Best 45acp for the buck

SAM is the least expensive 1911 that is worth buying if you want some quality.

I shot a guys brand new norc - one of the sporty models. It went bang. It also rattled like a baby toy. Wolverine also provides spectacular support for SAM.
 
Another vote for the G21 or 41. Goes bang every single time and Glock warranty, if you ever need it (you won't) is second to none.
 
sorry to bud in, but what is a SAM?

Ya exactly.........just imagine how sickening it would be to have to upsell a SAM at a gun range there garbage...... Way better option for u is to find a used ruger P345 .....u can them get them on EE every week or so for 450$ ish......one of these used will kick the #### out of a SAM anyday
 
Ya exactly.........just imagine how sickening it would be to have to upsell a SAM at a gun range there garbage...... Way better option for u is to find a used ruger P345 .....u can them get them on EE every week or so for 450$ ish......one of these used will kick the #### out of a SAM anyday

Based on your own personal experience, no less?
 
Ya exactly.........just imagine how sickening it would be to have to upsell a SAM at a gun range there garbage...... Way better option for u is to find a used ruger P345 .....u can them get them on EE every week or so for 450$ ish......one of these used will kick the #### out of a SAM anyday

I don't consider myself an expert but from what I see the Thunderbolt SS in .45 @ just over $600 with Wolverine backing it, has all the trimmings, bells and whistles, factory trigger job, fit (especially the fit!), Finnish, accuracy, ease of maintenance and cleaning and reliability of guns worth 2-3 times what I paid for it. Other then a "brand" what more is a person comparing.... the "splitting hair" difference between the process used on the steel for the receiver? I'm not real sure that for $600 I'm going to care about the differences that these processes make against one another as I don't hear much about catastrophic failures either way.

I guess you could say that I'm not always cheap, but I'm not a brand guy (yes I do shop at Walmart at times:) ) so in my eyes....what more is left in comparing why a guy should buy anything for more when he can buy just as good (or better) for less $$?
 
How to tell that your d!ck has fallen off: when the name on the slide means more to you than the holes in the paper.
 
I don't consider myself an expert but from what I see the Thunderbolt SS in .45 @ just over $600 with Wolverine backing it, has all the trimmings, bells and whistles, factory trigger job, fit (especially the fit!), Finnish, accuracy, ease of maintenance and cleaning and reliability of guns worth 2-3 times what I paid for it. Other then a "brand" what more is a person comparing.... the "splitting hair" difference between the process used on the steel for the receiver? I'm not real sure that for $600 I'm going to care about the differences that these processes make against one another as I don't hear much about catastrophic failures either way.

I guess you could say that I'm not always cheap, but I'm not a brand guy (yes I do shop at Walmart at times:) ) so in my eyes....what more is left in comparing why a guy should buy anything for more when he can buy just as good (or better) for less $$?

WHOOO HOOO!!! Mr.Postman came yesterday!! Brought me a little box covered in some great "new" artwork from our friends at Wolverine ....and inside was my beautiful new Thunderbolt SS! And, at this point after stripping it down and putting it back together, there is no one that can convince me that it is not worth twice the money I paid !!!

I have big hands with a slightly gibbled little finger so I added a set of rubber Hogue finger groove grips and "Dam" this is a beast! It just fits and feels so good in the hand. I think I may call her "SAMantha" :) can't wait to get to the range! However due to the size and weight I could see where those with smaller hands may not get the same feel with this full size unit as I seem to.

Photo bucket link up soon.....
 
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Congrats!!

I'll be meeting mine (similar but different) in 3-4 weeks. I've bought quite a few guns but I think I'm more excited about this one for a bunch of reasons. For one it's about 1/4 the cost of most of the others but from what I've seen, the value is there bigtime. For me it also has a lot of play value as there's room for mods and upgrades which I love to do. :dancingbanana::dancingbanana:
 
Congrats!!

I'll be meeting mine (similar but different) in 3-4 weeks. I've bought quite a few guns but I think I'm more excited about this one for a bunch of reasons. For one it's about 1/4 the cost of most of the others but from what I've seen, the value is there bigtime. For me it also has a lot of play value as there's room for mods and upgrades which I love to do. :dancingbanana::dancingbanana:

Awesome, and yep, that "play" value you speak of is exactly the conclusion I just came too as well. Very happy with this purchase and I simply do not think that the level of customer service that I continue to get from Wolverine can be topped by anyone in any industry of any product I buy. Just 'gold standard' and nothing more!!!

Thank You Brent and the rest of the group out there in Virden!! Another job well done!
 
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What are everyone's thoughts on Para Ordnance? I'll definitely be checking out the SAM after reading this thread but I had been looking at Sig 1911's and Kimbers up til now. Would really like to spend less though.
 
If I'm not mistaken, the manufacture of pistols at least under the Para name will soon be discontinued as the company is absorbed into Remington. Based only on my reading over the past several years, Para is a mixed bag. Many posts will speak for the quality of Para when they operated in Canada followed by a pretty bad slide in QA when they located in the Southern US. Many people look to an older Para manufactured in Canada and avoid the US made guns.

In terms of value, you might take a look at SeraPhim Armoury who have a pretty complete line of 1911's with good specs.

SIG's have a good rep and my personal experience with non 1911 SIGs has been very good. Depending on the model you choose, the SIG's have a different slide profile which impacts holster choice. They also have a number of "classic" models where the slide is the same as all other 1911's. SIG's also have an external extractor as compared to the conventional internal extractor on most 1911's.

Kimber's are a mixed bag to many people. They are fairly pricey and it seems you either love them or hate them. Any kind of research will give you 100's of posts to read on Kimbers.
 
What are everyone's thoughts on Para Ordnance? I'll definitely be checking out the SAM after reading this thread but I had been looking at Sig 1911's and Kimbers up til now. Would really like to spend less though.

And don't forget the STI Spartans are still available in some stores
 
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