Seeking hands on opinions for 1911
- Thread starter Redeyes
- Start date
The 1911 has come a long way in the last few years and the quality across several brands has taken things to a new level in the ‘mid-range’....I do question how much value you really get when you get in to the $4K-up range though having shot several.
It really comes down to what features that you want and availability. I have owned Dan Wesson, actually had the first Heritage in the country and they are a beautiful firearm with beautiful fit and finish. I do find though the DW follows Colt keeping very traditional models so features are key in choosing a model.
I have a Springfield TRP, and they are and always have been a great model in their price range....used to be unobtainum until a couple of years ago. I’m a big fan of Springfield and the 70 series firing platform.
That being said, my go to for lots of shooting, high round count reliability, comfort and features are my single stack STI’s which unfortunately were gutted from their line after new ownership...also 70 series platform.
Colt, Kimber, Sig, S&W are all good as well, but some have some unique features that may or may not be your deal.
Other budget brands can be fine too, but if you want something to run a little harder and maintain good accuracy....that’s not here.
It really comes down to what features that you want and availability. I have owned Dan Wesson, actually had the first Heritage in the country and they are a beautiful firearm with beautiful fit and finish. I do find though the DW follows Colt keeping very traditional models so features are key in choosing a model.
I have a Springfield TRP, and they are and always have been a great model in their price range....used to be unobtainum until a couple of years ago. I’m a big fan of Springfield and the 70 series firing platform.
That being said, my go to for lots of shooting, high round count reliability, comfort and features are my single stack STI’s which unfortunately were gutted from their line after new ownership...also 70 series platform.
Colt, Kimber, Sig, S&W are all good as well, but some have some unique features that may or may not be your deal.
Other budget brands can be fine too, but if you want something to run a little harder and maintain good accuracy....that’s not here.
Thanks for your thoughts. I agree with you completely. I would prefer a 70 series. Match barrel. Good trigger that I don't need to change out. A rail just for looks. Mag well. Ambi thumb safety. Good sights that I don't need to change. Something not black. Factory 8 round mag. And of course fit and finish as good as I can afford. I think the DW meets everything I want. So does the TRP. I'm looking into some of the other makes that you and others have mentioned. Biggest hurdle for me is the inventory in Canada. I'm going to try irunguns to understand the process of importing better. I'll definitely post pics when I receive it whichever one I end up with.
i'd still give the norinco 1911 the once over- not the stock model, but the so called "sport" model- I have a colt series 70 - the one with the finger bushing- and built it out using Wilson parts- then I bought the norinco- turns out the sport model has an awful lot of the same features and it cost only 300 bucks- the colt all in was 1100 not including my time and labour costs- just something to think about- and they shoot SIDE BY EACH
Jasper Morris
Member
I'm in favour of the standard 1911 Government Model without tactical enhancements, so please disregard if you're looking for a more modern variant.
Norinco Govt model as a blank canvas for you (or your gunsmith) to make into your very own bespoke 1911.
For semi off the shelf, Turnbull's production 1911 from the factory in NY. Only problem is its too beautiful to shoot.
Norinco Govt model as a blank canvas for you (or your gunsmith) to make into your very own bespoke 1911.
For semi off the shelf, Turnbull's production 1911 from the factory in NY. Only problem is its too beautiful to shoot.
easyrider604
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Greater Vancouver, BC
Last year I bought this Springfield Loaded ca. 2005 on an impulse. I never thought it would be one of my 4 keeper 1911s. Thanks to its crisp trigger, absolutely bank vault slide-frame and slide-barrel fits (zero play...honestly!) accuracy is phenomenal, totally unexpected even though the CGN seller said it was his most accurate 1911. Handheld, standing, 3 inch 5-shot groups at 15 meters with homecast 230 grain RN tumble lubed Lee bullets over 4.8 grains Titegroup. Not impressive for good shooters, but that's me shooting. So speaks a lot for the pistol.
This Kimber Target 2 Stainless was another impulse buy about 4 months ago. Haven't shot it yet, but judging from its fit (only the tiniest hint of side to side play on the slide), even crispier (than the Springfield Loaded) 4 lb trigger and supposedly match barrel, it should shoot at least as good as my Springfield Loaded.
This is my Kotanko customed and tuned Norinco two-tone 1911 Sport. First class gunsmithing on a turd of a 1911 (LOL!)
No picture of my other 1911 keeper, an early Ruger SR1911 obtained in trade in BNIB condition. Slide-frame fit is sloppy compared to the Loaded, but barrel to slide is faultless. Accuracy wise, shoots alongside the Springfield Loaded.
