What is a better 1911?

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I own the Taurus 1911. It shoots well, hasn't had any failure to ejects or feed with the three types of ammo I've fed it. Seems reliable so far after about 250 rounds :)

If this is your first 1911, I would head over to the 1911 forum (google it). I guess they speak very highly of the Rock Island Arms 1911 over there. They were running $440 at the last gun show I was at (washington state). I'm not a seasoned 1911 shooter but I know when I shot my friend's les baer, the only difference I noticed: harder to take apart for cleaning, better trigger... accuracy wasn't any different for me.

Kitchen
 
i love my para ( P14) no problems,shoots everything i feed it. 600 rounds about. and para has a great customer service record that iv seen.

but try asking over at http://forum.m1911.org/ in the brand appropriate forums
 
I love my Taurus 1911 so much I now need to buy a stainless version. Has eaten everything I have fed it. Also functions fine with some cheap gun show no-name mags.
 
I'd buy the Taurus.

Para has a proprietary extractor and a ramped barrel in 45 ACP. Both of those features are not good IMO.
 
Para has a proprietary extractor and a ramped barrel in 45 ACP. Both of those features are not good IMO.
Click to expand...

any support for this?

Smith and wesson have proprietary extractors.
Wilson, Nowlin, and Clark also use ramped barrels.

all of those names are well respected and good performers. is it the feature you dont like, or para?
 
any support for this?

Smith and wesson have proprietary extractors.
Wilson, Nowlin, and Clark also use ramped barrels.

all of those names are well respected and good performers. is it the feature you dont like, or para?
Click to expand...

Features I don't like, not much experience with Para.

I think you will find or read that most of the "noted" custom smiths and even semi-custom makers do not recommend a ramped barrel in 45. At "best", you might hear they can be made as reliable as non-ramped barrels. That's not a sterling recommendation to make a change...that has no purpose.
Better yet, ask Tuner on this board. I doubt there's a more knowledgeable person on 1911s anywhere.
The two companies that I see mostly with ramped barrels are Para and STI, both basically "sporting" type guns(origins anyway) and no doubt, use the ramp cut in their frames to make manufacturing easier between calibers...not because it's best.

Same for the extractor design change in 45. To go from a one-piece design to multiple and/or "fitted" parts like Para or S&W is a "loser" IMHO...don't get it!
 
My gunsmith does a lot of 1911 work, mostly bullseye stuff, and he tells me that the Taurus is the steal of the century.

My other gunsmith who also does a lot of target work (more Olympic-type stuff) had a good suggestion: If you plan on getting any custom work done, call up the smith you're planning on using and see if he has a preference. Some of the low-end 1911s have a bad reputation of being difficult to customize (he gave an example of a slide that couldn't be fitted to the frame without cracking it).

I have an old Colt, so I'm partial to 1911s with a horsey on the slide.

-J.
 
i would say go for the para, they come with match ramped barrels, they have the x- tractor, as well i have seen todd jarret run that exact model for 1000rds hitch free in one session. they run and they run. also i have feed spent brass in a para.
 
My Taurus has been flawless for over 2k rounds. Best factory trigger I've ever used.
 
Taurus.

I'd buy the Taurus, if it were my money. They've been getting rave reviews from the folks shooting them, they don't break the bank and the FLGR is easily replaced with a proper one.

Now on to why I wouldn't own a Barely Ordnance if you gave me one.

The ramped barrel is a sulution for a buggered frame, not something to put on a new pistol.

"match" chamber means they don't check them often enough during production and many are too tight. VERY bad juju for a defensive firearm. But you expect it because it's a "match" chamber.

Internal parts on P.O. guns are so out of spec it unbelievable. I posted that a disconector was impinging on the magazine, was called everything but a liar. The gunsmith (Joel, don't remember last name) at P.O. said it was somewhat common.

Customer service sucks. Wanted me to pay shipping on a handgun instead of sending me a new disconnector.

Want me to go on? I can.
 
I really don't have a correct reply~! :uhoh:

Over two years ago, I owned a NIB 5" Para SSP- beautiful firearm with
all the bells and whistles; but I never got a chance to shoot it. You see,
I used it to trade up to a 5" Kimber Raptor II; which BTW, was also a
very fine firearm with a low S/N. Then, the opportunity came along
for me to acquire a NIB Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special 1911~! :scrutiny:

Guess what, the deal was made for the Baer and I have NEVER even
looked back~! :cool: As to the Taurus PT1911, I've NEVER owned one;
and most likely NEVER will, giving the nod too Springfield Armory 1911's
over Taurus anyday. :D
 
I'll vote with Ala Dan.

For a feature-laden first firearm, the Taurus probably can only be matched by the similar-model RIA. However, 1911s made by SA, Kimber, S&W, Para-Ordnance, etc., are going to be better firearms--made with better metals, and the Para ramped barrel is a real plus.

I have NOT shot a 1911 with a external extractor design--not a true 1911; my SA Omega with the Peters Stahl top end has dual extractors, however, and they worked fine but needed to be kept tuned. There is no reason to not buy a 1911 with the external design, AFAICT. In fact, they should be more amenable to home-based tuning, and that is a plus.

Are there any posters here with Taurii or RIAs with 5K-10K rounds through them? How are they holding up, IOW--any undue wear or breakage?

Jim H.
 
ara has a proprietary extractor and a ramped barrel in 45 ACP. Both of those features are not good IMO.
Click to expand...

I might understand a proprietary extractor being bad from the standpoint of replacement parts, but so long as it functions, I wouldn't worry.

As for ramped barrels, they are just fine. They fully support the case head, so there's less chance of a blowout if a load is a bit hot. They can improve feeding, and there's no need to worry about the frame ramp at all. About the only problem I've found with them is that you can't use a .22LR top end in a frame cut for a ramped barrel.

I've no experience with the Paras, but the Taurus 1911s are plenty decent, especially for the price. The only thing about it I didn't like was the cheap hard plastic grips and the oversize grip screws. Those are easily swapped.
 
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