Stainless 1911"s and price ??

lone ranger

lone ranger

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I am trying to figure out what makes 1 stainless gun worth so much ore than the next one. I have handled - Sig-Ruger-Kimber-Sam. So far the only difference Ive found is the Magazine quality and ,Triger Pull, but that could have been modified later as some where used guns. I have inspected these guns inside and out and I cant seem to find anything worth an extra $800 or more. The fit and finish was nice on all the guns I looked at. I have come to the conclusion that the average person is paying for a NAME. Throw me a bone here guys. I am just an average shooter and I don't need a Cadlliac if the Chevy will do the same job LOL.
 
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You don't need a stainless gun, you may want one and be happy with it. I have the stainless 226 and love it, but it's really about personal choice unless you CCW in a hot climate.
 
Everyone needs a stainless gun! ;) I had a Sig 1911 Cary stainless it's a beautiful gun, good finish, trigger and accurate. If you can afford one get it but if not Ruger or SAM would probably do just fine, never shot either they look pretty good too.
 
lone ranger said:
I am trying to figure out what makes 1 stainless gun worth so much ore than the next one. I have handled - Sig-Ruger-Kimber-Sam. So far the only difference Ive found is the Magazine quality and ,Triger Pull, but that could have been modified later as some where used guns. I have inspected these guns inside and out and I cant seem to find anything worth an extra $800 or more. The fit and finish was nice on all the guns I looked at. I have come to the conclusion that the average person is paying for a NAME. Throw me a bone here guys. I am just an average shooter and I don't need a Cadlliac if the Chevy will do the same job LOL.
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I can tell you with confidence that if you compare a stainless Ruger 1911 and my stainless Dan Wesson Valor 1911 you will be able to tell the difference in fit and finish. It's also not just the outside quality that matters but the internal firing controls that matter. They both go bang though.
 
Havent held the Dan Wesson or the Night Hawk custom preditor. But then that's really high end stuff and getting out of the average mans range plinking gun. I guess you could say that they are all pretty close for $700 to $1,000
 
They are not out of anyone's price range unless you're poor. It all depends on where you set your priorities. Mine are for guns. I don't vacation, I rarely go out for dinner, I don't buy a lot of clothes, etc.
 
You ever priced what the difference in material cost for a chunk of Stainless vs steel to machine a slide or frame? Before you say stainless isn't that much more consider the size of the chunk needed to machine these parts and how common it is to find appropriate alloy/grade of stainless in that size.

You ever tried machining stainless vs regular steel? It can produce more challenges from my experience depending on the alloy/grade. In a lot of cases it's not the material that can make the difference it's the quality of the machining, fit and finish.


Price a stainless vs scandium or titanium handgun. Then stainless doesn't look that bad. ;)




:cheers:
 
mildcustom2 said:
You ever priced what the difference in material cost for a chunk of Stainless vs steel to machine a slide or frame? Before you say stainless isn't that much more consider the size of the chunk needed to machine these parts and how common it is to find appropriate alloy/grade of stainless in that size.

You ever tried machining stainless vs regular steel? It can produce more challenges from my experience depending on the alloy/grade. In a lot of cases it's not the material that can make the difference it's the quality of the machining, fit and finish.


Price a stainless vs scandium or titanium handgun. Then stainless doesn't look that bad. ;)




:cheers:
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also typed this post before i realized that the OP was comparing different stainless handguns.

like all machinery/tools/cars once you hit a certain point all the guns are going to function and feel 80% the same, the extra money for the gun is that 20% in the fit of the slide being just a little tighter and smoother, a little bit tighter bushing fit, a nicer finish, less machining marks ect.
 
heavenIsAlie said:
also typed this post before i realized that the OP was comparing different stainless handguns.

like all machinery/tools/cars once you hit a certain point all the guns are going to function and feel 80% the same, the extra money for the gun is that 20% in the fit of the slide being just a little tighter and smoother, a little bit tighter bushing fit, a nicer finish, less machining marks ect.
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Crap I thought it was a comparison to steel. It's very much so true that when it comes to high dollar 1911's its all about quality of the materials used because all stainless materials aren't created equally. This combined with the quality of parts used and the quality of machining really sets them apart. Compare a Ruger 1911 to a high end STI and the difference in fit and finish is big.
 
Thanks guys. I can see that so far I've only been comparing "middle of the road" class guns. Havent had a real top notch one in my hands yet. Certainly looking forward to it. And yes, the ones I handled felt 80% the same. I should have known better , being in the mechanical trade for years that not all metals are created equal, even though they may LOOK the same.
 
The difference between the sig and the kimber is styling, functionally i'd place them about the same. The ruger is built to a lower price point, and the internals and fit up will be of a lesser quality, not substanially, and for the average gun owner the difference is academic as he probably can't out shoot any of them. By that i mean the pistols accuracy level is greater then that of the shooter. The sam will be a step down from the ruger. Remington would be between the Sig and the Kimber, i've been impressed with the 1911's they're building. Once you go to Wilson, Les Bauer or Nighthawk, your moving into the semi custom to full on custom realm. The fit and finish will be better, trigger feel excellent out of the box, and the will have a higher level of mechanical accuracy. But again, if the shooter is only capable of 5" groups, then he won't see any advantage over the ruger, other then pride of ownership in a very nicely made piece of machinery, which is in itself reason enough to purchase one :) My opinion anyways, that and a $1.60 gets ya coffee at the drive thru
 
Cocked&Locked said:
The difference between the sig and the kimber is styling, functionally i'd place them about the same. The ruger is built to a lower price point, and the internals and fit up will be of a lesser quality, not substanially, and for the average gun owner the difference is academic as he probably can't out shoot any of them. By that i mean the pistols accuracy level is greater then that of the shooter. The sam will be a step down from the ruger. Remington would be between the Sig and the Kimber, i've been impressed with the 1911's they're building. Once you go to Wilson, Les Bauer or Nighthawk, your moving into the semi custom to full on custom realm. The fit and finish will be better, trigger feel excellent out of the box, and the will have a higher level of mechanical accuracy. But again, if the shooter is only capable of 5" groups, then he won't see any advantage over the ruger, other then pride of ownership in a very nicely made piece of machinery, which is in itself reason enough to purchase one :) My opinion anyways, that and a $1.60 gets ya coffee at the drive thru
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Absolutly perfect answere ! You really broke that down. I agree. thanks . I might as well keep the 1911"s I have.
I'm a 5inch group kinda guy LOL.
 
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there is definitely value to know exactly how good a tool you need for your uses. I shoot IPSC and finish near the top of my division most of the time, and I use a spartan that cost me $750 and only visited the gun smith for a refresh after 13 000 rounds. and the gunsmith visit was only $300 and prob half of that was just me being picky. Now if I shot bullseye, that is a whole different story

that said, I played with an ed brown recently and it was gorgeous, and will be having a full custom built for myself as well.
 
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