mljdeckard
Member
Don't let people tell you you can't carry a full-size 1911. Many of us do. I carry a Kimber Custom II year-round, including 100+ degree summers.
I want to hear from the 1911 guys?
- Thread starter Brad5192
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Creature
Member
I have owned many 1911's...several Kimbers, two Springfields, a Para and a Norinco...even and STI...just to name a few. Now I only own one. A Colt. A series 70 Colt Combat Commander to be specific.
Get a Colt and you will never look back.
Get a Colt and you will never look back.
I've always been partial to Colt and never had any issues. Used to shoot competition with a Carniak-tweaked Series 70 set up for bullseye and it was very accurate.
Also carried a Series 80 and had no problems of any kind with it either. Not as outright accurate as the 70, but not as tightly fitted and had irons as opposed to the adjustables on the comp gun. Plenty accurate for its intended purpose.
Recently picked up a S&W 1911 PD and am most impressed with it. Accurate and a sweet trigger right out of the box.
Also carried a Series 80 and had no problems of any kind with it either. Not as outright accurate as the 70, but not as tightly fitted and had irons as opposed to the adjustables on the comp gun. Plenty accurate for its intended purpose.
Recently picked up a S&W 1911 PD and am most impressed with it. Accurate and a sweet trigger right out of the box.
Creature
Member
I could never bring myself to trade my Colt away, but heck yes, those Dan Wesson 1911's are very well made.
Zerodefect
member
My pics:
Kimber Custom II or TLE II (stick to the lower end K's)
Colt
STI Spartan
Dan Wesson Heritage
Dan Wesson Valor, Vbob, CCO
Les Baer
Ed Brown
All of these are quality 1911's that you can upgrade and grow with.
But if you are sure your into 1911's to stay, then look towards the Dan Wesson Valor. My favorite. All the same high quality you can expect from W,EB, LB etc. $1800-2200. I like to get 1911's that I know can take some hard use, but are worth refinishing eventually.
No matter what 1911 you pick. Get some Wilson mags and some extra Wilson springs.
Kimber Custom II or TLE II (stick to the lower end K's)
Colt
STI Spartan
Dan Wesson Heritage
Dan Wesson Valor, Vbob, CCO
Les Baer
Ed Brown
All of these are quality 1911's that you can upgrade and grow with.
But if you are sure your into 1911's to stay, then look towards the Dan Wesson Valor. My favorite. All the same high quality you can expect from W,EB, LB etc. $1800-2200. I like to get 1911's that I know can take some hard use, but are worth refinishing eventually.
No matter what 1911 you pick. Get some Wilson mags and some extra Wilson springs.
christhetoolman
Member
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- Feb 13, 2011
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- 12
I have a S&W 1911 stainless with Crimson Trace laser grips since they came out with the 1911 a few years back and I love my Smith. It is accurate and will shoot flawlessly any quality factory ammo ( does not Wolf ammo, but will shoot the Tulla Ammo ). It came with Novak Low Mount Carry Sights and I can hit a 2 inch metal plate on a spinning target at 15 and 25 yards. I used to be in Law enforcement and bought a Llamma 1911 45 in 1985 and it was a piece of junk, it would jam and was a P.O.S. in general. I learned a lesson from that and since then I only will buy name brand firearms ( Colt, Smith, Baretta Etc. ) when my life will depend on it. I have seen young guys at the range with P.O.S. off brands and think they got something. One young guy said " I like it, it has all kinds of safetys, and while he was fiddling with it it fired and then wouldn't fire when he was trying. Do you really want to depend your life on something like this?
Go with a name brand, it is worth the extra money if your life is worth it.
Go with a name brand, it is worth the extra money if your life is worth it.
christhetoolman
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- Feb 13, 2011
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- 12
I would like to get a smaller pistol for carrying but, I feel comfortable with my Smith 1911 and The best way I came up with carrying it is to just stick it in my waistband without a holster. If it is winter I like carrying it in a slide holster or preferably my Blackhawk Serpa.
The Blackhawk is really a comfortable and rock solid holster. Your pistol won't fall out till you push the release button and you also have the tension screw as well. I hunt with mine and it gets banged around the boat and camp all week and takes the weather too! The main thing I like about the Blackhawk is it will not come out and fall in the water when I'm in my duck boat and pulling my dog in and stuff.
