What is better in 1911
- Thread starter kohen
- Start date
I am not particularly a fan of STI guns but I would also pick the STI out of those two.
- Location
- California North
I'm not a Ruger fan, actually I usually find myself making fun of most things Ruger, but I'd wait for the SR1911; it looks promising. I've had trigger time with the other two and wasn't impressed with either, at least not stock. Of course, I am a snobby bastard.
- Location
- Lower Mainland BC
better wait a little bit more for the Ruger SR1911
Hello,
The Spartan has a better track record, and it shares its frame and slide with Rock Island Armory (Armscor).
I know nothing about the Remington 1911, and I've not been impressed with their rifles lately.
If I were to grab'n'go with a pistol, I'd have to go with the STI.
Regards,
Josh
The Spartan has a better track record, and it shares its frame and slide with Rock Island Armory (Armscor).
I know nothing about the Remington 1911, and I've not been impressed with their rifles lately.
If I were to grab'n'go with a pistol, I'd have to go with the STI.
Regards,
Josh
Two friends of mine bought R1's at the same time about a year ago. They have been fairly reliable but the fit and finish is poor and the 80 series trigger is horrible. Its heavy, gritty and two stage feeling, easily the worst 1911 trigger I've personally tried. Im sure it could be cleaned up, but I would rather start with something a little better and go from there.
happiness is a warm gun
Regular
Back to the question at hand, Remington or Sparten. I have both......the Sparten has a very tight fit, better adjustable sits and accuracy awesome. Finish and polish is not good. Plungers does not line up the the detent in the safety and had to be sent back. Trigger pull was very heavy but a lightet hammer.spring fixef that.
While Remingtons lock up was not as tight, accuracy was still very good. Fit and finish is excellent and again a lighter hammer spring improved the trigger pull.
While Remingtons lock up was not as tight, accuracy was still very good. Fit and finish is excellent and again a lighter hammer spring improved the trigger pull.
Apparently I am one of the lucky few to have so far been able to get an SR1911. Here are my initial impressions.
Pro
1. Price. I paid $725 + tax & shipping and for what the gun comes with that is a great price for a US made gun.
2. Visually very appealing if you like stainless steel. While it is a matter of personal taste I find the blued controls make the gun look unique in a good way. The grip panels are wood with Ruger emblems and really add a nice touch.
3. Fit & finish were very good. Virtually no slide to frame movement and everything lined up perfectly.
4. If you are partial to box stock 1911s then you won't like it. However, if you're into dressing it up a bit there's not much they haven't included. Comes with a beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, extended mag release & ventilated trigger. I can't verify this as I haven't checked yet but I have also read that the mainspring housing is steel rather than plastic.
5. Accuracy. This will vary from gun to gun but initial impressions were good. I put 10 shots into a 4" circle at 25 yards using 200 gr. SWC handloads and a PPC barricade for support. My friend who is a very good shot put 4 shots into 1" with a slight flyer which enlarged the group to 2".
6. Extras. Comes with two mags (an 8 shot and a 7 shot
), a bushing wrench and a soft pistol rug.
7. It's a series 70, not a series 80 which makes getting a good trigger pull easier.
Con
I can't point to any obvious cons like poor fit or finish or horrible trigger. Most of the cons would be due to personal preference items.
1. Unlike the Spartan it has fixed sights (Novak 3 dot). This is not a true con but could be for someone who wants adjustable.
2. Again not a true con but the stock trigger pull ran a tad over 5 pounds on my Lyman electronic trigger gauge. This is good enough for a lot of people but will not satsify those who want to do any sort of competition shooting. The trigger also has a very faint 'click' before the hammer drops but I haven't worked on it yet to see what's causing it.
3. It does not have a rail for light/laser mounting nor does it have forward slide serrations for those who prefer them.
4. I did have a couple of FTFs in the first 50 or 60 rounds. However, that was with fairly light SWC lead handloads. The next 150 rounds were glitch free so I attribute this to the gun needing a few rounds to smooth out.
