If you had a choice

If you had a choice between the Girsan 1911 Officers ACP sized pistol and the Charles Daly Government 1911 (Italian) which one is the best choice?

 

This one https://eaacorp.com/product/girsan-mc1911-sc/

or which one of these https://www.charlesdaly.com/family.php?id=73


Regardless of which Charles Daly 1911 (it would make a difference to me which one), you need to decide if you want a little 1911 or a full size 1911. Which one would you use more?

 

I have the Charles Daly Government 1911. It is one of the best pistols in its price range that I've handled.

 

I would pick the Girsan mainly because I'm looking for a replacement for my Glock 43/36 and I also already have 8 or 9 full sized 1911s.
Really depends on what you want to do with it, as I'm sure many on here will tell you.

 

Charles Dalys have been made all over the world and have never been known for quality.

 

Don't know about the 1911's, but I've got a Girsan MPC-35 (Hi-Power clone) that is first class, so I'd probably look for a Girsan 1911 if I was in the market for a new 1911.

 

Charles Daly procures its firearms from subcontractors. I really doubt they have anyone in the plant overseeing quality control. Quality control is therefore the responsibility, good or bad, of the manufacturer. The maker of these Charles Daly 1911's is an Italian company Brixia

Looks like they started with precision small parts

https://ammoterra.com/company/brixia-shotguns-srl-1

The company website has the front office dressed like American Harley riders, bragging about the shotguns they make

https://brixia.shotgunmc.com/

Making a good, cost competitive shotgun is hard work. They must have thought they could branch out into 1911's, and the Charles Daly is one of the simple 1911's they make. You can search and find Brixia 1911's with all the bells and whistles that Cult Cocked and Locked love.

I purchased a basic GI model, only have fired 200 rounds, but it functions, goes bang. My range has arranged things such that I am shooting at targets 7 yards away, but it will keep all shots within two inches at that distance. If you can't tell from the pictures, I liberally lubricate my 1911's. I adhere to the belief that the elbow is the drip point. A wet 1911 is a happy 1911.

The manual does not mention the barrel is chrome plated. Chrome plating is good for durability and rust resistance, but don't use a copper solvent on a chrome plated barrel. Chrome plating used to start off with a copper layer, then a nickle layer, with a chrome layer on top. A copper solvent can work its way into the copper plating and dissolve sections, which would cause the chrome to peel.






Outside of field stripping and removing the firing pin and extractor, I have not gone any deeper into my Charles Daly. All of the parts I handled showed the typical modern CNC appearances, no file marks, very few tooling marks. It is likely Brixia buys the hammers, sears, firing pins, extractors from the aftermarket anyway. I don't know if they buy precision forged blanks (which was what Remington Huntsville was doing) and then machine them, but it is probable. From something on the web, the slide is CNC machined 4140 and the frame cast 4140. These materials are far better than the 1035 and 1060 used in the WW2 service pistols.

I would say the choice would be based on size and weight. A full sized, all steel 1911 is big and heavy. The Officer model was designed to be more petite. I can state, whenever someone brings out an Officer model to the range, regardless of make, the Officer models have all been finicky, and I have seen lots of failures to feed and eject. Could be magazine issues, but I think, shortening the slide causes dwell issue and slide velocity issues that were worked out 110 years ago in the five inch 1911.

 

Buy both or you'll always wonder about the one you didn't get.

 

I don't know much about Charles Daly (sample size of 1) and I don't know anything about Girsan, but someone I know brought his Charles Daly to the range. He had set screws tapped into the front sight to stop it from drifting. I thought it looked bad, but I guess it worked?

 

Given my druthers I would probably go with the Girsan 1911 Officer's Model ACP. Already have plenty of full size 1911s so I don't really need any more. Plus I have a problem seeing the those tiny little sights on the M1911A1 copies.

 

Well...I've decided not to go with either one. My LGS has a Rock Island with better sights. It's a Tacticool model and new at a very good price. I think I'm going that way.

Thanks to all those when responded to my OP.

 

For my 2¢, it's better to get comfortable with a full-size 1911 before plunging in with the micro-sized version.

 

Apples and oranges. One has a 3.4" barrel, the other has a 5" barrel. Both have their place IMO.