1911 or S&W 686

Para Ordnance 1911 or Smith and Wesson 686?

  • 1911

    Votes: 15 25.4%

  • 686

    Votes: 44 74.6%
  • Total voters
    59
K

KUHIO

New member
Hey fellas. Well I've made up my mind, sort of. I'm going to purchase a new gun at an upcoming show this month. I've narrowed it down to a 1911 (most likely a Para Ordnance) or a S&W 686. It will be primarily a target gun and fun at the range. Might get a little bit of carry, but I have other dedicated CCW weapons. So this is just a simple poll. Please let me know what you guys think.
 
I like 1911s, but skip ParaOrdnance. I've got an early P14-45, and it is a complete POS. Springfield Armory would be a better bet.
 
1911, Must-have. Unmatched shootability, you won't be sorry (nor would you with a 686, but a 1911 ruins you for anything else I've found). .45 is perfect but for range shooting a GM makes the 9mm fire like a .22, but still be viable for defense use. .38 Super is the middle ground capable of great stopping power but with mild operation. .45 ACP is getting ridiculously overpriced, another plus to a el nina 1911.

Paras have had a fair share of issues (though I'm considering a couple of their newer models myself). My SA loaded was trouble free.
 
Last edited:
I like 1911s but I'm not overly impressed with Paras and everyone needs a good revolver. My opinion might be influenced by the fact that I actually shot better with my revolver than my 1911 today -- it's usually the other way around.
 
Change it to Smith and Wesson 1911 vs. Revolver...

The Para is crap in my oppinion... Had one and it's gone!!!!! FTF each shot...

I'm a 1911 guy (I have 2). But I do carry a small Airwight Smith 5 shot .38 due to size...
 
Get the Para; especially if it's one of their single stack guns. I own two Para 1911s, one is the P16-40 Limited, and the other is a modified Para LTC, their commander-sized 9mm.

Personally, I've never had problems with the guns. The magazines for the P16 were a bit finicky, but once I sorted the good mags from the bad, the gun hasn't jammed in well over 2k rounds.

Some people don't like ParaUSA guns, whether it's the cast frames (which Sig guns have) or the MIM parts (which you'll find on Springfield guns), there are lots of reasons. But the bottom line is that any gun can be a POS, even a Springer or S&W 1911; if you've shot Paras and you like them, then more power to you.

Since you're thinking about getting the LTC, I can recommend that gun to you without any reservations whatsoever. They make three different models: a 9mm with an alloy frame, a .45 with an alloy frame, and a .45 ACP with a steel frame. Of those, I own the 9mm, and I love it to death. It's compact, light, carries well, and is plenty fast on follow up shots. If you get the .45 or the 9mm, you won't go wrong.
 
I agree - a good large frame revolver - like an L or N frame S&W is a must in a collection ( and I like the 686 a lot ).

But a good well tuned 1911 - like a Wilson Combat - is also a must in a collection. I'm not a ParaOrd fan ... In 1911's - Springfield makes a pretty good gun / but my personal top 3 are Wilson Combat, Ed
Brown and Les Baer .
 
LTC or P14
Click to expand...

NO ON THE LTC!!!!!!! It's a POS!!! That is the one I returned! Yeah, I MADE the place take it back and told them to melt it...


So are some of you saying you'd vote 1911 if it were not a Para?
Click to expand...

Yes!

I bought a S&W 1911PD (comander size) to replace the Para... Well worth a few extra $$
 
Yeah, count me among the Para detractors although I still wouldn't change my vote to a 1911 over the 686. I would however tend to seek out one of the pre-lock models, less so for the perceived reliability issues (that do exist mind you but not likely in huge %s) but more so because that damn hole in the side is just SOOOOOO ugly.

Still give me a good .357 maggie revolver any day over a 1911 and I am not even an old codger. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top