What is the cheapest 1911 on the market , that you would buy & Why?

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krupparms

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Of all the cheaper 1911 clones on the market, which one would you buy? And why would you buy it? List price if you know it please. Seems like alot of them to choose from now! Seeing new ones all the time. I like what I see from METRO ARMS . Good pistols at a good price! But you take your pick.
 
They had the GI Rock Island 1911's on sale here a few months ago for $300 BNIB from Buds.
That's about as cheap as I've seen a new 1911 from a manufacturer with a decent rep.
 
I have two of the Metro Arms 1911 pistols.
Put an Ed Brown barrel & bushing in one, & left the other alone.
Of course the match barrel & bushing help one shoot tighter groups than the stock one, but not that much tighter.
Great pistols for the price. $499 or less.
 
Like most I will recommend the RIA's ,I just recently bought a tac 9mm for more range work (409$) its my fourth one .WTS I also own much more expensive 1911's why? because I do appreciate the finner things in life :D ,but there's nothing wrong with the Armscor line of firearms they are reliable and accurate but somewhat generic . Checkout Centerfire systems or Buds I think they have the best on line prices.The 9mm I just bought I got from a local gun shop I do a lot of shopping with them so the price I thought was fair.
 
I just went with a RIA Tactical FS in .45 ACP after pondering the same question. A bit over 5 Franklins because I went through my FLGS and considered the extra service to be worth the increased cost.
 
For the least expensive 1911 that was well made, reliable, and accurate, I would go with one from RIA. May not be the nicest cooking gun, in terms of it's overall fit and finish, but still a solid performer for the money.
 
RIA is the safest bet. They've worked hard to rule the "1911 at a polymer pistol price" market, and have succeed with reliable, cost effective pistols where others have tried and failed.
 
The only budget 1911 I can personally say have been 100% for me are ATI's I have bought three and they have all been flawless. One of them is my daily CCW and has a little over 8,000 rounds through it so far with only a recoil spring change.
The one RIA that I have bought gave me multiple Failures to Feed with a variety of magazines. I will say that their customer service was polite and that they corrected the problem and sent two extra mags with it when they returned it. After that I didn't have any issues out of it and to the best of my knowledge neither has my dad since I gave it to him.
 
Rock Island Armory. I know there have been tons of posts about them but for the money the RIA wins hands down. They even have a lifetime warranty on their $350 1911's.
 
I've had the RIA, Taurus, and some of the mid price Springfields. Any are good range guns. I wouldn't bet my life on any of them working if they absolutely, positively had to work. Most worked very well, most of the time, just not enough to completely trust them.

Truth is very few 1911's are as reliable as I'd like, even many in the $1,000+ range. If my life were depending on it, the S&W 1911's I've shot and owned are the ones I trust the most.
 
jmr40 said:
I've had the RIA, Taurus, and some of the mid price Springfields. Any are good range guns. I wouldn't bet my life on any of them working if they absolutely, positively had to work. Most worked very well, most of the time, just not enough to completely trust them.

Truth is very few 1911's are as reliable as I'd like, even many in the $1,000+ range. If my life were depending on it, the S&W 1911's I've shot and owned are the ones I trust the most.
Click to expand...

Too true in my experience. I have owned 5 1911's, 3 from Colt, 1 from RIA, and 1 from Sig Sauer. The RIA was kind of a "do I like 1911's?" experiment. I found out I do like 1911's, lol
The only one I have that I consider to be truly reliable is one of the Colts, a 1991A1 full size.
The RIA was reliable but for $300 the GI sights sucked and it shot way off point of aim. It was a fun range toy though, and a friend of mine has a newer version of the same gun, and again...its a great range toy but the sights are a serious detriment to its value as an all around handgun, and a .460 rowland conversion keeps tickling my fancy, which isn't recommended for many of the cheaper 1911 clones.

So if you are getting a range toy, a RI 1911 G.I model is a great entry 1911 for right around $300-$400.
If you are looking for a gun that you can depend on for some serious social work if the need arises, or have an interest in doing a conversion in the future, I'd be considering more criteria than just price.
 
RIA Tactical .45. I have two and they are my first 1911's so I have nothing else to judge by. With the magazines they like they have been 100% reliable even with my handloads so I would trust them for HD. They are too big to carry for me though.
 
Well so far R.I.A. seems to be winning hands down! Gotta admit I like them as well! At that price they seem to be the choice as a budget 1911! And as pointed out, they can be upgraded very easy!
 
I had a Metro Arms Commander sized 1911 for a while. Never had a hiccup. Gave it to a buddy when the police recovered my .45 Witness. Loved it and had no problems but it just wasn't "me".. Only used it for a range toy and night stand gun though. Never worried about it failing. He carries it daily.
 
I guess my recommendation would depend on what the gun is for. I liked the Rock Island GI I had but it didn't function reliably on 230gr JHPs. Great with FMJs though. Then again RIA says as much in the manual. So as a range-only gun, the Rock would be perfect. No reason to spend more on anything else, and I don't think anything else in that price bracket is as well-proven.

On the other hand, if personal defense is the application, I would instantly go for the Springfield Milspec, a mostly GI-type gun with nice enhanced sights. I have personal experience with two of these pistols, and they are very reliable even with different hollowpoints. These run about $650 these days, and I would go with nothing cheaper/lesser for protection use in a 1911.
 
I have never had a 1911 fail on me. I have shot my father's Colt hundreds of times when growing up, and I have shot my Tisas Zig 1911 GI over 500 times without failure. I guess I am just puzzled on where people say the 1911 is a gun of failure because I have never experienced a failure. Knock on wood.
 
RIA, but you might want to step up from the GI, as it is pretty basic...
and hammer bite is rather ouchie if you have big hands...
on the upside, you can upgrade the heck out of it if you wish...
or just get a "more toys" RIA 1911, of which they have quite the selection :)
 
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