Which 1911 is most reliable/affordable?
- Thread starter Cedronius
- Start date
Think outside the tupperware.... a striker fired "porcelain" 1911 made in Germany! It doesn't show up on your airport metal detectors and probably costs more than what you make in a month....
What he said. It is truly hard to beat a Colt, but a Springfield is also a very good choice.
x2..STI..
They all cost more than I make in a month....well ..after my missus has lightened the load...actually I'd love to see someone like glock do something like that...or maybe they have and I haven't seen it yet...interesting..
I had the same problem. Find a nice example and start enjoying. I have an STI Spartan in 45. Love it. The Ruger looks good to me too. The point is jump in, if you don't like sell. There are lots to choose from on the EE. Good luck.
Hangar Rash
Member
- Location
- Hamilton area
Agree. My Ruger SR has been an affordable, reliable and accurate 1911 that also benefits from stainless construction and IMHO, darn good looks. That said, the intended use will be the ultimate decider of which Government model might best fit the bill. Occasional target use will dictate a different set of requirements than, say, a future in serious IPSC Classic competition. Like most of us, you'll likely end up with a few 1911s in the safe. Have fun starting the collection!
I own a Springfield Loaded, STI Trojan, STI Spartan, SAM and Norinco. I will never sell the Springfield but would sell the Trojan to upgrade to another STI if I was inclined. The Trojan is a good value for what it can do. The Spartan is a good 1911 but it is a level down from the Trojan, which is a step down from the Sentry and the USPSA. I bought the SAM as a back up competition gun but I have realized that aftermarket parts have required extensive fitting. I've learned a lot from the SAM but I am also seeing significant signs of wear in the metal. I haven't shot the Norinco much and I bought it primarily out of curiosity. What they say about the hardness of the steel is true. Polishing the rails and the feed ramp took a bit of work. Mine isn't likely to ever be used in a match as it doesn't compare to the accuracy of the others.
I like 1911s but they aren't for everyone. If you would rather have a pistol that requires less knowledge, attention and effort, you might want to look at all the other great pistol models out there. I have production pistols too but I just don't feel the same way about them.
I like 1911s..... I just wish I shot them a little better.
I like 1911s but they aren't for everyone. If you would rather have a pistol that requires less knowledge, attention and effort, you might want to look at all the other great pistol models out there. I have production pistols too but I just don't feel the same way about them.
I like 1911s..... I just wish I shot them a little better.
Norc- good for starters and most guys will have one in the safe just becouse why not
Sam- fantastic value for the money and with money saved you can buy alot of ammo
Para- don't ####ing bother!
Ruger- I bought one and I hated it,rattled like a ##### and couldn't keep my front sight on my gun if my life depended on it,from what I hear they've gotten better but it still soured me on the gun.
Sti- probably your best bet for a competition 1911,the Trojan has features you would normally pay alot of money for.
sig- IT HAS AN EXTERNAL EXTRACTOR! Ugly as hell and I hate however they are very nice guns and can be found at a nice price if you look
Kimber-overpriced junk,their fishing lures and new 1911 shooters are trout,their shiny and pretty but built ####ty and way over priced but you don't know it till they have you hook,line and sinker
Colt- colts are classics and can never go wrong with a pony! And lately colt has been building some of the best 1911's They ever have
.
Springfield-love em! Built well the only exception I found was the range officer,you can really tell where they cut corners however the trp or full rail is a work of art.
Nighthawk,les Baer,Dan Wesson,- their a fortune do I think you get what you pay for? For me,no but if I could afford one a nighthawk would be in my safe right now.
Sam- fantastic value for the money and with money saved you can buy alot of ammo
Para- don't ####ing bother!
Ruger- I bought one and I hated it,rattled like a ##### and couldn't keep my front sight on my gun if my life depended on it,from what I hear they've gotten better but it still soured me on the gun.
Sti- probably your best bet for a competition 1911,the Trojan has features you would normally pay alot of money for.
sig- IT HAS AN EXTERNAL EXTRACTOR! Ugly as hell and I hate however they are very nice guns and can be found at a nice price if you look
Kimber-overpriced junk,their fishing lures and new 1911 shooters are trout,their shiny and pretty but built ####ty and way over priced but you don't know it till they have you hook,line and sinker
Colt- colts are classics and can never go wrong with a pony! And lately colt has been building some of the best 1911's They ever have
.
Springfield-love em! Built well the only exception I found was the range officer,you can really tell where they cut corners however the trp or full rail is a work of art.
Nighthawk,les Baer,Dan Wesson,- their a fortune do I think you get what you pay for? For me,no but if I could afford one a nighthawk would be in my safe right now.
crazyjackrabbit
CGN Regular
I'll throw my 2cents in...
So far my fav' is my Rock Island Armoury, GI 9mm... has been reliable, accurate, and fit and finish is great. Only ever had issue while firing a particular box of white box winchester. Maybe a bad batch... shot lots of white win no problem before.
Just picked up an STI ranger 2, feels great in the hand. Finish is primo, shot awesome.. but have only fired appx 250rnds so cant comment on reliability.
Also have a old 'springfield', but has had much done to it. Brazilian.. shes an old girl, not real pretty but fun to shoot.
Norc.... havent shot it alot, only 50 rnds of blazer with issues... typical norc finish, but fit is good.
Hope it helps
So far my fav' is my Rock Island Armoury, GI 9mm... has been reliable, accurate, and fit and finish is great. Only ever had issue while firing a particular box of white box winchester. Maybe a bad batch... shot lots of white win no problem before.
Just picked up an STI ranger 2, feels great in the hand. Finish is primo, shot awesome.. but have only fired appx 250rnds so cant comment on reliability.
Also have a old 'springfield', but has had much done to it. Brazilian.. shes an old girl, not real pretty but fun to shoot.
