All 1911's (basically) created equal?

[ChemicalReaper]

I'm thinking about getting myself a graduation present, and I figured, why not get a 1911? I'd love to own one, and POOFA has 'taught' me that real Americans carry .45s, and anything less than a .45 will only tickle your assailant

So... are most 1911s pretty much equal?

My budget is "college student," so don't tell me custom is the way to go Dan Wessons, most new Colts, Sigs, and Smiths are priced out of my range – I'm looking to spend $800 at most + tax.

At the moment, I'm looking at Springfield's Mil-Spec, Remington's R1/R1S and Commander-length 1911, Ruger's full- and Commander-length 1911s, and Rock Island's full- and Commander-length mil-spec 1911s. Any others I should add to my list?

Thanks

[knight0334]

Not all 1911's are created equally. Some are tighter than others. Some use spot heat treating, some are fully heat treated, some none at all. GI models typically have a different radius where the grip and grip safety pivot near than what factory beavertailed guns have. And on beavertailed guns, that radius varies a little in the industry - some are .250" radius, some .200" radius.

Some manufacturers keep with bushing type barrels, others like to use bull barrels. Some use ramped barrels, original design doesn't.

When you buy a 1911 you need to ask yourself - what is the long term purpose of it? If you're wanting to customize it to make it yours, you might not want to spend extra for higher priced versions. If you're just going to carry/shoot, then you might want to invest in the gun most fitting to your preferences.

[Sparxfly72]

At 800+, Sigs are not out of reach. I can attest to their quality. Springfield Loaded is also there. I would cruise gunbroker and see your possibilities.

[IntenseImage]

A 1911 is a 1911 in essence ... its the quality of the parts and the fit/finish that separates them. And of course with many, you pay a lovely premium for the name.

If you wanted to go SA look at the Range Officer (I think its in your budget). The Ruger SR1911 is another great option as is the Kimber Custom II.

But ... if I were you, and buying your first 1911 ... that Rock Island would be high on my list. Does it have the fit/finish of the others, nope, but its still a very well built gun (especially for the price) that runs and runs. For the amount of $ you save going with the RIA, you can put the rest into upgrades or better yet, ammo.

My wife has 2 RIA's that she shoots in competition (they see over 1000 rounds a month) and not once have they given her a problem. I am starting to see more and more of them at the matches too -- I think people are seeing the light

[RXM]

Not all 1911s are created equal. If you ever get a custom one in your hand you can definitely tell there is a difference in quality, fit and finish. Buyer has to ask themselves if this extra attention to detail is worth the extra cost. Reliability wise, everyone puts out a lemon once and a while.

[Brian Ahearn]

All of the ones that you mentioned are good quality pistols and they will get the job done in that price range. You should also look at STI -same price range. However there are some cheaper options that offer exceptional quality and would allow you to use the rest of your funds on ammo . For $400 to $599 there are some very nice Rock Island pistols as well as the Tisas Turkish made 1911 series{ BudsGunshop.com}. I actually spend more time shooting my Tisas 1911's than my high end $2700.00 1911 pistol. I have come to like turk pistols{ have over 10 in my collection} so much that I will be building three custom Tisas 1911's shortly for my boys and I . I have shot all the ones that you have mentioned and have no complaints about any of them. 1911's go from $399 to $5K and up and they are not all equal . Its going to come down to what you like and how much you want to spend.

[AHelm3]

What Intense said. If you want a bare bones 1911 that runs well and some cash left over, you cant beat a RIA. If you want to spend almost all of your budget, and have a better looking, tighter fit 1911, you can't go wrong with the Ruger. Mine has treated me well since day 1.

[ChemicalReaper]

When you buy a 1911 you need to ask yourself - what is the long term purpose of it? If you're wanting to customize it to make it yours, you might not want to spend extra for higher priced versions.

I like my firearms to run pretty smoothly out of the box: I'm not a tinkerer, and I don't have enough experience with guns to feel comfortable doing my own work on them. I also don't have the money to pay a gunsmith to fix up poorly manufactured parts, add custom sights, do a trigger job, etc.

My primary purpose would be CC + taking to the range. I already have a P226 for home defense, but it's way too wide for concealed carry. (I'm 6'0", 185lbs; too skinny to easily conceal a double-stack -- and I have tried it with the 226.)

Everyone seems to be happy with the Rugers and RIAs, and the Springfield and Remingtons seem to have good reviews, too. One thing I like about the Remington is that it's manufactured right here in the USA; one thing I like about the Springfield is its lifetime warranty that transfers to future owners.

[jervboy]

I vote Ruger SR1911. You will be happy with it. Remington makes some nice affordable 1911's.

[mike12_nguyen]

1911s have a lot of different levels and purposes. For what you stated I would stick with a RIA, para, R1 or the sr1911. Keep in mind .45acp is not cheap and if this is your first 1911 using money for ammo will be better suited for you. If you end up damaging a cheaper 1911 you won't mind as much, that price level allows you to play around with the gun more.

entry level: RIA, Girsan from (Buds Guns), Para or the R1. You can look on the ads here, most of the members give really good deals on 2nd hand guns. Their guns tend to be better kept and have upgrades. Be very careful off of armslist and only do FTF.

mid-level: Sig, SA, Colt & S&W. These are a little tighter, have better finish and upgraded features.

semi-customs: Dan wesson, some kimbers, les baer.

customs: nighthawk, ed brown, wilson combat, cabot, high end fusion.

couple more things: make sure to keep some money for good quality mags like the wilson 47d or chip power mags. look into series 70 or 80 safeties, I personally prefer the 70 and have removed the plungers on my 80s and replaced with the spacer. If you do get an 80 just make sure when you put the slide back on the first time you don't ding up the back with plunger engaged via beavertail. its annoying as shyt and i had to refinish 2 of my 80s because of that...