Looking for a 1911, Suggestions?

50calshooter said:
this whole thread was almost a waste of time, don't get me wrong I greatly value all your opinions and I really do appreciate your help but all these dealers from giant chains to the small guys don't stock s**t. When they do order they only order one of each, so what is in stock doesn't last long. This is sooo frustrating a guy almost has to settle on whatevers left over if he wants a 1911. I for one am not going to settle! I guess I'll just wait till all these "so-called orders" show up which could be months. So disappointing, P&D does have one Kimber Custom II in stock but it has a scratch and he still wants full price, I know that might sound picky but if I'm guna pay for a new gun I want it to be new. well theres my rant for the week....
Click to expand...


i feel for you man. i spent 6 months looking for one. i just saddled with a springfield GI in stainless this morning. i wanted a black plan 1911 with no front serrations and was willing to spend up to 1500 for it, but i found NOTHING. the GI is as close as i could find. BUT IT"S IN STAINLESS :mad: . oh well, all my other guns are black.i guess this stainless will grow on me since i love 1911s. i dont know why no dealers stocks any 1911 is canada. it's probably the single most popular model. if i was a dealer, i'd probably make huge money doing exclusive on quality 1911s and parts. and #### the norinco ####. i know they are good shooter for the money but damn , if you were shooting expensive 45s. might as well get a 1000 dollar 1911 to shoot it in style. american made 1911 or nothing at all!
 
I am currently searching for a first 1911 as im in the process of getting my PAL. I didnt want to start a new thread as this one was similar.

I dont want to spend over 1200 and in all honesty would rather not even spend 1200. I was looking at the Spartan, Trojan, and just recently saw a used kimber custom II for 1100. I dont know whether to dish out the extra now, or save the extra bit and spend it on mags and ammo. It would be for range, and defense, want something I can rely on and looks nice as well.

Dont mean to jack the thread or anything.
 
STI Ranger II got my vote, and my money.
aSTI002.jpg

aSTI007.jpg

aSTI008.jpg


Size comparison pic
aSTI012.jpg
 
kyle87t said:
I am currently searching for a first 1911 as im in the process of getting my PAL. I didnt want to start a new thread as this one was similar.

I dont want to spend over 1200 and in all honesty would rather not even spend 1200. I was looking at the Spartan, Trojan, and just recently saw a used kimber custom II for 1100. I dont know whether to dish out the extra now, or save the extra bit and spend it on mags and ammo. It would be for range, and defense, want something I can rely on and looks nice as well.

Dont mean to jack the thread or anything.
Click to expand...

In your position I'd go for an STI (specifically the Spartan). Kimber has had issues with quality control (poorly dimensioned MIM internals) and Kimbers have a slightly odd ball but ingenious firing pin safety which is totally unnecessary. Despite the fact that the Spartan has a slide and frame from the Phillipines, they are fitted by STI, and have premium STI internals which are excellent. I'd get one from Gunnar at Armco, he does a beautiful trigger job on them before they leave and makes sure they work perfectly. It's interesting to me that I've never seen a bad review or user report on the Spartan. The money you'll save will be much better spent on ammunition, or reloading equipment. Oh yes, and get a good book on the 1911 they are the type of pistol that you'll want to tinker with, and web resources only go so far. Consider yourself warned, the 1911 will affect how you view other guns and the people who shoot them, and they are highly addictive. :D
 
Last edited:
Yeah I know what you mean. After the first glance at the 1911 showcase today, I wansnt really interested with any others... They looked and felt so much nicer. I think i may go for the spartan, its a little plain looking, and the slide looks a little light, but i hear its solid overall.
 
linzeiisdad said:
50calshooter said:
P&D's website shows about a dozen in stock.
Click to expand...

I just bought a 1911 from P&D....I chose Taurus because of the great reviews and the full features you can only get in super expensive guns.And before all you "I hate Taurus" types chime in.....if you havent owned the new Taurus 1911 then dont bother posting!! Ive owned 15 different 1911's most high end, the taurus is my new 1911 and they are very nice.I bought it because my buddy has one and they truly are very nicely made>

Try one you wont be sorry
Click to expand...
 
I bought an STI Spartan, and was so disappointed, I traded up for an STI Ranger. It's also a disappointment. The trigger assembly has glitches that really annoy me. When I dry fire, it doesn't always re-set, so I can't #### the hammer. It doesn't happen when your shoot, or cycle the slide by hand, but it bothers me that a $1300 handgun isn't perfect. The Spartan was much worse. The grip safety didn't work at all, and the slide would not go into battery without allowing it to slam forward.

My 25 year old Colt is a much better gun. It's a 10mm auto(Delta Elite), and has about the same recoil as the Ranger .45. I've owned a Springfield .45 that never missed a beat. I've never heard of a Kimber, or S&W failing to operate, either.

For my money, I'd go with Colt. Unfortunately, they no longer sell 10mm auto, so that leaves Kimber or Dan Wesson. The advantages of 10 mm far outweigh any drawbacks. If you reload, there are no issues with ammo. They're acceptable for wilderness carry, and they're accurate.

That said, I'll confess that if I had to pick one survival gun, it would be my Glock 20. It ain't pretty, but it's effective.
 
OK so I put a Kimber Custom II on hold yesterday until Monday. I put it on hold because I wanted to think about it, only because it has a scratch on it. The guy said the scratch is minor about the thickness of two pieces of paper.... Anyway I think I'm guna buy it tomorrow, even if the scratch bothers me I guess after some use I can always send it off and get it refinished. Your probably asking yourself why doesn't this picky bastard just buy a different one. Well I think I have called every gun shop in Canada in the past week and nobody has any. Everyone said the same thing, "there on order, and we don't know when they will be here could be a week but most likely months". So P&D is the only shop I found that has one, so i guess I'll just have to deal with the scratch. The s**tty thing is P&D knows they got me by the balls so they wont discount a little bit for the scratch. oh well.... anyhoo I also bought some pachmayr grips so it will look like this first pic... the second pic is stock.... and the third is the same but with years of good use, (I thought it looked so sweet with the finish slightly worn)...let me know what you think (decision wise) good or bad... thanks for all your input otherwise guys...

dsc01301hh3.jpg

customii.jpg

P1000799.jpg
 
boxcoach said:
I bought an STI Spartan, and was so disappointed, I traded up for an STI Ranger. It's also a disappointment. The trigger assembly has glitches that really annoy me. When I dry fire, it doesn't always re-set, so I can't #### the hammer. It doesn't happen when your shoot, or cycle the slide by hand, but it bothers me that a $1300 handgun isn't perfect. The Spartan was much worse. The grip safety didn't work at all, and the slide would not go into battery without allowing it to slam forward.
Click to expand...

Hence the note about buying from Armco (although both guns sound like they just need the sear spring tweaked a bit) The Spartan is quite well known for tight fitted barrels and bushings, you usually pay extra for that tightness, 200 rounds of ball ammo will cure that.
 
50calshooter said:
OK so I put a Kimber Custom II on hold yesterday until Monday. ...let me know what you think (decision wise) good or bad... thanks for all your input otherwise guys...
Click to expand...

I don't think that you can go wrong with a Kimber. An excellent choice!

Regards,

Chizzy
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom