?'s about 1911 manufacturers

[Bender]

im in the market for a 1911 style.45 i can not afford the kimber/colt custom/other high dollar 45's, what would be the best cheap fullsize to look for??? im gonna look around a few shops in 2 weeks when i get paid also taking my Rugar P345 to trade in but i need the info on what to look for

[c.sander]

how much $$ are you looking to spend? $400, 500, 600, 700?

[Bender]

i hoping to get at lest a $275 trade on my rugar and was hoping to spend less than $300 out of poket

[QuakertownRich]

Reality is you probably won't get what you want when you trade in the Ruger. But the ballpark you are referring to is around a RIA or Springfield GI series 1911. I suppose a Taurus PT1911 is in there too, used, but I have no experience with those.

[protectedbyglock]

My recommendation is the Springfield. I have a Mil-Spec Stainless and I love it. I paid just about what you're looking to spend, too. I would recommend just selling the Ruger instead of trading it. You should be able to get more out of it if it's in decent shape. Rock Islands are nice guns, too, though. Nothing wrong with the Springfield GI for a little less money than the mil-specs.

[Bender]

ok looking a gunbroker i see a lot of 1911's going for less than $450
hopfully i can find one at one of my shops

[Bender]

also what is a good place online to find parts i would prolly want to put a trigger/ hammer/ long beaver tail on it.

[Suburban]

Originally Posted by Bender

also what is a good place online to find parts i would prolly want to put a trigger/ hammer/ long beaver tail on it.

Midway, Brownells, Shooter's Connection. Maybe CDNN Investments, but make sure you are getting brand name parts, not the junk they call "O.E."

Beaver-tail grip safeties are almost never drop-in parts. Wilson, and maybe King's, make true drop-in beaver-tails but they have ugly gaps when installed, and don't give a very high grip. I lost count of the hours I spent fitting and blending a high-grip safety. Six hours maybe, including grinding the thumb safety to match.

Good triggers usually come a little oversized, so that they don't have a sloppy fit in the frame. I think I spent more than an hour filing and checking the fit, and repeating until the trigger would slide in and out of the frame.

Hammers and sears need to be fitted to each other, preferably in the frame you're using, although the Cylinder & Slide, Extreme Engineering, and Brazo's Custom kits seem to be drop-in parts most of the time.


I tried keeping track of the time it took to fit parts in the 1911 project gun, but I lost track about a dozen hours ago. I even had to tweak the Wilson guide rod a bit.

[amill94]

+1 on Springfield milspec or GI series. I had one for my first 1911 and it was a pretty decent gun. You can slowly build it into a custom 1911 on your own. I haven't had any personal experience with the Taurus, but the 1911 boards aren't too fond of them and their reliability.

[Noah_Zark]

Don't neglect the Rock Island Arsenal 1911. They are made in the Phillipines but have an great reputation for reliability. I recently picked a used one up for $290 OTD and it is one of the more accurate 1911s that I own.

Noah