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Sidearms & Scatterguns Which 1911 for $1000

Re: Which 1911 for $1000

I own 2 springfields the champion with the 4 inch barrel and the black stainless target. Both of them have been great. I have no experience with any other 1911's so I can not recommend any based on experience.

Remington has the R1 enhanced version for $945 and it really looks nice and feel great as I have seen a couple at gunshows. Check the Link.

http://1911r1.com/Products/Firearms/Model-1911-enhanced.aspx
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

I went with a Springfield Loaded LW Operator. Love it so far. Very smooth shooting right out of the box, haven't had a single issue so far, lifetime warranty. Seems like a nice gun.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

The STI Trojan as had been mentioned. Love mine. 100% reliability so far. Although it's a 9mm. I simply can't imagine their 45 not running.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

For a good budget 1911 I have to go with Sig. I have 2 of them I bought private party for under $800 each. We had an Ed Brown Special Forces, a couple Kimbers, A full rail TRP and the Sigs at the range. The Sigs held their own quite well.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

my Sig was my first 1911 and it was an excellent pistol.......very accurate and never jammed, even with 3K rounds through it.....fit and finish was tight from the day i bought it new to the day i sold it......i would stay away from Kimbers, even though they have a loyal group of fanboys who will be ready to fight when they read that.....My brother bought me a Ruger 1911 and it has been extremely accurate, it is a little loose, nowhere near a tight as the Sig, but the accuracy is fantastic.....The next day after he bought me the Ruger, he bought himself a 5" Springfield LW Operator....amazing factory trigger, excellent fit/finish, but the accuracy sucks....4-6" groups off the bag at 25yds with several different brands of ammo....the good thing about Springfield is that their customer service is absolutely top notch.....one phonecall and they insisted on him sending it in so they could find out what's wrong......they said that if it's nothing obvious, they'll be sending him a brand new one.......we'll see
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

I have 2 Remington R1's. One is the traditional model, the other is the "Enhance". The latter would fit your needs well, and with a little bit of searching, you can find them in the $850 range. My only complaint is it doesn't come with a polished ramp and throat for hollow points. Still, a gunsmith can knock that out for 50 bucks or so, and you're still well under your budget.

HRF
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

If u shoot a lot of competetive events, u will primarily see sti and springfields. The limbers are known for great triggers, accurate barrels and feeding and ejecting issues. This is jus my experience from many yrs of shooting at matches. That being said, I own both one Kimberly and several springfields. For 1000, I would also recommend a used TRP or a loaded model and fix it how u want. Generally SS pistols are preferred if u are gonna add ur own twist to pistols since they r easy to refinish and make match.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

Springfield or Series 70 Colt.

I personally don't care for Kimber, in recent years I've seen far to many quality control problems from them.


 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

Sig and Springfield make a very nice 1911.I have both but I really like my sig ones a little better.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

No issues with well made MIM. Buy the best Springfield you can afford.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

STI Trojan. I have a Kimber and a STI. I thought 1911's were supposed to have feed failures until I got my STI. The Kimber does look nice though. Could not be happier with my STI
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

STI Spartan (not sure about Trojan) are made in Phillipines. That said, I would still not be afraid to pick one. STI has a great reputation in the firearms industry.
Kimber is like having a Ferrari with no engine. All looks and no substance. I, at least, have not seen a sub $1K Kimber on a shelf in many years. I also see and hear many complaints about their function.
S/A, I think, are still made in South America? No matter, as fit and finish seem to be very well done and the examples I have shot shoot very well.
Sig makes nice looking 1911s but, as others suggested, they are not traditional and most 1911 holsters will not work.
S&W E Series are very nicely put together, have decent triggers out of the box and offer a lot of gun for the money. Accuracy on the guns I have fired is very good and I have no issue with external extractors. You can get a nice one for just under $1K budget too.
Ruger SR1911 looks nice and feels good but frame is a cast part, not forged.
Rock Island.....now here is one name no one mentioned. I've seen and handled a few of them and they may be the best value out there. Made in the Phillipines but solid and you get a lot of features for the money. Well under your budget I believe.
Bottom line is that in this day & time you will be hard pressed to find any 1911 that does not possess MIM parts. Kimber, IIRC, started that trend with their first pistols that had Clackamas, OR stamps on them.
So, my choice would be S&W, STI or Rock Island.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

The STI Spartan is the only STI 1911 that is not 100% US made.

