Looking to get a decent 1911

All the people piling on Kimber tend to forget the '80 era Colt pistols... I had a stainless Colt, it was beautiful, but it was a piece of junk, traded it off for a Springfield. The Springfield had a nasty habit of bouncing empties off my forehead, so I sold it to my brother.... and went out and got a Kimber. I'm not saying Kimber doesn't deserve some criticism, like Colt, for some of the pistols they sent out the door in the mid 2000's... there were issues, but I suspect they have them fixed and I wouldn't hesitate to get another one.

I also still have my '80's era Colt's Government .380... it too is a loosy-goosy mess, but I like the pistol and it's accurate enough at .380 ranges, but it's not what I would call a stellar example of Colt's workmanship.

Everyone seems to forget about Ruger's problems, too... mainly with revolvers. I've had about 8 Ruger single-actions and NONE of them would shoot worth anything. Ruger revolvers are notorious for having undersized cylinder throats and/or torque bulges in the barrels (like my Lipsey's .44 Flattop does.) I guess I feel about Ruger pistols like some of you feel about Kimber.
 
I purchased one of the kimber 2 tone fullsize guns in 9mm. It's a really nice gun that runs well. The only thing I did to it was change out the hammer spring for a 19lb one. The bluing on the slide looks great along with the nice stainless frame. It also came with 3 dot sights which are easier for my old eyes to see. I got it for $629 from Smoky mountain Guns and Ammo. They have the 45acp version on sale quite frequently for $599 shipped. This one isn't mine but it looks just like it.

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Don't have any first hand experience with Kimbers. Have owned an SR1911 for a couple of years. Have owned a few Colts from the '80s and '90s. Also own a SA Range Officer. IME the Rugers are a good choice in their price range, especially if you prefer Series 70 style lockwork.
 
Parkerizing ...is not durable, regardless of who makes it.

If corp politics bother you on Springfield, ok - take a serious look at the new Colts. Thay are significantly better than they were 20 yrs ago.

Everybody has budgets, so if you don't want to go over $1,000 -- ok, I get it / but even under $ 1,500 ..., you should realize you're making compromises on most of these entry level 1911's. Part of it comes down to how much you're going to shoot it....2,000 rds a yr / or 20,000 rds a year... I don't personally differentiate between a range gun and a carry gun / for me, a 5" 1911 in 9mm is my primary range gun ( I fire about 20,000 rds a year thru it ) and its my primary range gun as well.

Personally, I don't want a gun that isn't going to operate reliably for at least 100,000 rds / I know the TRP and the higher end Colts will do that. So to me, that's kind of a minimum standard.

All I can suggest is, you shoot, or at least dry fire, as many of these under $1,000 offerings you can find ...and pick the model you like the best. Features that are deal breakers to me on a 1911...it has to have a good trigger ( no creep / has to break & reset smoothly) / has to have a checkered front strap ( many don't) / a mag well or speed chute ...ideally ambi safeties..( 5" gun in 9mm or .45acp)...decent sights ( combat sight rear / fibre optic or gold dot front sight )...

For durable finishes...there are only 2 that I know are durable...all stainless or Wilson Combat's Armor Tuff ...either one will show very little holster wear and hold up ( but I know you're not in the Wilson Combat price range ), so my recommendation is to go with an all stainless gun.

Good luck in your search ...and remember to have fun with the process.
 
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Take a good look at the Magnum Research 1911. It is an excellent 1911, solid good value, beautiful fit, accurate and 100% out of the box reliable.

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You said, "....decent 1911..." had you said good, I would suggested a Colt or Dan Wesson.

For decent, who knows....
For "good" at a decent price, I would suggest getting on cdnn's mailing list as they have good Colts on there you will never see in 'Joes Sporting and Such' for "decent " prices.

Parkerizing ...is not durable, regardless of who makes it.
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Somebody better tell the Marine Corp so they can return all those M4's.
 
Just bought my first 1911, looked at lots of them. Narrowed down to a couple and decided on a Dan Wesson PM9 and never looked back.
 
Came across a LNIB Ruger SR1911 5" on Gunbroker for $475 so I snagged it. It's the stainless model, not the nitrided Talo like I was hoping for, but $475 is better than $750 any day.

For RIA price, I think I'll be happy. Can't wait to get it :D
 
I have both a Ruger Model 6700 5” stainless SR1911 and a Model 6709 5” TALO Night Watchman.

The stainless SR1911 has been my main match Wild Bunch pistol for the last two years. I usually shoot it in two matches a month for 9-10 months a year, weather depending . It’s never had a problem or given me any issues. This is firing right at 5000 rounds of my reloads of 230 grain LRN with 4.8 grains of Bullesye during those last couple of years. It’s bone stock.

Because my SR1911 ran so well is why I bought the Night Watchman. I EDC a fullsize 1911 and I wanted I wanted to upgrade my carry gun to one that had tritium night sights. I got a great deal on a supposedly factory blemish Night Watchman that I can’t find a mark on. I’ve fired about 500 rounds of both factory 230 grain ball, my reloads, and JHP’s through it so far without any issues. I’ve moved to it being my EDC.

I’m glad that you found a good deal. I think that you’ll be happy with your SR1911. I hope that you enjoy it.
 
I have two 1911s. Had them for about ten years. A Colt 1991A1 stainless steel Commander, .45acp, that feeds everything, and has been completely reliable since I took it out of the box. I have a Kimber Ultra Covert Carry 2 .45acp that after break in (500 rds) has been very reliable. You will have to experiment with different hollowpoint brands. The ones with wider mouths tend to occasionally hang up on the feed ramp on my Kimber.
 
"Came across a LNIB Ruger SR1911 5" on Gunbroker for $475 so I snagged it. It's the stainless model, not the nitrided Talo like I was hoping for, but $475 is better than $750 any day.

For RIA price, I think I'll be happy. Can't wait to get it."

I think you'll be happy with that SR1911. I've put over 5K rounds through mine so far. The pistol runs smoothly and reliably. It likes copious lubrication.

Now, if I could only shoot without twitching the hand....
 
Picked up the Ruger today. Looks brand new, with just a slight idiot mark from the slide stop. The good news is it's hidden when the slide stop is in place. Oh well, for the price I can't complain. Can't wait to get out and shoot this weekend, I have a few in the safe that I've picked up recently that haven't been shot yet

Don't mind the terrible cell phone pic quality. Have to resize everything to post it here:o
 

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I have a Kimber, a SR1911 Cmd and an ED Brown. The one I like the least is the Kimber. the one I like the most is the Ed Brown. Right in the middle is the Ruger. I would say the Ruger is in good company...
 
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