1911 Advice

It's not hard to not scratch a 1911. For that matter no pistol that is shot extensively will be pristine forever. There's nothing wrong with honest wear. You're buying a new production pistol not an antique or collector.


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I have 3 1911s

Colt 1991A1 Alchemy Custom .45
Springfield 1911A1 Mil Spec .45 which has had minor trigger work
Colt LW Commander .45, box stock and will stay that way

I like them all, especially the LW, but I wouldn't say the Colts are any better than the Springfield as far as triggers as they came from the box or accuracy or reliability. The Springer gives a more solid impression and that's the best way I can explain it. You guys who have been around guns all your life would know what I mean. Maybe the parked finish has something to do with it.

I love the Colts but if I had to go to the mattresses with just one .45 it would be the Springfield.

The Springfield seems to be less magazine sensitive. The LW Commander has the heaviest trigger as it came from the factory, but it breaks clean with no creep or over travel. IMO, about right for a carry pistol. again IMO, a real classy pistol.

If you like a parkerized finish go with the Springfield.
 
Deaf_Smith,

Try an S&W 1911. It will be the most reliable 1911 you'll ever fire. And it's far more accurate than than top shelf 1911's.
 
Try an S&W 1911. It will be the most reliable 1911 you'll ever fire. And it's far more accurate than than top shelf 1911's.
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I've had two S&W 1911s. On one the safety plunger broke off the frame and had to go back to the factory. The second was a 1911sc that had loads of issues from failures to feed, failures to eject, and had to go back to the factory as well. When it came back it was noted that the factory had "adjusted the slide to barrel fit" and while it functioned reliably it never grouped particularly well after that.

I don't doubt that there are many that have had good experience with S&W. I'm just sharing my experience as it relates to this statement.
 
SA1911 said:
Deaf_Smith,

Try an S&W 1911. It will be the most reliable 1911 you'll ever fire. And it's far more accurate than than top shelf 1911's.
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I don't know about accuracy, but it's plum hard to beat a COLT for the reliability department.

And the S&Ws have weird (ugly to me) fish scale slide serrations. It's like hey are we making a pistol or a fish??
 
Picking out a 1911 for you is like asking us what kind of car you should buy. It's a question of personal preference that only you know. It all depends on what are you buying a 1911 for, carry, fun, collecting. What's your budget? Do you prefer American made 1911s? What size are you looking to get in what caliber? What sights or any other features do you prefer? What kind of finish? Are you planning to modify it? There are so many variables that it would be impossible to suggest you an exact model or make without knowing you personally.

I plunged into the world of 1911's last May when I bought an Israeli M5000 at the local pawn shop. It was affordable, it shot ok. It taught me what features I liked and what I didn't I learned how to do a trigger job on it after watching a few youtube videos. Eventually I ended up selling it because I absolutely hated the sights and it was not cost effective to have the slide recut for Novak sights.



Currently I own a Springfield Loaded Champion that I installed a Fusion Arms trigger group in, extended slide stop, magazine release, a Springfield MC Operator that I only changed the slide stop and magazine release on and finally a Para Ordnance that I changed from Officer to a Commander slide, did a trigger job, extended slide stop, a new extended safety on the way.


 
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I'm under no illusion that I am getting the built in quality that colt was known for from years ago.
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Check your illusions at the door; most informed people think that Colt is making better pistols now than at any time since the '60s.
Of course, you can still get that "quality", for double what a Colt costs.
 
Rock island has a very good reputation depending on who you ask. I recently read on another forum where a range owner was saying that they are just as reliable as any other 1911 they rent out, even after many 1000s of rounds. Also, PSA now makes 1911s for $599 and their other stuff is pretty good quality but I am not sure how their 1911s are. Personally, I would go with the Colt but only because I am old school and I would be paying for the brand.
 
Had an SA 1911 Mil-Spec for a time, and never really cared for it. In stainless, it was just a bit too precious, and I sold it for what I paid for it. Now looking seriously at the Rock Island GI Std. Still have all my reloading gear for .45ACP, and it while I love my GP100, it just seems like ya ought have an autoloader in a caliber that will do the job. Just about everything I read tells me this gun is a solid weapon for the $$. And, it's CA legal. Whoopee!
 
I have the Ruger SR1911 Commander in Stainless Steel. Great gun, perfectly accurate right out of the box and no problems with it.

Thinking of adding a RI to the collection.
 
Buy the Colt, shoot the Colt, you will never regret the decision. I have six different brands of 1911's but the Colt's are my favorite shooters.
 
Ah....no. DW pistols blow the doors off a colt in every aspect for a couple of hundred more. Wessons are very close to L Baer which cost hundreds more.
 
DWs are great guns, based on everything I see/hear about them, but they are considerably more expensive than Colts.

Colt Competition $900, DW Valor over $1700.
Colt Commander $1000, DW Valkyrie Commander $2000.

It's a bit of apples to oranges.
 
Nope. Paid less that 1500 for a blemished valor. (never would have known it was a blem if they had not showed me a diagram of the gun and pointed out the blem). Paid nearly 1300 for a colt rail gun. Apples to apples.
 
In fact, I would venture to say that springfields mco is a better fitted gun than the rg. And the one I picked up was slightly less expensive than the rg. If you look at it objectively the Springfield is just a better made gun with features like front strap treatment that the rg does not have. And a WHOLE lot better trigger. But the colt will hold its value better because people buy the pony.
 
I snagged my stainless Colt M1991A1 for $600 used from my LGS. It was customized with a mag-well funnel, night sights, delta hammer, beaver tail grip safety, extended safety lever, G-10 grips, adjustable metal trigger, and metal main spring housing. Whoever had it before me took good care of it. Quality 1911s can be had for far less than $1,911 and even much less than $1000 if you just look.
 
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