which 1911 is a better deal??

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It looks like I'm going to jump on the 1911 bandwagon. Which is the best deal of the following?

Smith base model 1911, $725
Kimber Stainless II, $699
Taurus 1911 with Crimson Trace lasergrips, (plus original grips) $699.

I've read reviews till I'm numb, they all have lovers and haters. The taurus just seems like so much gun for the $$, but I really love the others, too. Trying to make a smart decision...
 
Not enough money difference here to matter. Buy the one you like the most.
 
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WEll i bought a Para and like it pretty well

$670 w/tax
 
I've narrowed it down to the 3 I listed

and since they are all the same $$, I'm just wondering which is the best deal. I like each of them for different reasons. The taurus seems like it's giving a lot for the $$, the kimber is just plain sexy, and I read nothing but good things about the smiths. :banghead:
 
The Taurus is supposed to be a good value for the money. IMHO though, the laser grips are an unnecessary expense. I had some on a 1911, I soon sold them. The reason is I index my trigger finger alongside the frame, on top of the slide stop pin until I am ready to place it on the trigger. This blocks the laser, making it useless to me. Without the laser, the Taurus is a good deal.

A Kimber Series II? No.

The SW1911 is a good pistol in my experience. I own two, and I presently have another (SW1911PD) on layaway. I have found them to be accurate, reliable, and a great value. Of the three you have listed, it would be my choice.
 
The Kimber would be #1 for me based upon my experiences with them. They stand up to lots of punishment and they hold their value.

The Smith would be second but I would buy a Mil-Spec before a Smith. The Smith does have several things going for it, #1 being S&W's supreme warranty department.

I would RUN like hell away from any Taurus. They are not reliable. They have that silly hammer lock that might hinder your ability to defend yourself and their warranty department has gone downhill in the past two years.
 
How are the Taurus not reliable, I've seen lot's of good owner reports, and few bad ones, certainly no worse a percentage than Kimber. Handling them they seemed like a pretty well built pistol.
 
Taurus is new to the 1911 game, but I have yet to hear bad things about it. The Smiths are great. Kimbers have their followers, and they are good too.

T'were it me, I'd buy the Smith. Great products and great service.
 
Get a Kimber

Kimber. I have a raptor II and love it. If I could get another for $699 I'd buy it.
 
I had a S&W

It was the commander with the scandium frame, and I loved it. The only thing that I didn't like was the "bill board" slide, but whatever, that was cosmetic. It was nice looking, well made, accurate and reliable. I had to sell it because I needed cash, but I wish now that I had just sold that kidney instead.

I had a kimber Raptor, I liked it a lot, it was very pretty, and dead nuts accurate, but was not reliable.

I would not buy the Taurus. I have had one of their revolvers, and it was a good deal, a 4" 357 tracker. I liked it ok, but I bought it used (unfired) for $250, so I can't complain, but I would NEVER spend that kind of cash on a Taurus... But that's just me.
 
I'd go with the Taurus, sans lasergrips (surely that would save you a couple hundred bucks?) and then use the savings to replace the hammer on the Taurus with one that doesn't have a lock, and plenty of ammo. :)
 
Go with what you really want. They are all good guns. If you don't want the lasergrips the Taurus should be around $500.

I love reading a post from a Kimber lover calling the Taurus "unreliable":neener: . And what a big issue that was the one thread brought up on the Taurus. The internals and reliability of the Taurus is every bit as good as the other two, go with what suits your fancy.
 
I have yet to come across a Kimber that wasn't reliable* if you followed the directions for break-in included in the manual.


*not talking about those crappy external extractor guns. Those were beyond wretched.
 
1911

My vote would be to try and shoot any of them you can before purchasing. I have two Kimbers I love but I haven't shot the others. One may feel better in your hands than another, the final decision should be what feels and shoots the best. I will say that some Kimbers do take a little time to "break in" usually 300 to 400 rounds.
 
If you would potentially consider converting the thing to .45 Super some time down the road, the Para's fully-supported chamber is a big plus.
 
I've owned two kimbers, both were sent back multiple times with problems and eventually went away.

I've never played with a Taurus, but a little bird told me that IMBEL was producing them, which is the same company that makes ALL Springfield 1911's.

I have two S&W's, a 4.25" Pd model, that is phenominal, and a 5" blued steel model that is also great. Both have been 100% in factory config*, and the S&W warranty is great.

*I had a smith do a trigger job on my scandium, he goofed it up and I had an uncontrollable full auto 1911 on my hands (no trigger pull required to start it either). AFter a few months of him goofing up more parts, I contacted S&W to get the gun returned to stock. They paid my shipping both ways, and not only fixed the gun, but gave me a trigger job on it (no creep and about a 4lb pull). They didn't even charge me for it.

My vote is for the S&W.
 
I love my Taurus 1911, and I paid signifigantly less than $699.00 for it, although I imagine the crimson trace grips add to the price. I dunno, I am pretty sold on the Taurus, but get what you like.

Also, I was under the distinct impression that Taurus is making all of their own stuff, not IMBEL. Of course, I could be wrong.
 
I have a Kimber Series II and a Smith 1911PD. The Kimber, after some early growing pains, has become a reliable and very accurate pistol. That said I would have to incline to the Smith & Wesson. My Scandium Commander is the best of my three 1911s (the third is a Sistema), even more accurate, surprisingly, than the longer-barreled, heavier Kimber. I think S&W has really done its homework with its 1911 line and if I were in the market for a fourth 1911 it would be where I'd look first.
 
Buy a used Colt. When you decide you dont want a 1911 anymore, you can sell it in about 5 minutes for what you paid;)
 
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