SEEKING FEEDBACK RE AUTO-ORDNANCE .45s

[THOR74]

Hey all! I am considering purchasing a new .45 cal 1911 style pistol from Auto-Ordnance - can anyone give me any feedback as to their relative merits (i.e. build quality, materials quality, accuracy, durability, warranty issues etc.).

Thanks - much appreciated.

 

[capp325]

No personal experience with Auto Ordnance, but their general reputation is far from stellar.

 

[IM_Lugger]

I think you can do better for the money, esp if you add another $100 or so...

 

[cambli]

I think you can do better for the money, esp if you add another $100 or so...

I agree, for an extra $50 you can get a Springfield GI spec 1911. Side by side the Springfield is simply better made.

 

[prproulx]

I heard the quality of the Auto-Ordinance 1911 went up when Khar Arms bought them out.
Is the gun you're buying new?

 

[richardoldfield]

I would not hesitate to buy an AO by Kahr but I would steer clear of earlier AOs. Regards, Richard

 

[NAA]

I heard the quality of the Auto-Ordinance 1911 went up when Khar Arms bought them out.

I would not hesitate to buy an AO by Kahr but I would steer clear of earlier AOs. Regards, Richard

I once had a NIB Auto-Ord from the pre-Kahr ownership. What a POS [quality control of fit/finish/small parts] and a jamma-matic right outta the box. Took it back to the dealer, traded it & never looked back.

If you can get one of the newer ones probably okay. But if it's an older one you're basically buying the frame & slide to tweak and tune with your own aftermarket parts. For a couple hundred more you can be into a much better 1911.

Personally, if you are looking for an good econo 1911 to start with you can't go wrong with one of the new stock Norc 1911A-1's...

 

[Inch]

I'm turning into a bit of a 1911-aholic, I've got 3 of them. A Colt 1911 made in 1914, a Springfield 1911A1 Mil Spec, and an AO 1911A1 pre-Khar. Out of the 3 of them using the same mags, I have found the AO to be the most reliable, the Springfield to be the most accurate and the Colt to have the nicest finish.

I have tried different mags, a polished feed ramp, and taking out the shokbuff, all to still have my Springfield fail to lock into battery from time to time. I have recently read up on tuning the extractor and have tweaked it a bit to try and solve the problem but haven't had any range time due to work.

Having said all that, the AO went through 200 rounds without a hiccup when I first got it. It's not tuned like my Springfield but it sure does go bang and feed properly following a pull on the trigger. I just put a full length guide rod in the AO but more since I found it a pain to get the barrel bushing turned while stripping it than anything to do with reliability.

I like mine but there are some bad reviews out there on the AO stuff.

 

[pimlott]

Auto Ordanance

Ihave one in 10mm, which is probaly an older one but it is as tite as any of my other semi's. It shoots quite well too.

 

[Garand]

I bought one in 1990 and used it for about 6-7 years in IPSC competition. Excellent piece of kit, I highly recommend them.