The 1911 World

[johNTO]

My buddy loves his Colts and Sig 1911's. The only money he's spent on them was purely for cosmetics and aftermarket mags.
He's never had ammo related problems when using factory ball ammo but some of the aftermarket mags didn't always feed like the OEMs.
Nice shooting HGs and I like getting them dirty for him but have no real desire to own one….YMMV

 

[lycan]

Or as much fun as the price of .45acp will allow you to afford.

Totally agree.
But mine is 9mm

 

[rodauto]

The only modification I did to my Kimber was the change the grips and add a mag well.........

That is one beautiful pistol, wow!!!
If it shoots as good as it looks I would be a darned good shooter... or at least the envy of everyone else on the range.
Rodney

 

[grinder08]

I start by saying I do not "presently" nor have I ever owned an 1911 of any manufacture. I have done a lot of reading on them and everything I have read has said they're all crap unless you are willing to dump a grand into them. I find this ludicris that the buying public would buy something brand new and have to pay more just so it will work. I also find it impossible to believe that firearm manufactures would tarnish their names with guns that don't perform straight out of the box.

So, that being said and my general lack of belief in all this bad talk about 1911's, please tell me this ain't so. That I can rest assured that if I were to buy a Springfield RO that it will work straight up out of the box without me having to dump more cash into it so it will work.

Thanks All.

HA

You can get a perfectly decent 1911 under $1000 that functions very well without requiring modification. I have a Ruger SR1911 and I have heard of others. So 1911's are not crap. They do take a little longer to strip and clean and they tend to be a bit more fussy about ammo than a modern gun. Put 230grain ball ammo in them and they run great. I now have several thousand rounds through mine and it runs smooth as silk. If you don't want one fine but please don't call things crap unless you know what you are talking about.There are a LOT of people who use 1911's regularly and are happy if they were crap this would not be the case.

 

[tarnovion]

my Norinco Government 1911 is not only one of my most reliable handguns but also one of my most accurate. You DONT need to spend $1100 to get a good 1911, although some shooters seem to think they do.

 

[BlackWatch]

Let me resurrect this thread... I'm looking at a Remington R1 with 800 rounds through it. Has anyone had or heard of any issues with these? The other option is to spend another $700 on a Kimber, Colt or Sig 1911. Out of those three what would you guys recommend?

 

[Sambaru]

Let me resurrect this thread... I'm looking at a Remington R1 with 800 rounds through it. Has anyone had or heard of any issues with these? The other option is to spend another $700 on a Kimber, Colt or Sig 1911. Out of those three what would you guys recommend?

Remington R1s are decent. Other good 1911s in the lower (so.. ~$800 but not Norinco low) price range are the STI Spartan and the Ruger SR1911, possibly Rock Island as well. My opinion is Spartan, SR1911, R1 in that order.

Of the $1200-1500ish range 1911s, Colts will probably be the most recommended by most people. I personally would love a Colt for a GI model but refuse to buy a 1911 that costs $1400 and doesn't have front strap checkering. Kimbers are very polarizing with many people loving how nice they look and not having issues with their personal 1911s but many people also hating on their use of MIM and other horror stories they have read on the Internet (despite SIG and Springfield also using MIM). SIG 1911s are typical SIG quality (which is a good thing), and have a lot of unique looking models to choose from. Don't forget Springfield and S&W but they seem to be rather rare in Canada.

To be honest, if you are considering a 1911 in a Kimber/Colt/SIG price range, all things (cost, quality, availability) considered, I would go STI. Springfield and STI are the only 2 1911 brands that I basically never see any haters, and as I said, Springfields are very rare in Canada. Lots of models to choose from by STI as well.

 

[silver69]

Check the Girsan 92f clones....start at $450....good guns.

Good call, I seen it, almost won me over, but the 1911 Gov felt better in my hand then the 92 did in the end. Something about the grip that didn't fit me right when I compared the 2 "in the hand".

 

[BlackWatch]

Remington R1s are decent. Other good 1911s in the lower (so.. ~$800 but not Norinco low) price range are the STI Spartan and the Ruger SR1911, possibly Rock Island as well. My opinion is Spartan, SR1911, R1 in that order.

