
My first 1911 was an RIA. Very nice gun for the price. It seemed solid. Never had any issues. Only reason I sold it was to help fund a Springfield Range Officer. Love the Springfield but still regret selling the RIA. Wish I had keep it and raised the cash some otehr way. I did purchase a used RIA compact. Was told it had 3,000+ rounds through it. I have since put about 300 rounds through it without an issue.

Would I buy another RIA 1911? Yes, if condition and price was right.
 
I own three RIA 1911's. The oldest is a .45acp that I bought because it was less expensive and I wanted to learn on a pistol that wasn't high dollar. I thought I might buy a $1000 + semi custom gun later. Didn't happen. Now I have a commander length 9mm and a .45acp - .22LR combo pistol. Those two pistols just "found", me, the price was right and they have not disappointed me.They all work fine. I have replaced an extractor in one and a slide stop in another. I have dealt with RIA customer service and would rate them A+ although I wonder how you would get factory service on any U.S. gun in Germany?

The finnish on the RIA guns is of a lesser quality. I'd love a really nice old blued Colt, but for me this isn't a deal breaker, my guns get a lot of use.

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Nice! Lots of input from you guys.
The tanfoglio service in germany, probably all over europe seems to be good. At least a shooting buddy had no problem with the customer service when he needed to get his cz clone fixed.
I dont know about having problems over here with us gun companies services.

I forgot to tell you about the prices.

The used springfield trophy match is about 960 $. And its stainless. ( usually i like em black...)

The new armscor medallion cost about 1100 $.

Tough decision?
 
I don't know about the ones you mentioned, but my Tisas GI 1911 is the most fun handgun I own and has went through 1000 rounds without fail. Accurate to 50 yards, and is just a hoot to shoot.
 
Back some years ago I bought a brand NIB, Norinco 1911A1 .45acp. Government model. It was my 3rd 1911. I paid $360 for it, but this was back in the 80s & they had just started showing up at LGS . I put a set of Pachmayrs on it & some tritium nite sights. I have done some work on it. But the only time its been to a gunsmith was to put the sights on it. I still have that pistol & used it as my main carry gun for alot of years. It has made soom great shots over the years & I would still trust my life on it. I have heard the new ones are hit &miss. But if the price is right, I would check them out. Especially if you can look at a few. I have owned a Colt, Kimber &Norinco. I must say my Norinco has held it's own over the years very well. I would go with a Norinco, if you can find a good one! I have looked at some of the others and if I could afford it that Ruger would be my 2nd. The Springfield along with the RIA.3rd. That is just my opinion as I have not shot all of them. Alot of shooters bought the Norinco, stripped it down &rebuilt them. I must say I have seen some nice rebuilds!
 
My own opinion, there are no bad choices in your options. The Ruger has a good reputation, I have Springfields and really like them, have one Charles Daly (made by RIA) and like it.

If I was going to buy another right now, I'd probably opt for a Springfield. Otherwise, I'd flip a coin. Good reputation versus personal experience between the Ruger and RIA.
 
I have the Ruger SR1911 in Commander length and it is a very good firearm for the money.
 
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