customise my colt 45acp 1911 or sig 226 elite 40 s&w

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JOHNNY K.

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Hello

I need some input from you guys to help me make a decision.
I need to decide if I should customize my colt 45 which would cost about $1600 (beaver tail, trigger job, machine sights, mag well etc) or get myself a sig 226 elite in 40 caliber. The Sig seems like it's ready to go out of the box for about the same price.

I've grown acustom to the 1911 models but in all fairness, they aren't as reliable or accurate as a Sig 226 without some customization. The Sig also has more mag capacity.

The grip on the Sig is a little big, but I think I can get use to it.


Thanks
 
Who would you have do the work? I would lean towards the 1911. Words of caution though, you'll probably never get your money out of a customized 1911 and for $1600 you could buy a pretty nice new 1911 with everything you need. I went through the process of customizing my Delta Elite and I'm real happy with the results. It fits and feels way better then a sig and I can guarantee that it shoots a hell of a lot better as well. But it cost me an arm and a leg.
 
I will agree that it would be a better choice to just buy a new gun that suits your needs.

Let's do the math: $1,000 Colt + $1,600 mods = $800 Colt w/ mods

Everybody who buys guns these days likes them factory. Don't expect to get back the money invested into mods when you sell.
 
care to detail exactly what is being done for 1600$?

This price seems a bit steep for what you have listed...
 
Is the gun more reliable then a sig? Probably not but it's not a carry gun, it's a competition gun and reliability hasn't been an issue with it.
 
Charles,

If you include checkering, match barrel/bushing, trigger, magwell, new sights, re-finish, new safeties etc etc. you can spend $1600 worth of gunsmithing and easily still not get everything you want done.

JohnnyK,

The other factor you need to consider is to get $1600 worth of gunsmithing work is probably at the quickest going to be 3 months and at the longest could be a couple of years. A good rule of thumb is to at least double whatever time estimate a gunsmith gives you but on average I'd tell you a year is probably about what you should be expecting.
 
JOHNNY K. said:
Hello

I need some input from you guys to help me make a decision.
I need to decide if I should customize my colt 45 which would cost about $1600 (beaver tail, trigger job, machine sights, mag well etc) or get myself a sig 226 elite in 40 caliber. The Sig seems like it's ready to go out of the box for about the same price.

I've grown acustom to the 1911 models but in all fairness, they aren't as reliable or accurate as a Sig 226 without some customization. The Sig also has more mag capacity.

The grip on the Sig is a little big, but I think I can get use to it.


Thanks
Click to expand...


For the money, you will get more bang for your buck with the Sig 226 Elite. The Elites are great guns. Have you had a chance to hold or shoot one? The only reason that I ask is that some people find the gripframe a little to large to hold comfortably.

But if you have held one and likeit, I say go for it. I don't think too many people have ever been disappointing by buying a Sig. Custom 1911's on the other hand... Well, it's already been stated above; they can be hit or miss...
 
Get the Hogue panel grips for the SIG as they are abit thinner. You wont get a magwell on the Elite though...actually now that I think about it, there is a grip with the magwell built in thats avaiable.
 
JohnnyMac said:
Charles,

If you include checkering, match barrel/bushing, trigger, magwell, new sights, re-finish, new safeties etc etc. you can spend $1600 worth of gunsmithing and easily still not get everything you want done.
Click to expand...

I get your point but most of this can be done at home, if you're ready to read some and watch diagrams first. I've invested probably around the mentionned 1600$ (including smithing) into my 1911 to turn it into a racegun and the only gunsmithing I needed was drilling the frame and having my threaded barrel cut.

I'm skeptic to this price, unless that includes a c-more and its mount and a new barrel/complete gun refinishing.
 
If it was me, as much as I love 1911's, and have yet to own a Sig.... Of your choices, I'd keep the Colt 1991A1 as is & get the Sig.

If you want a nice 1911 with some cool mods without breaking the bank consider an STI Spartan from Armco. It will come already smoothed out with a nice trigger.

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
Charles,

Here is a typical build sheet for a 1911, this comes to about $1710 (not including the cost of the basegun). This doesn't include rear sight or hammer (supplied by me). The majority of the work on this sheet would not be accomplished by an average pistol owner and if it was I would hate to see what it would look like. Prices will vary but these are about as low as you will get (this quote is from a few years ago).

Series 70 Build


Frame Modifications

-Checkered Front strap 20lpi 180
-Undercut trigger guard 60
-Checkered under trigger guard 65


Slide Modifications

-Front sight cut novak style (330” x 65o x.075”) and install front post ?50
-Serrate rear of slide and extractor 45
-Carry Bevel 120
-Flatten and serrate top of slide 80
-Cut for rear sight (Novak cut) 100

Sights

-SDM gold bead front sight (330” x 65o x.075”) 50

Barrel

-Supply and fit - Briley non-ramped match 360
-Supply and fit - Briley oversized spherical bushing 100

Other Parts

-Supply and fit -Brown beavertail grip safety (stainless) 100
-Supply and fit -Brown wide extended safety (stainless) 50
-Supply and fit -Brown hardcore slide stop (stainless) or Dlask 50
-Supply and fit - Magwell – S+A 100
-Hammer (supplied by me)


Re-finish – Bead blast and polish 200?


Total -1710
 
Buy the SIG and leave the COLT 1991 alone.

If you want a tricked out 1911, there are lots out there. A COLT Special Combat, if you can find one, is as tricked out as you can get, even hard chromed and is only $1900 CDN when Arms East has them. A Les Baer Premiere II goes for $2400 at Ronin Sports in Canada and guarantees 3 inch groups at 50 yards or for an extra $150, 1.5 inch groups at 50 yards. All STI guns are top rate. And if you get tired of them you can sell them for close to what you paid for them, unlike a custom gun.
 
Thank you all for your input.

I have made up my mind, I will be getting the SIG 226 Elite in 40 s&w.
Does anyone know where I can get one without the rosewood grips as they cause the grip to be too thick?

Is there any rumor of Sig implementing the E2 (E squared) "thinner grip" on the elite model?
 
You can't get it with out the rosewood grips IIRC. I have the Elite and I think the the regular grips are to thin. Try them, you may end up liking them.
 
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