I think I am the only one in the civilized world that does not own a 1911 ( yet) so I have been looking around at them and wanted to ask some that own/have owned them for some feedback. I cant afford any of the premier brands , but dont want a POS either . I have looked at and liked the springfields , smith and wesson and really liked the kimbers I saw but that is really stretching the budget. I am also leaning towards the 1911a1. Share your experience with me for the ones you have owned and what I should stay away from . Thanks for any input .

welcome jim!!

Start with Colt and Springfield. They have always been my first to choose from.

Today I had the chance to hold in my hands a Taurus 1911. After checking it out, I must say I was impressed. I didn't get to shoot it so I can't tell you more than that.

Honestly, I've never been interested in Taurus semi's, so I'm not sure about their reliability. Curiosity has got the best of me and I'm gonna do a little more .

My 1911s are all Colt.

I own 6 colts and a no longer imported Norinco, which was actually a good shooting copy. Buy a Colt!

jim813, you're not the only guy, as I've never owned a pistol, even though I own plenty of other guns. I too am considering purchasing a pistol, and based on my son's advice, it'll be a 1911. He worked in the gun department of Sportsman's Warehouse for a couple years, and his suggestion to me was a Springfield if I just wanted a very dependable and functional handgun. He said if I wanted a really nice one without breaking the bank, to buy a Kimber. I haven't looked at Colts's but have heard really good things about them as well.

What other advice would you who own 1911s have for us? I am leaning heavily toward a full sized gun. Never thought about having one until lately, with our great Obama economy coupled with California's plan to release thousands of inmates from our prisons due to budget and crowding issues. With personal and home defense being the primary reason, I guess I'm going with the theory of "A 45 because they don't make a 46."

well don't forget the used.I have owned the colt's kimber and auto ordanance which i don't care for.never a springfield but love their idea of the ww2 copy for around 4-500.I suggest just be patient and keep an eye out and the 1911 will come to you .As far as a 1911a1 i owned one and it is one of the guns i regret selling.let us know what you end up with or if you have particular questions about any particular model

Jim,

I carry a well modified Springfield but am shooting (and testing) a Para Ord "GI Expert" and am VERY pleased with it.

Testing writeup here: http://andysgunthoughts.wordpress.com/para-gi-expert/

Andy

PS PM me or Email with any questions!

i own a taurus shoots very well hasnt jammed yet i have shot about 700 rds thru it i like the springfeilds also but my next 1 will be a kimber

I own three 1911 model seventys,a orginal Colt 1911 commerical model built in 1914, Detonics scoremaster the orginal one,and a 1911S&W.
I like my Detonics the best.

Save your money and buy a Wilson! I just happen to have a like new CQB I will put on ya! Most accurate auto pistol Ive ever owned!! I just cant warm up to the 1911 platform. I always grab a glock out of the safe when I need a pistola.

I find the 1911 to be a love or hate pistol. Like Mississippian, some just never develop a strong liking for it and there's nothing worse than having big bucks tied up in a disappointment.

If it's your first 1911, shop hard for the best deal you can find on the Taurus or a name brand used pistol. The Taurus is a very reliable clone that shoots well enough for you to decide if you like the platform. Otherwise you'll have a bunch of dough in a pistol you may not like, regardless of the maker.

If you find you really like the 1911 style pistol you can always trade up.

The Norinco 45s were OK when you got a good one; not so OK sometimes. The Ballester Molina is a south american military 1911 clone that came to the US as surplus in the late 80s-early 90s. They were fine pistols if you can find one.

I too am back and forth on the 1911. I think it's a great pistol design. I also think the Glock 17 is a great pistol.

My newest toy is a Taurus PT1911. I am impressed with the pistol. It is very accurate!

I'm with some of the others. I never warmed up to the 1911s because it either generally takes $1000 to make it function reliably or you spend an additional $1000 up front for a Wilson or Baer (my preferrence). That being said, I have heard nothing but good things about the Taurus. If I was in the market for a 1911, I would start with the Taurus.

quote:

If it's your first 1911, shop hard for the best deal you can find on the Taurus or a name brand used pistol. The Taurus is a very reliable clone that shoots well enough for you to decide if you like the platform. Otherwise you'll have a bunch of dough in a pistol you may not like, regardless of the maker.

This is good advice! I too have handle the Taurus and find its fit/finish/function well worth the price. Havent fired one though. Good luck!

Thanks for all the advice guys . For those of you who have shot the Taurus , was it accurate? I have had one in my hand , but never shot one. It seemed heavy , maybe good maybe bad , probably due to the large rail for accessories.

Jim, look on page two of these threads and you will see a post half way down about the PT 1911. That should help.

