Considering buying a 1911, please help

[Creeky73]

So I might be in the market for a 1911. I do NOT want to spend $1k on this thing, so I am looking for the best lower-end options. One that I have been considering is the Kimber entry level, at around $750, although I have been hearing some negative things about the newer runs of them. That brings me to Springfield, and although the GI model or Mil-Spec model may be more cost-effective, I wonder if those guns will satisfy me right out of the box. They appear pretty basic. And then there are the Taurus 1911's. They appear to have a lot of features of more expensive guns, but if the quality difference is going to be night and day vs a more expensive brand, it isn't worth it to me. Has anyone heard or experienced anything with these guns, or have any other suggestions?

[GriffonSec]

My Taurus 1911 was a learning gun for me, to get me into the feel of working on a 1911. The only gripe I had with it out of the box was the grip safety, as in you could fire the gun without the grip safety engaged. Aside from that, and outstanding shooter and fired everything through it, including lead reloads. I think the price has gone up on them since I got mine, but at the time, 500 bucks minus the cost of the Ed Brown safety was, what I thought, a good deal on a good 1911. I've shot a few other Taurus' with similar results. YMMV.

[adrenaline151]

I had a Smith & Wesson 1911PD 4 1/2" a few years back, it was very nice, although it did have a malf now and then. Switched to an XD and have had NO malfs and accuracy is better than the S&W, 'course it could be improvement on my part
Anyway, the S&W was less than a grand, had a lot of top end features, was around 29 ounces IIRC, and carried great. Very durable finish, as well.

[travclem]

You can get a Base model Kimber for under a grand.

I luvs me some Kimbers

[Cameron]

DON'T SCREW AROUND GET A COLT!

Paid less than $600 each for these two...

[sadmin]

I partially agree with the kiwi; but that may not satisfy OPs price point. The Springfield may not look as nice as the kimbers, but its cheaper and the overall feel imo will be the same; which is what you will be focusing on. The Springfield may be, oddly, more forgiving with ammo than the entry Kimbers. I have a Colt, Springfield, Kimber, and a Briley Custom. I can try to get some pics up so you can see the idiosyncrasies; but again, Lframe is Lframe. Nix the Taurus under "buy once..." law.

[Stickman]

With price in mind, your best bet may end up being a Springfield for an off the shelf weapon. If you are looking at a weapon to build up, thats a different story.

[sobebu2z]

First of all I would liketo say, good choice going with a 1911, classic and dependable.
With your price range I would recommend going with a Para Ordnance, they are underated and that's why their price is low not because of their quality. I own 2 (7.45 LDA, and PXT 1911 limited and they have yet to fail me). Good luck

[Army Chief]

If you aren't investing in a $2000 semi-custom, there is only one production 1911 that really interests me: a Hartford original. You may be able to get a few more bells and whistles from a competitor for the same price point, but over time, most serious 1911 shooters will wish to have their steel tuned by a pistolsmith-of-choice, and as far as base guns go, you'll be hard-pressed to do better than a Colt.


AC

Disclaimer:
My personal 1911s are Colts and Wilsons.
My personal ARs are Colts and Noveskes.

... you might (correctly) say that I've got an obsession with quality.

[rob_s]

The new Charles Daly Defense (yes, that Charles Daly) promises to be a great option if the production guns match the prototypes shown at SHOT. They are limiting the bells and whistles to those that actually improve on the GI spec and are leaving the frilly crap off (the frilly crap that adds to the cost but doesn't actually add any functionality, like forward cocking serrations).

There have been some setbacks in production, but if you don't have an immediate need for a 1911 right now then I think they are going to be worth waiting for.

FWIW, I generally catch a lot of crap for it, but my take is that there are precious few 1911s that I would actually carry for critical use that cost under about $1500+. If you want a 1911 just to have one, for plinking, or as a crap-shoot in terms of reliability, then I'd consider some of the lower-priced options.

My observational experience as an IDPA safety officer in watching shooters with Taurus, S&W, Sig, etc. has not endeared these versions to me.

[gunnut284]

The new Charles Daly Defense (yes, that Charles Daly) promises to be a great option if the production guns match the prototypes shown at SHOT. They are limiting the bells and whistles to those that actually improve on the GI spec and are leaving the frilly crap off (the frilly crap that adds to the cost but doesn't actually add any functionality, like forward cocking serrations).

There have been some setbacks in production, but if you don't have an immediate need for a 1911 right now then I think they are going to be worth waiting for.

FWIW, I generally catch a lot of crap for it, but my take is that there are precious few 1911s that I would actually carry for critical use that cost under about $1500+. If you want a 1911 just to have one, for plinking, or as a crap-shoot in terms of reliability, then I'd consider some of the lower-priced options.

My observational experience as an IDPA safety officer in watching shooters with Taurus, S&W, Sig, etc. has not endeared these versions to me.

I have come to this realization as well. Way to many people (and I speak as one of them) get caught in the 1911 cult and rush out and buy a lower end version, only to be disappointed. It takes a fair amount of luck to get a sub$1000 1911 that honestly works 100% out of the box (after break-in). A quality 1911 is a joy to shoot and carry but a subpar one is a pile of frustration to its owner.

[Hozen]

My Smith and Wesson Stainless 1911 has served me really well and was $800 dollars. It's never malfunctioned... not once. Its as accurate as I am. I certainly cannot get tighter groups with any other piston I own or my buddies own (including one Para LDA 1911). A Kimber Stainless II would be a good option or a Springer Loaded right along with the Smith and Wessons. While I don't own one, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a kimber or Sprinfield 1911. I think the Taurus 1911's are getting to pricey for what they are. They used to be a good bargin when they were around 500 dollars. Not anymore. They don't look as polished and generally aren't going to hold their value as much.

The customer service of Springfield and Smith and Wesson are, in my (and many others) opinion far and away better than Kimber or some other brands.

There are going to be a ton of people out there who tell you all the 1911's under 1500 dollars are crap and are sub par. Those same people are the ones who have those 1500 dollar pistols and want to make themselves feel good about their purchase. Now, that said, its hard to find a 1500 dollar 1911 that isn't better than a sub 1000 dollar 1911. You DO get what you pay for when it comes to the 1911 platform. So, you'll have to sift through the sh!t to figure out if you need to spend that much or not.

I like this forum for 1911 discussion.
http://forums.1911forum.com/
You can probably get better answers there.

[durangojim]

I might get flamed for this but I have read good things about Rock Island Armory 1911s as a reliable starter 1911. I don't own one or a 1911 but just trying to share some info.

This is an old thread regarding them.

[Army Chief]

I like this forum for 1911 discussion.
http://forums.1911forum.com/
You can probably get better answers there.

True, but speaking as a 1911Forum Moderator, I can assure you that my answer there will be the same.

AC

[lanceriley]

I've been a 1911 person for quite some time. my first 1911 was a hicap para ord.

in the end I opted for a 1911 that I had a smithy customized.

I would suggest a colt or a springfield. Im not a fan of kimber