Norc.... havent shot it alot, only 50 rnds of blazer with issues... typical norc finish, but fit is good.
Hope it helps
There are 1911's that are reliable. There are 1911's that are affordable. There are those that are neither (Para Ordnance definitely falls in this category). There are not many that are both. The closest thing would be something like STI Trojan. But they sell for close to $1500 these days.
First 1911 I purchased was a SAM (Shooters Arms) 1911 Commander Tactical, reliable gun. Accurate right out of the box, tight tolerances. I remember having to give a lot of thumb power to depress the slide lock to release the slide. You can't go wrong with a SAM 1911 from Wolverines.
Second 1911 was a Norinco 1911A1 - sold it as there was an issue with accuracy (could just be how the sights were painted from the factory). Metal on it was solid, you can feel it when picking up the pistol. Rough around the edges, need to do some smoothing of the edges. Slide to frame feel was a bit rough. I manually broke it by removing the recoil spring and just racked the slide manually to remove some of the grittiness.
Third 1911 was a Colt 1911 Combat Elite, purchased used for $650 and it is a hell of a gun. Very accurate and the trigger pull is awesome.
Second 1911 was a Norinco 1911A1 - sold it as there was an issue with accuracy (could just be how the sights were painted from the factory). Metal on it was solid, you can feel it when picking up the pistol. Rough around the edges, need to do some smoothing of the edges. Slide to frame feel was a bit rough. I manually broke it by removing the recoil spring and just racked the slide manually to remove some of the grittiness.
Third 1911 was a Colt 1911 Combat Elite, purchased used for $650 and it is a hell of a gun. Very accurate and the trigger pull is awesome.
thatmikeguy
Regular
- Location
- Steinbach, Manitoba
I love my Norinco NP29. Works great and is quite accurate. I'll admit that SAM's feel nicer though. better slide fit. Smoother.
I've had a LOT of 1911's come/go over the yrs.
The advice about a Colt is misleading.
There are a huge variations in quality/value with Colt over the yrs.
There are plenty of soft metal/sloppy/unreliable/inaccurate Colts out there...there's a reason there was a entire aftermarket/economy to support them. Certain spans of yrs, models and designs from Colt are very good guns...and it is nice to have the Horse on the slide...but don't be fooled, there are plenty of Colt lemons.
Current new manufacture?
When you say affordable...what does that mean to YOU? $1k? $2k? Affordability is subjective...and deceiving.
If you expect to have a decent trigger, high quality internals and certain features it will be cheaper to get it right from the oem manufacturer generally. If you buy a value gun and then spend $$ on a trigger and other guts and features like grip safeties/sights etc....you will likely end up paying a lot more than the gun that has it right from the factory.
Ed Brown
Les Bear
Wilson
Other high end custom's
Buy once/cry once....but get the best of everything and the cool factor. But make sure it is EXACTLY what you want cuz' it makes a needlessly expensive base if you plan on customizing yourself.
STI
Springfield Armory
Kimber
Sig (external extractor and exterior dimensions deviate from the purist approach)
Para (they had a bad few yrs when they switched to USA manufacture but the current production Elites are excellent)
These are excellent guns and affordable considering the build quality/materials/features performance/reliability.
SAM
Very good guns for the money....good steel, accurate/reliable and their upper end models come with very good features for the money.
Still a lil rough for fit/finish...but this is where they skimp...not on the important areas.
Prolly the best value in a 1911 right now IMO.
Norc
As good steel as anything out there, decent plinking accuracy. Typically reliable...just toss the mag that it comes with in the trash and use decent mags....no issues.
The fit/finish is poor aesthetically...razor sharp everywhere, rough internal machining, terrible finishes and sights.
Great base for a custom job or a gun to beat on and show no mercy and or to flex your rookie gunsmithing skills on
Have fun goin down the 1911 rabbit hole.....
The advice about a Colt is misleading.
There are a huge variations in quality/value with Colt over the yrs.
There are plenty of soft metal/sloppy/unreliable/inaccurate Colts out there...there's a reason there was a entire aftermarket/economy to support them. Certain spans of yrs, models and designs from Colt are very good guns...and it is nice to have the Horse on the slide...but don't be fooled, there are plenty of Colt lemons.
Current new manufacture?
When you say affordable...what does that mean to YOU? $1k? $2k? Affordability is subjective...and deceiving.
If you expect to have a decent trigger, high quality internals and certain features it will be cheaper to get it right from the oem manufacturer generally. If you buy a value gun and then spend $$ on a trigger and other guts and features like grip safeties/sights etc....you will likely end up paying a lot more than the gun that has it right from the factory.
Ed Brown
Les Bear
Wilson
Other high end custom's
Buy once/cry once....but get the best of everything and the cool factor. But make sure it is EXACTLY what you want cuz' it makes a needlessly expensive base if you plan on customizing yourself.
STI
Springfield Armory
Kimber
Sig (external extractor and exterior dimensions deviate from the purist approach)
Para (they had a bad few yrs when they switched to USA manufacture but the current production Elites are excellent)
These are excellent guns and affordable considering the build quality/materials/features performance/reliability.
SAM
Very good guns for the money....good steel, accurate/reliable and their upper end models come with very good features for the money.
Still a lil rough for fit/finish...but this is where they skimp...not on the important areas.
Prolly the best value in a 1911 right now IMO.
Norc
As good steel as anything out there, decent plinking accuracy. Typically reliable...just toss the mag that it comes with in the trash and use decent mags....no issues.
The fit/finish is poor aesthetically...razor sharp everywhere, rough internal machining, terrible finishes and sights.
Great base for a custom job or a gun to beat on and show no mercy and or to flex your rookie gunsmithing skills on
Have fun goin down the 1911 rabbit hole.....
