!911 Where's your line

[Harry Callahan]

If you plan on keeping and using the gun for 10 years or longer I have no problem spending some cash. I can remember in 2004 there was a Valtro for sale for $1100 and I was having a real hard time justifying the cost. Luckily the salesman at P&D talked me into it and man am I glad he did. Right now I wouldn't sell that gun for less than $4000 and even then I'd have to think twice. Looking back if I had spent $4000 on it that would equate to less than $400 per year that I've had it and I could easily justify that as a solid purchase especially considering I'll probably have it for another 20 years or longer. At $1100 it has cost me $100 per year so far and over the course of it's time with me may cost me around $35 per year or so.

Last year I purchased a Nighthawk doublestack for $4000 and a year in I have zero regrets and I'm pretty sure I'll have this one for the long run too.

I've seen guys f around with guns in competition that cost them less than what they would spend on ammo in a year and it can range from a general annoyance to costing them a match and I can never understand it. People have different thoughts about the reliability of 1911's but in my opinion the good ones just don't let you down. My Valtro has had exactly zero malfunctions.

X2 re the Valtro's. I too picked my first one up for around 1100.00 back in 01 or 02. Best 1911 I've ever owned. Had the pleasure of talking to John Jardine on a few occasions. We discussed the "American" vs "Canadian" ones etc. He really was mistreated as far as distribution was concerned. At the end of the day Valtro's were all made in the same factory with the same materials albeit with or without his final inspection and tweeking. I've never had any issues with any of my Valtro's . Prices in the U.S are stratospheric but I think that Canadian prices will keep rising. They haven't been made for years.

what do you mean by mistreated, Gravel? Just curious. I've heard a little bit about these guns and the story behind them but not much. Didn't realize they sold for only $1100 13-14 years ago when now they are 3-4K+. Anyway, i guess they are very highly regarded with quite a cult following these days.

thanks. interesting. Beautiful guns. Love the smoothed out edges

I've owned 2x Valtros 1998A1, one very early 002xx serial and the other in the 003xx range. Bought them for around $1300 back in the days. They were great 1911's, superb trigger (after I tweaked it a little), great blueing, french borders, attention to details...etc, the italians sure knew how to craft those pistols to make them look good. Never had a major issue with any of the two while function sometime needed a little tweaking...

That said, I've owned a few high end 1911's and I would rate the Valtro at the level of the DW Valor, sure looks better with that rich blueing & those french borders but beside that, it's on par with the Valor. If I take everything into considertation, the Ed Brown Executive Target, Custom Shop SA Pro Operator, SV single stack & LB Prowler III I own/owned are more accurate, reliable and a better value overall if you can afford to drop that kind of cash on a range toy. Considering paying over $2.5k for a used Valtro (even if it's in mint condition) is insane.

Sure, the Jardine legend lives in the US and these pistols selling new for $1200 15 years ago are now going for $5k on gun auction / selling sites that is if you can find them. Not a lot were manufactured in the first place and all the ones that originally came in the US were tuned in the Jardine shop so that they were up to specs (you know that the italians manufacture beautiful things on the outside but sometimes the internals are the opposite and need tweaking). Lots of hype was into them from Jardine's afficionados in the first place, don't get me wrong here, Jardine is an awesome smith and did run a great shop back then but let's face it, that's what's driving these crazy prices, nothing else...

The ones sold in Canada and the rest of the world didn't went through Jardine's shop (or went back to Italy because they were out of specs) so weren't tuned. When Jardine heard about Valtro bypassing him and selling the out of specs pistols to other partys a little war began since he had a contract with Valtro and they weren't suppose to do that in the first place, that was in early 2001 or 2002. Soon after that legal battle started, the 1998A1 was history...

Those LB's, SA Pro, Ed Brown sure were more $ than the Valtro back then but my opinion is that there's no way the Valtro is a better pistol than let's say a semi-custom Les Baer PM II w/ 1.5 option that you can buy now for about $2500 and I will rate it on par with a DW Valor that run for $2000.

 

[grumpyold]

From reading through the posts, not only a question of how deep into your pocket are you willing to dig, but now posters added thoughts, of if you go for the big, big dollar 1911, how much would you shoot it if there's the potential of it becoming more then fantastic to own but possibly an investment piece.

 

[ChiliDawg]

I just bought a used Les Baer for $2000 shipped that was 14 months old. Primary use will be for NRA 2700 at fifty yards.

