Sidearms & Scatterguns Another 1911 comparison thread?

[ArcticLight]

So I've been out of a 1911 for a while and I did just use the search function so shut up about that already

Seriously, for home defense, vehicle, carry- there are HOST of newly made and older companies making 1911's and the last review I could find here favored the Dan Wesson.

So lets take a step back, anyone done a comparison to say:

Rock Island
Springfield
Kimber (I had one but did not favor the external extractor and non traditional 1911 safety).
Ruger (Heard bad things about these guys, barrel etc)
S&W
(insert any other <$800 brand here)


So if I wanted to stick to an $800 budget, shot it say 4-5 times a year, which 1911 would you buy?

Not a high end operator or anything else, I just want a standard non-railed 1911 and some opinions and experience.

We need the power of the 5 star review here..

 

[EddieNFL]

Of those you listed Springfield would be at the top of my list.

 

[17874]

Springfield and STI for factory guns. When it comes to 1911's you often get what you pay for. I think Kimber is overpriced for what you get. The older ones are great pistols though. That's when they were hand fit.

 

[Mike_Honcho]

Of the choices - Springer

 

[Mike_Honcho]

Springfield and STI for factory guns. When it comes to 1911's you often get what you pay for. I think Kimber is overpriced for what you get. The older ones are great pistols though. That's when they were hand fit.

You mean Kimber of Clackamas Oregon days or @ 20 years ago

 

[17874]

That's it. I have owned an older one and one from 10 years ago. I traded off the newer one for a beautiful 1960,s Winchester 101. Great deal for me

 

[cal50]

Springfield.

You can buy a plastic .45 for less and they run great or save the bucks and buy a Springfield.
For a few dollars more a Springfield TRP is pretty nice right out of the box.

 

[kansas]

SA Range Officer. Lot of gun for the money.

 

[ArcticLight]

You guys feel free to add in other brands!

I too have Springfield at the top of my list, actually considering a rail but we'll see.

 

[Hookturnr]

I've got both a sprinfield R.O. and a 4" Kimber crimson carry pro....happier than a pig dipped in sh*t with both. Only thing I have dicked around with was I changed the MSH on the kimber to a chainlink ed brown unit, more for comfortable IWB carry than anything else, and I changed the sights on the RO to Heine. Neither was a necessary mod., just personal preference. You can get into either one at a fair price if you shop around a bit and I don't think you can go wrong. I'm over 5K rounds through the Kimber in 2 yrs. and around 3.5K on the RO with no problems..

 

[mkollman74]

STI

 

[mzvarner]

SA Range Officer. Lot of gun for the money.

+1. I have one and it is amazingly accurate. I was hitting an old oil quart jug at 80 yards off hand. Trigger is amazing. And it's all stock.

 

[wewaslim]

Another vote for the Range Officer. I have two, a .45 and a 9mm. Couldn't be happier with either. Bought both lightly used. My only alterations were VZ grips and HiViz front sights for my 63 year old eyes. Great pistols; very accurate and easy shooting.

 

[sigfan27]

I've handled and shot all of those. The Springfield and the Dan Wesson are the winners for me. If price is a concern, a Loaded fixed sight would be a top pick. If cost is only a minor concern, the MC Operator. Under $2k TRP or Dan Wesson Specialist (stainless in either). Over 2k, Springfield Professional/Professional Operator.

 

[ivel_86]

Not super 1911 savy but I really like my Ruger SR1911. Shoots super smooth and seems great!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dinosaur Jr]

Kimber (I had one but did not favor the external extractor and non traditional 1911 safety).

Older design. I don't think they even make those anymore.

There's no external extractor on my Kimber. Safety is a traditional 1911 design. A Custom II can be easily be found for $800. You should look at them again.

 

[TexasVine]

Considering you have a $800 budget, I would consider the Ruger or Springfield (series 70). My personal experience is with Dan Wesson's, Kimbers, Springfield and Colt which I have had a great experience with all of them. My personal favorite is my Kimber SS Raptor.

 

[Wyzrd]

My favorite 1911's in order are, Dan Wesson, Springfield, Kimber, Sig, Remington, Ruger. Just like others have stated, you can find really good deals if you're patient and do some shopping around.

