Thinking Of Getting A 1911

T

ThomasT

New member
I have been kicking around the idea of getting another 1911 pistol. I had a Llama 1911 many years ago that ran just fine. I know some turn their noses up at the Llama but mine never jammed and was accurate.

What do you folks think of the Taurus 1911? I really prefer a plainer type gun like the Springfield Mil-Spec. That gun has all the upgrades I want. Lowered ejection port and better sights.

I have no intention of dropping a thousand bucks or more for a pistol. Its not for competition and I doubt it would see more than 500 rounds a year. Just shoot it enough to make sure its reliable and then shoot enough to be proficient with it.

I think it was a CZ that was posted on here a couple of weeks ago that will be built by Charles Daly that looks interesting.

So whats your thoughts.

P.S. I am familiar with Taurus bashing and have owned about 8 of their revolvers with never a single problem. So lets don't go there please.
 
Have you looked at Ruger's 1911? It's an excellent value. Component fitting and quality is significantly higher with the Ruger than with the Taurus.
 
Check out cdnn sports they have some great deals on para ordnance, a lot of gun for the money made in usa. I thought it was law everyone has to have a 1911 and an M1?
 
For sub $1k 1911s I would look at Rock Island Armory. Supposedly they bought and old Colt factory so they should be decent guns. But, I'm not familiar with them at all. I just figured they would be something worth looking into.
 
My stepbrother has had his RIA 1911 for years. He loves it and it has given him zero problems. I think he got it from cheaper than dirt.

I got one of the Turkish ones from Buds 2-3 years ago. I paid $399. It works great.
 
I had a Taurus 1911 for several years. The only problem I ever had was the front sight came loose once. Tightened back down and went right on shooting. I traded it off after my wife gave me a Sig 1911 for our anniversary. I sort of regret trading it away but I figured I didn't need two 45acp 1911s.
 
I have a Springfield Armory Champion, 4" barrel. (I put that in just to let you know it's not a government sized) Bought it used for $300. Absolutely love the thing!!

There are several people I know that have had the guide rod break in their Rock Island Armory 1911's. I know, the 1911 doesn't need a guide rod, but to have 3 of them break locally.....

I haven't heard any good, bad or indifferent on the Taurus. Haven't shot one myself, so can't give you feedback on that manufacturer.

Shop around, find what you like at the price you like, and you'll love it!!

Best of luck!!
 
ratshooter said:
What do you folks think of the Taurus 1911?

...

I have no intention of dropping a thousand bucks or more for a pistol.

...

P.S. I am familiar with Taurus bashing and have owned about 8 of their revolvers with never a single problem. So lets don't go there please.
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IMHO it's impossible to discuss the Taurus 1911 without engaging in some degree of bashing, because the Taurus 1911 is an abomination. When it first came out, Taurus advertised is as selling for $600 and including $500 worth of "upgrades." The only way you can sell a gun with $500 worth of upgrades for $600 is to start with a $100 gun, and the Taurus 1911 probably isn't even worth that.

The range where I shoot bought one (because of the price) for use as a range rental. Taurus uses a version of the Colt Series 80 firing pin safety. Very shortly after they started using the gun, the extractor broke. The owner, knowing I'm a 1911 guy, asked me if I had a spare Series 80 type extractor, because Taurus was telling him they couldn't send him a replacement part, he would have to return the gun to them and it would take three MONTHS to repair.

I had an extractor. On my next trip to the range I took it, and I installed it. Had some unexpected problems -- the old firing pin and extractor didn't come out like they do on Colts, there was some funky manipulation involved. Got it together, both the range owner and I tested it on the bench with some dummy rounds and all was good, so he put it back in the case for rental.

A week later he called me back. The firing pin safety plunger fell out the first time he rented it, and it tied up the gun. He called Taurus again, and they told him their extractor is proprietary -- standard 1911 parts can't be used. So he was stuck with shipping the gun back to Taurus and waiting three months to see it again.

There are LOTS of better 1911s that sell for less than $1,000. Rock Island. Metro Arms. Shooter's Arms Manufacturing (S.A.M., imported by ATI and Citadel). Para Ordnance. Ruger. Kahr Arms. ...

Take your pick. Just don't buy a Taurus 1911.

Disclaimer: I own two Taurus revolvers and one Taurus rifle. The rifle and one of the revolvers are okay guns. The other revolver ... isn't.
 
all you can do is research it (oh wait, thats what youre doing now lol).

