I Want a New 1911

[bullzeye8]

I voted s&w e series. I have one and it is a very nice gun but from everything I have heard getting a Dan Wesson might be better. It is a bit more $ though but I have seen great things about them.

 

[EezyBeezy]

I was thinking about Dan Wesson 1911's but like I said, I didn't know if they were good or not. What makes them so worth buying?

Best production 1911, hands down. Quality and craftsmanship is on par with that of semi-customs, but at a better value. What really differentiates DW from semi-customs is their frames and slides are CNC'd from forged steel. All the small parts are made in house from tool steel(which means no mim parts) and then handfitted. You just have to handle one to appreciate it. If I was living in a free state and money wasn't an issue I'd definitely get a semi-custom made specifically for me. Otherwise if working with a limited budget and wanted a quality 1911 DW is worth considering.

Here is a link of a recent review on a Dan Wesson Valor - LINK

 

[RugerBob]

I would buy a Taurus. Price is why and the one I have seems awesome to me. I have used it n my 3 gun comps.
If I strayed it would be for a RIA.

 

[brutus51]

I have 2 Kimbers, will never own another. Primarily because both have had problems and Kimbers customer service is awful. On the other hand my Colt gold cup, bought new in 1975 has never had a hiccup, so my vote goes to a Colt. Another reason is resale, my Colt cost $350. new now worth well over 1K.
I don't have any Colts that have depreciated in value. I might be very interested in a Dan Wesson, if I feel the inkling for another 1911, never heard a bad thing about them.

 

[tarosean]

On the other hand my Colt gold cup, bought new in 1975 has never had a hiccup, so my vote goes to a Colt. Another reason is resale, my Colt cost $350. new now worth well over 1K.
I don't have any Colts that have depreciated in value.

Technically 350 smackers in 1975 = approximately $1,571.62 in today's dollars, so it has depreciated a tad.


Its all good though, most guns do not depreciate like a used car unless they are the cheap knockoffs, etc.

 

[tomrkba]

I have had great luck with current production Colts. i would choose their guns over other production guns.

 

[highlander 5]

Ruger 1911 or S&W E series

 

[sauer1911]

I have 7 sigs, 3 are 1911's. I use them for IDPA in the CDP groups.

I have never had any trouble with my Sigs. Now I am biased as I have only had Sig 1911's. I shopped around and researched and Sig kept coming up to the top for the money.

I have replaced the barrel on my original Black Nitron, with an Ed Brown barrel and bushing. All my aftermarket mags are Ed Brown.

Did all the polishing of trigger and or trigger work via tutorials on YouTube.

I like Sigs.

be safe

 

[tomrkba]

I think Kimbers are pretty and sell based on their name, but I think they are jam-o-matics...

How many have you owned? My three never had a problem...

I had two with the external extractor. Both were terrible and failed to extract/double fed constantly. They had many problems, including rough cuts on and around the breech face, the barrel ramp extended past the frame and so on. I will never own another one because of how Dennis at their shop failed to follow through on his promises. Kimber has removed the external extractor, but did they fix all the other problems?

Oh the sights did go dead on a CDP I bought used and Kimber replaced them for free.

This they did fix without issue.

Regarding the Dan Wesson Valor--the company has an excellent reputation. My friend has their CBOB and it is great. It is very accurate, reliable and the trigger needs no work out of the box. Frankly, I would choose a DW first and a Colt second. All four SA guns I have owned were problem guns.

 

[sfed]

I have the Sig Sauer 1911 TACOPS model with the threaded barrel for a suppresor, very accurate, reliable feeding and just a pleasure to shoot. In my opinion you cant go wrong with the Sig Sauer.

 

[burk]

IF you want to carry I think it's hard to beat the 4" Commander sized guns. They still have a reputation for reliability over the shorter 3" guns which can be picky. They are also much easier to conceal and the shorter barrel makes for a quicker presentation over a full size.

I use to carry the Kimber CDP Pro II, and I liked it a lot, it was reliable, very tight, lighter (28 oz.alloy frame) and I thought overall a great carry package. Around here (SE MI) they are on the edge of your price range ($1350 or so new), but I see them used for under a grand often.

 

[weisse52]

Colt Wiley Clapp Government 1911 (01911WC) .45 ACP.

Built on a 70 series in the Colt Custom shop. I just saw one yesterday in my local gun shop for just bit over $1,4000.

I am of course going to recommend a Colt. I use to shun the 80 series, but after owning a few I am thinking it is overblown for most people.

A Springfield TRP would be a great choice is well.

 

[19-3Ben]

Springfield for shooting. Colt for collecting

There's nothing really collectible about any run of the mill, modern production Colt 1911.
They are darn good shooters and make wonderful range guns, duty guns, HD/CCW guns etc...
There's no reason at all why a modern Colt 1911 shouldn't be run just as hard as any other 1911.

 

[philbo]

Another vote for Dan Wesson.