My overall impressions are very favourable. I am partial to stainless so for me that puts the Ruger ahead of the Spartan although I would really have liked adjustable sights. I think that if these are the good sellers I expect them to be Ruger will offer adjustables down the road. They are also only currently available in 45 ACP but again I think 9mm and maybe 38 Super & 40 S&W versions will likely follow given their initial success. I also have an STI (Ranger II in 9mm) which I really like and I think the Spartan is a fine gun for the money but my personal taste puts the Ruger ahead of it. I don't think the Remington is in the ballpark with either of these given that the prices are close and the Spartan & ST1911 both have a lot more features although I did see a R1 recently at a CGN dealer for $500.
Hope this helps.
Pro
1. Price. I paid $725 + tax & shipping and for what the gun comes with that is a great price for a US made gun.
2. Visually very appealing if you like stainless steel. While it is a matter of personal taste I find the blued controls make the gun look unique in a good way. The grip panels are wood with Ruger emblems and really add a nice touch.
3. Fit & finish were very good. Virtually no slide to frame movement and everything lined up perfectly.
4. If you are partial to box stock 1911s then you won't like it. However, if you're into dressing it up a bit there's not much they haven't included. Comes with a beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, extended mag release & ventilated trigger. I can't verify this as I haven't checked yet but I have also read that the mainspring housing is steel rather than plastic.
5. Accuracy. This will vary from gun to gun but initial impressions were good. I put 10 shots into a 4" circle at 25 yards using 200 gr. SWC handloads and a PPC barricade for support. My friend who is a very good shot put 4 shots into 1" with a slight flyer which enlarged the group to 2".
6. Extras. Comes with two mags (an 8 shot and a 7 shot
), a bushing wrench and a soft pistol rug.7. It's a series 70, not a series 80 which makes getting a good trigger pull easier.
Con
I can't point to any obvious cons like poor fit or finish or horrible trigger. Most of the cons would be due to personal preference items.
1. Unlike the Spartan it has fixed sights (Novak 3 dot). This is not a true con but could be for someone who wants adjustable.
2. Again not a true con but the stock trigger pull ran a tad over 5 pounds on my Lyman electronic trigger gauge. This is good enough for a lot of people but will not satsify those who want to do any sort of competition shooting. The trigger also has a very faint 'click' before the hammer drops but I haven't worked on it yet to see what's causing it.
3. It does not have a rail for light/laser mounting nor does it have forward slide serrations for those who prefer them.
4. I did have a couple of FTFs in the first 50 or 60 rounds. However, that was with fairly light SWC lead handloads. The next 150 rounds were glitch free so I attribute this to the gun needing a few rounds to smooth out.
My overall impressions are very favourable. I am partial to stainless so for me that puts the Ruger ahead of the Spartan although I would really have liked adjustable sights. I think that if these are the good sellers I expect them to be Ruger will offer adjustables down the road. They are also only currently available in 45 ACP but again I think 9mm and maybe 38 Super & 40 S&W versions will likely follow given their initial success. I also have an STI (Ranger II in 9mm) which I really like and I think the Spartan is a fine gun for the money but my personal taste puts the Ruger ahead of it. I don't think the Remington is in the ballpark with either of these given that the prices are close and the Spartan & ST1911 both have a lot more features although I did see a R1 recently at a CGN dealer for $500.
Hope this helps.
P&D Enterprises
I have the spartan and love it. Tight fitting accurate pistol with a dream trigger for 750
Me, too. Only thing I don't like is the full-length guide rod, but only because it means the end cap has a hole in it (for the rod to project through) and the sharp-ish edges of the cap make it painful to try and push in with your fingers for disassembly. However, that's purely a personal preference and has no bearing on the fit and function, which I find excellent. Yes, the trigger is superb.
OTOH I've only heard good things about the Ruger and would seriously consider one if I didn't already have the Spartan. If I had more spare cash I'd probably buy one as well. What does "need" have to do with it, anyway?
There is a simultaneous review by Charles E. Petty of the STI Spartan and the Remington R1 Enhanced (so not the standard version) in the current issue* of Handloader Magazine. The print version may not be out yet; I have an electronic subscription and just downloaded it yesterday.
(* "Feb.2012." These dates are about as silly as MSRPs.)
Stuart
