Which 1911 to buy?

I would choose a Colt for the price bracket you specified.

That said, Armco tuned Norincos are the best deal going for a bare-bones 1911. You can get a reliable, gunsmith-tuned pistol with an excellent trigger for less than the out of the box cost of the next least expensive 1911. Fit and finish aren't quite as nice as a Colt, though.
 
tjhaile said:
I would choose a Colt for the price bracket you specified.

That said, Armco tuned Norincos are the best deal going for a bare-bones 1911. You can get a reliable, gunsmith-tuned pistol with an excellent trigger for less than the out of the box cost of the next least expensive 1911. Fit and finish aren't quite as nice as a Colt, though.
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How's the fit and finish of the colt compare to the SA's?
 
carsmovies said:
I'm really torn as to which 1911 to buy. I'm looking to spend between $800 to $1100 and want one in .45 and more traditional looking without all the bells and whistles and no front slide serrations. Its gotta be accurate and reliable. Your opinions please.
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Colt 1911 or 1991..............plenty of good used ones out there in your price range.
Be patient, they do come up from time to time. :cool:

Course a Norinco 1911A1 for half the money just to play with in the meantime might be a good idea. ;)
Norinco%20BAO%201911A1%20%202.JPG
 
BCWILL said:
Colt 1911 or 1991..............plenty of good used ones out there in your price range.
Be patient, they do come up from time to time. :cool:

Course a Norinco 1911A1 for half the money just to play with in the meantime might be a good idea. ;)
Norinco%20BAO%201911A1%20%202.JPG
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I've had a norc and now have a Taurus which is a great pistol but I want a 1911 with the look of the norc but better quality and name.
 
carsmovies said:
I've had a norc and now have a Taurus which is a great pistol but I want a 1911 with the look of the norc but better quality and name.
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Sounds like you're looking for a SA GI, SA Mil-Spec, or a Colt :). I don't know if this will affect your decision but SA uses a lot more MIM parts than Colt. Actually, I contacted SA and they told me that everything is MIM except the barrel, slide, and frame. That can be a pretty big turn off for some 1911 fans but I've heard MIM parts can be just as strong as bar stock parts. It doesn't really matter because you could just swap those parts out if/when they break. I would go for a Colt because they are still the only 100% American made 1911 before going custom. That's just my personal preference though and SA is still a great manufacturer.
 
Winterkrieg said:
Sounds like you're looking for a SA GI, SA Mil-Spec, or a Colt :). I don't know if this will affect your decision but SA uses a lot more MIM parts than Colt. Actually, I contacted SA and they told me that everything is MIM except the barrel, slide, and frame. That can be a pretty big turn off for some 1911 fans but I've heard MIM parts can be just as strong as bar stock parts. It doesn't really matter because you could just swap those parts out if/when they break. I would go for a Colt because they are still the only 100% American made 1911 before going custom. That's just my personal preference though and SA is still a great manufacturer.
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Thanks. That's the kinda info I've been waiting to hear.
 
Carsmovies, you might want to browse these forums for a lot more info about 1911s:

http ://forums.1911forum.com/

http ://forum.m1911.org/
 
I would recommend any of the para's .... cant go wrong with them IMO and if you find an older model you can gloat to everyone about the "canadian-made" factor .... hahaha

I just believe you get a pretty good bang for the buck with them... Reliable, plenty of models (like everyone else) to choose from... and personally i like the handling and balance of them... They feel like they are an extension of your arm... hehehe...

Good luck though... im a fan of almost anything mentioned in this ad... Previous poster had it right when he said you need to go to the range and get your hands on whatever is available to handle and/or shoot
 
--Terry-- said:
It's funny that with so many 1911 manufacturers out there, and with $900 in your hands, it is still difficult to make a choice.
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Yeah, no kidding.

It's not like your buying a house, just pick one and buy it. If you don't like that one, sell it and buy another one.
 
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I've owned COLTs, STI, Les Baer and Kimber 1911's all bought new.
I still own the COLT's and the STI.

The two COLTs are the only 1911s I've owned that worked out of the box. The others all needed work or break in time to make them work properly.

My recommendation would be to buy the 1911 from Armco (above) as they are tuned there and he will fix it if it doesn't work properly. He has Norinco's, Para GI's, STI Spartans and STI Trojans covering all price points.

COLTs are available at Ellwood Epps and Arms East above.
 
--Terry-- said:
It's funny that with so many 1911 manufacturers out there, and with $900 in your hands, it is still difficult to make a choice.
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Lol. Tell me about it. Its cause most of them add all these features that are either geared towards sport shooting or carrying the firearm ie.in the states. Who in canada need ambi safeties for example and I'm a lefty?
 
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