The high end Springfields are nice, the lower ones aren't so nice.

Taurus is junk.

S&W and Sig have external extractors, so those are out.

RIA comes from the same factory as the Spartan.

I think the Spartan's upgrades are worth the difference and I recommend that every time.

RIA for $4-500, Spartan for $6-700. Above that, jump to the TRP or just stick with the Spartan and do some upgrades.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

For under 1000 Colt will have far less MIM than any others in that range.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Falar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For under 1000 Colt will have far less MIM than any others in that range. </div></div>

MIM can be replaced. A slide to frame that is not fit, cannot.

Colt does not fit their slides to their frames. Nothing can fix that.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Falar</div><div class="ubbcode-body">For under 1000 Colt will have far less MIM than any others in that range. </div></div>

MIM can be replaced. A slide to frame that is not fit, cannot.

Colt does not fit their slides to their frames. Nothing can fix that. </div></div>

Loose is better than too tight. I've never handled a sub-1000 1911 that blew me away in the slide/frame fit department anyway.

My DW cost way more than 1000 (1649 to be exact)and has perfect slide to frame fit.

My 870 dollar Colt has a bit of side to side play, about the same as my Springfield and the SIG I used to have. I shoot a bit better with the DW, but I think that is more because of the perfect trigger. The Colt's accuaracy is far more than passable to me.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">... Nothing can fix that. </div></div>

Wrong. Have you never heard of a slide job?
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RADcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">... Nothing can fix that. </div></div>

Wrong. Have you never heard of a slide job? </div></div>

Maybe I should have been more specific, then. Their slides are so sloppy that I would not want to fix the fit. The proper way to fit a slide and frame is for them to be too tight and to machine the two for proper mating, not the other way around. There are ways to fit one as sloppy as theirs, I just wouldn't want to do it. The proper way to improve the fit on one of those sloppy Colts would probably involve replacing the slide. If labor and mill time was free, perhaps not, but if you're paying someone else to do it, I think it'd be faster/cheaper to fit another slide.

And while I somewhat agree with the sentiment that too loose > too tight, I still wouldn't buy a gun that doesn't have one slide fit to one frame, unless it was in a price range where I couldn't get that from any manufacturer. There is a difference between a fit that is a little loose in every direction and one that has not been fit to the frame at all. Colts are not fit to the frame at all.

The fact is, that for what a Colt pistol costs, you can get a gun with a much nicer fit, which is one big reason why people pay gunsmiths the big bucks for a custom gun.

I'm not a snob, nor brand loyal, but I do appreciate quality work and a good value. Colt offers neither.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

I Owned a Kimber, now Have a S&W and Sig Tac Op 1911. My Kimber was the model when they attempted the Extern extractor, it Failed in every way possible, Feed, Eject, Slid Lock (New Kimber Mags). I about gave up on 1911s until I got a Good Deal on the S&W E Series. It worked and shot flawlessly. Fit and Finish is Beyond Comparison to the Kimber. It was just in range for the $1,000 Too. I'd give it a look too.

For the Sig, what else can I say...It's a SIG...It's my HD gun for a good reason...
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

I think you mean external extractor. An external ejector wouldn't work too well.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RADcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">... Nothing can fix that. </div></div>

Wrong. Have you never heard of a slide job? </div></div>

Maybe I should have been more specific, then. Their slides are so sloppy that I would not want to fix the fit. The proper way to fit a slide and frame is for them to be too tight and to machine the two for proper mating, not the other way around. There are ways to fit one as sloppy as theirs, I just wouldn't want to do it. The proper way to improve the fit on one of those sloppy Colts would probably involve replacing the slide. If labor and mill time was free, perhaps not, but if you're paying someone else to do it, I think it'd be faster/cheaper to fit another slide.

