Recommendation for 1911

[jesemd]

If the Springfield Defender is US made, it seems hard to turn down....Thanks for the advice everyone!

[JenniferG]

Even if it's not made in the USA the SA Defender is a series 70 like all Springfield Armory 1911's. I have the SA GI model in stainless. It's nothing to get excited over, it's a plain Jane 1911 without all the high falutin' extrees but it shoots fine and eats up any ammo I toss in there. I bought some extra Colt mags from Midway and they work good. The frame was made in Brazil by Imbel but the gun was assembled in the USA. It's a 2007 model year and the model is no longer made but the defender seems to be pretty close without the US walnut grip panels. For me now I would prefer the Colt Series 70 or the SA Mil Spec but I have an SA GI model so I shoot that. I carried a Colt 70 series back in the 80's but it didn't like the 185gr holler points much and would choke on them sometimes. It fed everything else OK. I'll tell you the truth though I haven't tried the 185gr hollow points out of my Springfield GI.

If your budget will only allow for $600 I can sympathize, the defender looks like a good deal. The Rock Island is made in the Philippines not that there is anything wrong with that and one of the other GI models, I think Inland is made by the same Philippine company. The Auto Ordinance is made in the US but I'm pretty sure it's a series 80. If you looked at only a short portion of the video I posted to understand the difference between 70 and 80 series you can make your own educated choice. Some say it's not that big a deal and maybe it's not but there is a difference. You decide.

EDIT: I almost forgot to mention that Springfield Armory still installs the Internal Locking System on the mainspring housing. I replaced the mainspring housing and the associated bits to make it into a safe gun for me. I would never use it for any reason so it's an unnecessary complication that can easily be resolved. I used a Smith and Alexander Gov't stainless arched mainspring housing and these instructions. If you're good with the ILS then all you need to do is clean it and shoot it.

https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=334332

[Remington788]

I think Tisas is making 1911's in Turkey from original plans.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/gu...sas-zig-m1911/

[thebearpack]

I think Tisas is making 1911's in Turkey from original plans.

https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/gu...sas-zig-m1911/

Turks are making some good guns lately. I have a Zenith Z5RS made in Turkey on HK equipment and it's top notch.

OP, if for some reason you want to spend 50% more to have a pony on your slide, by all means do it. But there other are fine options available, and I say that as a huge Colt 1911 fan. Only reason I can think of is resale as Colts tend to hold their value better.

As for the 70 versus 80 series, there is next to zero chance the 80 series parts will fail and the difference in trigger feel is negligible, but if it's still a problem you can take the 80 series parts out and install a $10 shim. Or you can learn how to tune your trigger. 1911s are fun to work on and you don't necessarily have to pay more for a 70 series.

[Yoder]

Not all Springfields are not made in the USA. Only their top tier pistols. I bought a Springfield loaded model and it's proudly stamped made in Brazil on the frame.

[Pag23]

Not all Springfields are not made in the USA. Only their top tier pistols. I bought a Springfield loaded model and it's proudly stamped made in Brazil on the frame.

My Defender has that NM prefix as noted in a prior post....so it should be all US built.

It is a good value with a match grade barrel... It might have some MIM parts but I can always switch them out for metal ones...

[brian]

does springfield still make their gi model?

[JenniferG]

does springfield still make their gi model?

No, they make the Mil-Spec and Mil-Spec Defender. Springfield says the Defender is

For a limited time, as part of the Defenders Series, Springfield Armory offers the best deal ever on our legendary 1911 Mil-Spec, with an MSRP of $549.00.
The Defenders Series Sales Event is designed to encourage new shooters to invest in their first firearm, and introduce value-driven customers to the Springfield Armory brand. Different firearms will be available for limited periods at incredibly low prices.

I believe the GI production ceased in 2011. Mine is a 2007.

[abner13]

https://www.classicfirearms.com/sds-...ontent=Primary

[Ronin]

If the Springfield Defender is US made, it seems hard to turn down....Thanks for the advice everyone!

Tanner's in Jamison has a used Springfield Defender 1911 for $399. It was posted in their 10a used guns list on Facebook. May not be there for long. Call to confirm. They're a haul from York, but worth the drive. Hell even if they don't have that one anymore, they have a good selection of new and used guns.