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Most durable 1911?
- Thread starter David spargenator
- Start date
Buy a quality forged frame and slide gun with as few MIM parts as possible and shoot it till the wheels fall off of it and then replace the wear parts that fail and and shoot it until it fails, rinse and repeat.
I really have to agree with that. I wouldn't worry too much about MIM parts either. If/when one breaks, replace it with a non MIM part. We're mostly talking parts that are easily fitted/replaced anyway. Like with my 22 year old Glock 17 - if/when the plastic guide rod breaks, I'll consider replacing it with a stainless steel one....I'm still waiting....
I'd bet that a large majority of the good 1911's made today (especially the stainless ones) will be completely functional 500 years from now. In fact, I may direct that the executor of my will to engrave my name, date of birth, date of death, name of wife and children just under the grip panel on my favorite stainless steel 1911 and give it to a surviving family member. It will likely be around much longer and be much better cared for than my grave stone.
Jim Watson
New member
If the OP wants serious durability, he should contact a builder of competition guns. A well set up USPSA Limited gun or a NRA Big Bore pistol will outlast any of the named production line guns. It will cost more, too.
Pretty much every manufacturer makes a reliable 1911 at this point. I happen to like Kimber in the lower end of things, many do not.
So my advice to you is to go to the gun store and hold a few, look at the features and decide what feels right to you at a price your comfortable with. The low end of the spectrum is going to be about $400ish and the high end is around $10k. The majority of 1911's at the stores in my area range between $700-$1500. SIG, Ruger, Springfield, STI, Colt, Para, etc....... all make good reliable guns that will give you little trouble if maintained properly. Figure main spring between 1k-3k rounds, Extractor around 5k. The most problematic of the 1911's are those in 38cal, most reliable are 45cal.
If I was going to get a new 1911 for general use right now it would likely be a Remy R1. But I just bought a Colt that is 73 years old.
So my advice to you is to go to the gun store and hold a few, look at the features and decide what feels right to you at a price your comfortable with. The low end of the spectrum is going to be about $400ish and the high end is around $10k. The majority of 1911's at the stores in my area range between $700-$1500. SIG, Ruger, Springfield, STI, Colt, Para, etc....... all make good reliable guns that will give you little trouble if maintained properly. Figure main spring between 1k-3k rounds, Extractor around 5k. The most problematic of the 1911's are those in 38cal, most reliable are 45cal.
If I was going to get a new 1911 for general use right now it would likely be a Remy R1. But I just bought a Colt that is 73 years old.
The "most durable" and "most reliable"1911 is likely to be very expensive. For the money, however, it's going to be hard to beat a Colt. The "Clackamus" Kimber refers to Kimbers made in the 1990s in Clackamas, Oregon when quality and value were quite high. Nobody that I know, even Kimber fanboys, rate today's Kimbers as high as the early ones.
Sigs are hit and miss on quality (I have one). Rock Islands are a good entry level gun but there's a reason competition shooters don't pick RIAs -- they're entry level 1911s not designed for the durability competition demands.
A good Colt can be bought today for $750 and up and is a good value. If you want to step up to a more refined and, IMO, a better 1911, then look at Dan Wesson 1911s. The Heritage has a street price right now of about $1,100.
Sigs are hit and miss on quality (I have one). Rock Islands are a good entry level gun but there's a reason competition shooters don't pick RIAs -- they're entry level 1911s not designed for the durability competition demands.
A good Colt can be bought today for $750 and up and is a good value. If you want to step up to a more refined and, IMO, a better 1911, then look at Dan Wesson 1911s. The Heritage has a street price right now of about $1,100.
kilimanjaro
New member
For a first-timer, a Colt Series 70 would be an excellent choice.
More expensive is not necessarily the best at the range. I looked at them all and settled for the Magnum Research Dessert Eagle 1911. I compared it to many others and settled on this model. Check out the features, and check out the trigger pull. Others at the range wanted to shoot it...Magazine out and cleared by me and them, I asked the to slightly squeeze the trigger. They responded..."WOW"
I got mine for around $800. Have seen them for below that. They are made by BUL in Israel. I put MeproLite Tritium sights also made in Israel. On the range it sings "right on!"
I got mine for around $800. Have seen them for below that. They are made by BUL in Israel. I put MeproLite Tritium sights also made in Israel. On the range it sings "right on!"
rt11002003
New member
Wish I owned a Colt to compare to my other 1911's: DW Guardian, SIG Target, SIG MAX, Springfield RO and STI. I'm not necessarily a 1911 fan, but I'm warming up to them. All of my 1911's are accurate and so far no troubles. However, I've only been shooting them a year and a half. Time will tell about reliability and wear.