Help me decide!!! .22 or .45 1911

tactical_tech

tactical_tech

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Well it's time for the first purchase of the year. I'm not breaking the bank this time, I've set my limit at 500ish. It's come down to either a GSG 1911 or a SAM commander in .45 or possibly 9mm, but most likely a .45. I really like the idea of buying a base 1911 and gradually making it my own. Now I'm a 1911 newb, most extensive thing I've done with them besides a field strip is change the grips. Am I over my head in thinking ill be able to do my own trigger jobs,beaver tails, ambi safeties etc.?

This is where the GSG 1911 comes in. It'll be cheap to shoot and a great practice tool. However I wouldn't go about modifying anything about it other than grips or sights.

So basically I'm looking for opinions and suggestions. Feel free to suggest something else then a 1911 as well. Main point, help me spend my money and grow my family.
 
You can shoot the .45acp a lot more if you reload your own. It's less than half the cost compared to buying factory ammo. So.... perhaps THIS gun might be a 1911 in .45 but your NEXT gun will actually be a reloading setup.... :D

Seriously consider the feeding cost of a .45. If it's not in the cards to get into re-loading reasonably soon I would opt for a .22 or 9mm version.

Having said this the .45acp sure is a fun round to shoot. So you may want to consider the longer term plan than just this one gun.
 
45 is fun but more expensive to feed. 22 is cheap but not as fun (in my opinion). I like more fun, buy a 45! Reload if you want to save money.
 
Feeding the .45 isn't a huge concern, I already feed my kimber just fine, and my reloading set up is in the works. Picked up the RCBS deal from prophet river. I also do really enjoy the recoil of the .45. It's quite satisfying and find it more enjoyable then my M&P40 which is quite snappy.
 
If money is really tight the .45ACP might not be the best choice unless you start to re-load, 9mm is cheaper and .22LR is about 1/10'th the cost of .45ACP.
I have a SAM Commander-E .45ACP and don't feel compelled to change anything on it, the trigger is good and there are no sharp edges that need working over.
If you don't re-load you may want to consider it to allow more shooting on a tight budget.
 
I have the Ruger Mark III Hunter, extremely reliable gun, however, I also have the Colt 1911 Gov. Model .22lr, I personaly prefer shoot this one, works flawless :)

in .45 I have the 1911 Remington R1 enhanced, I was not .45 1911......until I bought it.... 1911 .45 GO FOR IT, you will love it, very well balance, not much recoil.
 
45 is awesome to shoot but a little on the expensive side. I have a an 80 series colt with some work done to it really like it, and I just bought a Sig 1911 22 last night haven't tried it yet. It looks the same, all the controls are the same, but it feels a little lighter. If you shoot a lot I'd say go for the 22 but if you plan on putting 100 rounds through every once in a while the 45 might be a better choice.

My 2 cents for what they are worth
Stephan
 
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Since you're already reloading that takes away any concern over expense.

You asked about doing your own work on a 1911. That's where it gets a bit more muddled. The thing is that in a 1911 action things stack up. That is what you do to one part affects the next in line and so on until you are even having to fit the safety at the end to suit the rest of the gun. The only way around that is to use a drop in kit of matched parts. And even then the proper operation of the safety is still a little questionable since it's the last part in the chain and relies on how the rest stack up. The good news is that MOST of the time the drop in kits are fine. As for the rest most of it is pretty standard tweaking that isn't rocket surgery. Things like getting an STI or similar trigger and adjusting the little tabs on it to eliminate slop in the trigger are pretty basic and make a big difference to the feel and release point consistency. Or massaging the finger spring to optimize each finger pressure. All these are pretty basic and fiddly but not technically demanding. If you can do a total take down and re-assembly of a 1911 you can do the work at this level of customizing. It's not the full meal deal where you stone stuff and fit for that super light trigger pull but it's a solid 90% sort of deal.

On the other hand things like how the barrel fits the slide, bushing and link pin are the sort of things which are important but not easily done in a home tinkering environment. One thing you pay for when you pay the bigger bucks is the fit of these critical points when you want the best accuracy. This doesn't mean that a cheaper gun will automatically be bad. Just that the allowable range of tolerances in the cheapies means that you could get one which is tight or one which rattles.
 
Go 9mm, love my gsg, but not the same as 9, guess I shoot the gsg more than any other pistol I own, drills ect, but always finish with 100 rounds of 9mm , and 50 of .45...... You just get more range time with 9mm....IMO.
Enjoy....import
 
Well I think after mulling it over I'm set on the SAM 1911. They really are a great gun for the price point. The gf's 9mm commander is exceptional for the price. Now just have to decide 9mm or .45 and stainless or matte black.
 
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