Which 1911

Which 1911

  • Citadel

    Votes: 5 2.8%

  • Springfield GI

    Votes: 88 49.2%

  • Taurus

    Votes: 13 7.3%

  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 73 40.8%
  • Total voters
    179
  • Poll closed .
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If you want to stay around the 450 range I would go with a RIA taticial but if you were to bump it up to 600-650 I would have to say the STI Spartan or the RIA match both are very nice guns. The match is hand fitted which may or may not be importart to you, also has a fiber optic front sight and adjustable rear site other than that it's the Same as taticial.
 
Remington 1911 R1, bought mine for 580, I don't have much experience with the 1911 platform, but I am somewhat familiar. I carry the remington, my buddies have colts, kimber's (not the $2000 custom ones), rock island, taurus (?), and springfield, other than the kimber, of all of these, that I have fired, I have preferred my remington, and the kimber was close, but, and I forget which model, but it wasn't one of the 2000 custom guns.
 
Look at the Para GI Expert

They're good guns, with a better finish, better sights, and better mags than the ever-popular Springfield GI.

The finish is baked on. The sights have larger white dots, and the front is dovetailed into a groove instead of hammered in or whatever Springfield does with their entry level guns. The magazines are stainless.

I bought a GI Expert right before Ruger's 1911 came out. If I had it to do again, I would need to do some soul-searching. I like the basic, mostly-faithful design of the GI Expert, but the Ruger's features are appealing.

Don't overlook the Paras just because so many folks don't have experience with it.

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The price is fair (I paid $550 new) and it is now a US company. (formerly Canadian)

I don't consider a Taurus worth considering. They're just .... iffy, quality-wise. Never heard of Citadel. Maybe they're great, maybe not. I would talk to some actual owners before buying a lesser-known brand.
 
KingMedicine said:
Rock island... They are ... quite frankly better then the above.
Click to expand...

How so? It's easy enough to do a drive-by "better-than" you should justify it if you're going to say something like that.

It sounds as if you speak from quite a lot of experience. Maybe we could all benefit from it?
 
I have a Para Ordnance 1911 expert which ran me about 530 after tax. It functions well and has a good trigger. Also do not rule out Rock Island Armory the people who own them here have had good things to say about them.
 
I really appreciate all the input and the only reason I didn’t include the rock island was that I owned one that was apparently a fluke in that I wasn’t able to fire a full magazine through it without having at least two ftf. I tried different magazines that I know worked in both of my uncle’s 1911s and several different brands of ammo all 230 gr. FMJ. I’m sure polishing the feed ramp would have cured this but I was home on leave and wouldn’t have the time to have it done before I left and since this was at the gun store’s range the day after I bought it they offered to take it as trade on the sig my uncle had been eyeing so we traded it in, paid the difference, then he paid me for the rock island, and we left him with an new 226 me without anything. Wish I would have kept it and sent it in but hindsight is most definitely 20/20. But after doing some more reading I am looking at both a rock island and a para.
 
Maybe this has been covered, but how much are you willing to spend? An extra $2-300 can go a long way. Personally, I wouldn't buy any of the one's you mentioned unless I only had a certain amount of money and needed a gun right now. It might be worth saving up a couple hundred extra dollars and getting a better pistol. You will probably be happy with yourself if you did...remember that 20/20 thing? Getting a better pistol right off that bat might save you from contemplating a "screw-up."
 
Originally Posted by KingMedicine
Rock island... They are ... quite frankly better then the above.
How so? It's easy enough to do a drive-by "better-than" you should justify it if you're going to say something like that.

It sounds as if you speak from quite a lot of experience. Maybe we could all benefit from it?
Click to expand...

