Great 1911's

[jaybet]

Hi guys,
I'm new to the forum, but I'd like to ask some advice.
My next pistol I'm hoping will be a 1911 model of some kind. I've looked at some nice old "worked" Colts, the Sig SWR, Kimber, Springfield, etc.
I'm not going to carry the piece, just try to hit the bullseye with as many rounds as I can squeeze out of my budget every week. Can anyone steer me toward a model/brand that has most of the great attributes: accuracy, reliability, etc etc, without the Kimber (or even worse) custom prices?

[Michael Bane]

This is what we like to technically refer to as A BIG CAN OF WORMS!

Are you kidding? Wars have been fought over that question...

All that said (and I'm fully prepared to duck)

1) S&W Sacandium-frame/Commader-sized...best out-of-the-box 1911 I ever owned.
2) Detonics 9-11 full-size or CombatMaster itsy bitsy
3) Current SIGARMS Revolutions, esp the aluminum-framed Commander-sized guns
4) STI Trojan

And down in the bargain basement:

1) Taurus...the absolute hands down best buy for the dollar 1911 out there... mine shoots like a house afire...
2) STI Spartan...I've only handled and shot the factory guns and don't own one personally, but hey, STI knows how to make a 1911

Okay, go ahead and start throwing stone...Don Mr. Revolver" Worsham first!

BTW, Wayne Novak just agreed to do one of his full-house custom 1911s for DOWN RANGE Giveaway Gun...that baby will be an heirloom!

Michael B

[jaybet]

Thanks Michael- mostly stuff I don't know much about, so that gives me more research to do, which is sort of fun...
Maybe I need to win that Wayne Novak.

A can of worms is highly valued in some circles.

[DonWorsham]

Okay, go ahead and start throwing stone...Don Mr. Revolver" Worsham first!

BTW, Wayne Novak just agreed to do one of his full-house custom 1911s for DOWN RANGE Giveaway Gun...that baby will be an heirloom!

I own one of the best ever 1911s, Wilson Combat CQB Compact. I've shot most of the others (never a SIG yet, hmm). I want a Taurus bad (to go with my revolvers!!!). 

Does Taurus make a compact yet?

update: I just read about the Novak giveaway. I'll take it. Sounds nice!

[m25operator]

That's the great thing about 1911's, if you pick a good platform, all of the above are a great starting place. Anything that does'nt agree with you can be changed. Kind of like a small block chevrolet. The 1911 is the only gun I know of that in the end, may not have a single part it started with. Another good thing is all those spare parts can be built into another one. Example, I bought a Caspian wide body frame about 1990, then bought a SA 1991 a1 in 9mm, took the slide assembly, mounted bomar sights and put it on the wide body frame. Later took the SA lower and found a Colt siide in 45 acp, installed bomars and a Kart barrel, that's now my bulls eye gun. I keep buying parts, now I have 8 complete 1911's and 2 in progress, a Les Bauer matched slide and frame and something I always liked the looks of, a Safari Arms Matchmaster, stainless slide and frame. Throw in a .22 conversion kit and well, you see where I'm going. Don't worry Don, my first love has always been revolvers. At our club we used to have match called the BRT, stood for BIG ROUND THINGS,  to our bottom feeder friends.

[Sponsor]

[jaybet]

[size=14pt]Wow... free association.  I thought maybe a forum on firearms would be more directed toward the "bang bang" of the whole thing.
I personally have never entered a contest I thought I'd win (at least where there was no opportunity to physically kick everyone elses tail) but it's fun to dream and plan what to do with the spoils.

I really thought I'd win that 1911 with the blue grips...although I planned on changing them. A royal blue pistol is a little...well, you know....

[Dakotaranger]

I carry a Springfield GI.  It's a pretty good pistol for the cost, but I should have paid extra to get the Mil Specs.  I have a Colt Gold Cup it is my favorite pistol, but because the beaver tail I don't like carrying it.


If you have a small fortune I would get a Wilson Combat CBQ or a Les Baer

[DonWorsham]

I carry a Springfield GI.  It's a pretty good pistol for the cost, but I should have paid extra to get the Mil Specs. 

Dakotaranger, what are the differences between the GI and Mil Spec,  is it the sights? I shot a friends Springfield a couple of three years ago (he doesn't shoot much) but I can't recall which one he had (but I'm thinking GI). I liked it. The trigger was way different from my Wilson but you can get use to any trigger. For the money you can't go wrong with a Springfield GI.

[Michael Bane]

I've always meant to pick up a GI 1911, maybe the Auto Ordnance WW2...

http://www.auto-ordnance.com/ao_1911pkz_f.html

...and go retro for awhile. I have my father's 1911A1 Remington Rand he carried in the Pacific, but I'm loath to put a lot of rounds through it (I have shot it...he carried it for years). I thought it might be fun to get the AO and a bunch of 7 round magazines, shoot a few USPSA match stages, then go back and shoot the same stages with one of my trick 1911s. Just curious.

I've been in a retro-1911 mood lately. I've thought of building a Jeff Cooper Special, a two-tone LW Commander with S&W revolver sights and ivory grips like the Colonel carried and all of us shot (sans ivory grips, back in the day. I've also got most of the parts for a 10mm 1911 somewhere down in the gun room (been collecting them for more than a decade)...maybe it's tiem to morph them into a real gun. Besides, I have never owned a 10mm anything, although I've shot a few.

BTW, I will be attending the Cooper Memorial down at Whittington week after next...I'm driving down with old friend Col. Bob Brown from SOLDIER OF FORTUNE Magazine, which ought to be a hoot. I love it when Bob starts a conversation with something like, "So I'm sitting in this crappy ex-pat bar in Thailand when this spook who used to run native shooters up in Cambodia offers to buy me a drink..."

Michael B

[Hazcat]

Sounds like fun drive ahead of you MB.

I have always been a 'retro' 1911 kinda guy (except they weren't retro when I first had one )