best American production 1911 on the market today?

That would be Colt from my experience.
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In order to give any creadiance to your opinion that Colt is the best, you would have to have owned and used many other 1911's and found them faulty. How many non-Colt 1911s have you owned if I may ask?
 
My offerrings

Kimber in Yonkers NY is a small +1 mainly due to selection and history. STI in Texas is an employee owned business which was a spinoff from space industry company is a ++1 due to expertise but short on inventory and selection. Just stay with 1911's not their 2011's which are made in SE Asia. Unless you settle for what they have or their FEW distributors (only 2 in Fla) may have you may have a 2+ year wait. It would be worth the wait but according to VA health care system I ain't got 2 years left. Of course Wilson, Nighthawk, Ed Baer et. al. are borderline custom and may be cost prohibitive for us poor folk.
 
I traded off my Kimbers on two new Colt .45 5" all black steel 1911s one a SXE the other a 1991. I pick the Colt 1991 as my choice.
Both have shot great with no failures, but price wise the 1991 is a my choice.
 
If tradition is a primary consideration, then the discussion should start and end with Colt.
It would be like saying, "I want a traditional, plastic-bodied, American-made sports car" and not getting a Corvette.
The current Series 70 is more functional than the guns inspired by the early M1911s, but the latter have an extra dose of tradition.
If the best possible quality is primary, then a Turnbull might be the way to go.
 
I just so happen to have ordered one that will be delivered this weekend (my first 1911!), and will follow this up with a review.

I ordered blind on the strength of my CZ PCR.
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Thanks for stepping into what always has the potential of being a minefield, gonegun: being one of the first purchasers of a new model of firearm. I suspect the risk is low in this case, as DW has been making quality 1911s successfully for a long time, and CZ-USA's customer service is known to be great.

I look forward to your review.
 
dahermit, I own 3 Colts, a Kimber, a Ruger, a Citadel, a Springfield. If allowed a do over they'd all be Colts except for the Citadel, bought it for 340.00 just cause it was cheap but it actually worked unlike the Kimber or the 2 Rugers.
As I said, based on my experience.
 
Lower, I've owned quite a few 1911 type guns by most of the major, and some of the smaller, American manufacturers. I may personally prefer others for this or that reason, but given your intended use, COLT.
 
To meet all of the requirements ("most traditional, best-made, all-American production 1911 on the market today") in a PRODUCTION 1911, the gun has to:

1. Be series 70 (traditional)
2. Have fixed sights (traditional)
3. Have a barrel bushing (traditional)
4. Not have an extended beaver tail (traditional)
5. Spur hammer. (traditional)
6. Have a steel frame / slide with a blued finish (traditional)
7. Be .45 caliber (traditional)
8. Have a 5-inch barrel / slide (traditional)
9. Single left-side safety lever. (traditional)
10. Standard grip safety without bump. (traditional)

It seems rather obvious that the most traditional production 1911 from an American manufacturer would be the Colt Series 70 Model O1970A1CS. It has all of the traditional features listed, and is made by the original 1911 manufacturer.

Colt's current quality is the best they've made in years - but, is that good enough for your idea of what is encompassed within the word "best"?

So the real question you need to answer is - what exactly does "best" mean within the context of your question?
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I believe buckhorn_cortez has the best answer for the OP. But I think the OP should look at traditional 1911s, especially the original 1911 and the post WWI 1911A1 and choose the one he prefers. (Quick obvious differences: the former has a long trigger and flat mainspring housing while the A1 has a short trigger and arched MSH.) The new Colt Series '70 is pretty much a 1911A1.

I would add the Remington 1911 R1 to the mix. I have an original Colt Series '70 (1976) and my R1 is a very similar 1911A1 except it has an unusual combination of a non-A1 flat MSH to go along with the short trigger and other A1 features. It also has throwback WWI style double diamond grips. And it has higher visibility fixed sights than the old military fixed sights. Otherwise the R1 is an excellent US production 1911A1 made by an old firearms company that actually made some 1911s for WWI around 98 years ago. The cast frame and MIM smaller parts may not seem traditional but they are common on recent production 1911s. Otherwise the quality of the highly traditional R1 is outstanding and the price is exceptional, under $500 after a $75 mail in rebate.
 
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When you buy any firearm the price, is just the first expense.
Next comes shooting it and finding out if it's dependable, and if it will shoot well.
These tests cost money in Ammo. used,so even if you get a $75 or $100 rebate,while testing you'r spending time and money.

So in truth a $800 dollar firearm with say $300+ in Ammo. used while testing it,ends up costing you a bunch of money, that you'r not going to recover even if you sell the handgun at it's retail cost.

So it's always going to be a crap shoot with any firearm.
So no matter what brand of 1911 you pick,until you start shooting it, it's just a gamble.:rolleyes:
 
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I can also recommend the Remington R1.

Would like to add that the fit, finish, & function of my SA GI is equal to my new Colt Series 70. Both are fine 1911s:
 
Of the 25 or so 1911s I have owned in the last 33 years, my one DW ranks pretty far down the list...maybe 9th or 10th. And that is being very generous, because I have way too much money into it and will probably never sell it...because I'll never get 70% of what I have into it.

My three Colts rank maybe 7th, 10th and 25th.

My three Springers rank probably 15th, 20th and 21st.

I've never actually built a list, so these are guesses.

But I can give you my top 5 pretty easily:

Well-used Les Baer alloy framed Commander size.
Well-used S&W PD1911.
Used Kimber Stainless Ultra Carry.
New S&W E-series SC1911.
Well-used Kimber Eclipse Pro Carry.

I would, and do, trust my life to any of them any day of the week. Have carried each and will continue to do so.

Nearly all of the others are long gone, and for good reason.

The ones that work, I keep. The ones that are crap... get sold.
 
Orionengnr, I like how I see the S&W 1911PD up there. That's what I have but commander length. It hasn't malfunctioned yet with Wilson Combat 47D's.


I just picked up a Colt Rail Gun the other day. I'm in love with it. I would love to start carrying it at some point. It'll just have to be put through its paces. It'll take some convincing upstairs to try and replace the practical Glock 19.


Anyways, for traditional 1911's. Can't beat a Colt Series 70 to be honest. That'll be my go to if I were you. I owned an orginal satin nickel Colt Series 70. Sadly I tried to save it after it was bubba'ed by the worst of them.
 
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