i'm looking for a high end 1911. been looking at ed brown, wilson combat, les baer, and sti. what should i go with? not shooting competitive right now but would like to start shooting a limited class (uspsa). being accurate is very important to me. looking at getting a 38 super.

If you want to shoot limited then make sure you know what the rules are! Go to some matches and see what the good guys are shooting. Some of the makers you mentioned have a 2" at 50 yards guarantee. You will also need a high capacity gun.
If you are not set on the 38 Super, then look at the Sig X-five L1 in 9mm.
Peter.

You want to look at Nighthawk and Fusion as well.

Can't go wrong with Wilson. Very high resale value too, unlike many others.

wilson is the one that i'am probably gonna get. the thing that made me really look at les baer was the 1 1/2 group guarantee. i really want a accurate 1911.

My buddy has a Colt Special Combat Government Stainless in 38S. Very accurate.

I have a Wilson CQB and a Les Bear SRP.....they both shoot well, etc......toss up between the two.



What ever you get make sure you break it in before you carry it in a situation where your life may depend on it.....the tolerances are pretty tight on all these guns.

As Peter said. Know the rules of the game.

If you want to shoot USPSA/IPSC Limited division, you will handicap yourself with any non highcap pistol. Also, anything under .40 caliber in limited shoots for minor power factor. The singlestack divison is based on single stack frames, where these would be more the norm, but 38 super is still not allowed to score major.

I know that Wilson used to make them on the STI frame, but I don't think they still do. I don't think Baer makes one at all. I own a Wilson, and its been very reliable and accurate in a .45 Singlestack. I have a buddy who loves the Baer guns. For a fighting gun either would be very hard to beat, but that's not what you seem to be asking.

Buy an STI edge in the caliber of your choice and never look back. Start with the best competition pistol and you only have yourself left to blame. Not only are they the choice of top compeditors, but STIs customer service is second to none.

Hello.

It depends on what division of USPSA you want to compete in and how competitive you want to be. Open, limited, limited 10, production, single stack, all have different rules and pros/cons to what you use. For example, in limited class, .38 Super does not make major power factor so you get fewer points when you hit out of the "A Zone" compared to a .40 caliber and a single stack magazine means more magazine changes in many stages hence more time which means a lower score when competing against a double column gun.

etchttp://www.uspsa.org/rules/2010HandgunRulesProof3web.pdf

All the makers you mention make very good and accurate guns that will outshoot 99.999% of shooters!

I agree with the views of crbutler and idahoelk101. If competing to win is the goal, get a double stacked 1911 in .40 S&W or .45 acp. I shoot 1911's in .45 acp, .38 Super, and 9x23 accepting that the .38 Super and 9x23 aren't major but I enjoy them.

Enjoy what you get and let us know!

jpj3

I know the rules change from country to country, to take into account possible legislation concerning magazine capacity or firearm availability, etc. In France, in Production Class, there is a magazine capacity rule of maximum 15 rounds. You can have a bigger magazine of course, but you can only load 15 rounds into the magazine.

With the above rule a Glock 22 in 40 S&W, which has a 15 round magazine, makes for a cheap and competitive pistol in Major (and can also be your carry gun!). A CZ 75 Black Shadow in 9mm rules the roost in Minor. There is something to be said for using your carry gun in IPSC.

I haven't seen too many really good shooters lose because their pistol isn't 1.5 inch.

Is there a mag cap in Production class in the USA?

I use .38 super in IDPA. Did anyways. haven't shot in a year or so. I haven't found it to be lacking

This is my IDPA gun...



and its soon to be twin..



Go accurate, reliable and fun....you'll never look back

Don't look to Ed Brown as I believe he only makes 45 ACP.

Alan

Since you mention that accuracy is very important to you, from your list there is only one choice - the Les Baer.

I don't know anything about the sport you mention, but I shoot Bullseye Pistol (Conventional Pistol) where accuracy is the name of the game. The Les Baer is commonly seen on the line and to my knowledge I've never seen anyone shooting any of the others. My .45's are built by Clark Custom and are equal if not better than the Baer. One thing that is certainly better about the Clark is that if and when you put enough rounds thru it that it needs to be redone, Clark will put it back shooting like new for $175. Where are you going to beat a deal like that.
Phil

Para-Ordnance 18 shot Super?

Rich

i've heard way too much negetive about para

I would pick a Les Baer,a Wilson, or a Clark.
I would definately get the adjustable sights, and the better accuracy up grade.

Depends on who you talk to. Mine is about ten years old, one of the first Limited all stainless adjustable sighted ones out. I have a two lb coffee can full of spent primers from shooting it.
Never had any issues.

Rich

quote:

Originally posted by kacole:
i've heard way too much negetive about para

Agreed. Para lacks any customer service.
Idaho Sharpshooter....fine and dandy, but if you ever have an issue, you are in trouble.

Kacole....look at the STI Edge...

I've checked out many 1911's but my preference still remains with the Colt Series 70. I own 2 of them since over 30 years.

Triangle Shooting Sports, Benny Hill builds many 1911 Competition guns for high end shooters.

He guarantees 1" at 25 yds.

Dan Wesson Valor. All the above mentioned are fine guns.
I never thought much of Dan Wesson until I handled one recently. Very impressed and probably about $1,800.00 so a bit less than most mentioned above.
I believe they only provide a 45 though.
EZ

The Colt's are fine. In fact I own one, BUT, you are at a significant disadvantage in competition due to the lack of magazine capacity.
Peter.

I have been a 1911 "guy" since 1966 [well actually in 1966 I was a 1911 "kid"].

If money was no object I would go with a Wilson or a Les Baer.

Les Baer or STI ... Baer's slides are the best, STI's double column frames are the best.

Single column 1911s in 45 ACP then is Brown, Baer and Wilson.

Para's can be made into a lovely but at the cost of a LOT of work!

ANY decent Super MUST have a ramped barrel. Four basic forms of ramped barrels: Wilson/Nowlin, Para, Clark, and Bar-Sto. I prefer the Wilson/Nowlin structure. And Nowlin to Wilson barrels. Bar-Sto is a PITA to deal with! Clark bbls not as good. Para not even close.

quote:

....ANY decent Super MUST have a ramped barrel.... .

I would have to strongly disagree.

Chuck is too modest to toot his own horn, but I would suggest looking at his website.

Rich

Chuck can you explain your comment about ramped barrels for the 38 Super?
Thanks, Peter.

Thanks Rich!

Peter, I will be glad to.

It has been a long held belief that a ramped barrel was necessary for any kind of hot loads in .38 Super, I, too, thought so. Quite a number of years ago I started REALLY measuring things in the interest of repeatability and quality.
One of the things I, and quite a number of other Pro 1911 guys, discovered was that most ramped barrells at the time, Provided LESS support to the case than a standard barrel.

In competition, The power factor has dropped to 160. Quite different than the old 175.
With a 160 power factor and modern loads and powder, a proper standard barrel is plenty fine and a lot easier for most smiths to get right.

Better to have a good set of Bias plies than a bad set of radials.

Not the thing your avarage smith likes to hear, but I've swum upstream before.

CW