This Kimber Target 2 Stainless was another impulse buy about 4 months ago. Haven't shot it yet, but judging from its fit (only the tiniest hint of side to side play on the slide), even crispier (than the Springfield Loaded) 4 lb trigger and supposedly match barrel, it should shoot at least as good as my Springfield Loaded.
This is my Kotanko customed and tuned Norinco two-tone 1911 Sport. First class gunsmithing on a turd of a 1911 (LOL!)
No picture of my other 1911 keeper, an early Ruger SR1911 obtained in trade in BNIB condition. Slide-frame fit is sloppy compared to the Loaded, but barrel to slide is faultless. Accuracy wise, shoots alongside the Springfield Loaded.
Attachments
Thanks for all the advice. So much info to take in. So many 1911's to love i'm thinking i'm going to end up with more than one for sure.
I never heard of the Turnbulls but wow, those are purdy. The S&W performance center ones are nice too. If i were to pick one, I'd pick the same one RedStar47 posted. Made me forget all about the rails.
I thought you guys would help me make a decision, instead I got waaaayyyy too many options now. Not that I'm complaining! This is awesome to see so much 1911 love.
I never heard of the Turnbulls but wow, those are purdy. The S&W performance center ones are nice too. If i were to pick one, I'd pick the same one RedStar47 posted. Made me forget all about the rails.
I thought you guys would help me make a decision, instead I got waaaayyyy too many options now. Not that I'm complaining! This is awesome to see so much 1911 love.
nobody has mentioned high end brands so far but all off the mill brands: sw, sig, dw, kimber etc, are NOT high end 1911 and a Norinco, which was also mentioned is a very low quality product. If you can't tell the difference between a high end 1911 and a Norinco, then you are looking in the wrong place or your knowledge or perception is biased.
The world of the 1911 is overpriced, YES: the brands mentioned above charge way too much for a subpar product that still needs work out of the box and cannot be compared and will never be equal to a real custom build. I am not talking garage builds or parts fitters 'builders', I am talking real custom gun fully built in house, the only one that is readily available in Canada thanks to the IPSC crowd is Strayer Voight guns, commonly known as SV.
Once you shoot and handle something like that, it changes things.
I recommend you take a hard look at BUL pistols, that are closer to the price tag of the ones that were mentioned here but are far superior in finish and attention to detail. The 1911 market is heavily saturated with overpriced guns and BUL (located in Israel) is pushing the envelope and delivering a product that exceeds the quality of all the brands mentioned (except for SV that are 4 times the price).
Most 1911 companies are not building anything in house, Kimber for instance, are also made from European parts but lack the attention to detail during the finishing process (kimber is living on his name, his current products are garbage).
I recommend you immerse yourself in the world of pistol making and check builders like Patric Rafferty or Brandan Bunker to really understand what makes a good pistol.
I was a 1911 hater for the longest time hahaha, I have to say, always thought they were awful guns until I learnt what makes them the preferred platform for high performing competition pistols...I tried ALL the other platforms before the 1911 and I hate to admit that the 1911 is very old, but nothing come close to a high quality, perfectly fitted built in house 1911 or 2011 pistol. The 1911 will outshot most modern pistols in speed and accuracy, particularly those chambered in 9 or 40 caliber.
So that is my rant/recommendation. You seem to just be starting out so any gun will do, but don't limit yourself and at least take a look at the famous builders I mentioned above, I particularly like Brandan Bunker because he is a very nice human being and probably the best 1911 builder in the world currently.
The world of the 1911 is overpriced, YES: the brands mentioned above charge way too much for a subpar product that still needs work out of the box and cannot be compared and will never be equal to a real custom build. I am not talking garage builds or parts fitters 'builders', I am talking real custom gun fully built in house, the only one that is readily available in Canada thanks to the IPSC crowd is Strayer Voight guns, commonly known as SV.
Once you shoot and handle something like that, it changes things.
I recommend you take a hard look at BUL pistols, that are closer to the price tag of the ones that were mentioned here but are far superior in finish and attention to detail. The 1911 market is heavily saturated with overpriced guns and BUL (located in Israel) is pushing the envelope and delivering a product that exceeds the quality of all the brands mentioned (except for SV that are 4 times the price).
Most 1911 companies are not building anything in house, Kimber for instance, are also made from European parts but lack the attention to detail during the finishing process (kimber is living on his name, his current products are garbage).
I recommend you immerse yourself in the world of pistol making and check builders like Patric Rafferty or Brandan Bunker to really understand what makes a good pistol.
