[Jeffrey]

I want a .45 Glock with a 1911's trigger, and a grip designed for a single stack mag.

 

[WGSNewnan]

im really not sure what an expert is. ive seen many an "expert" come and go in the 1911 market. there are many fine custom makers. true artists in their field.

I for one own several and have owned many. Ive built several from scratch and made many repairs to virtually every brand you can name. Ive seen em all at one time or another.
So if that makes me an expert, then so be it. id rather have the title of enthusiast.

My take on the matter - spend what you can afford. If all you have is 400.00, the RIA tactical is a great gun for the money. Got 500.00 or better, the Taurus and springfield GI are fantastic. And on and on and on. The beautiful thing about the 1911 is you can start cheap and build the gun you always wanted a little at a time.

If you want a custom gun - buy it. if you want a great gun for the money - buy the taurus. if you want something to build upon - buy a frame and slide and get started.
Be forewarned - it never ends - 1911's are worse than rabbits.

 

[Jungle Work]

I was just wondering, how are the lower end guns, such as Rock Island or Citadel going to wear out or break if you properly maintain and take care of them?

Jungle Work

 

[Grumpy]

I was just wondering, how are the lower end guns, such as Rock Island or Citadel going to wear out or break if you properly maintain and take care of them?

Jungle Work

I've put over 6000 rounds through my Rock since April.

Still tight, no rattle, puts 'em where I want 'em, no failures what-so-ever.

My Llama (OH GOODNESS!!!! A cheap-a$$ Llama!!!!)has well over 30,000 rounds since I got it used at a gun show ten years ago.

No malfs, puts 'em on target, etc.

 

[kravi]

I bought a Kimber Custom II about five years ago, "slightly" used, but in brilliant shape. I found it would feed jam every hundred rounds or so. I replaced the recoil spring with something a bit stiffer, as well as the main spring. Since then, I don't think I've had a single hickup, regardless of how cheap and nasty the ammunition or how many I put through it without cleaning.

It is basic, has nekkid iron sites, and is beautiful. Tight, clean, and I can group my shots like nobody's business. Love the 1911s. Springfield is great, but I do love Kimber the most. Best bang for the buck, in my opinion.

--Me

EDIT: Heh, I thought this was my second post...

 

[jhumphrey]

I know lots of guys who will spend $5000 on a tennis bracelet for the wife, $3000 for a set of blinged out rims for their truck, $3000 for a paint job on the same truck, and $3000 on a nice watch, but they won't spend $3000 on a super reliable weapons platform that might save their life and their family.

It's crazy when you consider that people will skimp on such an important decision. Will a $500 RIA get the job done? Probably, but I'm quite confident that the Wilson will do it every day of the week, for years on end, and do it more accurately. I spend thousands of dollars on power tools that are purpose built and used only periodically, but they are needed for a specific task. My guns are the same, I need absolute reliability when a job needs to be done.

Cor-Bon tests 1 out of every 1000 rounds they produce, and they make some of the hottest loads on the market. They don't test them on a bench mounted barrel, they test every round using factory Wilson 1911's, and they say nothing else will do it as well for them. They want real world tests using real world guns. You think you're hard on guns? Try shooting nothing but Cor-Bon's for thousands of rounds, and do it without FTL or FTE's. That's why you pay $2700 instead of $500, when things get stupid crazy, you don't have time for mistakes...

I guess Im to minimalist for that. I wouldn't spend 5k on jewelry, car parts, or tools (unless my lively hood had to have the tools). Just like I wouldn't spend 2k+ for a handgun.

If accuracy is that large of a factor, why not just purchase a Wilson Combat barrel and drop into your RIA? Cost of the RIA: 350. Wilson Combat barrel (which can be purchased anytime): $200. So you've invested $550. By my calculations, you're still 2,150 in the black. Once again, to each his own.

I was just wondering, how are the lower end guns, such as Rock Island or Citadel going to wear out or break if you properly maintain and take care of them?

Jungle Work

You'll find many on here thats going to swear that the higher end, custom built gun is the greatest thing out there. I know people who own Kimber, Para, Springfield, Taurus, and RIA. Out of them, the only ones I know that have had zero problems are the "lower" end of that group. Funny that many will sing the praises of high end 1911s, but its been my observation that the lower end has held together and had zero problems compared to the "top o' the line" brands. Thats why if I ever go 1911 again, it would be a Springer GI or RIA. Ill fine tune it to my preference as I go and have money left over to boot.

 

[david31316]

Dont over look Auto-Odanance ( Thompson) i love mine .

 

[Neptune]

I guess Im to minimalist for that. I wouldn't spend 5k on jewelry, car parts, or tools (unless my lively hood had to have the tools). Just like I wouldn't spend 2k+ for a handgun.

If accuracy is that large of a factor, why not just purchase a Wilson Combat barrel and drop into your RIA? Cost of the RIA: 350. Wilson Combat barrel (which can be purchased anytime): $200. So you've invested $550. By my calculations, you're still 2,150 in the black. Once again, to each his own.



