1911 handgun choices.

[Kevin R.]

Been looking at getting a 1911 for awhile. There is many choices available for this style of firearm. My question is this....Is it worth going more mid to upper end or get a low to mid grade brand? It will be full size commander series in .45acp. I have looked at Taurus, rock island armory, ATI as low grade and colt, magnum research, Ruger and s&w. for mid to high end ones. I really like the Ruger and Magnum Research ones.

[dmoto]

I love my SW1911 .45 ACP. I use it mostly for my HAM javelina hunts here in the desert.

[brushsjigs]

Have Kimbers here. What ever brand you choose, use the ammo ( grain bullet) they recommend.

[adchunts]

I honestly believe you cannot go wrong with any on your list. One of the good things about 1911 style pistols is there are a ton of aftermarket parts available. If you find you don't like a particular feature on your gun, there are probably dozens of options out there.

[Transom]

You will be fine with any of them. Personally for a 1911 that is not too expensive I like Smith Ruger Colt Springfield.

[spotdog1]

Look for different features on several makes to see what you like. Ambi safety, beaver tail grip safety, wider mag well, novak sights stuff you will find on mid range models compared to cheaper ones that are mil spec pistols. Go to local store that has good selection and put several in your hands and see what fits you best.

[spinningreel]

Remington R1 is a fine quality 1911 also, give it a look, around $700-800 price range.

[Gamblinman]

If you want a high end 1911, look no further than a Les Baer custom. Kimbers are also very nice.

[StratDude]

I carry a Ruger 1911 off duty most of the time. But I also have 4 Kimbers, a Sig Scorpion, an Ithaca, and a Remington Rand. 1911's are like AR's, once you get one, you want another.

[LunkerLloyd]

my S&W seems to break down easier for cleaning then my Kimber, both great guns

[rangerbobber]

For middle of the road....pretty hard to beat Springfield Range Officer Series, I like the compacts

[smalljawguy]

For middle of the road....pretty hard to beat Springfield Range Officer Series, I like the compacts

Yep, me too. Great shooting gun and not to bad for carry. Easy to conceal.

[Cestratton]

I had a Kimber TLE and loved it but unfortunately had to sell it and have been wanting a new 1911 since but other things have kept me from buying one, although I bought a Colt 6920 when I probably should've bought a 1911 but wanted an AR. If I had to buy today it would be a Springfield TRP. You say full size commander, are you talking about a 5" which is a government size or a 4.25 commander? Most use MIM parts today which a lot of the old guys don't trust or want but most don't care. If MIM parts bother you Wilson and others offer internal parts to replace the MIM parts but they will require some fitting. Also some don't like external extractors some do. Sights are also a big consideration. I like the 70 Colts but don't like the dated look, if I had the money I'd buy a 70 and send it to Wilson to have it built into a "combat" style weapon (lowered & flared ejection port, FS checkering, sights, hammer, etc.) but by the time you do that and the money it costs you might as well buy a Wilson, Les Bear, or Nighthawk. There are a lot of good mid range guns and it all depends on what you want out of the weapon and how much you want to spend. I think the best deal out there right now for a quality weapon at a good price is the Springfield Loaded Parkerized, it's a government size though.

http://www.springfield-armory.com/pr...5-acp/#PX9109L

[Wild Heethen]

Springfield Armory Range Officer, hands down. Great company, great customer service, great high quality firearms. You can get 1 of several different Range Officers loaded with all the upgraded parts for hardly more than what you would pay for a baseline pistol from other manufacturers. They also have their own custom shop if you later want to start upgrading even more. Only manufacture I would even consider.

[The gurg]

My first 1911 was a rock island. I was hesitant to get it because usually something that's cheap, is cheap for a reason.
I've had it a few years now and I have had no issues and out of the 750 or so rounds I've shot out of it, I've had no jams.
I picked up a Springfield emp recently and also no issues, but that rock island is by far the favorite pistol I own.

[Riccochet]

Dan Wesson, Nighthawk, STI, Les Baer, Wilson Combat and some Springfield's are what I'd consider middle to upper end.

Sig, RIA, Kimber, S&W, Ruger are what I'd consider middle of the road.

Remington, Para, Taurus, Llama, Metro, ATI are what I'd consider low end.

Kimber...just aren't what they used to be. Plus, series 80 parts, BLEH!
Colt's are so hit or miss in regards to quality I seriously can't recommend them. It's a gamble buying one. I had ordered 3 Gold Cup Match's and all 3 were of varying quality and fit. None of which I was going to sell to a customer, so they all went back.
Springfields are the bastard of 1911's. Some of them, like the TRP Operator, are fantastic. While others, like the GI or Milspec, is a piece of shit. If you go with a budget 1911 from Springfield expect issues and rather poor performance. You'll spend enough of parts and mods to get it running slick that you might as well get a RO Elite, Loaded or TRP to begin with. I'd buy a budget RIA and build it before a GI or Milspec SA.

Remington R1 .... I feel like the price doesn't represent the quality. Too many MIM parts, not very good fit. For what you get I'd rather a RIA with a plethora of Wilson parts thrown at it.

I am a bit of a 1911 snob. lol Having owned dozens of them, sold 100's of them, my money gets spent on Dan Wesson's and STI's.

[soloman]

I own a colt 1911 government lightweight and absolutely love it has never let me down. I ran 1,000 rounds of cheap reloads through it with out cleaning with out a single jam or miss feed slide did rack forward a little slower but cycled just fine through every single round. However it does not like the high cap magazines.

[Rayburn Guide]

I own several, but really enjoy shooting my STI. I'd at a minimum give them a look.

[rangerbobber]

My first 1911 was a rock island. I was hesitant to get it because usually something that's cheap, is cheap for a reason.
I've had it a few years now and I have had no issues and out of the 750 or so rounds I've shot out of it, I've had no jams.
I picked up a Springfield emp recently and also no issues, but that rock island is by far the favorite pistol I own.

Nothing at all wrong with RI pistols......

[DixieChicken]

Kimber's here as well and love them. My daily carry is a TLE-II 3". Amazing how many people see a 1911 "Cocked n Locked" and look at you, or even SAY something about the hammer being pulled back. Heck, even an old buddy that I went to school with (in the 70's) can't wrap his head around the fact that a 1911 is actually a LOT safer to carry 'cocked n locked' than a striker fired gun. And no... they won't go off if you drop them.

S&W has a pair from their Performance Center that are OUT-STANDING 1911's! We're talking a full custom shop 1911 that lists for $1589 in both squared as well as rounded heel grip, and is backed by a lifetime service policy.

From the factory with things like a throated barrel, precision crowned muzzle, polished feed ramp, hand lapped (and matched) slides and frame, 30 line checkering, oversized extractor, spherical barrel bushing, worked (tuned) action and trigger (3.5~4 # trigger), adjustable rear site, AND the slide is lightened on both sides at the front. (Looks like it has ports, but it's not through the barrel, just the slide.)

They are one sexy 1911! The round heel is 2-tone with wood looking G20 grips. The square heel is matte stainless with a black grip. One heck of a deal in a sub $1500 1911 for SURE.