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Sidearms & Scatterguns Custom/Semi-Custom 1911 Opinions

Charger442

Charger442

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    • Nov 2, 2010
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    South Texas
    I've been looking at and searching around for a new (to me) 1911, in 45 ACP, but having trouble really narrowing it down. Ive been going back and forth and i basically have a budget of under $2k, but willing to entertain other options if its going to be worth it. Models and brands ive been entertaining below:

    Les Baer Custom Match -5"
    Les Baer Custom Carry- 4.25"
    Dan Wesson Valor
    STI Tactical SS 4.0 and 5.0
    Dan Wesson Discretion
    Ed Brown Custom Kobra
    Ed Brown Special Forces
    Wilson Combat Classic


    Anyone have any opinions about these or something else to add or suggest from personal experience? I want a very accurate, superb shooting 1911. Threaded barrel is a plus but maybe not a requirement. I do shoot suppressed a lot. I know some of the ones i listed are just above the $2k threshold but a lot of items can be found used.
     
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    I would add Nighthawk to your list. It’s good that $2k isn’t a hard limit because you can find a nice used pistol (Ed Brown or Nighthawk) in the low to mid 2s. Threaded barrels will cost more and are much less common. I’ve owned a Kobra Carry and it was a terrific gun, I traded that away though to get a Nighthawk T3 which I think is a better gun.

    Bob Serva at Fusion makes nice 1911s, you may want to give them a look. He ran the Dan Wesson 1911 line until they sold out to CZ.
     
    Your list is a fine one. I have shot all of them but own a DW Valor and ECO. The EB Kobra almost made me add another 1911 to the stable. Anyone member of your list will meet your desires IMO.
     
    SharpsNitro said:
    I would add Nighthawk to your list. It’s good that $2k isn’t a hard limit because you can find a nice used pistol (Ed Brown or Nighthawk) in the low to mid 2s. Threaded barrels will cost more and are much less common. I’ve owned a Kobra Carry and it was a terrific gun, I traded that away though to get a Nighthawk T3 which I think is a better gun.

    Bob Serva at Fusion makes nice 1911s, you may want to give them a look. He ran the Dan Wesson 1911 line until they sold out to CZ.
    Click to expand...

    T3 seems to be getting up there in price. but if its worth it, then i can look into it.
     
    Charger442 said:
    T3 seems to be getting up there in price. but if its worth it, then i can look into it.
    Click to expand...
    DISCLAIMER -- I'm a recovering 1911 addict

    Really, as far as worth goes, you have to ask yourself what is it about the pistol that makes it worth another $1000 or $2000. I've got a Les Baer, an original Rock River Arms, and several STI's, but one of my favorite pistols is a Springfield Loaded in 9mm. To get it to that point I had to replace the barrel to really make it shine. I've got a total of $1000 in that pistol.
     
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    I have owned and shot most on your list as well as several others.
    Les Baer are the most accurate.
    Wilson Combat just seems in some way “better”.
    Today I only own Wilson’s and a couple of WW1 vintage 1911’s.
    Below is my favorite. 1917 vintage. Been in family since then. Had several barrels and small parts replaced. Carried almost daily for most of its life.
     

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    my vote is try to find a used nighthawk .
    Had lesbaer ,Wilson , and ed still like nighthawk the best.
    Warranty goes with gun
     
    I've owned or shot everything on your list. You are having trouble because those are all really solid firearms. Pick one you like and move on. Otherwise you will drive yourself crazy. I know.
     
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    Colt Wiley Clapp government or commander. $1200 with frontstrap checkering, Novak sights, good build quality. Is it up there with Wilson or Nighthawk or Barr - no, but it costs less, is reliable, and is accurate enough for social work.
     
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    I’d add a Springfield Professional to that list as well. My first choice would be the Wilson Combat, with Nighthawk and Les a tie for a close second. As others have said, that’s a fine list.
     
    All of the guns on your list are very accurate, superb-shooting 1911s. Having said that, there are some differences to keep in mind:

    Dan Wessons are assembly line guns -there is no gunsmithing/no handfitting. But they are the BEST assembly line 1911s on the market and represent an excellent value.

    When you move into semi-custom (at least some hand-fitting of parts) 1911s, the price naturally jumps up. Due to the tighter tolerances and hand-fitting, there will be subtle variances from individual gun to gun. You will occasionally find problems and gunsmithing errors of varying severity. Some people even get a lemon once in a while. My Wilson had to be sent back to correct mistakes three times! (badly botched barrel-fitting job, loose bushing, loose grip safety, way out-of-spec firing pin stop, messed up the finish on the second trip and had to send it back for re-finishing) These kinds of problems aren't common, but they do happen. Usually customer service will sort you out, but this is where brand choice becomes important -some semi-customs have excellent customer service and some have terrible customer service.

    Les Baers are known for their accuracy. They are also known for a style of gunsmithing that many other 1911 smiths refer to as "interference-fitting" where the parts are basically way too tight and have to beat themselves into functional working tolerance over 1000-2000 rounds. I have no first hand experience here, but the internet is flooded with stories of consistently similar descriptions of Les Baers. Also, their customer service is reputed to be terrible (again, no firsthand experience).

    STI - I can't remember ever reading anything negative about them, but they also supposedly aren't in the same league as Wilson, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, etc. Futuristic styling.

    Ed Brown - well built, exceptionally accurate, beautiful if you like more traditional styling. Average customer service.

    Wilson - well built, exceptionally accurate, second-to-none surface prep with modern but not futuristic styling. Best customer service in the business.
     
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    Dan Wesson. Own three. All work flawlessly. Even the ECO which is a difficult size to make 'reliable'. Not a hitch out of mine.

