Forums / Gun Discussion / First 1911, but which one?? 1911 Experts, I need help!

PS I am not really interested in Para Ordinance or Taurus PT1911. I will never buy a taurus, I have just heard too many bad things about them from people that come into the shop, and we have had a lot of customers bring them in to get sent back to factory. Not because they arent good, I just dont want a double stack and I would just rather have a Colt, Springfield, or Kimber. I want the perfect 1911 fullsized, and am willing to spend around 1k + or - about 200

Springfield TRP

Definitely. I've got a Desert and fire +P all the time. I love that gun.

I have two Kimbers and LOVE them. They are quite accurate and stand the wear and tear of shooting.

The 1911 in my experience is one of the finickiest, most expensive, and labor-intensive pistol designs out there. I'm a Colt Armorer, and have owned a lot of 1911s (Kimber (2), Colt (4), Springfield Armory (3), Auto-Ordinance (1), and a godawful parts gun/build.....variously in 9mm, 10mm and .45acp). I've shot and repaired dozens more, esp. when my dept. authorized the 1911 for duty use.

The 1911-pattern pistol was designed to be made of steel and fitted by skilled craftsmen. The further one gets away from the original design (engineers DO sometimes know what they're doing, really!), the more problems I see. The 5" 1911A1 military guns are a thing of beauty, but are simply not efficient when compared to modern sidearms. If you want lower capacity, extra cost, extra weight, more parts that need to be tuned or replaced regulary, make sure you're getting something useful in return. People talk about 'feel'......if you are skilled and trained you can master any reputable handgun, even if it doesn't feel or fit perfectly. Accuracy....if you're looking for max target accuracy, then the 1911 is a great platform if you have the dough, time and patience.

The single 1911 that I have seen run 100% out of the box was a stainless Springfield TRP .45. I tried 8 different weight/pressure/ogive combos, different mags, didn't lube or clean it, and by God it sang and danced and didn't choke once. Every other 1911 I owned required parts replacement or gunsmithing to go bang every time.

I'd go with a Colt or Springfield, TRP price/grade or above. I have yet to see a commercial 1911-pattern pistol under $1000 that ran properly. If you want to spend $1500 or above, then I'd look seriously into a custom build to your specs on a good base gun. I taken used Colt Deltas in the $500-800 range and with $300-500 in parts/smithing got a gun than looked, felt, and ran the way I wanted it to.

Go with a Rock Island GI. It is a great entry level pistol. I got one and I'm at 1000+ rounds, now. It's reliable and is accurate. And you don't have to worry about beating it up. Go do it. It will be the best investment that you can get for under $400.

If you dont want to spend a lot of money but you still want a very good 1911, I would have to recomend the *Kimber Custom ll* it is about 828.00 on their website, but if you want night sights, that will then cost you 956.00. But that is their website and they are new. Though if you dont really know that much about 1911's, Kimber's can be challenging to field-strip.
I do really like the Wilson Combat, I have shot it and I must say it is very nice, but it also is very expensive (depending on where you get it and the shape it's in of course). Hope this helps!

Of course Wilson’s, Les Baer’s and Nighthawk’s are nice, but are they really worth it? If I didn't have to consider price at all, maybe... but for good everyday reliable 1911's that will come with all the options you'll want, you named the manufactures I'd look at. Springfield, Colt and Kimber. All have good models with all types of options and prices.

Hey HecklerKoch45, this is a great thread and I'm glad you kicked it off. I don't think you could go wrong with the manufacturers you are choosing from. That being Colt Springfield Armory or Kimber. That said, I have a Kimber TLE RL Custom II and I really enjoy it. I will say that I've known people to pick up Raptors and get rid of them because the aesthetics of the gun didn't appeal to them as much as it did when they first bought them. I've fired one and I was not a fan of the slide serrations on the Raptor. My TLE on the other hand... bad ass. Please let us know what route you end up going!

I ended up goin with the Colt Government Model everybody! I just loved the way it looked and felt and how smooth the action of the slide was. Got it brand new for 844.99 after tax from the shop I work at. The owner gave me a pretty decent deal. It is brad new, looks great feels great. Now for magazines that will fit it. He threw a Chip McCormick in with it for me for a small cost of 18 dollars. But idk if im likin it too much. I mean it just resembles the colt magazines Im not really seeing a difference in the follower. Anyways if anyone has any idea which magazines work best and would fit my colt a link to a place where I can buy one would be good. All we have is mccormicks at the shop. Ill post a picture in the pics section. One of my colt and one of my colt with my HKs

Get a Glock. What? Somebody had to say it.

Anyone know if this is how I am supposed to do this? I have a series 80 Colt government model as described above, and I watched some videos on how to break them down on youtube but non of them were the series 80 government model. Now, what I have learned about disassembling 1911 is that you push down on the bushing, turn it left take the recoil spring out, turn the bushing right and lift it out, then line up the spot on the slide with slide catch and pop that out, then slide the slide off the frame. My experience was a little different, I had to push the bushing in turn it to the left and then the recoil spring would not come all the way out, so i left as is, popped the slide catch out, slid the slide off the frame, removed the recoil assembly from the other way, pulled the bushing out, and then the barrel. I noticed the recoil spring was really tight around the guide rod and that is why it wouldnt come out from the front. I mean it is tight to the point to wear if i wh=ould have really tried to pull it from the front it would have stretched out the spring. I can take it off the guide rod, but it is tight and scratches the guide rod when I do it. The manual says to have the closed end of the spring against the guide rod and that is how it is. Then for reassembly, I put the barrel in, put the bushing in and turned to left, put recoil assembly in, put slide on frame, put slide pin in, and then put the cover piece on the recoil spring and pushed it down and turned the bushing back to normal. Is this right? Im not a 1911 expert so idk,. Any help would be great thanks

I think there is a hole you can stick a Paper clip into through the guide rod to keep the recoil spring compressed so you have free movement for disassembly and assembly?

