wayupnorth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Alberta
so here is the story.
while 1911's are not my favorite gun i do enjoy shooting them and i find them comfy in my hand.
not as comfy as my S&W M&P but i still really like them.
so a couple years back i picked up 2 Norinco 1911's.
the 2 tone ones, base models. got them from Shooters Choice in alberta.
i believe i payed $320 a piece for them.
i have probably put 1000 rounds down each so far, they are stock, not one change to them.
really enjoy them.
for the price i can not say one bad thing about them.
well..... i CAN say a couple things about them that i didnt love, and here they are.
one, they are heavy guns.
i swear they cut them out of a ruff ignot and file them a bit then slap them in the box!
they are solid and heavy and that is not necessarily a bad thing for a 45.
the wost part of the enitre gun right out of the box is the factory mag's.
they dont even eject out of the gun 90% of the time.
that is a easy fix, a couple of aftermarket mags and your good to go.
so overall i really like the Norinco 1911's.
price to value is 10/10
I then went on to pick up a Sig 1911-22 so i could cut down on the cost of running the .45's all the time.
but this isnt really about the 22, its about the real 1911's in 45 so on we go.
now, recently i have been admiring my dads Kimber Pro Carry II and drooling over it.
but i cant in good faith spend $1500 for a 1911.
like i said, i enjoy shooting them, but they are not my favorite so i just cant bring myself to invest that kinda money into one.
but i have been watching the Ruger SR1911 for the last year and thinking that i might like to move into that one.
with the stainless and the Novak sights its what i could call a 'mid range' 1911, and for the price of $700 its double that of the Norinco.
so i finally found a brand new one for the price i wanted to pay and i jumped at it.
recieved it in the mail the other day and had it out to the range today.
i have to say, right out of the box i am very impressed with the gun!
its smoother to work then the Norinco's and that is probably just for the simple fact that they took 2 minutes to polish up the internals and the slide a little. but right out of the box the gun is dead on and feels fantastic in the hands when shooting!
so what are the down sides to the gun.... top slide rattles a bit. just a bit, nothing serious, nothing like the norinco but there is a little movement when you give it a shake. and same with the trigger. if you grab the trigger you can move it around a lot actually.
but it does shoot like a dream.
so i guess that is just the way its made to be.
and im not gonna complain about it.
its smoother on all the edges, had a kinda mini magwell which is nice, the sites are 100% better then the Norinco and working the action is smooth.
the hammer is easy to let off and unlike the Norinco you don't have to look around to make sure no one is watching and use 2 hands to do it.
overall the gun is exactly what i was hoping it was gonna be.
twice the gun that the Norinco's are, and it should be because it was twice the price.
now, there is more, while being easily twice the gun they is also a lot of perks with the gun.
you get a lock, while ill never use it, its there and that's a added value.
there is a 1911 take down tool that comes with it, while i never used one now that i have i feel like royalty!
the gun comes with 2 really nice mags, one 7 and one 8.
both are solid and work flawlessly.
gun also comes with a nice little black Ruger bag to carry it in.... well we cant carry them in it because it isn't lockable, but its added value.
so ya, really happy with the gun, and its is accurate right out of the box!!!
i had really hummed and hawed over that ruger purchase.
i was also looking at the Remington R1 and the STI entry level one and those new Philippine ones that Wolverine is carrying.
but when it came time to commit to one i went with the ruger just because i have a couple of other Ruger's and i have never had any problems with them, plus the gun looks realllllllllllllly nice!
so.
here i thought my adventure with the 1911 family was at a end.
i was going to ride off into the sunset (to the range) with my ruger SR1911 and be happy ever after.
well it was not to be.
the same day i picked up my Ruger SR1911 i noticed that The Shooting Edge in Calgary was having their Easter Sale and i could not believe my eyes!
they had a Kimber Custom II on sale for $780 !!!!
well, lets not pretend i have will power and just get right down to it, the CFO got to process 2 guns for me that day.
so in the mail arrives the fabled Kimber.
now, i never imagined i would have a Kimber 1911.
the price was just something that kept me away.
when i think of 1911's i think of Kimber as the top shelf.
but this is their bare bones base model.
so lets get into it. right out of the box.... its nice!
real nice looking gun, feels great in the hands.
and to work the action...... oh my..... like 2 sticks of butter rubbing together!
absolutely no rattles or shaking or nothing, just solid and smooth and well put together! there is a reason they cost more then most 1911's and that is because they are put together to some pretty high standards.
I dont care if a gun gets put together in the US or in the Philippians or in Pakistan.
as long as it is done properly thats all i care about. and this Kimber has defiantly been fit and finished with care.
took it out to the range and shoots like a dream.
sites are off a bit so ill have to slide them over and take it back out but the gun was a dream to shoot.
so thats where i am.
2 Norinco's, 1 ruger and 1 Kimber into a 1911 collection.
and while they are not my favorite gun they are a really nice gun to shoot and i really like shooting them.
so what would i do now if i had to buy a 1911 as a new gun owner?
i would pick up a Norinco for $300 and beat the hell out of it.
id shoot 1000 rounds out of it and see if i like 1911's.
and if i still like them id then move into a higher end one and trick it out.
which higher end one?
well, as much as i really like that ruger because it groups so nice id say go for the Kimber just because they are put together so nice.
when you see them both side by side and take them apart and look them over you'll know what im talking about.
the Kimber is just a better put together gun.
that said, ill bet i shoot the Ruger more for the simple fact that i seem to hit a lot better with it.... and im not afraid to scratch it, haha!
anyways, i see a lot of people asking about 1911's and i thought this might help some people with some decisions.
here is a video on youtube i made today, its just 4 cruddy iphone vid's compiled together showing the guns running at the range.
yes the video sucks, i had it propped up on a bale and it was cold out. i am just submitting it here for some further info.
and no cracks on the crappy shooting, i was cold out and i forgot my gloves!
enjoy!
i now have to go take apart 4 1911's and clean them all up!
If you really don't like working on guns (which is fine, too), then Ruger, almost definitely. I have (ahem) 3 Norincos, all of which I love to bits, but my next 1911 will be the Ruger. Probably. But I'm still going to beat the hell out of that Ruger, and frankengun it to pieces, I promise! 