It weighs about the same as a true Government Model 1911. Mine still shoots better than I do.

If Money is no object, Wilson or Les Baer, or a Colt done by a great pistolsmith.

Springfield and Kimbers are good guns.

I have shot one of the new Taurus 1911's but only about 20 rounds. It shot fine.

Let me add that I have been shooting Accurized 1911's since 1968. First in NRA Bullseye and later in IPSC.

For me they are the BEST semi auto, bar NONE.

If you are not a "Cocked and Locked" kind of guy, then a 1911 is not for you.

AND if you are not HIGHLY trained, for Concealed Carry a revolver is your best choice.

I have never understood the reasoning for cocked and locked . Maybe you could explain that? Thanks.

Being a single action trigger self-loader, it's the only way to carry a 1911 ready for use in an emergency. Well, there are other ways but none are as fast or sure. Otherwise in the heat of the moment you may well get shot first if you throw up and forget to cock the pistol or worse yet, have to rack a round in the chamber to go into battery. It takes practice, hopefully a little training and presence of mind because you have a loaded and cocked pistol in your holster.

If you aren't in law enforcement, you don't carry concealed or are not using the pistol for any other self-defense purpose, there wouldn't be much point in the cocked and locked technique.

my taurus is very accurate i got a new colt defender today it is also very very accurate

All my 1911's are WWW.STIGUNS.COM

For starters you can't go wrong with

http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php

quote:

Originally posted by jim813:
I have never understood the reasoning for cocked and locked . Maybe you could explain that? Thanks.

Mostly because that was the way it was designed to be carried. Round chambered & safety on. Safer than a Glock IMO.
Best cheap 1911, the basic Springfield or TRP is a good bet. The S&W, not entirely true to the original but a great pistol for all the nice stuff on it.

Being somewhat familiar with the 1911, I would say that all of the recommendations above are good. I think you might also look at the Kimber Custom II as well. If the 1911 platform suits you this is also a good gun for upgrades.I have been well satisfied with the price/quality/availability factor as well.

They do make a fine piece stock as well. Either way you go, welcome to the 1911 addiction!
Chuck

I've owned Colts all my life. My first 1911 was a mail order gun when I was 18, so that lets you know how old I am...

I carry a tuned Colt Combat Commander cocked and locked, the way John Browning designed it to be carried for quick use. I have a spare in the safe. I have around $1200.00 in each gun, with aftermarket barrels, bushings, and recoil systems. Novak sights on one and Smith sights on the other. I wouldn't own anything else.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
I've owned Colts all my life. My first 1911 was a mail order gun when I was 18, so that lets you know how old I am...

I carry a tuned Colt Combat Commander cocked and locked, the way John Browning designed it to be carried for quick use. I have a spare in the safe. I have around $1200.00 in each gun, with aftermarket barrels, bushings, and recoil systems. Novak sights on one and Smith sights on the other. I wouldn't own anything else.

mail order gun ? man wish they still did that .

The ONLY way to carry a 1911 is cocked and locked.

I have been carrying one since @1967 or 68, and they have never gone off by there self.

IMHO, and in the opinion of many other Professionals, IT is the best semi auto to carry if your life depends on it.

I am wearing one now.

Only been carrying since the early '80s but after several custom Colt pistols and playing with different off duty weapons for years I bought a 5" blued Springfield Loaded. It does everything I want, never jams and I believe it shoots more accuratly than I can.

I've also found that if you gain twenty pounds you can easily conceal it anywhere.

Remember that you get what you pay for and a good pistol is a long term investment.

I have owned & shot several 1911's over the years. Here are some of my observations. I have a Colt series 70 made in the early 70's. It functions great with 200 swc's. As i picked this gun up used I don't know if it has any work done to. It does not like the stiffer 230gr loads I have shot through it, so I suspect it has been tuned to the 200gr & lighter loads. I had an auto-ordanace that functioned fine but I suspect that it is hit or miss with those. I have a Norinco that will feed & function with anything that I have feed through it. I would also like to add that at one time Wilson Combat listed these as one of the 1911 variations that they would take in to perform custom work on. I have had good experience with several charles daly 1911's. I have seen more rock islands have problems than I have that worked. I have fired about 3 AMT's that all worked really well, one of them was a long slide. I really liked shooting that one. I did have to replace the hammer on one AMT hardballer for a friend of of mine once. It broke clean off. I don't know what happened there, but it was the only 1911 I have ever seen do that. I have shot several Para Ordnance's & they have all been very nice pistols. I have shot one of the S&W 1911's & have a favorable opinion of those. I have had experience with several custom built 1911's thet were built on everything from a colt to an STI frame. Those of coarse performed flawlessly, but what do you expect from something like that. I don't recall ever shooting a Kimber but i have several friends that have & like them.
I don't know if they are still being made but the Dan Wesson pointman looked like a very nice pistol.
I hope that this was helpful.