Of the $1200-1500ish range 1911s, Colts will probably be the most recommended by most people. I personally would love a Colt for a GI model but refuse to buy a 1911 that costs $1400 and doesn't have front strap checkering. Kimbers are very polarizing with many people loving how nice they look and not having issues with their personal 1911s but many people also hating on their use of MIM and other horror stories they have read on the Internet (despite SIG and Springfield also using MIM). SIG 1911s are typical SIG quality (which is a good thing), and have a lot of unique looking models to choose from. Don't forget Springfield and S&W but they seem to be rather rare in Canada.

To be honest, if you are considering a 1911 in a Kimber/Colt/SIG price range, all things (cost, quality, availability) considered, I would go STI. Springfield and STI are the only 2 1911 brands that I basically never see any haters, and as I said, Springfields are very rare in Canada. Lots of models to choose from by STI as well.

Thanks, very helpful reply. I would like to find a nice Colt on the EE to keep my Colt AR company. I will look into the STI and Springfield.

 

[roadcarver]

Got the SAM 1911 commander tactical - great pistol. Shot 150 round so far with no issues. Spits out lead like there's no tomorrow.

The only upgrade that I did (today) was the hogue grip - awesome grip BTW.

Before and after pix.

 

[shikano53]

OK maybe "crap" was too harsh but in general they are always talking about modifying them so they work reliably.

I'm just concerned that my first grand will have another following it. Something I would rather not do.

HA

It's obvious you don't ride a motorcycle.
Same thing.
People buy motorcycles then spend gazillions adding, modifying, changing, yada yada yada.
I've been riding for over 35 years and trust me, the wheels of the bus go round and round.
For the vast majority of people who ride, there's no such thing as a stock bike especially in the HD world. First thing off the bat HD are makers of world class underpowered motorcycles because they WANT to produce underpowered motorcycles.
HD probably makes more money on mod kits than they do on bikes. I have had HD's and they come by the nickname 'Hog' honestly.

Buy a gun that fits you and is reasonably reliable. Personally I switched to a 1911 because it fit my shooting hand so well and it is a joy to shoot.

 

[GunGuy34]

I was normally a Glock guy. As they are uber reliable. Every 1911 I have owned was not as reliable as a Glock, or Beretta 92fs for that matter.

I ended up selling all the 1911s but the one I missed the most was a Springfield Armory " Loaded" model in stainless. As that was my first 1911. I ended up buying another loaded model. I also bought a bunch of reliable magazines, ie Wilson combat and nighthawk custom. Only thing I did to it was change out the full length two piece guide rod to a standard one.

I took it too the range the other day and shot 400 rounds. As per normal, at around 350 or so, I would get the odd FTF. It has happened with every 1911 I have owned at around the same point once the gun gets nice and dirty. I think I had 4 in total.

All in all, that's not bad reliability out of the box. If my life depended on it, I could count on it im sure, most gun fights are not gonna last 400 rounds, and I will never be in one im guessing. My only enemy is a piece of paper.

The 1911 is such a beautiful gun, and if your purpose is just going to the range, then you have nothing to lose.

 

[Mark-II]

Remington R1. I've shot one and own one. Both had creepy triggers. Not horrible, but creepy.

I removed the series80 bits - didn't do much for the pull. I ended up replacing the sear (my first trigger job, so I arsed up the original), tweaked the sear spring, and now it's lovely.

Also. The recoil spring in mine (bought used) was too short and way too light. Shooting FMJ I could feel the slide slapping the frame. So new recoil spring.

But it shoots very well, and is a keeper, until I find something that I like more

 

[BlackWatch]

I have been doing lots of research. I can't find a STI that I like the looks of.

I am considering a Kimber Custom II which I can get new for $900 taxes in. Or a Sig Scorpion which is $400 more but looks a lot better IMO. If I could find a Colt 1911 rail gun I would consider that but that adds a few hundred more.

what are the main differences between these two pistols? I'm leaning towards the Scorpion.

 

[RC Fan]

I am considering a Kimber Custom II which I can get new for $900 taxes in. Or a Sig Scorpion which is $400 more but looks a lot better IMO. If I could find a Colt 1911 rail gun I would consider that but that adds a few hundred more.

what are the main differences between these two pistols? I'm leaning towards the Scorpion.

The Kimber has a full length guide rod I believe. The Sig does not.

I believe they will have different safeties--the Sig is an 80s series, while the Kimber has a Swartz safety.

I have an Eclipse Custom II, and a Scorpion. I prefer the Scorpion, but I am an unabashed Sig fan.