picking the right 1911

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1hogfan83

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Im in the market for a new 1911 carry gun and im up for any opinions any of you guys might give me. two that i'm really interested in are the kimber pro carry II and the smith and wesson PD 4 1/2. my only real requirements are that it has to be a .45 about 4inch long and around 1k. i guess those are hard to work around. no springfields. from what ive heard kimbers are either love em or hate em guns. havent heard much on s&w. any opinions or advice would be helpful.
 
Just curious, why not a Springfield? I feel like they are worth a look. Colt is also worth a look. Some folks love S&W, and they are great quality, but I have trouble coming around to the external extractor and Swartz safety. They have a great reputation though. Same story with Sig, although I think I would buy the SW before the Sig if it were me, simply because SW has been doing it longer. Some of the Sigs had issues when they first broke into the 1911 market, but I think they've gotten that behind them now. I'm not a Kimber fan, but some others are. Take it for what it's worth. Same for Para and Taurus IMO. The new Ruger is yet unproven, so I would hold out on it if it were my money. Dan Wessons are great 1911s, but a little out of the price range you mention.

Honestly I would look at Colt, Springfield and the STI Guardian.

Jason
 
And to confuse things a bit more....

While I like Colts, if you are considering Smith, you should look at Sig as well (both external extractor brethren). They have some pretty feature-packed pistols in the $800-900 range.
 
im sorry but springfields are just not up to standard. they dont really have a gun that fits my need. of all the SA ive seen or held they are sub standard, i.e. tooling marks, loose slides, etc.
 
Colt Talo CCO for the win! These are right at $1000+ shipping and Transfer. You should be able to get out right around $1050 NIB OTD.

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I was just getting ready to post a range report on my new S&W e series SC 4.25 round butt. After the first 3 to 4 hundered rounds I can tell you I'm
very pleased! I used it yesterday to shoot IDPA, it was flawless, accurate and surprisingly soft , for 29.9 oz 45 cal. It's in your price range and I would recommend you consider it.
 
I was just getting ready to post a range report on my new S&W e series SC 4.25 round butt. After the first 3 to 4 hundered rounds I can tell you I'm
very pleased! I used it yesterday to shoot IDPA, it was flawless, accurate and surprisingly soft , for 29.9 oz 45 cal. It's in your price range and I would recommend you consider it.
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S&Ws are fine as long as you don't mind the external extractor. :evil:
 
im sorry but springfields are just not up to standard. they dont really have a gun that fits my need. of all the SA ive seen or held they are sub standard, i.e. tooling marks, loose slides, etc.
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You might take a look at the Range Officer model from Springfield. Supposedly they have better fit and finish than some of the others, although I've never seen any tooling marks on the few Springfields I've handled, and the slide was no looser than the Colts I've handled. I don't know what you feel is substandard about them, they are pretty much par for the course in that price range. It sounds like you might have a tough time meeting your standards without spending more. I never thought I'd say it would be tough to get a really nice 1911 for $1000, but it kind of is now. You're right in between the "lower end" production models, and the "upper end" production and semi custom models- in a sort of "no man's land" of price brackets. Dan Wesson used to own that territory, but they went to forged frames and more in house parts and prices went up. Nobody has really come along yet to fill the niche.

I think I'd probably go with an STI in the price range you speak of.

JMHO.

Jason
 
OP requirements are:

my only real requirements are that it has to be a .45 about 4inch long and around 1k.
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Range Officer does not meet the criteria. IIRC there are not many STI 4" guns at that price either. There are tons of choices in the $1,000 range.

Colt
SA
Sig
S&W

No you are not going to get a semi-custom but there are choices. If you push the $$$$ up to about $1300 you can get a Dan Wesson Blemish CCO or Guardian (Alum Frame).
 
Range Officer does not meet the criteria.
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You're right, I forgot he wanted one around 4". STI doesn't make whole lot of shorter 1911's, but they do make the Guardian. That's why I mentioned it by model up above.

Jason
 
the reason i ask about the smith and wesson is because i talked to my local gun dealer and he said kimber is the best and smith is the rest. ive got a hunch that he said that because he didnt have any smiths in stock. i've seen nothing butt good about the smiths and i found a really great price on one.
 
the reason i ask about the smith and wesson is because i talked to my local gun dealer and he said kimber is the best and smith is the rest. ive got a hunch that he said that because he didnt have any smiths in stock. i've seen nothing butt good about the smiths and i found a really great price on one.
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Sorry to break it to you but your LGS is lying. Kimber is nowhere near the best. They are MIM ridden guns at a forged gun price. They are all show no go IMHO. They are not worth the money.

Dealers love to sell them because they make a good profit on them. I would take a Smith over a Mimber and I am not a S&W 1911 fan. Again I would look at the Colt and them maybe a blem Dan Wesson.
 
this is gonna be my fall/winter carry piece, ive got a 642 now, so ive got time to wait. i never thought of the sig so i'll keep my eye out for one of those. i would also like keep it under 30 ounces. i know the restrictions keep getting tighter and tighter.
 
STI Escort ~ $1,000
DW CCO ~ $1250
DW Guardian ~ $1350
S&W bobtail ~ $1100
Colt Commander ~ $875
Colt Wiley Clapp ~ $1250
 
You might consider a used gun that has been well worked by a known smith or a used semi-custom gun like a Les Baer. Your dollar goes a lot farther on the secondary market and any manufacturing defects will likely have been caught and corrected provided you do your homework working with the seller.

I would say buy the best gun you can afford. Buy once, cry once.
 
You might consider a used gun that has been well worked by a known smith or a used semi-custom gun like a Les Baer. Your dollar goes a lot farther on the secondary market and any manufacturing defects will likely have been caught and corrected provided you do your homework working with the seller.
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Even a used Baer is going to cost you $1400... I know there was a guy selling his Stinger for $1375 over on TFL.
 
Even a used Baer is going to cost you $1400.
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Nah. I posted on the Bullseye-L list (I was looking for a wad gun, not a carry piece) and I got several very good responses of guns by known smiths that ranged from $1000 for no optics to $1400 for a Les Baer PII with the 1.5" group at 50 yards guarantee and optics. I would think you could find a very nice semi-custom gun on the used market for $1000-1200.
 
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I mentioned I am a Colt guy, but if I were buying a pistol today and was somehow forbidden from getting one with a prancing pony, I would get a Sig Scorpion. I could live with the external extractor; when looking as a railed 1911 with other tactical options, the purity of retaining an internal extractor becomes less important. They make it in a carry version as well with the 4" barrel.

That particular model may be a bit large to CCW even in the Carry variant, but they make sleeker models as well. Check out the C3 at under 30 ounces. Or even the Ultra two-tone for an Officer-sized model.
 
I have the older S&W1911PD Commander with the CT grips. My buddy found one used, lnib for $800 + shipping a few weeks ago. I've put a few thousand through mine and really like it.

The newer bobtailed S&Ws look good as well.
 
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