Why does no one make a completely GI issue 1911?

[Old Fuff]

My dad has a real WW1 1911.

Please post a serial number so we can see when it was made, and exactly when did your Dad get it?

Do you shoot it very much (if at all) and is it reliable with regular ball ammunition? Is it blued or Parkerized?

Thanks.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

I'll don my nomex suit now. My dad has a real WW1 1911. It is a piece of crap. It rattles, the barrel will actually wobble inside the bushing because the tolerances are so loose, the poor sights match the poor accuracy. Anything besides round nose lead is a dicey proposition at best. I have never been bitten by the hammer but I can see it happening. I would rather have a RIA than an original 1911 colt. I know it sounds like a good idea having an all original 1911 but before you get teary-eyed with nostalgia I suggest you try one, they are not nearly as good as modern guns. I can see why companies don't produce original 1911 if I paid for a NIB gun that rattled and shot like that it would go back the next day.

I see your point, but if I'm going to be spending money on a new modern pistol, it's going to be another S&W M&P, not any sort of 1911, ever. The only time I would ever get a 1911 is because of the historical nature of the gun. I would never even think about carrying it or shooting it a lot. That's why I have polymer double stack 9mm.

 

[rellascout]

 

[mavracer]

They got the hammer right, but it looks like the MSH is still straight serrated instead of checkered. Can't tell on the trigger face.

I guess you'll need to pony up and give C&S a call if you want 100%

 

[HKGuns]

Ok Rella, that is the pistol I want next. What is it?

 

[shootniron]

No market...

 

[mljdeckard]

Because people expect a pistol to feed JHP out of the box these days.

 

[Auto426]

Ok Rella, that is the pistol I want next. What is it?

That's Cylinder and Slide's recreation of a first year production M1911. Be prepared to drop a few grand for it.

 

[rondog]

My Colt WWI repro is an 01911, the Carbonia Blue model, and it's about as close to the originals as I believe it could be. I'm very proud of it!

 

[HKGuns]

Found it, at $5 large I think I'll pass.

 

[JohnBT]

"But why is there no exact reproduction?"

The originals, the early originals, weren't properly heat treated. Why would anybody want to reproduce one in every detail? To hang on a wall? If you could get a new one that's heat treated, then it wouldn't be a true reproduction.

I looked into it years ago and was told to buy a Colt WWI Repro to shoot. Nice gun. Good trigger, very accurate and I like the sights. I put Spegel grips on it. Some people get upset when I use stainless Shooting Star mags.

John

 

[flatlander937]

IMO the reason they're not made... is because no matter what you do, IT'S NOT ORIGINAL!

You either buy an original if you're a collector, or you buy a reproduction that's kinda close that you can shoot... 99.9% of people out there will never know the difference.

I know there are people that just want something because they want it, and that's cool... but there are not many of those people who want the same thing(a complete 100% reproduction 1911 for instance).

You're best off buying an original 1911 in rough shape and sending it to be reconditioned... there is a company that specializes in doing just this, they even have the original roll marks that Colt used to make things correct. Expect to pay $2000-4000 for the reconditioning process though. There was an article on the company that does this is the Guns and Ammo 1911 magazine that they put out once a year.

 

[wgsigs]

My father-in-law bought a WWII era 1911 (made by Remington?) cheap. I believe it was an Army "surplus" gun that was sold through the NRA back in the day. He had it cleaned-up, tuned, and accurized by a gunsmithing friend of his. That is the type of 1911 I would like, not a new reproduction. Unfortunately for me, my son wound up with the gun when my F-i-L passed away. Also unfortunate that the U.S. military no longer sells their used guns to the general public anymore, which has driven the price of those vintage .45's up.

Oh! I think more people think like me than the OP so the demand is not there, but that's just my opinion.