1911s! A topic everyone likes!

[A-R]

How much are you looking to spend?

That's the real question.

That's always the question with those overpriced, blinged-up sissy pistols.



Follow Tommy Lee Jones' advice and just buy a Glock - $525 + tax at any Academy regardless of which "flavor" you choose .... Glocks are like my great uncle's old saying about Howard Johnson hotel's restaurants "31 flavors of ice cream, one flavor of food"

[jason237m]

Excellent question! I should have included that in my first post. I think I'll be looking in the 1000 dollar range (Mrs. Atxtj wouldn't be real happy if I spent more). I am familiar with the 1911 platform and wouldn't be truely opposed to a commander sized gun, but I'm a small framed guy which makes carrying larger pieces somewhat difficult. Oh and I have no problem with buying used.

Here is my suggestion for around $1000

http://stiguns.com/guns/LS/LS.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[aaangel]

another vote for STI. Ranger II in .40 to be exact.... you will be mine someday!

[uthornsfan]

Am I the only Para-Ordnance owner/fan on this forum???

Para has a great lineup of 1911's and other than their mag springs which are easily replaced with Wolf springs they are great. They have tons of variety in size and style choices.

My Tac Four 4.25" is made for CC its a dbl stack 13+1 which is its only drawback cause of the weight. Who can pass up 27 rounds of .45 in two mags?

[alvins]

smith and wesson makes some nice 1911's especially their new e series.

[Pete92FS]

Am I the only Para-Ordnance owner/fan on this forum???

Para has a great lineup of 1911's and other than their mag springs which are easily replaced with Wolf springs they are great. They have tons of variety in size and style choices.

My Tac Four 4.25" is made for CC its a dbl stack 13+1 which is its only drawback cause of the weight. Who can pass up 27 rounds of .45 in two mags?

No - I have a Para GI Expert - nice shooting gun. Nice looking after I put some half smooth / half diamond pattern cocobola grips on it in place of the cheap looking black plastic grips that came on it. The only gripe I have with Para is that not all 1911 parts are interchangable as with most other 1911's. As an example; nobody's .22 conversion kits will fit Para 1911's. Other than that is definately a keeper and at a good price.

[packa45]

if you are in Austin or Dallas area check out GT distributors last time I was there thety had 1911s of all sizes and finishes...only drawback is unless you are security or first responder you cannot purchase Sig Springfield or glock. But they carry Kimberly para and sti 1911s at very reasonable prices and their customer service is excellent, and most of their guys behind the firearm counter know their firearms.

[bigred90gt]

only drawback is unless you are security or first responder you cannot purchase Sig Springfield or glock.

Seriously? That is just about the most ignorant rule I have ever heard from a firearms dealer.

[LeonCarr]

As far as 1911s being a topic everyone likes, I personally do not care for them because IME they have more malfunctions and issues than more modern handguns. A gun you trust your life to has to run. Period.

You can buy two Glocks for 1000 bucks.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[packa45]

only drawback is unless you are security or first responder you cannot purchase Sig Springfield or glock.

Seriously? That is just about the most ignorant rule I have ever heard from a firearms dealer.

1... they are a law enforcement/ security supply distributor.

2...they just opened their firearm sales to general public(within last couple years)

3...in my experience they are 75-100 bucks (or more) cheaper than other retailers because of their LEO/first responder/ military only sales prices. Most other firearms are still very reasonably priced compared to other retail outlets in Austin.

Its not my policy I am just able to take advantage of their "restrictions". And from what I've been told the manufacturer placed the restriction to offer affordable service weapons to LEO and security professionals.

[longhorn_92]

Here is a great pistol for sale:

http://glocktalk.com/classifieds/showpr ... -cco&cat=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm not selling it... sounds like a great compromise. It has a commander size slide and an officer frame.

[Steve133]

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I'm in a similar position to the OP - I've been thinking about picking up a 1911 for a while, and now seems a good time to go ahead and pull the trigger: I mean, it is 2011, and I haven't spent my tax refund yet. I've been shooting pistols since I was a kid, but I don't have much experience with the 1911; that said, I've done a little bit of research and I think I'm closing in on what I want to look for.

Specifically, I'm looking for something along the lines of a Series 70 - full size, preferably steel-framed, no firing pin block (I don't want to derail things into an argument over these sorts of details, but in my experience, the addition of more moving parts is never good for the reliability of any mechanical device. Plus, I know that they're different things entirely, but the magazine disconnect on my dad's old Hi-Power and a couple of college years spent shooting Glocks were enough to make me wary of any safety device that could even potentially impact trigger pull). A lot of the other usual points of contention (cast vs. forged frame, MIM vs. milled internals, full-length vs. two-piece guide rod, etc.) don't really make that much difference to me - I'm an engineer, which means two things: I have experience indicating that general craftmanship and material choice is more important than manufacturing techniques in most cases, and I'm a compulsive tinkerer, so most of the internals are probably going to be replaced somewhere along the line anyway. Heck, probably even some of the "externals." In fact, that's one of my reasons for investing in a 1911 in the first place - seems like it would be a good long-term "project gun." This also means that all of the tacti-cool bells and whistles aren't important, since I'll add any of them that are important to me later. Of course, it still needs to run good stock until my gun budget can recover enough to pay for aftermarket parts....

Price is a concern, but one that I can be flexible with (you do tend to get what you pay for with this sort of thing, after all); still, I'd like to stick to below $1000, preferably more in the $600-$800 range. Right now, I'm trying to keep a lookout for a for-reals Series 70 (possibly used, since that's probably the only way to find one in my price range), one of the low- to mid-range Springfield models, or an "entry-level" STI. The SR1911 also sounds intriguing (and Ruger's always done right by me), but I don't know what availability is going to be like. Any other suggestions?

[doc540]

Steve, you're on the right track.

Be patient and vigilant for a Colt 70 Series.

They show up right in your price range but don't last long on the market.

I just picked up a very nice 1974 Commander for south of $800.

[The Annoyed Man]

I concur with going with at least a 4" length. I've had a couple of the 3" 1911s and have found no disadvantage of going with the longer barrel but have experienced the problems mentioned with the 3" models.

I am missing a 4" 1911 from my battery. I like my 3" Kimber, and it is light and easy to carry. I also have a 5" Springfield, but I don't carry it nearly as often. The reason I don't is because it's an all steel gun and my bad back doesn't like the weight of it for extended periods. But that said, it carries better than the 3" gun because the longer slide/barrel forces the grip frame to hug closer to my body. This makes the larger grip of the 5" gun actually conceal better and print less than the abbreviated grip frame of the 3" gun, which tends to hug my body less closely. I don't know if this description makes sense or not, but it there it is. So my thinking is that the longer slide/barrel of the 4" gun would affect the carrying just like the 5" gun does, and I would have a longer sight radius and one more round of capacity over the 3" gun. So I think that an alloy framed 4" 1911 might just be the ultimate carry pistol.

I'm going to probably sell both of my .380s (a Colt Government and a Keltec) to help finance the cost of a new pistol. I've been looking at single stack 9mm guns like the Kahr P9/PM9/CW9 or the Kimber Solo, but a 4" 1911 may just win the day.

[The Annoyed Man]

By the way, an acquaintance of mine called me yesterday to say he's trying to sell a 5" Colt 1991 series pistol. From his description, I think it is a parkerized or blued "basic" model. I believe he wants around $600-$650 for it. I asked him if he knows the round count. He doesn't. He bought it used. He describes it as in "pretty good condition," but I haven't seen the pistol so I can't vouch for it.