I was a 1911 hater for the longest time hahaha, I have to say, always thought they were awful guns until I learnt what makes them the preferred platform for high performing competition pistols...I tried ALL the other platforms before the 1911 and I hate to admit that the 1911 is very old, but nothing come close to a high quality, perfectly fitted built in house 1911 or 2011 pistol. The 1911 will outshot most modern pistols in speed and accuracy, particularly those chambered in 9 or 40 caliber.
So that is my rant/recommendation. You seem to just be starting out so any gun will do, but don't limit yourself and at least take a look at the famous builders I mentioned above, I particularly like Brandan Bunker because he is a very nice human being and probably the best 1911 builder in the world currently.
Fit, finish and accuracy were my biggest ones when I bought my first 1911.
The sig turned out to be the most accurate. I ordered the sig 1911 super target. It is so accurate it's almost boring. Knocking the centers out at 45 feet is so easy to do.
The springfield was a close 2nd.
I have a wilson Combat .22 conversion for my 1911. It's so horrible !!!!!! So bad I'll never look at buying Wilson Combat anything.
I had to machine all new bushing for everything to take out all the slop and make it close to accurate.
The sig turned out to be the most accurate. I ordered the sig 1911 super target. It is so accurate it's almost boring. Knocking the centers out at 45 feet is so easy to do.
The springfield was a close 2nd.
I have a wilson Combat .22 conversion for my 1911. It's so horrible !!!!!! So bad I'll never look at buying Wilson Combat anything.
I had to machine all new bushing for everything to take out all the slop and make it close to accurate.
Dirtiestharold
Regular
- Location
- Toronto the good?
I agree. I have 2, a Government Model and a two tone Sport. I also have a GSG .22 conversion for the Sport Model. It works fine and gives you two guns in one.
I've not shot a Springfield but my Dan Wesson Heritage is a great pistol—it's got the best trigger of any 1911 I've ever owned (including two Nighthawks and a Les Baer). They can be found on the EE for some pretty reasonable races.
The Rangemaster has a full length dust cover and bull barrel. Pretty sure it is a heavier package. No matter.
Never shot my Rangemaster or DW back to back so i don't recall the trigger nuances but nonetheless, the DW definitely has a nice trigger.
Travis Bickle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Upper Lower Middle Alberta
If its your first 1911 then I would actually also rec a norinco
The design is not for everybody. You may not even like the platform. Just shooting one once or twice is not the same as spending 2 or 3 hours working on draws, mag changes and drills and speed etc a lot of people can't shoot them accurately due to the old school push back trigger mech.
Personally it's my favorite handgun platform. It fits my hands perfectly. I dont know what it is about them but I can shoot it faster and easier than any other handgun I've ever owned. It just fits me. I've owned and shot almost every major design over the years. It's the only handgun I own now.
The norc 1911s are great guns. You can pick up a used one for under 300 on the EE. Try one and shoot it for a couple hours. Put a couple hundred rounds through it.
Then if you really want to get some high grade multiple thousand dollar name brand variant you can sell the norc for 50 bucks less than you paid.
If you dont at least really enjoy the basics of a standard A1 1911 you'll still likely not enjoy one that costs literally thousands more.
Trust me I know many a person who dove into the 1911 and ended up not really liking it after a bit.
It's an old clunky design that people drop a #### ton of cash into to modernize it and make the controls more high speed and easier to use etc
I rock a 1911A1 Norc in .45. It's my only handgun and I can run it very well but that's with a lot of practice.
I loves me some 1911!
My 2 cents on it brother.
The design is not for everybody. You may not even like the platform. Just shooting one once or twice is not the same as spending 2 or 3 hours working on draws, mag changes and drills and speed etc a lot of people can't shoot them accurately due to the old school push back trigger mech.
Personally it's my favorite handgun platform. It fits my hands perfectly. I dont know what it is about them but I can shoot it faster and easier than any other handgun I've ever owned. It just fits me. I've owned and shot almost every major design over the years. It's the only handgun I own now.
The norc 1911s are great guns. You can pick up a used one for under 300 on the EE. Try one and shoot it for a couple hours. Put a couple hundred rounds through it.
Then if you really want to get some high grade multiple thousand dollar name brand variant you can sell the norc for 50 bucks less than you paid.
If you dont at least really enjoy the basics of a standard A1 1911 you'll still likely not enjoy one that costs literally thousands more.
Trust me I know many a person who dove into the 1911 and ended up not really liking it after a bit.
It's an old clunky design that people drop a #### ton of cash into to modernize it and make the controls more high speed and easier to use etc
I rock a 1911A1 Norc in .45. It's my only handgun and I can run it very well but that's with a lot of practice.
I loves me some 1911!
My 2 cents on it brother.
As noted here, there are a LOT of quality 1911 platforms out there. The myth that they are hard to control for people with small hands is just that. I have smaller than average hands.
