Which 1911?

[powder]

None. Go to Cylinder& Slide and build your own in his class.

 

[Idpa SO]

Personally I prefer the fit and finish of the Kimbers. Have a stainless target 45ACP and a Pro Aegis II in 9mm. Second choice SA then Colt. JMHO

 

[Brian Adams]

I bought a Ruger sr 1911 a month ago. Best 1911 out of the box yet (imo)! Will be getting another one and the CMG model ;-)

 

[Rmiller31]

My S&W 1911 is the best shooting gun I own. I've got about 800 rounds through it now it it shoots like a laser beam.

 

[Jesse 8]

laser-accurate, and dead-nuts reliable

That is a call for Glock 30/30SF. My favorite .45

Onto your question, my only 1911 is a kimber Grand Raptor ii. I have had 2 FTF's in roughly 1500 rounds. Both were before switching to Wilson combat mags. As to accuracy....during one range trip I ended up shooting tennis balls and crunched up Pepsi cans up a hill that started roughly 30 yards away from me. I started missing eventually, I was shooting standing afterall, not from the bench. It's a good home defense and barbeque OC gun. But EDC has been delegated to the Glock 30 SF for several reasons. Best of luck in your quest

 

[MarshallDodge]

I own(ed) Norinco, Springfield, Kimber, Les Baer, Colt, Nighthawk, and have built a couple 1911 pistols.

Colt is always going to be the default answer. Overall they make a good 1911 but are rough around the edges and some have the 80-series firing pin safety which I am not fond of.

Kimbers are overpriced for what you are getting. You can get better for the same money spent.

The Springfield Loaded and above are good pistols and can easily be upgraded. The TRP would be my choice.

Les Baer- Quality without a lot of frills. If I were to buy another 1911 today it would be a Baer. The Thunder Ranch Special is a lot of gun for the money.

Nighthawk- Well done in the fit and finish department but that comes at a high dollar.

Another really nice pistol for the money is the Dan Wesson Valor. They use high quality machined steel parts and they do a good job finishing the final product.

 

[rfwobbly]

+1 on Mr Dodge's answer.

I bought the Kimber Target II and like the fit and matte finish. I lube and clean the gun, and have had zero issues commonly reported. MIM doesn't bother me if it works without breaking, but I was highly disappointed to find plastic parts on a $1000 gun. That sticks in my craw.

In a do-over in the same price range, I'd look at Colts, S&W and Dan Wesson.

 

[Greg528iT]

Just to be a bit of a pain in the a$$

Another really nice pistol for the money is the Dan Wesson Valor. They use high quality machined steel parts and they do a good job finishing the final product.

I sure hope they put more QA into the Valor than the Guardian.. The metal parts look good.. but get ahold of the fit on the bob tail and the grip panel. That fit is terrible. AND it's as easy as a grip. 5 minutes with a sander and re coat the thing.. Or better yet, have your grip supplier fix their pattern.



I stole this picture from the 1911 Picture thread, Thanks elkhunt

 

[MarshallDodge]

Just to be a bit of a pain in the a$$

I sure hope they put more QA into the Valor than the Guardian.. The metal parts look good.. but get ahold of the fit on the bob tail and the grip panel. That fit is terrible. AND it's as easy as a grip. 5 minutes with a sander and re coat the thing.. Or better yet, have your grip supplier fix their pattern.

You are not being a pain and bring up a solid point.

When purchasing a Dan Wesson, you are getting what amounts to a higher level production pistol. While people think that they are getting an Ed Brown at a lower cost when purchasing a DW, your example shows that there are differences.