The 1911 decision... Questions and recommendations

[Pizza Bob]

I am not particularly enamored of SA or Kimber and I think you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't consider S&W and Sig in your choices of 1911's.

While I know there are scads of people on here that will chime in about how their 3" guns run without a hitch, most prominent 1911 gunsmiths concur that it is harder to make anything less than a 4" - 4.25" gun run reliably.

Since this is to be a carry gun, I'd consider an alloy frame, especially if you're used to carrying one of the tactical tupperware guns. An all-steel 1911 of any size gets heavy after 8 hours or so, even in a good holster with a good belt.

Consider either a CCO configuration (Officer's model frame with a Commander-size top-end) or a bob-tailed Commander for best concealability. Barrel length usually is not difficult to hide, so why handicap yourself with a potentially unreliable 3" gun? The gun butt is what is most likely to print - so either the shorter butt of the CCO or the rounded one of the bobtail address that issue.

Not a big fan of full-length guide rods either, and as has been pointed out, there is a greater possibility of "wiping" an ambi safety, so unless your LH'ed I'd say no to that also.

Make sure you are comfortable with condition one carry - otherwise I'd look for something else as your EDC.

Good luck with your quest. You have a lot to sort out as everyone has an opinion about which 1911 to get, and they are usually all different.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

[renalp]

Ask the question,,, How long does the manufacturer guarantee the gun? Springfield = forever.

Off the top of my head, I'm having trouble thinking of a manufacturer that doesn't offer a lifetime warranty. But like you said, it's the quality of customer service (prepaid shipping, quick turnaround, etc) that makes the warranty worth having.

[Wolf Daddy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX1F_0B41vA

If you want to spend over $1500 buy a Les Baer or Ed Brown they are the top 2 best!! Les Baer is a little better because their customer service is the best!!

otherwise COLT all day screw Kimber

[TXDMERC73]

RIA make good starter 1911's , for those new to the 1911 platform its a good way to start. they are 400-450 for a regular M1911A1, i have one and its pretty accurate for a cheap 1911. Its an all steel 1911 so i don tknow if you would want it since you want an alloy frame 1911.

I plan on moving up the ladder to a mid range priced 1911 sometime next year.

[Wilson Guy]

Take a look at the Dan Wesson Guardian before making a final decision. Around $1,400.00 new. Dan Wesson also makes a steel frame 4 1/3 inch barrel 1911 but if you are going to carry all the time I would start with the alloy frame of the Guardian for comfort. As I said on your other thread, Springfield is really nice too and you can customize it little by little as you go.

[billm67]

Several people here have given you good advice about 1911....just to sum it up:

I started shooting IPSC 20 years ago with nickel plated series 70 Colt....probably one of the worst 1911's I've owned....they have come a LONG way. I have personally run tens of thousands of rounds through Springfields....they have always been good guns..and they stand behind them. I have a a few Kimber's too and they have been very good guns once they had a mild throat and polish. The tolerances are very tight on Kimbers (it's a good thing) but for reliability the chambers are just little too tight. That is a minor thing and I would buy another Kimber in a second. The S&W 1911's are very good too. Alot of their internals are metal injection molded and wear quickly...plan on putting Nowlin internals in a S&W to make durable over the long term (I end up putting them in all my 1911's anyhow...their stuff is great). Any other brands.....look closely to see if the frame is forged....alot of them are cast and the cast frames see a much higher failure rate than the forged frames.

As far as length.....a 45 is a funny gun for concealed carry....it is a powerful round that generates alot for recoil. Light guns make for nice carry and not so nice shooting....1911's with barrels less than 4 inch are very difficult to control and start using reverse plugs and other things to help the weapon manage the recoil and they can become difficult to disassemble. If you want something smaller than the 4 inch barrel...consider something like the Springfield EMP in 9mm. I know it is sacriledge to recommend a 1911 in 9mm but a 45 acp compact 1911 is a handgun for someone who has considerable experience with large bore handguns. Alot of them are bought because they look like a good idea and then the person shoots them and finds out they difficult to manage and still a bit heavier than what is comfortable for routine concealed carry.

After all of this.....I have several 1911's and all of them are very capable defensive weapons and I love them....but I find myself carrying my Kel-Tek p11 most often. 11 rounds of 9mm in a small light package is hard to beat.

[sid]

My 4.25" 1911 transfers a slightly larger amount of recoil but not noticable so unless I shoot them side by side. I like the Compact 1911 for cc. Mine is not a full size grip frame as mentioned previously but has an officers frame (7 rounds not 8). It conceals well and the angle of grip is the same as my full size 1911s I don't think the grip angle chages with the different frame sizes.

My 1911's are wilsons. I considered kimber way back but they were having issues with reliability (concerning their firing pin block so I've read). I wanted a really good gun and since I didn't think Kimber was I saved for a wilson (and couldn't stop at just one ).

As far as the 3" versions go I believe that their biggest problem with reliability is not in the gun itself but in the owner not limp wristing the gun. Because of their size and the power of the round they need very firm grip. As was mentioned before they generally are not for those just getting into the 1911 platform and they are more complicated to disassemble. The other issue for them is that their recoil springs need to be changed more frequently because the weight of the spring and it's length are critical to its reliability. The springs in the 4"-5" guns will usually have a similar life span.

If I couldn't get a top end 1911 and really wanted one I'd lean toward the RIA I've heard lots of great things about them as well as the fact that the money you save will buy you a fair amount of range ammo.

just my .02
Sid

[NightRocker]

Goes with me everywhere...unless it's crappy outside then I take the Glock

I like the Punisher Grips