Grunt
Member
They're out of business now but have you looked at the old Star pistols? I got a BM for my son to grow into and it's been a pretty good performer and at a 2-3 hundred price tags these days, a screaming good deal!
Who makes a good 1911 in 9mm?
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bikerdoc
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Got a good deal on a stainless PT1911, been flawless and reliable pushing near 1k rounds.
smalls
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Except that's a double stack with completely different ergonomics.
TMann
Member
Another vote for the RIA 1911s. The RIA models come in a standard mil-spec style (low-profile sights, standard hammer and grip safety) or their "Tactical" model (Novak-type sights, extended beavertail and round hammer.) The Tactical is a better bargain, IMO.
RIA's aren't the fanciest guns around, but they make great shooters.
TMann
RIA's aren't the fanciest guns around, but they make great shooters.
TMann
Well, it checks many of the boxes you stated with regards to scaled down size for the 9MM caliber. While not a 1911 it is the closest thing currently available on the market with some of the characteristics you state, and a fine pistol in its own right.
The only scaled down 1911's I know are all .22LR. The Browning which is currently available, and the discontinued Llama IIIA.
You should be able to pick up one of those surplus Spanish Star pistols for about $300. It is based on Ballister-Molina (or is it the other way around?) which was cheaper to make 1911. From a distance these look just like "bulemic" Colt 1911s.
smalls
Member
It is a fine pistol, and I've enjoyed shooting a few of them. But the closest thing to a scaled down 9mm 1911 is the EMP, which as I stated before, was built around the 9mm cartridge. Just like the original 1911 was designed around the .45 ACP.
el Godfather
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Dan Wesson Guardian
Rockyriver
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Springfield EMP if you want a small size 1911 with a good full hand grip. But its out of your price range.
Buy a good 1911 9mm and not some foreign job thats cheap pay a little more you won't regret it.
If you go with the EMP I suggest get a newer one and not a used one that was made back when they first came out.
Buy a good 1911 9mm and not some foreign job thats cheap pay a little more you won't regret it.
If you go with the EMP I suggest get a newer one and not a used one that was made back when they first came out.
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I have a RIA Tactical in 9mm also, bought it second-hand, but unfired. The seller had bought it new and never fired it. I haven't really had a chance to get to know it very well either, but the times I've had it out it's ran very well and shoots great. Eats anything I put in it, and puts 'em where I point it. One of those good deals that I'm glad I jumped on.
Oh, this is my 4th RIA 1911, BTW. All the others are also great pistols for the price.
Oh, this is my 4th RIA 1911, BTW. All the others are also great pistols for the price.
Zekest Crowe
Member
Kimber Aegis II is the 9mm my wife chose because of the really small grip.
As with all Kimber 1911s, it has a really nice trigger.
As with all Kimber 1911s, it has a really nice trigger.
Add me to the STI list. I own several in .45, .40, and 9mm and have never been disappointed. Not sure what size you want or if you can stretch the budget, but I carry the Guardian in 9mm and love it. Reliable and accurate in an officer size and runs about $1k. I also have the Edge in 9mm, but it's a full size hi-cap.
tomrkba
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This seems to be a pretty good one.
23,512 rounds 10 stoppages 0 malfunctions 1 parts breakages
The words "1911" and "$700" do not go well together. You're in the wrong game. Get a Glock 19 (or similar) and you'll be far happier. I know that's not what you want to hear, but 1911's require more than a casual relationship. This means cash and know-how. You can spend the money on armorer training, parts and some tools or you can pay a gunsmith. Your call...but either way, you're going to pay.
A Browning Hi-Power MK III is adequate out of the box. It needs a trigger job (mine had a 14 pound single action trigger), beveled mag well, night sights, the magazine disconnect removed, and refinishing. Try to find Browning magazines...buy as many as possible when you find them. I like them, but they're not really worth the $900 for a new gun.
My EMP was not a good gun out of the box. It was incorrectly built by the factory and required a trip to the factory immediately. The firing pin struck brass every other shot and the feed ramp was incorrectly cut. They tuned it up so it would function. All was well from 200-600 rounds. The ejector block, being glued in, worked itself loose. Springfield paid for the shipping and pinned it into the frame (which is what should have been done originally). It took three months to get the gun working. It worked well after it was properly tuned and ate cheap Tula FMJ and expensive Speer JHP without ever jamming. I will likely buy another one, but it'll cost me $1100 for the gun and another $200 in mags. I'd get a few of them cut to be flush eight rounders.
RIA guns may "be great pistols for the price", but that's not saying much. Inspect any RIA gun before you buy. The last one I looked at last year had gouges around the mainspring housing.
23,512 rounds 10 stoppages 0 malfunctions 1 parts breakages
The words "1911" and "$700" do not go well together. You're in the wrong game. Get a Glock 19 (or similar) and you'll be far happier. I know that's not what you want to hear, but 1911's require more than a casual relationship. This means cash and know-how. You can spend the money on armorer training, parts and some tools or you can pay a gunsmith. Your call...but either way, you're going to pay.
A Browning Hi-Power MK III is adequate out of the box. It needs a trigger job (mine had a 14 pound single action trigger), beveled mag well, night sights, the magazine disconnect removed, and refinishing. Try to find Browning magazines...buy as many as possible when you find them. I like them, but they're not really worth the $900 for a new gun.
My EMP was not a good gun out of the box. It was incorrectly built by the factory and required a trip to the factory immediately. The firing pin struck brass every other shot and the feed ramp was incorrectly cut. They tuned it up so it would function. All was well from 200-600 rounds. The ejector block, being glued in, worked itself loose. Springfield paid for the shipping and pinned it into the frame (which is what should have been done originally). It took three months to get the gun working. It worked well after it was properly tuned and ate cheap Tula FMJ and expensive Speer JHP without ever jamming. I will likely buy another one, but it'll cost me $1100 for the gun and another $200 in mags. I'd get a few of them cut to be flush eight rounders.
RIA guns may "be great pistols for the price", but that's not saying much. Inspect any RIA gun before you buy. The last one I looked at last year had gouges around the mainspring housing.
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Quack
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STI Spartan.
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That's a lot to read into a three word response. I think it is just as likely he didn't bother to read the OP or concern himself with the OP's budget constraints. If that is his point, it would be better made with an explanation of what differentiates a DW from available $700 guns and why those differences are worth twice the asking price.
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