 

[StrawHat]

I am also a revolver shooter who had little use for a self loader. I had a couple of S&W 9mm's and went through several 1911's. Mostly, I would buy them, shoot them for a few weeks and say "These don't give me the same confidence a S& W revolver does" and then sell them. I eventually bought a Colt 1911, Series 80 and gave it a fair try. I am beginning to find favor with the 1911 style. The Series 80 has a couple of parts in it the earlier ones don't but real gunsmiths have figured out how to make them work smoothly. (When S&W introduced the short action, the older revolver shooters lamented the loss of the smooth action!) I have also had occasion to shoot my brothers Commander. A little less barrel but the same frame.

If you can find a Colt in your price range, I would suggest it is a good choice.

If you can find a Commander slide (4 1/4"barrel) on an Officers (6shot) frame, try it. I found it to be a good combination.

Colt would get my first nod, followed by Dan Wesson. The others, I have not any hand on experience.

 

[ColtPythonElite]

There's nothing really collectible about any run of the mill, modern production Colt 1911.
.

Absolutely true. Of course Colts produced decades ago weren't collectable in their day.

 

[Hurryin' Hoosier]

I'm tickled to death with my new Kahr-made Auto-Ordnance 1911A1. Honestly, I don't think that I'd trade it for anything other than a Colt 01911A1, but we all know that ain't gonna happen!

 

[wlewisiii]

I chose Springfield since you are already familiar with them.

But really? Rock Island Tactical FS in .45 ACP. Best bang for the buck on the market right now. Springfield is a little prettier but I've yet to see one more reliable than my Rock.

 

[Fastgun]

arch,
i voted colt. However, sig,springfeild , are great platforms. Ihave a series 80 gold cup and i heard all the talk , and they perform great,

 

[Fastgun]

45acp because shooting twice is silly

 

[wally]

If you want a shooter, buy the RIA and invest the savings in ammo or reloading supplies. If you plan to eventually resell, get Colt, Kimber, or SIG probably in that order for ease of resale.

In my opinion you cant go wrong with the Sig Sauer.

You can if you buy one of the early production GSR models, these were a major disappointment to a lot of people and not generally up to SIG's perceived quality. I also have the TACOPS threaded barrel model and its a great shooter but at the end of the day its nowhere near 2.5X better than my RIA Tactical.

IMHO avoid the external extractor Kimber models (are they still making them?) and odds are you will be OK.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have been asking around the range and I'm getting a lot of shooters telling me to look at the Ruger SR1911. I shot one and I think it's very nice, especially for the price. It's accurate and has a really nice trigger too. Any opinions on the Ruger?

 

[Delmar]

Have yet to shoot one of the Rugers, but its been my experience that their products are generally workmanlike, maybe nothing stellar, but solid and dependable. I have held them and they seem to be typical Ruger products and look pretty good too. Not a bad place to be at all for the money.

 

[Big Bad Bob]

Before you purchase, read this.

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=3250

Ok, once you have read this and you want to commit to the 1911, here is my thoughts, as an 1911 fan and user. You get what you pay for most often and most often to get it where you really want it, you are gonna send it to a quality 1911 pistolero smith to work on it to get it right. However, once it is right, it is pretty awesome. INMO you cannot beat a tuned 1911 trigger.

I would go the Sig or S&W of the choices you presented. Kimber in my opinion has fallen off in the last couple of years. I would suggest that some of the higher end Springfield's aren't bad choices to consider, the Range Officer and Trophy Match models are good places to start. With any of them you are going to want to get quality magazines, I run Wilson Combat 47Ds religiously.

Look for the options you personally want in the gun, Novak vs Bomar Sight cuts, triggers, beavertails, ambi safeties, gi controls, match barrels, match bushings, with or without full length guide rod, stainless vs carbon frame etc. Once you narrow this list of priorities then you can starts whittling down the options within your price range. I would also hand examine the exact gun that you are going to purchase, look at the slide to frame fit, does it wobble on the rails? barrel lockup, tightness of the bushing, tightness of gun. BTW if you want feel a tight gun go pick a Les Baer. 1911's to be built well require good machinists and skilled smiths to fit. Hence why Wilson, Baer, Nighthawk cost more.

For instance, I prefer stainless steel frames, standard GI controls, no ambi safety, and no beavertail, GI guide rod, front cocking serrations. I wanted Novak front and rear sight cuts to accommodate a tritium front and 10-8 performance U-notch rear. So what did I do? I bought a Remington R1, and sent it a smith to get all the work I wanted done, milling, trigger job, de-horn, and accuracy job, and it is the last gun I will ever part with.

To me the 1911 is an enthusiast platform, you run it because you want to and you like it. You deal with the hiccups and maintenance issues because you are a fan of the platform. Have fun. Just my 2 cents.

 

[readyeddy]

I would look at the ATI 1911 selling for $299 at PSA. My search on this website has most saying its fit and finish is better than RIA, and that it is a shooter.

http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...american-tactical-imports/ati-gfx-45-mil.html