    I bought an Ed Brown and sold it quickly. Nothing wrong with it. Dan Wesson was 99.9% the gun a half the price. They've perfected the CNC fit and finish and why all their 1911s are GTG. Best coating in the business too.
     
    7038664

    Got a sti USPSA model..i think they stopped making this model..im about to put it on the market..its 9mm NIB got ot for little less than 2000 and would sell it for cheaper price..lmk
     
    But think of all you could save if you just bought a Norinco 1911 and a Dremel tool, and spent a weekend in your garage customizing the Norinco. (sarcasm if it wasn't already obvious).
     
    Got a line on a used double stack STI 4.0. Good price, good enough i would probably send it in to STI and have them fit a threaded barrel.

    Double stack 1911 wasnt really on my radar but it is now. Still interested in a regular NIghthawk T3 too.
     
    What's it for?
    Carry? Sport? Plinking?
    A doublestack is more bulk if you need to conceal it.
     
    While not listed in the OPs original message:

    The Sig 1911s are also fantastic.

    I shot Bullseye for some time back in the day, and the Sig is as good as pretty much any of the custom guns I had made.
     
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    Switchblade said:
    The 1911 hasn't been what it was since Mac Scott and Doug McDougal departed this green and blue planet. Mac simply being the God of 45 apprenticed Doug, my high school buddy.
    Click to expand...

    There is also this little know shop in PA that makes match 1911s.

    What I like about them is that they use forged blanks, do all of the milling, and then send them to Germany to have them plasma nitrided. (There was a specific reason they were having the Germans do it.)

    They would have all of the steel parts, including the inside of the barrels, nitrided so that all of the moving parts would have a Rockwell hardness of 70 (and therefore wear much more slowly before needing a new barrel bushings, etc.)

    They were indicating that the match quality accuracy of their guns was good for about 25,000 rounds.

    Mountatin Competition Pistols, Tannersville, PA.

    They also had some way of updating M9 pistols so that they were accurate as well...

    Website appears to be in some sort of update status... but useable.

    They give Military discounts too!
     
    I’ve owned a couple DW 1911’s, and they are my favorite production 1911. If I was going for a double stack/2011... STI 5” Staccato P at around the $2K price point, or if you search around and maybe save a little more, you could get into their DVC 3gun model. If I was gonna get a single stack 45acp 1911 right now, I’d spring for a Les Baer or another DW.
     
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    Well if it’s turned into a picture thread, I will also leave these here.

    B87766EE-5A74-48CB-ADB9-7F17E16371CD.jpeg
    9FD6E9C3-92F8-4262-A0F8-0A78EEF04BD4.jpeg
    ACC3F46D-7BE8-4518-8CB9-1616278E4AF8.jpeg



    4000 rounds down the tube and carrying every day, and the bluing has this wear which I think just gives it more character.
    8AEE39F4-3CD5-4E52-8AA1-D0BB2024CCC9.jpeg
    D1CA0AD3-57C3-43E8-96B7-507849105181.jpeg
    FB502E91-B7B6-40EF-9EF3-B53F20009683.jpeg
     

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    perttime said:
    Those grips LOOK strange ... But would they feel strange if you are accustomed to traditional checkered panels?
    Click to expand...

    I was used to only checkered panels before getting the Wilson with its "starburst" scalloped grips. Now, I'll never go back to checkered. The scallops allow the meat of your palm to "sink" into the grip which does two things: It locks your hand to the grip much better than checkering. and it makes the gun feel smaller in the hand because the scallops allow the meat of your palm to take up a lot of the space that would be normally occupied by wood in checkered (or otherwise solid grips). Any future 1911's I own will get the starburst grips.
     
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    GBMaryland said:
    There is also this little know shop in PA that makes match 1911s.

    What I like about them is that they use forged blanks, do all of the milling, and then send them to Germany to have them plasma nitrided. (There was a specific reason they were having the Germans do it.)

    They would have all of the steel parts, including the inside of the barrels, nitrided so that all of the moving parts would have a Rockwell hardness of 70 (and therefore wear much more slowly before needing a new barrel bushings, etc.)

    They were indicating that the match quality accuracy of their guns was good for about 25,000 rounds.

    Mountatin Competition Pistols, Tannersville, PA.

    They also had some way of updating M9 pistols so that they were accurate as well...

    Website appears to be in some sort of update status... but useable.

    They give Military discounts too!
    Click to expand...

    Just looked them up on Google. It says they are permanently closed !
     
    Oh. The holster looked so good that I had to google 5 Shot Leather.
    So many companies still producing great holsters out of leather (y)
     
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    NPV said:
    I’ve seen this one on another forum I used to frequent. Always admired it, I use a 5 Shot SME too and love it.
    Click to expand...

    My wife liked my gun and holster setup so much she made me get her a 1911 (Colt Combat Elite, 45) and the same holster for her EDC.
     
    Last edited:
    Over the years Ive had a ton of 1911's and my favorite to date is a stainless Colt 1991A 'Compact'. Shot the bullseye out of a standard pistol target at 50 feet. The flared barrel makes it reseat well and very accurate. couldnt find a photo of a stainless. Avoid Kimber.

    1578187263866.png
     
    Recently, I've been thinking that a Commander-size 1911 with bull barrel could be nice - especially as I already have a Government-size 1911 with bull barrel.

    detonics_vasen.jpg
     
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    If you can find one, Rock River Arms made some superb pistols before focusing on AR’s. This is the 50yd test target mine came with
    8B42F560-A984-4D01-89E8-71F4A28F2C1E.jpeg
     
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