Need some imput

[Charleo0192]

I have had my eyes set on a 1911. However, having the name colt on it seems to raise the price quite a bit...actually having any renowned gun smithing companies name on it raises it. This tends to be so with anything. I just want to know if there are any other companies that make a good quality 1911 without a high price. One company I've looked into is Taurus, but I've seen some negative reviews on them. The actual 1911 I'm looking at that they make is a 1911-DT .45 ACP and I found a place selling it for $600. I like the look and just wanted some imput on it. Do you think its a good deal or should I stay away from Taurus all together?

 

[JTQ]

I personally think Colt 1911's are a pretty good value. The price you pay over other manufactures (especially those made overseas) is usually a result of labor costs and better parts.

Many of the Colt "features" are not as visible as those on a 1911 like the Taurus. The Taurus gives you very visible features like a beavertail grip safety, ambidextrous thumb safety, "holes" in your trigger, "combat" sights, etc. I'm not sure those parts are any good (or needed to make the gun function), but you can see them and they look cool.

Colt's features are less visible, like better quality parts throughout, fitment of those parts, and consistent dimensions.

Taurus 1911's in general have been plagued by relatively poor customer support. Of the "bargain" 1911's, Rock Island Armory (Phillipines) and Springfield Armory (Brazil), both have excellent customer service reputations. Of US made economy models, I've read good things about current production Auto Ordnance 1911's (now owned by Kahr). They are pretty crude, but reasonable for the price.

For me, the 1911 "sweet spot", price wise, is in the $800 - $1,100 range. You can get just about anything you want in that range short of a semi-custom pistol.

 

[Charleo0192]

So companies like Taurus and Rock Island Armory are not bad in making the gun, but bad with customer support. As in if I bought a 1911 from Taurus would I expect a quality built 1911 or one i should expect problems from.

Also, Whats better, a 1911 70 series or 80 series?

 

[JTQ]

So companies like Taurus and Rock Island Armory (RIA) are not bad in making the gun, but bad with customer support. As in if I bought a 1911 from Taurus would I expect a quality built 1911 or one i should expect problems from.

That is not really what I said.

I would expect more problems from either than a Colt simply because they use lower quality parts than Colt.

However, if you do have a problem with your RIA, their reputation is that they will go out of their way to fix it. Taurus, at least with their 1911's, does not have the same reputation.

Also, Whats better, a 1911 70 series or 80 series?

The terminology of Series 70 & Series 80 is really deeper than I want to get into here. You can do a Google search if you are really interested.

When the comment comes up in current 1911 talk people are generally referring to whether the pistol has (Series 80) or doesn't have (Series 70) a firing pin safety. Most 1911 fans prefer no firing pin safety, though just about every other pistol has one.

Most 1911's from Auto Ordnance, Colt, Kimber, ParaUSA, S&W, SigSauer, and Taurus come with some kind of firing pin safety (Colts Series 80 design or other). RIA, Brown, Baer, Nighhawk, Springfield (though they use other tricks), STI, Dan Wesson, and Wilson typically don't use a firing pin safety.

No firing pin safety means fewer parts.

 

[9mmepiphany]

The terminology of Series 70 & Series 80 is really deeper than I want to get into here. You can do a Google search if you are really interested.

a good explanation without opening a can of worms.

i think a good value in the lower price ranges are the Springfield GI (more traditional) or Mil-Spec (added common favored features). Springfield saves some money with foreign manufacture, but offers closer QC tolerances as a trade-off.

there is a wide variance in quality when you are under $1k...but if you keep an eye out for deals you might get lucky. i found a new S&W 1911SC Scandium framed Commander-sized gun for $500 when a LGS was having a clearance sale