My brother just bought a really nice Springfield prior to Christmas. He loves it. Unfortunately, I recently broke my hand so I didnt get to fire it while I was there. I look forward to running it through its paces next time. Seems to be a really nice piece.

I just bought a Kimber Eclipse ultra II. I was very supprised how well a 3" gun shot. I think the key to buying a 1911 is finding one that looks nice, fits in your hand well and is match grade. You get what you pay for. I agree with ishootdaily, the springfield trp is an awsome gun. Remember lower end springfields are not match grade.

I spent 650 on my stock, LOADED Springfield, carried it for 5 years. All Seasons, sweaty, never failed. It was my first pistol that I owned. A few things though, mine only fed ball(FMJ) consistently. All Hollow Points jammed at the feed ramp. Ok, Ball Ammo it is. To feed the Hollow's, I would have to have the ramp ground to re-throat the chamber entrance. I always spend as much as I can afford on any new firearm, but I am still a blue coller guy. $750 would have been my price limit.
If this will be a carry gun, buy a cheaper one first. to see how well it feels after a 10hr. shift. I now carry a Walther PK380, at less than half the weight. a FULL- SIZE, 1911A1 isn't lite.
Also I recommend you try Fiocchi ammo. In both my weapons, the Fiocchi fed perfectly. And is very accurate. Now that Hornady came out with thier Critical Defense, I only use the Fiocchi for plinking. Hornady has the cure for Carry ammo.

But, this link is a damn good place to start for references..

http://www.m1911.org/full_technic.htm
above link is the one to spend some time with...

http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=47715
and this is the forum for the Series 80 Government model...

http://stevespages.com/pdf/colt_mkiv_series_80_&_90_pistols.pdf

The above link is the manual for the pistol..

As far as the spring being that tight on the guide rod, if it is a used pistol someone could have changed to a heaver after market spring, if it is a new pistol then the spring might be designed to hang onto the guide rod so it does not fly out when breaking down and also so that there wouldn't be any chances for it to deform and otherwise cause of issues with heavy operation.

the Kimber Desert Warrior will be the one.

Thanks IshootDaily, really helpfull. I appreciate it.

Go Taurus

older model .45 but it works like a champ, has never failed to feed anything and been very few miss fires ( reloads so my fault or primers) easy takedown and very good feel to me. kinda heavy, but makes for good 2nd shot. just thought i would put that out there. i know there are some junk in all makes. i had a s&w that was the most trouble i ever had. of course now i carry one. so when you get a good one whatever it is ,keep it.

HK, good post...

I have a Colt Commander ( 1972 ) and also a Kimber Grand Raptor II ( 2008 ) both in 45 acp. both are fantastic firearms.
I am presently in the market for another 1911,. it looks like I will purchase a STI Legend , my experience with STI is very limited ( try out at the range of other fellow 's firearms ) but the hand grip is very similar to the 1911 I have now. way more slim than the 4 Glock's I have.

good luck and keep us posted to your decision...

PF.

I'm a HK guy myself.My carry is a USP 40 compact and also have a USP tactical.Would love to have a PSIG-1......but way too expensive.So I'll stick with my 700 USR.I also have to two 1911's.....Springfield's,one is a standard A1 and the other is an Operator.Both are great shooting and accurate.The operator is lighter and is the bells and whistles model next to the A1 and it has a lower pictanny rail.They hold their pretty good.Not like Colt.But what does.Kimbers are good shooting weapons also.Afriend of mine let shot his and I shot better with it than he did.It was their conseal carry model(something like that)4 or 4 1/2 barrel.If I were to buy another 1911 it would be a Kimber.

I shot the Colt over the weekend and man that sure is a pleasure to shoot. recoil is very smooth and very manageable and it is hard not to be accurate with it. It was very accurate and very simple to be accurate. The way it points and feels is so natural just point and pull the trigger.... right on target. I am really happy with my purchase, and dont think ill be selling or trading this one! :)

You can't go wrong with the big 3 --- COLT, KIMBER, SMITH & WESSON.

I'm really surprised that the Sig 1911 wasn't mentioned once. I shot the Sig 1911 Platnum Elite and was drooling on myself for three days..... And for mags, Wilson Combat Exclusively.

kimpro tac mags seemed to work just fine I actually havent had any problems with any of the mags I have. Put about 300-400 rounds through it so far no problems. Yea I also like the sig 1911 but its just not what I would buy from sig, I like the P Series from sig excluding the P250 I hate that thing, they shouldnt have put the P in front of it, it gives the P series a bad name in my opinion.

any good? saw some on base 45 cal trigger has the tiny holes i it 8 rd mag u get 2 of them looks like the older style $1100 and the green case lol