I don't have a lot of experience with the above but I'll tell you my experience. When I was looking at my American Classic II there was a Para Ordnance in the case very similar to that one. The fit and finish of the weapon was WAY below the AC. The finish looked painted on. The feed ramp was not polished. There was a lot of slop in the slide/frame fit and the barrel fit, and worst of all the safety was horrible. The safety was mushy and went on and off with no discernible click at all. The Rock Islands I've handled were much nicer than the PO I saw and my AC II was even nicer still. My AC II is exceptionally well fitted with very little play anywhere. The safety is positive. The feed ramp was nicely polished, and the finish is a nice blue. Yours may be fine but if that is the case I would say quality varies widely in the POs. I've heard some people claim the AC IIs vary too. Mine is great though.

I used to lust after the older Paras. If I found an old P12 I would snap it up. I always liked them.
 
I would rule out Taurus on the basis of their customer service rep, although I have no direct experience. The GI is the best of those choices, by some distance. But for a little more, consider the US-made Ruger SR1911 which is very cool or for a little less, get an RIA; they are reliable, solid and lots of fun. I have the RIA and the Ruger and highly recommend both (around 800-1000 rounds each, with no malfs).
 
I just finished about a 6 month shopping/research term for a 1911.
My requirements:

Low cost - sorry just can't afford a $1000 or more
Great reviews - I don't have any experience with 1911s, so I have to rely of other users reviews.
Full size 1911 - I want a 5" barrel
Looks - I wanted an extended slide release, safety & mag release. But it had to look good. And I wanted a blue model.

My final choice was a Metro Arms American Classic II.
I think it has everything I want, and just plain looks good!

(I can pick it up tomorrow - you'll find me at the range after I clean & oil it) :D
 
Good call. I hope you like yours as much as I do mine. Mine has a pair of black grips and a Nighthawk Custom medium trigger. It is an awesome weapon now.
 
I would go w/ the Springfield...I have a loaded springer that I really like. I dont have experience w/ the others but would also look at the RIA models due to price and quality that they put out. Alot of good buzz on the RIA tactical model w/ novac sights. If you are into target style 1911's take a look at the RIA match and STI Spartan....good bang for the buck!
 
Saw the Remington R1 in the shop yesterday. Don't know anything about its quality, but it sure is good looking. Price on the tag was $750.
 
Buy a colt.
If you want a harley davidson you don't buy a look alike.
Same goes for the 1911.
Buy a colt.
Click to expand...

There are a lot of motorcycles that cost less, ride smoother, and have more power. So you are saying if you want a COLT you don't buy a look alike but you can spend less for something better. Ok.

(sarcasm)
 
I've had the bug to get a 1911 for a while now. When Ruger announced the release of the SR1911 for May 1st I couldn't wait to get my hands on one. Unfortunately, I think that Ruger only made about a dozen of them because I have yet to find one ANYWHERE!!

So while in Billings Montana this last week I scoured the city for the elusive Ruger and of course came up empty but...I did spy a S&W 1911 at a trading post that I couldn't live without. $795 poorer and a 36 hour wait to get it shipped to Wyoming and I'm now the proud owner of that S&W.

So far I've put a total of about 60 rounds through it (4.7gr to 5.2gr Universal pushing 230gr LRN's) and I've got a huge grin on my kisser.

Sooner or later (probably later), when Ruger gets their production caught up to their marketing I'll probably still buy the Ruger but the S&W is definitely a keeper.
 
jon_in_wv said:
There are a lot of motorcycles that cost less, ride smoother, and have more power. So you are saying if you want a COLT you don't buy a look alike but you can spend less for something better. Ok.

(sarcasm)
Click to expand...
No offense but if Colt's were built like Harley's they'd have gone out of business in 1836 for good. And before anybody goes off on my for defaming the Holy HD, I've got one in my garage and it's kinda like owning a helicopter. Drive it for two hours then work on it for two more.
 
But I get his analogy. If you want a Harley, get a Harley. If you want a Colt, get a Colt. But if you want a motorcycle, there are a lot of great options. The same is true with the 1911.

BTW, The only 1911 I've had that was unsafe (hammer follow, I have the hole in my bed to prove it) and broke parts (a NON-MIM slide stop) was a Colt Combat Commander. My American Classic II is much nicer and shoots a lot better. It even cost me $200 less than the used Colt.
 
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