Purchasing a 1911. Opinions Welcome.

[Patriarch]

Despite my vast gun collection, it alarmed me that I do not own a 1911.

I have looked at Springfield, Kimber, Colt, and RI thus far. I'm interested in some opinions of 1911 owners, and your opinions.

I have a budget of about $2,500.

[AidenCarby]

I'd go with Colt, but if you're looking for a handgun and don't have one already. Get a CZ

[Jonny]

I don't know shit about 1911's but the Nighthawks always looked purdy.

[Kiehl]

Kimber makes amazing hand guns. My father has a silver with cherry grips. Beautiful gun, accurate, and super easy to tear down.

I had a Springfield for a little over a year. I'm not a big fan of polymer on metal but other than that, it was a great gun.

[Siralin]

http://www.lesbaer.com/TRS.html

Runs for about $2k? Just googled some shit so don't take my word for it. I think giving a price range and asking online is a terrible way to go about buying a gun though. Guess you could get a few ideas to look into things... *shrug*

Also, $2500 budget for a 1911? Seems completely unreasonable. At that point you're basically buying some "designer" crap with a guys name on it. Sure it'll be an excellent gun, but at the end of the day, it's doing the same thing as a solid $500-$1000 pistol.

[Patriarch]

http://www.lesbaer.com/TRS.html

Runs for about $2k? Just googled some shit so don't take my word for it. I think giving a price range and asking online is a terrible way to go about buying a gun though. Guess you could get a few ideas to look into things... *shrug*

Also, $2500 budget for a 1911? Seems completely unreasonable. At that point you're basically buying some "designer" crap with a guys name on it. Sure it'll be an excellent gun, but at the end of the day, it's doing the same thing as a solid $500-$1000 pistol.

Siralin, while I appreciate your input I assure you, $2500 is not unreasonable. Used 1911's can fetch that price. In all honesty, my budget is a variable that will most likely go up. $2,500 for a brand new 1911 will most likely not cut it. I do not mind spending the money because I know that I am investing in a superior product, that will not only last, but serve exactly the purpose it is supposed to without fail. When it comes to collecting firearms, I prefer quality over quantity.

I am mainly just in search of opinions of 1911 owners, and how they feel about the brands that they own.

[noblemountain]

I had a Colt and eventually sold it after using the HK45 and falling in love while in the army. I now own this...

http://www.hk-usa.com/civilian_produ...23_general.asp

The mark 23 is an amazing .45, it's light, small, and damn near impossible to fuck up. I have never had a jam and I've put over 2000 rounds through it easily. It is the most accurate .45 I've ever shot and I usually group better with it than I do my .40 and sometimes even my 9mm. HK makes amazing firearms and after using several different models I bought this about 4 months ago. I paid 2600 for it new, but you may be able to find it cheaper if you dig.

[aru]

I wouldn't spend 2.5k on a 1911. I would find something closer to 1k and look into that new 22LR 1911 that colt is putting out for cheaper practice.

[Patriarch]

I had a Colt and eventually sold it after using the HK45 and falling in love while in the army. I now own this...

http://www.hk-usa.com/civilian_produ...23_general.asp

The mark 23 is an amazing .45, it's light, small, and damn near impossible to fuck up. I have never had a jam and I've put over 2000 rounds through it easily. It is the most accurate .45 I've ever shot and I usually group better with it than I do my .40 and sometimes even my 9mm. HK makes amazing firearms and after using several different models I bought this about 4 months ago. I paid 2600 for it new, but you may be able to find it cheaper if you dig.

Definitely liking this. Thanks

/e: guys, please don't worry about price. I don't want "cheap" I have spent much more on a single piece

[Churchill]

A good 1911 shoots smoother than the HK. I also have hands that barely pass for a man and the HK is too big to fire comfortably. I had to modify my Sig so it always fired as a double action because the single action pull was too large not to jerk.

1911 Pros:
-Shoots smooth as fuck
-Fires big bearstopping bullets
-Recoil is not noticeable
-Accurate due to the above facts
-Ambidextrous, depending on the model which:
--Easy to reload, control, swap hands, etc.

Cons:
-Requires constant maintenance (This gun will not shoot if you don't take care of it, this is not a Glock)
-Small magazine (doesn't have to be a con, but does effect how much ammunition you carry total)
-Loud, this won't merc someone in an alley without drawing attention

[FNH]

As for the brands you listed I really like the Colt Gold Cup match and Springfield. I have a personal aversion to Kimber as I find nothing better about it than what I could do with a Metro Arms American Classic and some time (for 1/4th of the price), unless you just want to show off. Seems like most people just like Kimber for the name these days. Don't get me wrong they made a great 1911, but now there are tons of companies doing the same thing with a more competitive price. Back to the Colt, unless you collect colt firearms I don't feel like they're worth it outside the Gold Cup.

You mentioned Rock Island, but those are kinda on the cheap side (based on your budget). However, that would mean you could buy a lot of ammo lol or get a reloading setup for it. I'd like to throw out Nighthawk Custom, Wilson Combat and STI. These folks all make fantastic 1911's that are totally worth their price. I am a HUGE fan of the STI race guns, which may actually exceed your budget.

Also, ask yourself what caliber you want your 1911 in: classic .45, competition ready .38 super, or the economical 9mm? As a collector you may want to get all 3.

-Loud, this won't merc someone in an alley without drawing attention

Good advice(esp maintenance as the springs wear out awfully fast on most), except this. In a .45 the 1911 makes a fantastic candidate for a suppressor.