Nobody asked me about the holster stuff but I just saw somebody's comment about carrying the 1911. It's a little big but not to bad.
The Blackhawk is really a comfortable and rock solid holster. Your pistol won't fall out till you push the release button and you also have the tension screw as well. I hunt with mine and it gets banged around the boat and camp all week and takes the weather too! The main thing I like about the Blackhawk is it will not come out and fall in the water when I'm in my duck boat and pulling my dog in and stuff.
Nobody asked me about the holster stuff but I just saw somebody's comment about carrying the 1911. It's a little big but not to bad.
QUICK_DRAW_McGRAW
Member
taurus and lots of ammo
CJS06
Member
I agree with Quick Draw...kind of. Get a Rock Island Armory, buy a ton of ammo, and then go and shoot it a ton. An RIA tactical can be had for around $400-$450. I shoot along side friends with Kimbers, Colts, Sigs, etc. and my RIA shoots just as well. We all shoot each others and all come up with similar groups. Granted my RIA is not a Brown or Baer or Wilson, but if I bought one of those I would'nt be able to afford to shoot it. And I do carry my 5" 1911 Rock regularly.
I really regret not buying that Les Baer right now
I had a chance to buy one a while back for a great price and passed on it because money was tight. I thoroughly believe that you should buy the best gun that you can afford, your life may depend on it someday. The thing that I like best about the Baer is that it has no MIM parts and they are tight as drum. That said, I currently own 9 1911's. Two of them are Taurus, two are Rock Islands and 5 are Kimbers. I have had no problems with the Taurus guns and they are the most accurate of the guns I own. One of them does have a very light thumb safety but it hasn't caused any problems yet. I have over three thousand rounds through each. I don't carry either because they are just too big, but they are great guns. As for the Rock Islands, I have a 9mm Tactical and a 45 Comp Tac. The 9mm is for the range only and I have had some feeding problems with HP ammo. Again I do not rely on this gun for self defense. The Comp Tac is a different story. I bought it used for $325 and it has handled Hps pretty much flawlessly. It does not like my handloads and will fail to return to battery with them waaay too often. I have carried it on occassion but I have better options and I would like to have this gun gone over proffesionaly before betting my life on it. Before I get to the Kimbers let me say this about a couple of Springfields and Colts I have owned. The two Springfields were great for the time I owned them. They were both full sized guns which is why I let them go. The two Colts that I owned were the reason that I did not own another 1911 for 15 years.
Kimber, as I said, I have 5 right now. I have a Tactical Pro II which is my everyday carry gun. It came to me lightly used and thorougly worthless as a defensive gun. It would not feed a mag of FMJ without jambing. I had it worked over by a friend and it has been thorougly reliable since. I have shot this gun In IDPA almost exclusively. I have a Kimber Eclipse pro Target which is incredibly good looking. It has been very good though not flawless. I don't carry this gun because of the Target sights. I also have a Kimber Eclipse pro which I do carry occasionaly when I feel like dressing up a little. It has been very good though I probably do need to wring it out a little more. I also have two ultras which are both relatively new to me. Again they came to me lightly used. I have had the blued one the longest and have several hundred rounds through it without a problem. It is lightweight and incredibly compact. I will be putting night sights on both of them in the future. I got the blued one in a trade for one of the Springfields. It was like new with all the accesories. The day I picked it up at my dealers a stainless one came in. The guy who owned it fired exactly one round through it, directly into his ceiling.
I just picked it up a couple weeks ago and have not had a chance to make sure that it is reliable. I do like these little guns for their size and weight.
I had a chance to buy one a while back for a great price and passed on it because money was tight. I thoroughly believe that you should buy the best gun that you can afford, your life may depend on it someday. The thing that I like best about the Baer is that it has no MIM parts and they are tight as drum. That said, I currently own 9 1911's. Two of them are Taurus, two are Rock Islands and 5 are Kimbers. I have had no problems with the Taurus guns and they are the most accurate of the guns I own. One of them does have a very light thumb safety but it hasn't caused any problems yet. I have over three thousand rounds through each. I don't carry either because they are just too big, but they are great guns. As for the Rock Islands, I have a 9mm Tactical and a 45 Comp Tac. The 9mm is for the range only and I have had some feeding problems with HP ammo. Again I do not rely on this gun for self defense. The Comp Tac is a different story. I bought it used for $325 and it has handled Hps pretty much flawlessly. It does not like my handloads and will fail to return to battery with them waaay too often. I have carried it on occassion but I have better options and I would like to have this gun gone over proffesionaly before betting my life on it. Before I get to the Kimbers let me say this about a couple of Springfields and Colts I have owned. The two Springfields were great for the time I owned them. They were both full sized guns which is why I let them go. The two Colts that I owned were the reason that I did not own another 1911 for 15 years.
