More gun than I need

[strambo]

Get the milspec and spend the difference on ammo and training. After this experience, you'll know what features you would like and which are not necessary for you. Then either upgrade the milspec or trade for what you know with experience you want. The worst gun I ever bought was the one I intellectually thought I wanted/needed without experience 1st.

Heck, $500 for the milspec leaves you $700 more to go to a custom gunsmith for just upgrades you know you want. That will be a better gun for you than a $1200 Kimber with features Kimber thinks most people want, but you might not.

The concert violinist does need an expensive instrument because they are a pro...They no doubt started out on a $100 violin and it was fine. If you progress really well, you'll know what grade instrument you need. Get now what you think you might need later and odds are good you'll spend $$ unecessarily.

It's funny, but the better I become as a shooter, the less sensitive I become to the pistol type. I used to avoid DA/SA autos like the plague and shot only 1911's. Now I own a SIG, am currently carrying a Beretta (and shoot it well) and also have a Kahr K9 at home. I did well with a .44 mag revolver while I had one too. Focus on developing good shooting and gun handling skills with any good quality gun, go from there.

If, for example, you knew you just wanted to be an IPSC competitor and had the budget, I could see just jumping in and buying what the top shooters use/recommend right off the bat, since you know that game/division will be best shot with that gun when your skill gets there. For general use though, no.

 

[johnbarth]

Kimber

I saw a Kimber Revolution Nitron at our new sporting goods store for 979.00. It may pay to shop around. Thanks

 

[DirtyBrad]

I think as long as it's reliable and fits you well, you're good with whatever you get. I agree with others who've said that you might as well be sure you can shoot to the level of a really nice gun before dropping the money.

I don't think the price of the gun matters much in the long run (I was thrilled to get 500 rounds of .45 for $100 the other day). What's a Springfield cost, about $700? I'd rather have that and another $500 gun than a Kimber myself, or the Springfield and two really good handgun courses, etc.

 

[GungHo]

The gun may be capable of Superior accuracy, but I am not. I can shoot a low end 1911 like the Spgfld mil spec just as well as I could a finely tuned target gun, I know my limitations and spending $1200 for me, would be a waste of money and gun. He said , wow I never looked at it like that before. Anybody else feel this way?

Eh... yes and no.

I always get the best [thing] I can and the best version I can, within reason. Cars, guns, computers, whathaveyou. Trading up later for better quality is usually a losing proposition. If you're willing to accept that, fine... just prepare for disappointment.

1911's are a hard example because of all the customization that's available... you may be able to spend $500 on a $700 gun and get a hell of a gun at the end. However, I don't discount the guns that are $1200 out of the box if they already have all the features I'd get, and more. For example, if I know I'm going to want a polished feed ramp, beveled magwell, skeleton hammer, trigger job, night sights etc, etc, and Dan Wesson, Springfield, Kimber, or whoever have it RIGHT THERE out of the box, that's an advantage, to me, over buying a "base" gun and then giving it up for a few weeks to send off to Gemini Custom do the SAME THING to it.

On the other side of the coin, if I know darn good and well I'm going to send it off to Gemini, then I'm probably not going to get a top-of-the-line gun from one of the majors, because it's all gonna be changed out anyway.

However, there is a point of diminishing returns, especially for the layman. If you're not a competitive/professional/expert shooter, I don't see a lot of point in getting a $2500 race/space gun, or even a $2100 Wilson Combat Wormhole X-Treme Edition. I also don't see the point in getting a computer with 4 video cards, especially if I'm just farting around on the internet, or a Corvette Z-06 (as cool as they are) if I just need a grocery getter. You're never gonna use all that gun, and it becomes less of a "I need this gun to better myself" to "all the guys at the range are gonna freak out and fawn."

 

[Wes Janson]

Sometimes you just want a perfect pistol.

For me, I've been jonesing for a Commander-length bobtailed 1911 with night sights, a green/black color scheme, bushing barrel, a 4.5# trigger pull, and a few other specific details. It's not something that Kimber or Springfield offer as a catalog item, unfortunately.

 

[Paints]

If a person is really good and shoots a lot, they might get their money out of an expensive gun. OTOH, my capabilities and eyesight probably will not get a lot of improvement out of a custom gun.

I can do better with a good trigger than with a really horrid one, but I've seen some of those improve with use.

I do have a Kimber SS Gold Match, bought as a retirement gift to myself. It's a very nice gun. BUT I certainly would not use it as a carry gun (too pretty to scratch up and besides, maybe the trigger is too light for CCW use).

OTOH, I do believe in paying the price for a reliable gun, especially if used for CCW. My carry gun is an old Kimber Compact. Certainly not top of the line and may not win any competitive matches, but it is reliable and isn't so pretty that I'm afraid of carrying it. It's also fun to shoot.

I do believe that for most of us, modern guns are more accurate than we are (speaking for myself )

Ken

 

[strambo]

There is a big difference in "features" that come standard on a production gun like the Kimber, Dan Wesson, etc...and those "features" added later by a custom smith. So, it's not just an economic concern. The quality of having it go through a custom smith's hands is worth it IMO...the most expensive modifications seem to be the mostly cosmetic ones. Checkering, finish, slide flattening, serrating...

I think a Milspec with only the features you want (example: reliablity package, sights, trigger/sear/hammer, safety, match bushing and check barrel fit, carry bevel) is a better proposition for the same $$ as the $1200 Kimber. Yeah, the Kimber has the better laundry list of "features" (quantity) but not the quality of getting the hands on attention of a top pistolsmith. The only downside I see is the wait.

I used to want a Baer semi-custom until I realized I could get a Milspec worked over by Ted Yost with only the features I really want for a couple $100 less!