[Patriarch]

As for the brands you listed I really like the Colt Gold Cup match and Springfield. I have a personal aversion to Kimber as I find nothing better about it than what I could do with a Metro Arms American Classic and some time (for 1/4th of the price), unless you just want to show off. Seems like most people just like Kimber for the name these days. Don't get me wrong they made a great 1911, but now there are tons of companies doing the same thing with a more competitive price. Back to the Colt, unless you collect colt firearms I don't feel like they're worth it outside the Gold Cup.

You mentioned Rock Island, but those are kinda on the cheap side (based on your budget). However, that would mean you could buy a lot of ammo lol or get a reloading setup for it. I'd like to throw out Nighthawk Custom, Wilson Combat and STI. These folks all make fantastic 1911's that are totally worth their price. I am a HUGE fan of the STI race guns, which may actually exceed your budget.

Also, ask yourself what caliber you want your 1911 in: classic .45, competition ready .38 super, or the economical 9mm? As a collector you may want to get all 3.




Good advice(esp maintenance as the springs wear out awfully fast on most), except this. In a .45 the 1911 makes a fantastic candidate for a suppressor.

I am looking at classic .45 atm. I do not mind spending more if need be. I am actually looking at a Wilson Combat with a few extras right now and I am entranced.

I plan on owning all 3, but for the time being I am interested in starting off with 1.

[FNH]

I am looking at classic .45 atm. I do not mind spending more if need be. I am actually looking at a Wilson Combat with a few extras right now and I am entranced.

I plan on owning all 3, but for the time being I am interested in starting off with 1.

Can't go wrong with the Wilson Combat. Check your area and see if anyone has an STI you can look at though.

[imveryemo]

the amount of uneducated, non-gun owning plebs in this thread is fucking terrible. OP, asking a gun related question in a sea of liberal retardation with a community whose sole gun knowledge stems from what they saw on CNN and in the matrix, was a mistake. will this be your first pistol, or do you own others already? and whoever suggested the mark 23 as any kind of practical pistol, just lol; it's desert eagle sized, and shoots a low capacity of .45 ACP. that said OP, I have 15 handguns not including my duty pistols, and four of them are 1911s. two pre-cz dan wessons, a VBOB and a CCO, a nighthawk talon II, and a les baer premier longslide. if you're throwing down that kind of cash, it's stupid not to have nighthawk build you a gun to your exact specifications (right down to the checkering on the front strap). 10mm is worth considering when you start venturing into custom 1911 territory, as 10mm has more energy at 100yds than 45 does at the muzzle, and 10mm is roughly the same cost in bulk.

Kimber makes amazing hand guns. My father has a silver with cherry grips. Beautiful gun, accurate, and super easy to tear down.

I had a Springfield for a little over a year. I'm not a big fan of polymer on metal but other than that, it was a great gun.

kimber USED to make amazing handguns, before the CEO change and he began to cut corners using pot metal and MIM parts. now any and all of their production models suck dick, if you want a good kimber, which would still only be on par with a rock island entry model, you have to buy the custom shop models, which are the retardedly named and checkered "raptor, cdp, eclipse" etc. cracked frames, extractors breaking, pitting in the barrels, poor forging, and all kinds of problems plague them. see: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/31598288/1332695288368.jpg
(would hotlink but it's xbox hueg)

-Loud, this won't merc someone in an alley without drawing attention

not sure if this is serious or you just trolling in your usual form, but loud compared to what? 9mm para is 3 decibels louder than the discharge of a .45 acp out of the same length barrel, and 3 decibels is hardly discernible to the human ear, unless you're shooting a skittle toting mong in the dead of night, you should be wearing ear protection at the range, thus negating any report from the muzzle to begin with. also, auditory exclusion occurs in high stress situations (if you ever had to shoot anyone, you would be fine as far as hearing damage goes).

[FNH]

not sure if this is serious or you just trolling in your usual form, but loud compared to what? 9mm para is 3 decibels louder than the discharge of a .45 acp out of the same length barrel, and 3 decibels is hardly discernible to the human ear, unless you're shooting a skittle toting mong in the dead of night, you should be wearing ear protection at the range, thus negating any report from the muzzle to begin with. also, auditory exclusion occurs in high stress situations (if you ever had to shoot anyone, you would be fine as far as hearing damage goes).

Just grab a Storm Lake threaded barrel and wait the 4-6 months and get an AAC Ti-Rant.

[nayaminfenrir]

I truly love the way 1911s look, however I cant bring myself to buying one knowing perfectly well that it'll just collect dust in a safe. For carry, a Glock simply makes so much more sense to me. Nobody can deny that many 1911s are much better looking than Glocks, but when considering the reliability, near nothing maintenance requirements to keep it firing, price, and large magazine capacity of a Glock it's a clear winner. 1911s have the history, Glock type guns are the newer, better design. Accuracy? They're both extremely accurate with a qualified shooter that puts the hours in at the range. I've shot both MANY times and am equally accurate with either.

[Churchill]

3db is double the increase in sound pressure, it may not be discernible but it carries farther.

If you've ever fired a 240 or had to feed one, you'd know that auditory exclusion is bullshit.

Edit: Glocks are barrel heavy. I am an average/above average pistol shooter and I can honestly not manage the same grouping with a Glock than I can with a Kimber with the same round and barrel length.

[Siralin]

He never mentioned anything about carry. He never mentioned anything about one being more accurate than the other. He never said anything about maintenance. The guy just wants a 1911 because he doesn't have one. Herp derp GLOCK BETTER HURRR. Fuck off.

[nayaminfenrir]

I didn't say he asked about carry. It was a comment about guns, in a gun thread. Go figure

[FNH]

I didn't say he asked about carry. It was a comment about guns, in a gun thread. Go figure

Actually it isn't that broad. It's pretty narrowed down to wanting just a 1911. And which brands to choose from.