I've owned several .45 ACP Colt products over the years but the only one I currently own is a Series '70 "Gold Cup" 'cause she shot me into "A" class in IPSC many years ago. A couple of Series '70 Gov't Models needed work - trigger, ejection port, extractor and ejector tuning, mag well bevelling, etc. Another box stock Series '70 was a rattler when you shook it and had a gritty trigger pull, worse than any other I ever handled. It went to a collector who had to have it.
My wife has a couple of Ruger SR1911s that are great basic guns with good triggers out of the box. I have a blued Remington R1 that came with a better trigger than my Gold Cup and rivals the Gold Cup for slide/frame fit. Luck of the draw. I keep it stock for use in Cowboy Action "Wild Bunch" events where you see several stock 1911s and A1s (Traditional, one handed) and tricked out models (Modern, two handed). Some of the original guns should have been left to rest, having earned it through years of hard use.
My current IPSC pistols are a pair of Remington "Commander" length guns, one blued with factory "melted" finish and factory checkered front strap, the other in SS. Both have excellent triggers out of the box. These were my first experience with "Commander" length 1911s and in my opinion, there are what the 1911 should have been from the get go. The shorter sight radius actually helps my aging eyes with a clear, sharp sight picture.
Both clock just under IPSC "Major" with 4 grs Tite Group under 200 gr SWCs, a load that makes "Major" in a 5" Gov't model. 4.2 grs would make it. Not a problem with 230 gr RN.
You can accessorize a 1911 to the nth degree with all kinds of after market goodies, some drop in, some needing fitting. Lots of good magazines out there at reasonable prices.
What's not to like?
I've owned several .45 ACP Colt products over the years but the only one I currently own is a Series '70 "Gold Cup" 'cause she shot me into "A" class in IPSC many years ago. A couple of Series '70 Gov't Models needed work - trigger, ejection port, extractor and ejector tuning, mag well bevelling, etc. Another box stock Series '70 was a rattler when you shook it and had a gritty trigger pull, worse than any other I ever handled. It went to a collector who had to have it.
My wife has a couple of Ruger SR1911s that are great basic guns with good triggers out of the box. I have a blued Remington R1 that came with a better trigger than my Gold Cup and rivals the Gold Cup for slide/frame fit. Luck of the draw. I keep it stock for use in Cowboy Action "Wild Bunch" events where you see several stock 1911s and A1s (Traditional, one handed) and tricked out models (Modern, two handed). Some of the original guns should have been left to rest, having earned it through years of hard use.
My current IPSC pistols are a pair of Remington "Commander" length guns, one blued with factory "melted" finish and factory checkered front strap, the other in SS. Both have excellent triggers out of the box. These were my first experience with "Commander" length 1911s and in my opinion, there are what the 1911 should have been from the get go. The shorter sight radius actually helps my aging eyes with a clear, sharp sight picture.
Both clock just under IPSC "Major" with 4 grs Tite Group under 200 gr SWCs, a load that makes "Major" in a 5" Gov't model. 4.2 grs would make it. Not a problem with 230 gr RN.
You can accessorize a 1911 to the nth degree with all kinds of after market goodies, some drop in, some needing fitting. Lots of good magazines out there at reasonable prices.
What's not to like?
Redeyes,
Are you planning on using the 1911 for anything specific? Bullseye shooting, IPSC, recreational shooting? I’m asking as it may influence what you buy and advice we give.
I’ve owned Springfield Range Officer, Marvel 1911, two Colt National match mid-ranges and Norico (older generation). I’ve been fortunate to own such a variety. It’s likely clear I’m into bullseye shooting and there is no doubt from my experience a high end bullseye 1911 will be better than an entry level 1911. Most American bullseye shooter speak highly of the Springfield Range Officer for bullseye shooting given the price point. For IPSC I don’t know what’s popular or the best value.
I’m shooting a Pardini GT45 which I enjoy but will own more 1911s in the future.
Are you planning on using the 1911 for anything specific? Bullseye shooting, IPSC, recreational shooting? I’m asking as it may influence what you buy and advice we give.
I’ve owned Springfield Range Officer, Marvel 1911, two Colt National match mid-ranges and Norico (older generation). I’ve been fortunate to own such a variety. It’s likely clear I’m into bullseye shooting and there is no doubt from my experience a high end bullseye 1911 will be better than an entry level 1911. Most American bullseye shooter speak highly of the Springfield Range Officer for bullseye shooting given the price point. For IPSC I don’t know what’s popular or the best value.
I’m shooting a Pardini GT45 which I enjoy but will own more 1911s in the future.