Kimber, as I said, I have 5 right now. I have a Tactical Pro II which is my everyday carry gun. It came to me lightly used and thorougly worthless as a defensive gun. It would not feed a mag of FMJ without jambing. I had it worked over by a friend and it has been thorougly reliable since. I have shot this gun In IDPA almost exclusively. I have a Kimber Eclipse pro Target which is incredibly good looking. It has been very good though not flawless. I don't carry this gun because of the Target sights. I also have a Kimber Eclipse pro which I do carry occasionaly when I feel like dressing up a little. It has been very good though I probably do need to wring it out a little more. I also have two ultras which are both relatively new to me. Again they came to me lightly used. I have had the blued one the longest and have several hundred rounds through it without a problem. It is lightweight and incredibly compact. I will be putting night sights on both of them in the future. I got the blued one in a trade for one of the Springfields. It was like new with all the accesories. The day I picked it up at my dealers a stainless one came in. The guy who owned it fired exactly one round through it, directly into his ceiling.
I just picked it up a couple weeks ago and have not had a chance to make sure that it is reliable. I do like these little guns for their size and weight.Giterboosted
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Literally bought my kimber ultra crimson carry yesterday, LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!! polished the extractor a hair and all those dreaded feed issues went away, been shooting ot all day, love it
IMTHDUKE
Member
Anyone of these work for me....
Kimbers have been getting a bad rap, lately, due to their use of MiM parts, and overall quality control.
Truth is, this is a golden age in which to be buying a handgun; really, any reputable manufacturer makes a pistol that is at least very good, and/or has great warranty support.
Colt's have great cachet and resale value. Smith & Wesson is producing a great, consistent 1911.
Springfield lacks the Colt cachet, so far, but makes a quality product.
Sigs are terrific.
Can't speak to Dan Wesson, but they review well.
I haven't shot a Taurus 1911, but a good deal of previous Taurus experience suggests the good ones are good, and the bad ones are not uncommon.
The custom makers are outstanding, but do not accomplish anything, functionally, more than a good 1911. But, they are very cool; I have a $3.000.00 1911, and actually prefer my Sig. Hey - Ferraris are transportation, just like Fords, and some folks are willing to pay more for the vroom!
Hope this is useful,
Tizona
Truth is, this is a golden age in which to be buying a handgun; really, any reputable manufacturer makes a pistol that is at least very good, and/or has great warranty support.
Colt's have great cachet and resale value. Smith & Wesson is producing a great, consistent 1911.
Springfield lacks the Colt cachet, so far, but makes a quality product.
Sigs are terrific.
Can't speak to Dan Wesson, but they review well.
I haven't shot a Taurus 1911, but a good deal of previous Taurus experience suggests the good ones are good, and the bad ones are not uncommon.
The custom makers are outstanding, but do not accomplish anything, functionally, more than a good 1911. But, they are very cool; I have a $3.000.00 1911, and actually prefer my Sig. Hey - Ferraris are transportation, just like Fords, and some folks are willing to pay more for the vroom!
Hope this is useful,
Tizona
Badger1911
Member
Nothing at all wrong with Kimber...I love my Custom TLE II, and wouldn't hesitate to buy another. That being said, I wouldn't shy away from either a Colt or a Springfield, either. As a matter of fact, I hope to add one of each to the family one day.
Stick with the Kimber Custom II or TLE II, Springfield Mil-Spec, or Colt Series 80 or 1991 and you can't go wrong.
Stick with the Kimber Custom II or TLE II, Springfield Mil-Spec, or Colt Series 80 or 1991 and you can't go wrong.
xXxplosive
Member
If it doesn't have a "Horse" on it, it's not a .45.................
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