Choose a colt: I prefer a series 70 or earlier; I also prefer the 1911 to a 1911a1

quote:

Originally posted by Bryan Chick:
Choose a colt: I prefer a series 70 or earlier; I also prefer the 1911 to a 1911a1

+1

There are plenty of Series 70 Colt's out there, many are still in new to like new condition. Find one and shoot the heck out of it. In the process figure out what you want in a custom or finely tuned 1911.

BUY A NEW COLT FROM A DEALER!

Now that I got that out of my system. Buy a new colt and don't look back. For a good all around package look at the XSE line. Lifetime warenty and some of the best pistolsmiths in thier custom shop if you want anything done to it. Well under $1000 and you will never ask why didn't I buy a Colt.

I think I read here once"smart money is spent once, cheap money is spent many time over" and really we are talking a couple hundred differece tops.
Good luck

I am a Master class bullseye shooter and have neve had a .45acp target pistol built on anything but a Series 70 Colt and never will. Other manufacturers frames very in size and none feel as good to me as the Colt

as far as affordable 1911's go check out Thompson Arms(kahr) I hade one of the deluxe models and it was excellent. It never jamed and was 110% reliable with all the different loads I shot out of It. The fit and finish was as good as any other 1911 at a much lower cost. I also had a Norinco that was surprisingly good and I wish that I didn't get rid of it. My only complaint on the Norinco was the cheap grip panels. I have a Kimber pro carry II It is ok I have had some feeding problems with it and accuracy isn't great I'm not overly impressed with the Kimber maybe after a few hundred rounds it will straighten up.

I just bought my oldest son a Kimber Crimson Carry, a nice full size carry gun. Myself I'm partial to my Springfield V16 LongSlide in 45 Super ...



I shoot a relatively mild 45 Super load (230g Golden Sabre at 1100 fps). Recoil is about the same as shooting standard 230g hardball in my son's Kimber.



Chuck

I'm the owner of a Colt LWT Commander. Without any work it will feed ball ammo forever out of the box and is easy to carry.

I haven't been shot by ball ammo, but I think one hitting me would be disagreeable.

I basically spent the leftover money on ammunition to practice and don't even glance at kimbers or baers, etc.

Practice enough with a bare-bones Colt and you'll wonder why they ever put sights on pistol...

On the other hand, if you want to target shoot for fun get S&W 52, or a well-tuned 1911.

Oh yeah,
I second the opinion that norincos are good. In apt hands a norinco will outshoot a kimber, the only reason being practice, practice,

practice.

But for carry, Colt Lightweight Commander tested and proven (any year) will give you plenty of confidence.

Springfield Armory TRP.

I started 19 yrs ago w/ a 1911 stainless colt. Had some minor mods done and ordered the 22lr conversion kit for it. Great fun.
Next bought a Kimber from a young friend that claimed it would not shoot. It shoots fine, he doesn't.
Now also have the stainless Taurus. It shoots very well. If I decide I need 4 1911s, I will wait to see if Taurus comes out w/ a 4 in barrel model. Personally, I prefer the 4 in/commander over the full size for SD.
If you do not have much experience shooting pistols, I would try b/4 you buy. The 1911 in 45acp is not the easiest pistol to master. I suggested to my young friend above that he buy a 22lr pistol and a couple bricks of ammo and learn how to shoot a pistol b/4 he invested any more $$ in pistols that do not shoot--lol.

Hello jim813,

If your budget allows I would recommend a Colt.If you intend to carry the Commander is by far to me at least a better balanced pistol giving up very little in the way of performance with the 3/4" barrel loss.I would also recommend the steel version if you intend on heavy use.

Buy the way as a load recommendation if you handload for a Mil-Spec hardball load is , Win. 230gr. FMJ seated to 1.26" in Win. brass with Win. LP primer and 6.3 gr. of Unique.

Any one of these will realistically cost you around 1000.00 out the door on average though.

What really depends is what flavor of 1911 you wish to own.My preference is the traditional out of the box Commander with only a change to Spegiel stocks were as many prefer the more updated versions with the bells and whistles,to each his own.

If that is your leaning and cost is a factor then I would purchase a Springfield GI or GI Champion their Commander model.Both are traditional in design and are well suited for conversion if desired.Cost is about half that of a Colt.

A word of warning, 1911's are addictive, you can't own just one! Oscar