Re: First Pistol?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Keyser Söze</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cpt. obvious</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Milan Metal</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: gotta/start/sumwer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Im dying to get my hands on a 1911, but that may not be a first timers choice. Im not big on 9s but with that said this is all going to come down to your hand, what fits you and your personal prefrence.. they said it best when they said go to range and rent and try them out.. very good idea </div></div>
It's not like I haven't shot pistols before I just dont own one. I would love a 1911 does anyone make a $500-$600 piece? </div></div>
None worth owning.</div></div>
To that I say...bullshit.
I own a Rock Island tactical that I paid $415 brand new for and put well over 1500 rounds through so far with no problems whatsoever. In fact after seeing and shooting mine, in addition to reading all the positive reports about them, a couple of my buddies even ditched their piece of shit jam-o-matic Kimbers (all over $1000 mind you) for the less than $450 Rock Island. No problems with theirs either, and one buddies has well over twice the amount of rounds that I do through his. </div></div>
First off, I really hope this isnt the real Keyser Söze.
Fact is that rock island armory had to cut major corners in order to give you a 1911 for 415$. Cast frame, slide, lots of MIM parts, built/assembled overseas. Im glad you like it. I on the other hand wouldnt trust my life with a 400$ 1911. I had a springfield operator (msrp @ 1200$), loved it. Recently sold it because I just dont trust it. I may get another 1911 but it will be one that will be built right, in the US.
The 1911 is one of the most complicated/finicky designs around. To build one the right way it takes alot of time and money. How many threads do you see where people have problems with 600$-1200$ 1911s? Alot, because somewhere in that process the company cut a corner. How many threads do you see where people have problems with high end 1911s? Its not even close. Think about it, the design is 101 years old. Not condemning 1911s, the well built ones work fine, and will last a lifetime.
I think of it in the terms of watches. Before the quartz watch was invented people had mechanical watches. These watches are incredibly complex, tons of gears, and springs all moving within mere thousandths of each other. These watches are expensive, the good ones can cost alot (tag, hamilton, omega, rolex, ect) but they arent as accurate as a 10$ quartz watch from walmart. A mechanical watch can loose or gain as much as 15 seconds a day, they require maintained, and if anything breaks on it you have to take it to a watch maker to have it fixed.
Now, on the other hand (no pun intended) you have quartz watches. Quartz watches use a quartz crystal. Take a small battery, run a specific current through the crystal and it will resonate at a frequency. This frequency can be used to count time. Its extremely accurate, simple, durable, reliable, and extremely cost efficient.
My point is, if you want a 1911, fine. But understand that it is a complex machine, it is high maintenance, and can be very expensive. Sure you can get a cheap one, but do you trust it? I see alot of people who post things like " i have a 400$ 1911 that has never jammed in 2000 rounds!" Or "my RIA outshoots my friends kimber, and I paid less than half of what his POS cost!" But how long will it last? I borrowed a friends RIA before I bought my springfield. He had shot a few hundred rounds through it and called it "reliable", reliable enough to be his current HD gun. It was run of the mill. I bought 100 rounds of WWB at wallyworld and commenced to blasting. I had 3-4 malfunctions in 100 rounds. Mostly FTF, maybe the extractor, maybe the feedramp needed polishing, I dont know. What i do know is that's a 4% failure rate. I could never own that firearm and be confident that it would shoot when I need it to.
I have a 120$ seiko mechanical watch. I like it, but its complicated, I cant work on it, if it stops working Ill have to take it somewhere and spend big bucks to get it fixed, and yes, I have had problems with it. I knew what I was getting, if I needed a watch that had to work and be accurate id get a cheap quartz watch.
Moral of the story, you get what you pay for.