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Sidearms & Scatterguns New to 1911s
- Thread starter ollie
- Start date
1911's are very much get what you pay for. You do not want the cheapest one made as there are significant/noticeable flaws that come with it. They are so tightly fitted and intricate that it really needs to be properly built in order to function properly. With that being said you do not need to spend thousands on a first 1911 to test the waters so to speak. However, I would avoid RIA and look into the Taurus PT1911 or Remington. Those are what I would consider the "cheapest" 1911's worth buying. They are great for a beginner as they will not break the bank but are built well enough to function consistently. Take a look over on 1911 forum in the RIA section and see how many issues owners are experiencing and how long those same issues have been going on...
I've got 2 Taurus PT1911's. They are very good weapons. I qualified with my CHL with one of them. They are very accurate and well built. I think I paid $550 for mine when I bought it new. The only thing I would change on it is the hammer. I went with a Wilson hammer in mine. Taurus puts that hammer lock screw in the hammer that can be screwed in to keep the gun from firing. And it looks funny.
Rock river is not a bad firearm, I have one of those as well. You may look into the Sig 1911's, or Springfield, or the new Ruger one is nice too. Not sure how much you're looking to spend.
Rock river is not a bad firearm, I have one of those as well. You may look into the Sig 1911's, or Springfield, or the new Ruger one is nice too. Not sure how much you're looking to spend.
The RIA is priced right, if you don't mind sloppy fit and finish. Taurus isn't much better.
For a few dollars more, take a look at the Desert Eagle 1911G or the Ruger 1911.
For a few dollars more, take a look at the Desert Eagle 1911G or the Ruger 1911.
Apparently the RIA's are having an epidemic of FTF/FTE issues. I have no experience with the Ruger or Desert Eagle, but I will say the Taurus was less problematic than the Kimber Custom TLE/II it was replaced by.
Hold up, man. I'd definitely look at one of the Springfield Loaded or Operator lines, if you can't swing a TRP. Also keep an eye out for a nice used Dan Wesson. You really do get what you pay for with 1911s. If all I had was $550, I'd much rather have a Glock than I know will run day in and day out than roll the dice with a 1911 at that price. However, if you can swing $900 and up, you start getting into better, more reliable, more accurate 1911s. Just my 2 cents.
keep this in mind as well.........you can spend less money on, lets say a Taurus PT1911, and drop a couple hundred more dollars on upgrading the internals and have a very nice 1911. My Taurus PT1911AR I have about $800 in. About 3 pieces of the original Taurus still remains. And it shoots better, and is more accurate than my Kimber Warrior......just another option.
I looked hard at the Springfield TRP. Good gun for the money. In the few I have owned the Kimbers were hard to beat for the money. I bought a lightly used tactical custom II for $750.
Those Kimbers are hard to beat for the money. Best compromise between price and quality. Check out STI as well. I shot my buddies STI Trojan the other day and was pretty impressed. Dawson Precision has a good offering of the STI with upgrades to boot.
I have a Ruger SR 1911 and a STI Spartan both in 45acp. The Ruger is just a good as my STI. The STI is set up for IPSC Classic division and has all the bells and whistles while the Ruger is almost stock.
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Colt 1911 Gold Cup. Yeah they're $1100 roughly but damn.....it feels like a warm blanket on a cold day in your hand.
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I would have to give a thumbs up to the Taurus i've got one and its been an awsome tough gun. I really wanted to get a Springfield and found one at a local store turned around to grab some ammo before dropping the money and it was gone when I turned around. So I went with the Taurus mainly because it was a nice price and I knew that I was going to change the internals and I got to say I like it and I havent had any problems with it.
I don't know what RIA you guys are shooting but my RIA match is not sloppy, has nice sights, and out shoots me any day of the week. It didn't like hollow points when I got it but a little polishing of the feed ramp and she runs like a raped ape. All of this was had for $750. That's full length guide rod, adj match trigger, light hammer, match sights, ambi safety and life time warranty.
I have run my pistol hard. I broke the ambi safety and the rear sight blade off. One email and a pic of the gun and RIA had replacements to me the next day.
I am sure many can find faults and with any brand but I just wanted to say that not all RIA are turds and I would not hesitate to buy another.
I have run my pistol hard. I broke the ambi safety and the rear sight blade off. One email and a pic of the gun and RIA had replacements to me the next day.
I am sure many can find faults and with any brand but I just wanted to say that not all RIA are turds and I would not hesitate to buy another.
I went from a Springfield to a colt national match gold cup. Put Vz grips on it. The fit and feel is amazing. And it's a damn good shooter. I like kimbers also but they don't seem to like getting warm. Tolerances are so tight once they get warm and expand you get failure. It's an easy fix though. Don't be an ammo burning brass monkey.
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Some good suggestions, my only advice would be to start saving immediately for whatever your NEXT 1911 is going to be. I don't think it's possible to only own ONE. It may be a good idea to set up a schedule at the area plasma centers since they get fussy if you're in there too often but if you hit a number of them on a rotation daily/weekly then you can rack up some cash to feed the addiction.
Couldn’t agree more. I have several and always looking for the next one
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This is good advise.
Springfield 1911 A1 custom
Sig 1911 elite
Sig ultra carry
Kimber tactical II
Wilson Professional
What is the best 1911 ? I like them all. I am not addicted I going to quit after my next one.
I forgot to add to never get in touch with Hide member [MENTION=35825]eli polite[/MENTION] who makes custom 1911 grips. When I find myself shopping for my next 1911 JUST to have him make me some new grips for it, I know I have a problem:
Springfield 1911 A1
Springfield ultra compact
Kimber Custom Royal
Kimber Covert
Nighthawk Bobtail
with a Sig Scorpion and Wilson Tactical Elite (railed) on the horizon
Several of the above I haven't even had a chance to shoot yet, but it doesn't stop me from buying more.
Springfield 1911 A1
Springfield ultra compact
Kimber Custom Royal
Kimber Covert
Nighthawk Bobtail
with a Sig Scorpion and Wilson Tactical Elite (railed) on the horizon
Several of the above I haven't even had a chance to shoot yet, but it doesn't stop me from buying more.
The RIAs are nice if you know how to tinker with a 1911. One of my buddies bought a RIA tactical for his first 1911. It kept dropping mags on him on the second or third shot from a magazine. I took it down and found a poorly cast magazine catch. Had him order up a Wilson combat replacement, fitted it, cold blued it, and she slings death beautifully now. Moral of the story; buying an RIA is a gamble. They are good guns when you get them working right. If however, you don't know anyone who can help you get them working, you'd best steer away.
I would have to agree with ZLBubba, a Springfield loaded or mil-spec would probably be the best entry level 1911 you can get. Plus it will hold its value a hell of a lot better than a RIA.
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I wanted the classic look of the 1911 A-1 but just upgrade a little. I had WMD coating do a full nickel boron on my 1911, and I polished all the internal parts and added some ivory grips. The Nickel boron coating is bullet proof and nothing had to be sanded or fitted the coating came out perfect. The gun was a little tight, but it just felt like break on a new one.
