I have semi autos and revolvers. For me the 1911 makes a great range gun but with my small hands I can not opperate the controls of the gun in a way one should for a self defense gun. I always suggest a dbl. action revolver for a new handgun owner looking for a self defense gun. Even if the gun is to be a multipurpose gun and self defense is one of the purposes it must handle all aspects of that first and then used for other purposes second.
Which one - GP-100 or 1911?
- Thread starter cguedr
- Start date
As many have said, this is really an apples to oranges comparison. The two platforms are very different from each other, and each one will be better at certain things than the other. I think your best bet will be to look at what the gun is going to be used for. The 1911 is going to be better at concealed carry, while the GP100 is more of a woods/hunting gun. They both are good for HD, and they will both make great range guns. .38 Special is cheaper than .45 ACP, which is in turn cheaper than .357 Magnum.
If you can't determine it that way, get down to your local store and handle a few examples of each. Find the one that fits your hand the best, points naturally for you, and just plain feels "right".
I myself took a "one of each" approach. The Springfield G.I. was the first semi-auto I purchased, and the GP100 was the first revolver I purchased. Both are very good guns, and each serves it's own unique roll:
If you can't determine it that way, get down to your local store and handle a few examples of each. Find the one that fits your hand the best, points naturally for you, and just plain feels "right".
I myself took a "one of each" approach. The Springfield G.I. was the first semi-auto I purchased, and the GP100 was the first revolver I purchased. Both are very good guns, and each serves it's own unique roll:
Nakanokalronin
New member
Think about which you would use more and for what reasons since they are from 2 different plaines.
I've owned both, 1 GP100 and going on 7 1911s.
Don't believe the people that say 1911s need to be tweeked and repaired and blah blah blah to be reliable or accurate. 1911s are some of the most accurate guns out there and out of all 7 of my 1911s not one has ever had a single failure in 3/3 1/2" & 5" models. The 1911 brands I've owned are, Kimber, Springfield Armory, Taurus, Regent and Rock Island Armory. Get good mags like Wilson Combat, Kimpro Tac mags or even Act mags from Wolff with their extra power mag springs in them and your GTG.
Rock Island Armory has a lifetime warranty btw with excellent customer service but I'm sure you won't need to use it.
My GP100 was also 100% reliable and very accurate. I had the 6" Stainless version with adjustable rear sight. Everyone I knew wanted to shoot it. The only thing I changed was the grips for some finger grooved/palm swell Hogues.
You can't go wrong with either one, so just figure out which one you think your going to use more for what purpose and go from there. IMO though, everyone should have at least one 1911. Which ever you get, clean it up before taking it to the range, lube properly and be safe and have fun.
I've owned both, 1 GP100 and going on 7 1911s.
Don't believe the people that say 1911s need to be tweeked and repaired and blah blah blah to be reliable or accurate. 1911s are some of the most accurate guns out there and out of all 7 of my 1911s not one has ever had a single failure in 3/3 1/2" & 5" models. The 1911 brands I've owned are, Kimber, Springfield Armory, Taurus, Regent and Rock Island Armory. Get good mags like Wilson Combat, Kimpro Tac mags or even Act mags from Wolff with their extra power mag springs in them and your GTG.
Rock Island Armory has a lifetime warranty btw with excellent customer service but I'm sure you won't need to use it.
My GP100 was also 100% reliable and very accurate. I had the 6" Stainless version with adjustable rear sight. Everyone I knew wanted to shoot it. The only thing I changed was the grips for some finger grooved/palm swell Hogues.
You can't go wrong with either one, so just figure out which one you think your going to use more for what purpose and go from there. IMO though, everyone should have at least one 1911. Which ever you get, clean it up before taking it to the range, lube properly and be safe and have fun.
As others have said, it depends on your intended use. If the gun is to be strictly a fun range toy (nothing wrong with that, I have several that fill such a role) then either one is fine. If, however, you intend to use the gun for self-defense, I'd reccomend the GP100. The main reason for this is the sights. The base RIA has rather miniscule sights on it that would be somewhat difficult to pick up at speed. While the sights could be changed easily enough, you'll be looking at spending a fair amount of money to do so. The GP100, on the other hand, has a servicable set of sights right out of the box. Also, if you ever intend to hunt with a handgun, the .357 Magnum will offer much greater versatility than the .45 ACP would.
Nakanokalronin
New member
Webleymkv is correct on the base RIA 1911 sights. However, if you get the Tactical model it comes with Novak style sights that are much easier to pick up. If you get a RIA with GI style sights though a good smith shouldn't charge much for adding some simple 3 dot or similar sights. I bought some Maryland brand sights for $25 and had a smith install them for another $25 only because I didn't have a front sight stake tool. You could find a basic 3 dot sight set even cheaper though.