My experiences with taurus have been hit and miss over the years, but when it comes to 1911's i think id look elsewhere first. Like someone said, cdnn has some great deals on 1911's right now. I have a ria and its been a great gun, very accurate, runs like a sewing machine, probably the most accurate big bore pistol i own. For plinking and a night stand gun it more than suffices.

If i was going to carry the gun i might get something a little nicer, but they are just a bit heavy for every day.
 
The only complaint my co-worker has about his Taurus is it weights a little more than a Volkswagen :D

Ratshooter - Isn't a 45ACP a tad excessive for shooting rats?
 
The RIAs I've seen and shot are perfectly fine pistols. They lack some of the fit and finish of the higher-priced 1911A1s, but once reliability is determined, I'd be as willing to trust my life to it as I would my Springfield Armory National Match 1911A1s. I think the RIAs used investment cast frames instead of forged ones, but it's also shooting a cartridge which develops pressures somewhat under 25,000 psi, so I don't see a problem.
 
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Rock Islands are really hard to beat. I've got a 1911R1 Remington and it is a good gun as well. RIA are really hard to beat for the money.
 
I bought a RIA last year. It is my first 1911. I am really happy with it. Eats any ammo I put into it. Only problem I had was a round jamming in the feed lips of a magazine. Otherwise, it's been great. Accurate. Good fit and finish.
 
Ratshooter - Isn't a 45ACP a tad excessive for shooting rats?
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Serf'Rett not all rats have four legs and a skinny tail.:D

WSig there is no budget. My gun fund is fluffy enough that I can buy anything I want. But there is a limit as to how much I will give for a 1911 and that would be about $750 tops. Like I stated I like the more basic guns. That's why I mentioned the SA Mil-Spec. It has all the upgrades I want. Plus it has a proper hammer on it. The pierced version doesn't appeal to me much. Plus I really prefer a blued over stainless.

Thanks for the suggestions. You all have named several guns I had forgotten about like the Ruger and RIA. I really like the Para at CDNN.

At this point I am still kicking tires and seeing whats available. I don't think I want a used gun. They have too many untrained fingers working on them.
 
WSig there is no budget. My gun fund is fluffy enough that I can buy anything I want. But there is a limit as to how much I will give for a 1911 and that would be about $750 tops. Like I stated I like the more basic guns. That's why I mentioned the SA Mil-Spec. It has all the upgrades I want. Plus it has a proper hammer on it. The pierced version doesn't appeal to me much. Plus I really prefer a blued over stainless.

Thanks for the suggestions. You all have named several guns I had forgotten about like the Ruger and RIA. I really like the Para at CDNN.

At this point I am still kicking tires and seeing whats available. I don't think I want a used gun. They have too many untrained fingers working on them.
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If you prefer a basic 1911 with a blued finish then the Ruger is out. Only made in stainless and only comes with all the do-dads straight from the factory. It is a cast frame gun but Ruger is the king of investment casting, Pine Tree, and really on a 1911 everything is happening in the slide. The frame is just a set of rails/platform for the slide to move on. Still I prefer forged. :eek:

RIA is a decent low end budget gun. It has a cast frame with and extrude forged steel slide. It will have a lower level of fit and finish which matches its price point. They make good shooters. People report issues with them but most are small parts failures which on a 1911 are replaceable and fixable at home. If there is something really wrong they have decent warranty support. If $$$ are the major factor I think they are great. If you have more coin and don't mind spending it then there are better options.

I personally cannot get behind Para. I know they are better now then they were when they were manufactured in Canada but when I started shooting 1911s they were junk. They did not run and they had horrible customer service. People say they are better now I personally just can't bring myself to own one.

The SA Mil-spec is a solid gun. I like it as a basic shooter and for the most part it sticks to the JMB design. There are a few dimensional changes but nothing that most shooter will notice or care about. It is a good choice at a decent price point. They have excellent customer service should anything go wrong. They run about $650-$700 OTD depending on your market and what you pay for transfers.

Which leads me to my recommendation. Get a Colt!!!! You can get a Colt 01991 which is the Colt base model 1911 for $705 + transfer. If you had bought it before 12/31/14 you could have gotten for the same price + a $100 rebate but that ship has sailed. Still you are looking at getting a Colt for under your $750 budget and only about $50 more than the SA Milspec. The Colt will hold its value better. It is a better foundation for a custom build. It has less MIM than the SA or the others on this list and comes with a forged frame, barrel and slide. Let's not forget the nice Pony on the slide as well.

http://grabagun.com/colt-1991a1-gi-45acp-5-blue.html

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