IAI M-2000 1911: Any opinions?

M

Mordwyn.45

New member
A good friend of mine is looking for his first firearm. I have taken him shooting on a number of occasions and he has handled many rental pistols of different makes and models, so he's not starting out blind.

He knows what he likes and he has decided that he really wants a 1911 and would like to get one as close to original G.I as possible, the cost of being a history buff ;)

I just saw on their webpage, that IAI of Houston TX puts out the M-2000 at what looks like a good price. Of course if the pistol were to be a piece of crap, no price would be good.

Any of you good folks have any experience owning one of these? Are they a good buy at $500 or are they not worth the cost of the Box they're shipped in?

Any opinions would be helpful; I'd like my friends’ first experience buying a firearm to be a good one.:)


TIA

Rob
 
I have shot the M5000 "tricked out" model extensively. This is not the GI spec model, but the one festooned with add-on's- extended slide stop, extended safety, etc. IMO it is not an attractive pistol. The controls are functional but very coarse through their range of motion. It always feels and handles as though it has sand in it. However, it has proven to be an extremely accurate handgun, always the equal in precision to .45 SIG's, HK's and high dollar 1911's on the line. It has also never malfunctioned in over 5000 rounds. This is the only model from this manufacturer that I have experience with, so I am not sure if it is a representative sample. My friend bought this pistol NIB a few years ago for a little under $300- at that price it seems a bargain. If the asking proce is $500 I'd say to look for a good used Colt, Springfield Armory or Kimber. They will exhibit a higher level of fit and finish, and will retain their value better than the IAI.
vanfunk
 
If your friend is truly looking for a mil-spec 1911, check out JLD Enterprises. They are the importers of the Modelo 27. My brother-in-law just received his and it is beautiful. These are true Colts built on Colt machinery.
http://jldenter.com/Index.htm
sistema.GIF
 
For inexpensive 1911's look at the Colt 1991A. I bought one a year ago for $535 NIB and saw one a couple of weeks ago at a Bass Pro shop for $579. Not much more than IAI is asking and its a Colt, Made in US. Some people will diss Colt, but mine shoots better than I do out of the box and has been stone reliable. Nice gun.

Another under $500 option is the Auto Ordnance. They have a bad rep, but were purchased by Kahr last year. I have no experience with them, but my Kahr MK9 is extremely well made so....

http://www.auto-ordnance.com/
 
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