Need quick purchase advice - Remington R1

[ngnrd]

I've never owned a 1911 before, so I'm coming in a bit uninformed. There is a stainless R1 on sale for $450 after the rebate from Remington. So, my question is... Walk away, meh, or grab it quick? Im looking for opinions on price and quality, please. Thanks.

 

[guyfromohio]

I believe it to be one of the better lower priced 1911s. I'd do it for $450 any day of the week. If you don't like it, you could sell it for $550 and everyone is still happy.

 

[cor_man257]

It's a good price in my neck of the woods. The quality is comparable to other 1911s with similar features.

-Cory

 

[ngnrd]

So... Decent quality with a good reputation in its price range, and a good sale price? Sounds good so far. Is there anything I'll have to do to it right away to ensure reliable service, or do the R1's run well straight out of the box? (After an initial cleaning/inspection, of course)

 

[Lone Star]

Reviews that I've seen on other boards have been very positive.

As with any new auto, field strip it and clean it and lube with your usual lube before going to the range. Nothing else is required of a new gun. Too many people like to change springs, etc. and they usually don't need to and may just mess things up.

The most that I've ever done to any auto was to maybe change the grips if I liked something better than what came on the gun.

 

[mjsdwash]

thats less than my wife payed when she got one. I like it, but it was not perfect. It would not extract live rounds. Fired fine. Extractor fitting (acutally fitting, not just "tensioning") Fixed that. Its a very pretty 1911, probably the best looking ive seen. The sights come are known to come loose, so pick up an allen wrench for it if you dont have the right size. It came with two Remington Brand (real manufacturer not listed) 7rnd hybrid magazines of decent quality.

 

[RON in PA]

My R1, purchased in 2011, has been 100% reliable with about 2,000 rounds through it.

 

[bannockburn]

A couple of year back I was looking at various relatively inexpensive 1911s for use primarily as a range gun. Checked out RIA, Remington, and Ruger and found for the most part all of them were a decent buy for the money. Eventually I found a Colt Government that had great overall build quality along with a super nice fit and finish and went with that instead.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Reviews that I've seen on other boards have been very positive.

Not doubting you, but this has been the opposite of my experience. I seem to recall quite a few negative comments about the Remmy, so that I pretty much dismissed them in favor of something like a Ruger or Springfield while I was recently considering a budget-minded 1911. But admitedly it's been a little while since I've read anything on them, so maybe there were early-model issues?
But if they're holding up as well as some folks in this thread are saying, then yeah, $450, especially for stainless, sounds like a great deal.

 

[armedwalleye]

At their normal price, there are a number of others around that are a better value. For $450, it's tough to go wrong.

 

[MachIVshooter]

At their normal price, there are a number of others around that are a better value.

That's subjective. I feel the R1 still represents a great value at the $600-$700 mark, prefer it to the Springfield, Ruger and others at that price point.

I bought one in 2012. I wanted a US made gun that looked the part of an original M1911, but with the upgrades of better sights and a lowered ejection port. The R1 offers this. Fit and finish are excellent. Only issue was that the front sight was too low. Remington sent a new, taller blade at no charge, which made it shoot to POA at 25 yards. I do not recall a single malfunction to date, although I do not have an accurate round count.

At $450, it's a no-brainer.

 

[old fart]

that's a great deal, around here they are going for around +- $600. if i had found one for $450 when i got my two nano's i would have bought it. but i got a great deal on them at $273otd each. i guess different places, different prices on certain models.

 

[ngnrd]

Bought it. Thanks for the input, guys. My first 1911. I'm excited to see how it stacks up against my trusty P90.

 

[Armybrat]

You made a good choice and got a great deal. I paid that much for a blue one last October. The R1 is a very good gun for a "basic" 1911. Good shooting!

 

[george burns]

They are good guns, I change the mags to McCormick, or Wilson

 

[Bullseye]

I have an R1S that I bought new and love it. I don't regret paying almost 100.00 more than what you got it for. Then I got the $75.00 rebate and bought some grips for it.

 

[Zerodefect]

Is there anything I'll have to do to it right away to ensure reliable service, or do the R1's run well straight out of the box? (After an initial cleaning/inspection, of course)

Tripp 7 round mags.
Federal ammo
Heavy Lube. Don't forget the outside of the barrel.

Shoot 1000+ without failure before testing similar defensive ammo for carry.

 

[ngnrd]

Thanks for the suggestions. Don't know if I'll use the R1S for carry. I have others for that. This will likely be a range gun. At least for now.

 

[dakota1911]

That was a very good price. I would have gone for it I think.