1911 Question

glockstar

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So heres my question...Im looking to purchase a new 1911 but on the fence as to which one to buy. I only want to spend around $1,200, its gotta be a .45 and has to be full sized. Soo Smith & Weson, Kimber, Springfield Armory, Night Hawk Custom, or even Para? If you guys can give me your opinions and any advice id love to hear it. Thanks!
 
First off, are you in MA or elsewhere (as this impacts what is available). Night Hawk Custom is probably out of the price range you are talking about; Para's strength is in the double stack and/or double action arena. S&W, Kimber and SA all make decent stuff and you will be happy with any of them.
 
That's high for S&W.

I'm a big fan of theirs, but a bigger fan of custom stuff. You could just barely sneak in a build at that price-point, although that doesn't sound like what you're looking for.
 
I take it you are not in MA. From the list you have and the price you set, I would go with Springfield. If you can afford a Night Hawk, go for it, but I thought they were over your $1,200 for the most part. S&W and Kimber are ok, Kimbers had some problems a while ago but have not heard anything lately. Although many are quite happy with them, I would not buy a Para till I saw more of their stuff now that they are in the US.
 
i'm sure john at remsport will be able to help you out with what you are looking for

If you mean "have them build one", this would be my choice, but I think $1200 may be low for the work they normally do, but I've never bought a finished gun from them, so I don't know for sure.
 
Ill throw in my vote for S&W. It was the first gun I ever bought and I love it. You can buy them new in the $850 neighborhood.
 
So heres my question...Im looking to purchase a new 1911 but on the fence as to which one to buy. I only want to spend around $1,200, its gotta be a .45 and has to be full sized. Soo Smith & Weson, Kimber, Springfield Armory, Night Hawk Custom, or even Para? If you guys can give me your opinions and any advice id love to hear it. Thanks!

People are pretty polarized with regards to Para and Kimber. There are a lot of people out there who hate them, and there are a lot of people who are quite happy with them. My friend has a pair of kimbers, and loves them. Para does a lot of double stack and double action guns, only a smaller selection of their guns are 1911-pattern.

Nighthawks are awesome, awesome guns. If you find one in serviceable condition for $1200, I'd take it in a heartbeat. That said, they usually run twice that or better.

Between SA and S&W - SA guns are more "classic," I find, and S&W has some additional modern features like the internal safety (schwartz safety? Can't remember the name) and an external extractor. Both make excellent guns, it all depends on what feature set you are looking for.

If you are in Mass, S&W and Para will be your options for a brand new gun. Keep your eye out, decide what features you want (ambi safety, series 80 firing pin block, front slide serrations, flared/extended ejection port, etc etc) and see which guns match that set of features.

Be careful, though. 1911s are like potato chips - bet you can't have just one!
 
smith or sig both are nice guns. when i wanted a 45 auto, i didnt have a huge bankroll as i was and still am out of work for medical reasons. i ended up trading my model 25 smith revolver that ive had since 1978 for a ruger p345. its a great gun. out of the box it very accurate and it has fed all types of ammo through it without a hiccup. i have put about 1500 rounds through it since last september and still no problems. a new p345 is around 500 dollars or so. i do miss the old revolver but i love the ruger. my wife started shooting about 2 months ago and she is handling that 45 like a veteran. the first time she shot it she hit 8 out of 10 shots from the 8 ring into the center and the other 2 were on the bottom right corner, no real grouping but she put them all on the target at about 24 yards.
 
Ive heard nothing but great things about NightHawk custom but seriously...Almost $3,000 for a 1911. Are these guns hand made, or just expensive production Models?
 
Ive heard nothing but great things about NightHawk custom but seriously...Almost $3,000 for a 1911. Are these guns hand made, or just expensive production Models?

Handmade. They're one of the good "semi-custom" 1911s, in that they have specific models, but build most of them to-order. You certainly pay a premium, though, and can get "full-custom" to exact specs for the same price or less, depending on where you go.

I use some of their parts in my builds (like trigger and mag release) often, and I like them, but can't burn that much cash for one gun, even if it is worth it.
 
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So could i just buy a frame and use all NightHawk parts and build my own for a fraction of the cost?

Yes, although with tools it will be a large fraction.

what make a nighthawk or any other custom great is the attention to detail on the fitting. The sum is greater than the parts.

This is the catch [grin]. Nighthawk also has a proprietary finish that is supposedly really good. A 1911 is not just a matter of assembling. It must be built by a craftsman, and the level of craftsman skill matters. There's a long thread called "Assembling a 1911; it's ON!" that has documented me doing only the easy parts if you want to see what it's like.
 
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