steve d

Looking for my first 1911, what should I be looking for the price on what Ive seen so far is from $375.00 all the way past $2000. My budget will limit me to the lower end of the $ scale (around 650.). Also when possible I do try to purchase items made in the U.S.A. So far Ive looked at a Kimber and a Springfield. On the www Auto-Ordnance has what looks real fine. 45. The main use for this pistol will be at the range. Thanks Steve

redsox3624

www.gunbroker.com

www.auctionarms.com

www.gunsamerica.com


thoes should give you some places to look.

newguy23

Kimber gets my vote... You should be able to get the standard models (which are anything but standard with Kimber for ~$650...

newguy23

Oh yeah... What to look for.

#1 - A tight slide to frame fit... Dangle the gun from the handle and shake it... If it rattles that is bad. To me the NEW Colts tend to rattle. Kimber goes out of their way to mate their slide to frame for a tight fit. I think Springfield does the same. (By the way I don't think most Springers are made in the USA)

#2 - Adjustable sights... If you are going to use it for target shooting you will need this... I have had way to many fixed sights be off too much. Sometimes you get lucky.

#3 - Frontstrap and backstrap checkering... To me this is important, you might not think so though I really think it helps a person maintain a good grip between shots. You could always use some skate boarding tape.

#4 - A magwell... I really like having one, it makes loading a magazine without looking much easier. This will leave you with a thicker grip, but I have small hands and don't mind it.

#5 - Extractor... Some people swear by the old Kimbers internal extractor and have a major dislike for the new series II external ones. Mine is external and I have no reliability issues.

Whatever you pick you can't go wrong... Check out www.1911forum.com for some more advice.

newguy23

geez... I keep forgetting things... A good trigger that breaks from 3.5-4 pounds is a must for any target shooting.

Briman

They really don't have a great reputation for reliability.

I have a SA Loaded model. Its a good shooting gun, never had a jam or a breakage, but if I were to go back and do it all over again, I would have spent about $200 less and got a Colt Government Model or Springfield Milspec. All the extra gizmos are nice, but not necessary.

No, nothing wrong with a little side to side play, it helps reliability. Verticle play in the slide to frame fit is bad however. Gun companies are making guns with an ultra tight fit for people who don't know any better at a sacrifice to reliability.

USMC PMI

I shot matches in the Marine Corps and later with the Marine Corps Legue, used a Kimber Goldmatch and loved it. The Kimber's almost make the Colts and Springfield's that have not been modified feel cheap or sloppy. Nothing against them but I also own a Colt and Springfield and they just do not measure up in my opinion.

While this is true to a minor extent Steve said that the pistol's main use will be at the range. For accuracy in a 1911 the frame and slide must be mated with the best possible fit, the tighter the better as long as the pistol functions. I developed handloads that were not only accurate but allowed the pistol to function reliabily. A target pistol may be a little picky about ammo, but my Pro CDP has fired everything I have thrown at it without a problem, it is accurate and the slide is tighter than most.

I just can not agree with this statement either. I agree that a Kimber Goldmatch is not the best choice for a self defense pistol but I am sure that companies are not spending the extra time and money to manufacture pistols with ultra close tolerances just to trick the general public into buying their arms. They build them for target shooters like the olympic shooting team for example. I shoot with guys who have paid the cost of the pistol to have a slide hand fitted, they are target shooters looking for accuracy. I just can not believe that average Joe could walk into a gun shop and be talked into buying a $1000 handgun because it fits tighter than the $500 Springfield, not unless he has more money then sense. An AK 47 is extremely reliable but I wouldn't take it on a target shoot, I also wouldn't carry a Cooper custom single shot rifle into a room to room battle.

Point is even the Kimber Pro carry pistols are tight fitting (not as tight as the match guns but tighter than most) and they still fire anything you throw at them reliabily. 1911's can be setup for target shooting or increased reliabliity, choose what suits your needs.

newguy23

USMCI... I agree... Kimber uses their mating technology on all their pistols. So theoretically the Pro carry models should fit as tight as the match models.

My friend has a Kimber CDP and the slide/frame fit is as good as on my Team Match.

It is a misconception that a good slide/frame fit decreases reliability. As long as the spring is good, this has no affect. A sloppy slide/frame fit is what seperates the good 1911's and the bad 1911's in my opinion.

Look at Les Baer custom 1911's selling for well over $2,000... I have heard stories that it is almost hard to rack his guns because the fit is so tight! I have heard nothing poor about their reliability though.

If I have heard one thing about Kimbers that is bad is their Magazines... I bought a Wilson Combat mag as suggested by the people at 1911forum.com... I would say I notice no reliabilty issues with either though.

T/C fan!

I'd also go with a Kimber. In your price range, you should be able to pick up a Custom Target full size. This is lower-end Kimber, but don't let that fool you, it's still a very accurate out of the box pistol. I've owned 4 different Kimbers and all have been flawless and very accurate. I currently have a Ultra CDP for my CCW and I'm hoping to find an Eclipse Target in the near future. If you do end up with a Kimber, I'd also suggest getting a couple of Wilson Combat mags for it.

Nomercy

Springfield's are pretty good, they've also got really good customer service (from my own experience), Kimber is hard to beat too. If I were buying a stock production 1911 just for plinking, I'd buy one of these, probably buy a Springfield GI or Mil Spec or a Kimber Trophy or Trophy Match.

I'd avoid Auto ord, I've had two of them, one older, one newer, both were pretty much turds. If I could get one full mag to feed flawlessly through either of them, it was a red letter day. I'd also avoid Colts, unless you're just concerned with resale value. You can usually Buy a colt, shoot it for two years, then sell it for over the price of a new Springfield...problem is, you also could have just bought TWO springfields to begin with, had better guns to start with, shot one for two years and STILL have a brand new one left at home, but the choice is yours. Some guys just have a "colt obsession" and are willing to pay their high prices for inferior weapons.