You'll find many on here thats going to swear that the higher end, custom built gun is the greatest thing out there. I know people who own Kimber, Para, Springfield, Taurus, and RIA. Out of them, the only ones I know that have had zero problems are the "lower" end of that group. Funny that many will sing the praises of high end 1911s, but its been my observation that the lower end has held together and had zero problems compared to the "top o' the line" brands. Thats why if I ever go 1911 again, it would be a Springer GI or RIA. Ill fine tune it to my preference as I go and have money left over to boot.

It's not as simple as putting a high grade barrel into a base unit and expecting high end results. Sure, it will likely improve, but putting a Ferrari engine into a Toyota will give you limited returns in overall performance.

Most of the guns on the market are made of a conglomeration of parts, from weakest to strongest:

MIM - Metal Injection Molded (Metal Powder and Epoxy/Resin baked in a mold)
Disconnectors, slide stops, grip safety, trigger assemblies, fire components, etc.

Cast Parts - Metal cast as a liquid into a molded shape

Forged Parts - Forged and hammered at high heat to a general profile, then milled to shape (think black-smithing)

Billet - CNC machined to spec


A lot of guys will buy Kimbers and Springfields which contain a ton of MIM parts. A Sig 1911 at $850 has far fewer MIM parts than a Springfield or Kimber's in the $1400 range. The Sig is mostly American made, and some parts are German or Austrian. The Springfield frames are all made in Brazil. RIA's are made in the Philippines. Most guys will buy cheap 1911's and replace the high wear / vital components with aftermarket billet parts from Wilson and other companies. You can build a really nice gun this way that will be a pretty accurate and comfortable shooter.

Wilson's high end guns are made with their "bulletproof" line of parts. The entire gun is milled from billet stock. It's the highest strength available, and the entire gun is assembled and hand fitted by some of the best gunsmiths in the industry. Les Baer, Nighthawk, STI, Ed Brown, and many of the high end companies fit their guns the same way, but Wilson is the only one that offers an all billet produced gun, and guns produced with all in house produced parts.

Even if you took a bunch of aftermarket parts and fitted them to a RIA or Llama frame, the gun may perform better, but it won't be as precise as a gun original milled and speced to work with those parts to begin with.

Wilson offers a few different options, some of which include non-billet parts. The Wilson CQB is an amazing gun, but you pick up a Supergrade and the feeling is obvious. Everything is smoother, slicker, tighter, and the gun just feels different. It's like going from an A to an A+.

Guns are like cars, an entry level car will get you to your destination, just like a higher end car, but sometimes the higher end car runs smoother, more comfortably, has more options, and is hand fitted for longevity, kind of like buying an old Mercedes.

The point is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to buy a reliable gun, i.e. Glocks, but spending a lot of money will often result in getting a hand made, hand fitted, hand tuned, custom sized, piece of machinery without compare. After shooting a high end piece, you'd be unlikely to ever want to carry anything else. Until you've spent some time shooting one, you won't know what you're missing. They aren't for everyone though, different strokes for different folks.



..



..

 

[Uncle Bob]

I'm ready to take a break from the heathen polymer and get some American steel. : The first thing I noticed when looking at different 1911s is the price difference between brands. Anywhere from $500 for a Springfield or Rock Island to $2000 for a Colt or Wilson Combat. Now that I've got the itch I want to scratch it as soon as possible, but I'm willing to wait and save up more $$$ for something truly superior. So the question is, would you recommend I lose my 1911 virginity on a $500 gun, or save myself for a $2000?

That leaves out many of your choices.
No
Springfield
Rock Island
and many more brands.

Remington is made here

 

[Branned]

So the question is, would you recommend I lose my 1911 virginity on a $500 gun, or save myself for a $2000?

How about a happy medium. For $600-799 you can get the following made in USA 1911's with tons of enhanced features like Stainless Steel, Novak Sights, larger Beavertail, lowered and flared ejection ports, and beveled magazine wells etc:

S&W SW1911 TFP - Titanium Firing Pin (Series 70) Black Stainless, sku 108309,
MSRP $1,099.00 ($748.00/$800.44) Made in Houlton, ME

SIG 1911 TACPAC w/Rail, Laser, Holster, Black Stainless
MSRP $998.00 ($681.00/$726.00) Made in Exeter, NH

Remington 1911 R1, Black, Stainless Barrel, (Series 80), No. 96323
MSRP $719.00 ($550.00) Made in Ilion, NY

Ruger SR1911, Stainless Steel, Model #6700
MSRP $799.00 ($640.00) Made in Prescott, AZ

Auto Ordnance (Kahr Arms) 1911A1 45ACP Parkerized, WWII (Series 80),
MSRP $662.00 ($473 Buds), Made in Worcester, MA

Kimber Custom II, 3240001, Black, (LA SWAT gun)
MSRP $828.00 ($750.00 at GB), Made in Yonkers, NY

The basic guns are not all, but mostly Philippines or Turkish guns. Brazil frames on Springfield Armory 1911's. The $2000 ones are nice, but not for me. Try selling those high end ones with out a major loss in your home AO.

 

[Neptune]

Branned has the right idea. Go for whatever works for you, and you can pick up some really nice pieces in the $600-800 range.


Here's something for the Glock fans in the crowd. Lone Wolf Werewolf .40
Definitely gun porn. It's a Glock based custom hybrid. The best of both worlds.

http://www.tactical-life.com/online/combat-handguns/lone-wolf-werewolf-40-sw/

__