Auto-Ordinance anyone?

C

Country Boy

New member
Kahr arms bought Auto-Ordinance, and are re-introducting their 1911 design. I understand that Kahr has put considerable effort into making the Auto-Ordinance 1911's solid, respectable handguns.

Does anyone at TFL have any experience with the new Auto-Ordinance 1911's? Almost as importantly, are they MADE IN THE USA?

Depending on the quality, I would like to get one so I could try my hand at customizing.

www.tommygun.com
 
I don't have experience with their new 1911's but I did contact them via email about a new barrel for an older one a few weeks ago. Very good prompt service, far better than most firearm industry companies who just don't seem to get the hang of email support if the even bother to respond at all. If their 1911's match up with their customer support they should be some good shooters.
 
I had one of the old ones and it was a real POS. I know this doesn't help with knowledge of the new ones, but I would want to know that Kahr is going to produce the new ones on a par with their current products, and not just resurrect the old in its exact level of quality. My impression of the old Auto Ordnance 1911 was that it was a loose, crude product, made out of crappy materials. It was certainly inaccurate as heck, and didn't even look like it had any quality to it. It had a surface like crude cast iron. I was not impressed at all with it and got rid of it by trading it for a nice Ruger 77/22 rifle NIB. That's not very technical, but it was my experience.

-10CFR
 
I also bought an Auto Ordinance back in 1990, and it was a traumatic experience. It was several times rougher than a GI gun in fit and finish, and it wouldn't even feed ball ammo!

I recently read a review of the new "Kahr-Ordinance", and the pictures of the disassembled piece didn't show any of the rough tooling marks that I remember from my old gun. Then again, they could have used PhotoShop. ;)
 
However, if it is any indication of Kahr's "commitment" to quality, their Kahr guns have limited lifetime repair policy whereas the 1911s have 1-year warranties.

Skorzeny
 
Skorzeny - Could you provide some background on where you got the warranty information?

I've heard as well that the early Auto-Ordinances were basically low-grade paperweights, but I've read in a few publications that the "new" ones had a much higher quality.
 
I've had an AO 1911 for about 12 years. When I got it, disconnector was installed backwards. Don't know how they got it together that way and I couldn't duplicate it when I tried. Feed ramp was rough and the mag was a POS.
After installing the disco correctly, polishing the ramp and switching to Wilson mags, it has been 100% reliable with all ammo except the infamous Speer Lawman, A.K.A. flying ashtray. After drifting the rear sight a bit it shoots to point of aim at 25 yards and has more than reasonable combat accuracy for a house gun.
If I was buying a new 1911 today It would probably be a plain vanilla Kimber, but I don't regret buying the AO.
 
DF, I think you were lucky. I've see at least one other that was just as hated by its owner as mine was. :(

-10CFR
 
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