And while I somewhat agree with the sentiment that too loose > too tight, I still wouldn't buy a gun that doesn't have one slide fit to one frame, unless it was in a price range where I couldn't get that from any manufacturer. There is a difference between a fit that is a little loose in every direction and one that has not been fit to the frame at all. Colts are not fit to the frame at all.

The fact is, that for what a Colt pistol costs, you can get a gun with a much nicer fit, which is one big reason why people pay gunsmiths the big bucks for a custom gun.

I'm not a snob, nor brand loyal, but I do appreciate quality work and a good value. Colt offers neither. </div></div>

Maybe you shouldn't have commented on what it would take to make a 1911 accurate, since you clearly do not know. True gunsmiths have been doing it properly for over 70 years, before there ever was such a thing as an oversize slide or frame. Just because you can't do it doesn't make it improper. Your idea of a hand fitted slide to frame fit on an out of the box gun is unrealistic and cost prohibitive for anything but a higher end full or semi-custom.

I can assure you, it is much faster and cheaper to tighten a slide to frame fit than it would be to replace the slide. Colt may not offer tight fit but, they do offer consistent quality parts that are properly heat treated and nicely finished. To someone who knows what they are doing, those things are more important than how much extra material they have to remove.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I think you mean external extractor. An external ejector wouldn't work too well.</div></div>

LOL...Yes That's It! My mind went totally blank when I was typing that...Just used the first word that came to mind...LOL...Looked like a idiot, but please don't discount the guns because of it...
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000


Whomever you are, you know precious little about 1911's.

And worse, you're too busy commenting to know it, and to learn about them.

Stay with building model cars or RC airplanes. The gun thing isn't for you.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: RADcustom</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Maybe you shouldn't have commented on what it would take to make a 1911 accurate, since you clearly do not know. True gunsmiths have been doing it properly for over 70 years, before there ever was such a thing as an oversize slide or frame. Just because you can't do it doesn't make it improper. Your idea of a hand fitted slide to frame fit on an out of the box gun is unrealistic and cost prohibitive for anything but a higher end full or semi-custom.

I can assure you, it is much faster and cheaper to tighten a slide to frame fit than it would be to replace the slide. Colt may not offer tight fit but, they do offer consistent quality parts that are properly heat treated and nicely finished. To someone who knows what they are doing, those things are more important than how much extra material they have to remove.
</div></div>

I never said anything about mechancial accuracy because it is irrelevant for the vast majority of users, including me.

Again, you're missing the point. It's not that Colts just offer a sloppy fit, it's that they don't even bother to fit a slide to a single frame at all. That isn't just sloppy, it represents poor workmanship, completely out of touch with their competition, who offer this at no extra charge, including RIA.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

Have not read all the way through so not sure it has been mentioned but Sig Fastback. Sig is making some great 1911s, and where else can you get a quality 1911 bobtail with all the bells and whistles for $850?
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

Look for one of these "slightly used," and be done with it...

DSC02738_zpsd4381f5d.jpg
DSC02742_zps6650cb46.jpg
DSC02744_zps09d25331.jpg
DSC02745_zps35f65eae.jpg
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

you can find Dan Wesson Blemished models out there for 950-1050. I have a Valor and just bought a guardian in 9mm. Very nice guns. The valor i can't find the BLEM spot anywhere.... The guardian just has a scratch/nick by the trigger and its barely noticable.
I do have an STI trojan (was my first 1911) and it is one of my favorites and has been completely reliable to this day. I bought a kimber super pro carry HD and I love it but it still has some hiccups im correcting when I get home.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

I have two kimbers...one is a procarry 4 inch, the only issue that i have had out of it in 5500 rounds is a spring issue. I replaced a recoil spring with kimbers recommended 22lb spring, and the thing would no cycle right rounds were just falling right off my hand. i dropped the spring to a 20lb spring and it feeds properly and cycles perfectly, that was 1200 rounds ago.

my other kimber is a custom tle. its a all steel model, and it has gone 1500 rounds without a failure. all i do is keep them really oiled up, truth be told the tle never gets cleaned...its really filthy.

as to the rust on the barrel issue, my Pro has only had one instance of rust, i went out of town and did some work out doors in 100*+ heat for a couple days and forgot my oil, and didn't want to leave the gun in the truck. needless to say, sweat is really salty. when i got home there was a couple small rust spots on the barrel, and the gun was caked with salt. do i trust it would have worked? yes, when i went to take it down, it still had enough oil in the system to facilitate working of the slide with no extemporaneous noises.