 

[big_matt_duq]

I just got talked into a rock ultra 10mm on my last visit to my ffl. I only went in to find some 22 mag ammo for an older Winchester 9422 that found its way to me. It is tight. Finish is decent and love the grips and Magwell. Trigger is pretty decent. Sights kinda suck so that's all I want to change. I haven't picked up a my ammo or components yet so I still haven't shot it. Not sure I'm in love with the bull barrel setup but I have been wanting a 10mm for a while. 1911 in 45 might be in the near future or one of the 2011 10mms.

 

[Downtown]

I noticed no one mentioned Colt.

 

[nfoley]

Or Rock Island...

 

[Downtown]

All kidding aside, Colt seemed to start making pistols again. All mine are decades old, but reviews(for what they are worth)aren't bad.

 

[Hoier]

I like my Springfield Range Officer.

 

[CRT2]

Kimber, but be prepared to pay a good gunsmith to tune it for you.

 

[SlagAxe]

I do not think you can get a well running 1911 with the minimum features I deem necessary out of the box for $800, but you can come close. As CRT2 said, get a Kimber and have someone tune it. I would add to that Sig and Springfield. I have 1911s by at least a dozen manufacturers/smiths and here is my 0.02. Sig, Kimber, and some Springfields can go from good potential to well running machines for not much more than your target price point. I say get one of these then plan on having it worked on over time. The below pictured Sig C3 and Kimber Raptor II (that I picked used in 2005 for $700) both needed a little work and parts upgrades but run great now. The Springfield TRP, which I think is a great deal, can be had used near your price range and later on you can tune the trigger and have the internals replaced and polished. BTW, as nice as the Raptor shoots those slide serrations are useless with wet or sweaty hands.

Dan Wesson and many STIs represent the price point at which you can get something out of the box that is nice as-is, IMO. [IMG2=JSON]{"data-align":"none","data-size":"full","src":"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/FubElFl.jpg"}[/IMG2]

 

[Ankeny]

Been shooting 1911 pistols in competitions for decades. My present carry gun is a customized Colt Lwt. Commander in .38 Lapua. Of the pistols you listed, the one that should provide the best buy for the money is Springfield. That said, I have had two Range Officers and both needed some work and neither exhibited stellar accuracy.

 

[xTBIRDx]

I'm partial to Springfield due to the customer service experience I had. I bought a 1911 back in 96 and I have no idea what happened, but one day cleaning my guns I notice that my slide catch was cracked into. I emailed Springfield to get the correct part number and told them how old it was and that it had had numerous rounds through it. They asked for the serial number and proceeded to send the the part for free overnight. I thought that was awesome.

 

[wxl]

Dan Wesson, Springfield or Colt

 

[Downtown]

I also carry a Colt Commander dating from the 1970s, in a Milt Sparks Summer Special. I know, quite old school. But it is very, very reliable. I'm curious, 38 Lapua?

 

[jrassy]

some of these are over the 800 dollar range, hmmmm...

 

[RedTape]

For the money you mentioned...Springfield Range Officer. The Ruger SR1911 is OK, but not quite in the same class. If you fall in love with the RO, you can always send it to the Springfield Custom Shop as a perfect base gun for a build in the future.

Dan Wesson is a step up, but you'll pay more.

 

[300LW]

Colt Series 80 MKIV.

 

[Phobos986]

There are only a million different brands of the 1911. I shoot a friend of mines Rock Island. Pretty reliable and it wasnt that expensive. I dont know much about them though.

 

[Drew9299]

Look into sig sauer 1911s as well. A basic one isn't much more than 800. And they are smooth

 

[Cartman]

some of these are over the 800 dollar range, hmmmm...

The answers are also more than three years after the OP probably bought his gun. Maybe they figured he was slow to make a decision and figured they would take inflation into account and bump up the budget? ;-)

 

[SporterII]

I just bought a D W Valor in 9mm, blue. A blem for STI Trojan money. Had an older Rock Island that shot well and was reliable. I do believe I am going to order another Blemished Valor [10mm silverback]. Who cares after the first time you dump it into a bucket.

 

[427Cobra]

I shot a 9mm Range Officer for a couple years, it was a good shooter after I shit canned the ILS and installed a fiber optic front sight, the timing was really good for a production gun but the barrel bushing was way loose, I sold it and bought a STI 2011 Marauder, as good as the SA was the STI is better in every way, I also have a Infinity 2011 on order.