okay, maybe a 1911......

[longhair75]

Good afternoon friends,

Since my return to shooting a few years ago, I have been reading the deluge of pro 1911 posts, articles and reviews. I am now looking at my next handgun purchase, and I am swayed.

The only 1911 I have ever fired was one of a whole lot sold as military surplus sometime in the (I think) early 70's. It was a worn out piece of tired iron, and I was pretty sure I could throw it straighter than it would shoot. At the same time, I bought a lovingly cared for Browning HiPower, which I greatly preferred. The Browning has been absolutely trouble free from the beginning. The 1911 that I tried out is still in my friend's gun safe, but I could not imagine depending on that for anything other than a paper weight.

Today, it seems that you can spend whatever you are willing to part with for a 1911. This month's Combat Handguns magazine has a glowing review of the Wilson Combat ULC Compact, which comes in at $3,250.00!

So, I am looking at Remingtons, Springfields and I am intrigued by the new Ruger 1911.

I appreciate reading all of your posts and reviews here. Thanks

 

[MICHAEL T]

Colts are still the one others are judged by. A colt is reliable accurate and can be bought for under a grand. I like the Colt Commander series of the Defender for carry.
American Classic in under 500 and one of the Best of the made in Philippines pistols

 

[Smaug]

Don't be so quick to discount the tired old 1911. The wartime ones were reliable partly because they were loose. You might be surprised how well it shoots. Maybe have a gunsmith look it over and let you know what it needs before putting down hundreds of dollars on a new gun.

I got a basic 1911 a couple months ago for $550, a Para GI Expert. It is a nice gun, but not any better than a DA .45 of the same price. I shot just as well with my old Ruger P90.

Where they really start to shine is after they've had some trigger work. Then you have a nice consistent, light SA trigger that is a real advantage on the first shot.

I think if I were to do it over, I would get an EAA in .45 instead. One that can be carried cocked & locked.

 

[CZ223]

I am not a fan of "miitary style" 1911s

but I do love my 1911s. I have to have certain things on all my 1911's that are non negotiable. The first is better sights like Novak preferably with night sites. The second is a beaver tail grip safety. The third is a commander style hammer. A checkered front strap, Mag well and, extended thumb safety are all good things as well. I also prefer a commander length gun as well. I currently have 10 different 1911's. Five of them are Kimbers, two are Taurus, two are Rock Islands and one is a GSG-22. I also am in the process of buying an enhanced S&W. I have also owned two Sprinfields and two Colts.
I am telling you this not to brag but to suggest that you decide which features are important to you before you buy a 1911. If you are intending to carry this then you may want a commander length gun, maybe even a lightweight version. Don't buy a full sized steel gun only to find out it is too big for you to carry comfortably. Also, if you buy a Military style gun then decide you want better sights you will end up spending a couple hundred to have it done right. So, I will give you a list of what I consider good buys starting with you initial picks.

Remington R1-Good Military style gun with no frills. If you are a traditionalist it might be a real good gun for you. Not what I would consider a good SD/carry gun.

Ruger-I have not got my hands on one yet but the reports are good and it looks great. I will probably buy one despite the fact that it is a full sized government model.

Rock Island Tactical-Lots of gun for the money. Most of them are good to go from the box and customer service is superb. Good sights, Beaver tail safety, Ambi safety all for around $500. Not a great looking gun but very reliable. decent shooters.

Taurus-The only down side that I see to the Taurus is that they do not have a Commander sized offering yet. Both of my Duo-tones have been Flawless. All the bells and whistles for around $600. My Duotones are as nice looking and have all features that my 2 Kimber Eclipse guns have at half the price.

Springfield- I had two of these, a GI and an older model that must have been the predecessor to the the Loaded. They both were very reliable though not overly accurate. If I were to buy another it would be a fixed sight loaded model.

Smith and Wesson- I have a full sized enhanced model on layaway right now. It looks comparable to the Kimber that costs a third more. Review to come later.

Colt- Owned two, not in a hurry to buy another. Both were nothing but headaches. Maybe I was just unlucky, twice.

American classic- I have not yet bought one of these yet but I am sure I will. Their guns look good and they have them in the commander length. The Hard Chrome looks especially good thought the blued gun look good too. From all the good reports, they are hard to beat for around $450.

The bottom line is that are a lot of good guns out there right now and they all have their weak as well as strong points.

 

[mljdeckard]

Smaug is right. A little tweaking can clean up a battered 1911. In the tail end of my time as an armorer with 1911s, we put in some new barrels, links, and bushings, and it was miraculous.

You can do a little or go all-out on a 1911. If I was to recommend some, I would look at the STI Spartan, and I want to think that the new Ruger will be a good one for the price, but I have no way of knowing that. I think that the law of diminishing returns kicks in somewhere at about $100 or a little bit more. after that the cost is not proportional to the return.

 

[Zerodefect]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=589267

 

[Sauer Grapes]

A guy at my club just took an old Colt and had a guy put a barrel, bushing, and a trigger job on it and transformed it into a real shooter. That's the beauty of the 1911.
If I was deciding between the 2 you mentioned, I'd buy the Springer MilSpec or jump to the Range Officer.