Take my experiences for what they are worth. My two Kimbers have been great. A good friend of mine has a Sig that has about half the rounds of my TLE with zero failures, he loves his. I shoot with guys that swear by STI and by Kimber. its really a toss up. I would seriously consider the Kimber Custom II for a good sub $1000 gun.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

The SA range officer is the best value off-the-shelf 1911 I've seen yet. You should seriously check it out.

Oh, and Downzero.. you should probably take RADcustom's advice, he was Clark's main 1911 gunsmith for nearly 15 years and know's more about gunsmithing that pistol them than anyone I have met, including the brownells APG staff members that teach their 1911 class.

RAD even designed things out there that others are copying now... he offers very good advice and has decades of experience to share here.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

Oh well, so much for anonymity.

Save your breath. He won't listen because he already knows it all.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

My advice would be to stick with the base-model, steel guns. I personally am really down on Kimber these days. You get lots of features for your dollar, but if you are a high-volume shooter, you will probably suffer breakages sooner. That was my experience as a volume shooter. A Springfield you can build up will always do well.

Also, if your goal to have a place in your collection or are you planning on running this as a CCW pistol?

TTR
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

One more thing. It was briefly touched on above, but deserves mention. Don't be so picky on getting a new gun. Truth is most guys don't shoot. And the ones that shoot, don't shoot as much as they think they do.

My point is your dollar goes a long way towards used gear. I can think of less than 5 guns I have seen on the used market (in years) that were honestly shot a lot. You get someone's scratches or wear, they take the 20-30% hit and you can do well.

That is if you are shooter and not a collector. Collectors have the concern of wear and scratches in that eventually they will trade or sell out of a particular platform. So they don't want to take the hit.

You take a gun with a truly average amount of wear on the outside and people will rate that as NRA 80% on the for-sale boards. Get gets you pretty far from NIB street prices.

Being honest with yourself and where you will end up is the key here.

TTR
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

Take your time and look at all of the ones that interest you then get the one you like best.

FWIW I've had good luck with the Colt 70 series
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

I am reminded of someones sig line.... Oh for fucks sake just get out and shoot.

Colt, Springfield, Kimber, STI, and a few more... They are all pretty damned ok. Pretty much everything around that $1000 mark is going to go bang nicely. Get some good magazines and pull the trigger till it goes 'click.'
Personally, I'm a Colt guy because I got a good deal on one
smile.gif
If Santa put one of the other brand names above of 1911 in my stocking this year I wouldn't kick his ass.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: GlockandRoll</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Oh, and Downzero.. you should probably take RADcustom's advice, he was Clark's main 1911 gunsmith for nearly 15 years and know's more about gunsmithing that pistol them than anyone I have met, including the brownells APG staff members that teach their 1911 class. </div></div>

Or I can go to the range and shoot. I'll pick that.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: GlockandRoll</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The SA range officer is the best value off-the-shelf 1911 I've seen yet. You should seriously check it out.

Oh, and Downzero.. you should probably take RADcustom's advice, he was Clark's main 1911 gunsmith for nearly 15 years and know's more about gunsmithing that pistol them than anyone I have met, including the brownells APG staff members that teach their 1911 class.

RAD even designed things out there that others are copying now... he offers very good advice and has decades of experience to share here. </div></div>

Moot point. Why buy a $1000 or more pistol that has to be immediately sent to a gunsmith for proper slide to frame fit and trigger work, and the weapon still rattles; when you can get a DW or trp and go straight to the range?

Not saying he doesn't know his stuff.....but I see guys with "30 years experience" all the time. Many times I end up going behind and fixing their work.
 
Re: Which 1911 for $1000

30 years' experience turning trash from Brazil into a family heirloom.

Nothin' like it.
 
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