How to pick a 1911 - what makes one stand out amongst the others?

Rivalen said:
I haven't seen Dan Wesson mentioned here. I know their price have gone up significantly in the recent years but they're worth every penny. Imo and from what I've seen, they're a notch up Colt/Kimber/Whatever in their price range. If you have the money this is where I would look. Higher than that you fall into the custom / semi-custom world (EB, Wilson, NHC, etc..)
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Oh yeah! I forgot about my DW Classic in 10mm


Another great gun and a fun cartridge.

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canthitathing said:
posted by misanthropist : "Finally you can get CHEAP 1911s and just roll the dice completely, or rebuild them totally. I am currently building a 1911 on a Norinco frame and slide, because I find their frames and slides to be excellent. I am not sure about the barrels yet. I do not like their small parts and I would not trust a chinese spring to close a pez dispenser, let alone stand up to the often pretty punishing duty cycles of 1911s."

I'm a 1911 noob (and apparently a broke one by the definitions used since I bought the CanAm deal, not arguing though, lol), but can you clarify the highlighted comment as to why you say that. Is it because of the materials used, metal treatment or lack thereof, etc. compared to other available replacement parts, such as surface-hardened metal versus tougher metals to start with. I do anticipate replacing the springs after a while, but even though I have heard a lot of people talk about replacing internal parts, I have seen kits costing hundreds of dollars and am hesitant to go down that road instead of just buy a 'higher grade' gun. Are the Norinco internals such a well-known problem or something?

Before and since buying the Norinco deal (not yet received), I poured over many forums (Canada, US & even outside North America) to find out the general opinions, expecting to hear a lot of "Chinese junk" comments but pleasantly surprised to hear generally positive comments instead. I'll never go to the "super-grade gun" level because my budget and level of involvement in the shooting sports will likely never justify it. However, if there are definite reasons to bite the bullet on internals I'd like to know from more experienced shooters based on something beyond just brand name snobbery. Only a true SHTF situation would make me be concerned over the reliable operation I expect to get from the gun.

No need to apologise for the budgetary ranking you gave, that goes with the territory on any product. I know I am on the lower end of that spectrum. I am looking at Ruger SR1911, CZ75B stainless (9mm) & SAM Thunderbolt for my next prospective purchase, one more step up the budget ladder, lol.
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Small parts steel is unpredictable. Sometimes hard, sometimes too hard, sometimes surface hardened. Machining is often rough. I can deal with rough machining on the dust cover or the slide serrations. I can't deal with rough machining on the sear.

Springs, just buy a Wolff kit and be done with it.
 
I bought mine today, had to make the same decision.

For me it was budget. Not in a way that 100 dollars more or less matter to buy a gun, I am looking at ammo. I want to shoot this gun a lot, and I do not reload (yet).
The price-difference between 9 and 45 is huge, so that part was a no-brainer for me. Looking at the available and affordable models in 9 mm, I decided
and bought the Norinco NP-29. The reviews and comments here in the forum and on YouTube told me what I needed to know. I will get a good looking, well
functioning 1911. Not the nicest 1911 around, not the best quality 1911 around, but a solid gun and a good shooter to a fantastic price.

With a few parts upgraded and new grips to personalize it, I think I will have the one I wanted. If not, I buy another one!

Blackmoose
 
black sunshine said:
THE NEW REMINGTON® MODEL 1911 R1 Carry .
might just be the ticket ...all the cool nessasary stuff I like .plus a nice tight frame to slight fit and no front serrations .and a fair price .
I might buy this gun .
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I have not had a look at these yet but I am hearing good things. I would like to shake one out but I can never bring myself to buy a $1200 pistol and a few thousand rounds of ammo just to satisfy my curiosity about whether a gun is going to be worthwhile. That's why I just stick to Colt and Springfield. They do screw up, but on average, a box of 1000 Colts will have 999 guns that run well. A box of 1000 Kimbers will have...some vastly smaller number of guns that run well. And probably nearly 1000 with rust starting to form on the barrel, unless the box went straight to Arizona.
 
I love my Rem R1E, for a 800$ it work flawless and eat everything I give him, super smooth action, very well balance, very accurate.
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KevinB said:
Why a 1911?

I would say for most folks you will be served better with a different platform. The 1911 is an enthusiast pistol -- I love 1911's but no longer carry one, I will occasional shoot matches with it, if I am shooting Heavy Metal.

IF you want to get into 1911's prepare for either a large dollar expenditure for a true custom gun, or a smaller large expenditure for a semi-custom gun (Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer, Ed Brown), if you shoot an lot and want to be happy.

If you plan on shooting over 5k a year (or over 20k in the guns lifetime) regardless of platform you choose TAKE A 1911 Pistolsmith Class. The guns are finicky and parts need to be hand fitted -- drop in parts on a 1911 do not drop in.

If you are handy and want to learn - buy a frame or base gun and build it to want you want -- Norinco or Remington have good base guns to do this, or if you want to start from scratch get a Caspian frame.

In all honesty it is fun building your own gun -- I did that from a 1943 Ithaca frame in Iraq -- I had a lot of help both from experts on the platform, and from a teammate who prior to becoming an Assaulter in the SASR was a machinist (drop in parts do not drop in).

However if your looking from a practical standpoint - buy a Glock17 or S&W M&P9, and spend the monies you would have spent on the 1911 on ammo - and enjoy yourself.
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I agree with Kevin. Glocks and SIG SAUERs are all around better performing, more accurate and much reliable... but 1911s are awesome to build and play with.

My personal brand preference is for Para-Ordnance high end 1911s. I've heard they have the tightest tolerances on the market, and I believe it. Mine is the most accurate center fire pistol I've ever shot.