 

[JohnnyMac]

I have owned a Baer thunder ranch special, a nighthawk talon, a dlask full house custom, an STI Trojan, a colt Gunsite pistol and a couple other high end 1911's that I'm sure I'm forgetting. I purchased all of these in the search of a "go to" competition gun that could replace my Valtro if I ever shoot it out. None of them shot as well as the Valtro, which I still haven't come close to shooting out and they have all moved on to new homes. The fit and finish of the nighthawk and Colt Gunsite pistol were better and the Thunder ranch special was definitely tighter but the Valtro is easier to shoot better. I'm not saying all the Valtro 's are better than all the nighthawks or all the Baer's or anything like that. I'm just saying my Valtro shot better than all of these guns I listed.

And just for fun here's some eye candy. As far as how they look I guess everyone's taste is different.

 

[gravel]

Nice, my Valtro's are my favorite semi's as well. The best groups I ever printed were from my 1st one.

 

[NAA]

1911.... where's my line?

Personally, I don't have one. It's not a matter of if I could spend it, it's more a matter of if I would.

If I found that I really wanted it, I'd just buy it.

--------------
NAA.

 

[misanthropist]

I've had a couple of high-dollar guns but my current ceiling is a Baer.

 

[grinder08]

Depends on the gun and what it is for. My most expensive handgun is a Pardini GT $2800 and worth every penny so I am not against paying money for a good gun. My 1911 is a Ruger cost $700. Looks good shoots well and just works. I love the fit and finish of a really good 1911 so given having the money I would probably pay $3,500 for one but for shootability and accuracy I can't see anything beating the Pardini and I would rather pay for that than looks. A top end 1911 is probably really close in performance but the Pardini is really something.

 

[wayupnorth]

im still 'playing around' in the 1911 family.
ive got about a dozen 1911's and they are a lot of fun and a pleasant change from all the plastic guns.
but im not about spending more then $1000 yet.
ive got a base model Kimber and that is my ceiling as of right now.

i could see me picking up 1 or 2 $2-3,000 ones 10-15-20 years from now when the kids are out of the nest and the mortgage is done.

(but for the sake of argument if i WAS in the market for a nice 1911 that i would pass down i would go with a Cabot South Paw or a Cabot Mirror Set, while they may not be known as the most accurate they are some of the nicest looking guns ive ever seen!)

 

[Mark-II]

Well.... I kinda committed to a spendier one than I thought I would. Colt has a Gold Cup National Match in their series 70 lineup.

I'm on the wait list for one

 

[Shibby!]

Not saying I wouldn't want a more expensive 1911, but at one point I have to ask if I'm getting a twice or three times the gun? Then, at that price, you start to alter your uses for the gun since it's so costly. This detracts it's value to me.

I have a STI Trojan at the moment. It has some "character". I use it for pistol speed matches and three gun. Works great. Is it twice the gun of a 700$ 1911? Not sure. Never owed a 1911 in that range. Is it better than a Sig 1911 (1100-1300)? Yup. I've owned two. No comparison (although the Sigs were still very accurate)

Is a NightHawk 3x the gun? Maybe, but at that point I wont be holstering it or caring about it being shot in the dusty dirty environment of comps.

So I'd say around 2500-3000 would be my max, but I'm more than happy fully using and enjoying a cheaper gun with a few nicks and scratches. I'd feel bad putting the NightHawk through the same use.

 

[Mark-II]

^ Good sentiments. I picked up a dirt cheap Norc A1, because I like the look and feel of an A1, and it shoots as well as any of my guns for the distance I can hit anything at.

The Colt is more an aesthetic than practical choice - the deep blue, the government lines, even the name. It's a luxury item more than a tool.

I've a Trojan as well, thanks to Black Friday, and it's a fine pistol. I just find that I don't care for the modern style that competition guns have. Will I sell it? .....honestly don't know. I think I'd sell another one first. It'd have to sit in the case untouched for a year I think, and it doesn't.

 

[mrclean]

Before a LB, why not a Targetmaster or Rangemaster from STI?
The TargetMaster 6" that i have will shoot better than 2" at 50 and it is factory fit only and 8 years/20,000 plus round downrange.
Excellent value and fit for the money.

 

[gdawg]

Before a LB, why not a Targetmaster or Rangemaster from STI?
The TargetMaster 6" that i have will shoot better than 2" at 50 and it is factory fit only and 8 years/20,000 plus round downrange.
Excellent value and fit for the money.

Definitely excellent value. I had a rangemaster and it was a very tight and smooth package

i should add though that at current prices, the STI target and rangemasters are not that far off a standard LB PII.

 

[Gunslinger]

I think beyond $1500-2000 you're heading down the road of diminishing returns for a stock 1911.

Much like optics things in the gun world are getting hideously expensive and based more on what the market will bear than actual costs or performance.

Don't get me wrong if you got the cash to play with knock yourself out.