That was a good bargain on a used gun.
It sat unsold in the classifieds for over a month - I don't think it was an unusual deal. It was about 80% of the retail price; or a typical used gun deal. Certainly the THR and Ar15.com community didn't think so - they both let it sit for a month without acting on it..
When you look at what you get (we're talking brand new from a store here) for $800 versus what Dan Wesson gives you for only $100 more, the DW is a way better value in my opinion.
Nope, all you have to rationalize is the fact you are paying a premium for a Czech company to resurrect a mediocre and marginal US gunmaker's name and try to make it work for them. I've owned "real" Dan Wessons and the marketing and hype on modern, foreign-owned "Dan Wessons" and the premium they charge over "real" Colts doesn't really add up. As a foreign company they build decent guns, but resurrect a US name to market them. They charge a premium for that and on a head-to-head basis it doesn't really add up to much.
I think people buy Colts because they are Colts.
And that is wrong because...?
Sure some people know what an (sic) MIM part is, but most people buying a gun don't.
Nope, they just go and by rote replace those parts because they are told they "need to." Go read what folks do to their non-Colt 1911's on other forums out of the box and you'll be surprised, I think.
Colts aren't horribly overpriced but I don't think I would use Colt and Value in the same sentence unless it was a deal on a used one.
Last I checked, new retail on a Colt was $736. No need to replace MIM parts, settle for foreign produced parts or company ownership (like Dan Wesson), or replace the extractor or strip out the safeties so you can trust them. Works out of the box and retains value. I call that "value." A $500 retail price +the need to replace parts, tune parts, and deal with sub-standard foreign parts does not equal value. I've double checked my math.
If you can't use "value" and "Colt" in the same sentence, you need to learn more about both "value" and our language.
357mag357 said:
Swith & Wesson make a great 1911. One of the most accurate guns I have shot.
I'm guessing he/she hasn't shot many S&W revolvers
, but otherwise I agree. The S&W is the most under-rated 1911 pistol out there, and often provides superb value. I could never fault someone for buying an S&W 1911 over a Colt if it suited their needs.
Likewise, I could not fault someone for buying a DW over a Colt as long as they knew what they were buying and why. Making blanket statements is dumb.