Cheers
John
 
max_freddy said:
I am in the same boat as the OP.

Way too many 1911s out there.
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There is a really good reason why there are so many out there.....they are that good and nothing says you mean business like a Gov't .45.

Last year I caved and bought a Remington R1 Enhanced. Glad I did because it is a wonderful gun. I actually did not purchase a Kimber Raptor and chose the Remington instead! Then when I started shooting it.....well it really grew on me. I bought a couple of Norcs in the Ammo + Gun deal.

Sure there are better shooting guns out there, I like my H&K USP .45 and its recoil reducing double spring plus decocker and all the other wiz bang features on it. But now I find that I am grabbing the 1911's more and more when I hit the range....So much so that its part of my CGN Nick! :evil:
 
Wow. Just... wow. I can't believe the responses. I wasn't sure I'd get any, and I figured the ones I did would be "this has been discussed a bajillion times". Thank you to everyone for your feedback, I can't explain how much it's appreciated.

My price range for this is up to $1200. I haven't done a lot of research on prices so I'm not sure at this moment what $1200 will get me, but since I'm seeing Rugers go for $700 or so, I figure I can get a pretty nice one for $1200. I sure like the Remington R1/R1E and Ruger. Shooter1of38, what's the NightHawk Custom worth? How about Para? I just looked at Spanky's post and those sure look beautiful.

I'm not sure I want to get into modifying/rebuilding at this point - just yet. I'm also just starting out so I'm not someone who could take a $4000 gun and make it worth the extra $3000.

There's so much to choose from! ARGH. Hey, can someone just pick one for me?!?! :)
 
KevinB said:
Why a 1911?

I would say for most folks you will be served better with a different platform. The 1911 is an enthusiast pistol -- I love 1911's but no longer carry one, I will occasional shoot matches with it, if I am shooting Heavy Metal.

IF you want to get into 1911's prepare for either a large dollar expenditure for a true custom gun, or a smaller large expenditure for a semi-custom gun (Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer, Ed Brown), if you shoot an lot and want to be happy.

If you plan on shooting over 5k a year (or over 20k in the guns lifetime) regardless of platform you choose TAKE A 1911 Pistolsmith Class. The guns are finicky and parts need to be hand fitted -- drop in parts on a 1911 do not drop in.

If you are handy and want to learn - buy a frame or base gun and build it to want you want -- Norinco or Remington have good base guns to do this, or if you want to start from scratch get a Caspian frame.

In all honesty it is fun building your own gun -- I did that from a 1943 Ithaca frame in Iraq -- I had a lot of help both from experts on the platform, and from a teammate who prior to becoming an Assaulter in the SASR was a machinist (drop in parts do not drop in).

However if your looking from a practical standpoint - buy a Glock17 or S&W M&P9, and spend the monies you would have spent on the 1911 on ammo - and enjoy yourself.
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Oh and I've already got an M&P 9 so I'm covered in that area - for now. Until I get my hands on an H&K P30L or something of the sort.
 
I was introduced to 1911s because, when buying my first pistol, nothing fit my hand better than a Glock or a 1911 - and I didn't want Tupperware :)

My first 1911 was a Para for under a grand, and the quality was bad enough that I sent it back without a shot fired. I looked at Springfields, since they have such an awesome selection, but it's virtually impossible to order what you want from them in Canada.

But, as I found out, STI is really well supported here, particularly by Freedom Ventures in Halifax. Its a mid-range 1911 solution in the just over a grand price range, and I have continued to buy them in assorted configurations, without disappointment, and thus highly recommend their selection.

A couple of pointers. While most 1911s come standard with grips of a certain thickness, STI provides you with the option of thin or regular grips at no extra charge, You just might discover that thin grips give you a much more confident trigger finger. Secondly, the native 1911 extractor is a very primitive piece of technology, that sooner or later will frustrate you. Avoid that nonsense by immediately installing the innovative technological improvement developed by Aftec

.
 
ddsmith said:
I was introduced to 1911s because, when buying my first pistol, nothing fit my hand better than a Glock or a 1911 - and I didn't want Tupperware :)

My first 1911 was a Para for under a grand, and the quality was bad enough that I sent it back without a shot fired. I looked at Springfields, since they have such an awesome selection, but it's virtually impossible to order what you want from them in Canada.

But, as I found out, STI is really well supported here, particularly by Freedom Ventures in Halifax. Its a mid-range 1911 solution in the just over a grand price range, and I have continued to buy them in assorted configurations, without disappointment, and thus highly recommend their selection.

A couple of pointers. While most 1911s come standard with grips of a certain thickness, STI provides you with the option of thin or regular grips at no extra charge, You just might discover that thin grips give you a much more confident trigger finger. Secondly, the native 1911 extractor is a very primitive piece of technology, that sooner or later will frustrate you. Avoid that nonsense by immediately installing the innovative technological improvement developed by Aftec

.
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The above experience with Para is not uncommon. I would stay away.

Nighthawk stuff starts at around double your price point and goes up from there.

In the up-to-$1200 category, I would look at any Colt you can find although they are not common in Canada; STIs at the Trojan level or above, or, if you are feeling adventurous, the Remington is showing strong early indicators of being a quality pistol. But they're new to the game and that can go well (if they understand that they're new and hire the right people) or badly (if they figure "come on, how hard can it be?")

Or if you want to save some money and roll the dice a little, the Ruger would be my next best bet.
 
Say I want a 1911 that is essentially the same as the standard issue US military one, and I can't find a Colt, what would anyone suggest?
 
Does anybody know which company makes the closest real thing to the M1911A1?
I'm guessing Colt, but which model? Looking for same color and grips.

EDIT: I see the STI GI model looks similar. Anybody have this one and can give feedback?
 
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