1911

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I am thinking of adding a 1911 to my collection. I would appreciate any suggections of what to look for. Make, etc. I've never had or even fired one. I usually buy new, but a good used would be alright. Thanks for any input to help in the decision.
 
I bought a Para LTC which was a complete POS, REturned it and then I bought a S&W 1911PD which has been great! Both are Alloy frame comander size (4.25 Barrel).

So as far as 1911's you can buy in MA, I'd say most definatly stay away from the Para and consiter a Smith...
 
I am thinking of adding a 1911 to my collection. I would appreciate any suggections of what to look for. Make, etc. I've never had or even fired one. I usually buy new, but a good used would be alright. Thanks for any input to help in the decision.

Fire one FIRST. If there is one absolute that I have learned since I got my first LTC, it's that not all guns work for all people. If you live near Brockton, I'd be glad to let you shoot mine.

When buying, I'd steer clear of Auto Ordnance.
 
Since we live in a communist state we do not have too many choices when it comes to getting brand new 1911's. S&W would probably be your best choice for a new 1911. Naturally if you don't care whether the gun is used then you may want to take a look at a Kimber, Springfield, Colt, etc. Thing with Para Ordnance is that some people love them but most hate them. I have bought a Para back in November and had to send it in for repair after a couple of weeks (still waiting to get it back). My suggestion would to be to try some of them on for size. I have a S&W 1911PD (commander size). I am not sure where you are located but you are welcome to try it out.
 
You could search high and low for one of the pre-ban Wilson, Ed Brown, Les Baer, etc.

Or you could order a frame and have a custom gun built from scratch.

Or, you can commission a piece of art from SVI and have a legal and unique gun that will make grown men drool.

Or you can just walk into any gun store and get a Smith or Para off the shelf and be Very Very happy with a decent shooter.

All depends on how much $$ and time you have.

In the end, they will all go bang and make caliber specific holes downrange.


Just stay away from Auto Ordnance and a few other bottom end manufacturers. If the price seems too good, it is.
 
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Try to find an old Colt for your first.

Everything else is just a copy. [laugh]

I also agree to stay away from AO. No Norinco's either. I've had a few Para's and wasn't happy with them. No doubt the quality is there, It just seems as though the majority of them need a lot of tuning to get 100% reliable.

Happy hunting
 
another 1 for S&W.

locally made and their stuff is quality....

just make sure you pick up some loc-tite for your grips though.
 
The new 2008 AOs are actually not bad. Like many, I've been scarred by past experiences with the older Numrich models, but these new Kahr-built ones are not bad at all. I really like mine.

Smiths are great, but I'm one of these old farts who can't get past seeing "Smith & Wesson" on a 1911. Yes, I know. It's a personal problem.

Anyway, be very careful. 1911s are like Lays potato chips. You may find you just can't have one :)

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You could search high and low for one of the pre-ban Wilson, Ed Brown, Les Baer, etc.

Or you could order a frame and have a custom gun built from scratch.

Or, you can commission a piece of art from SVI and have a legal and unique gun that will make grown men drool.

Or you can just walk into any gun store and get a Smith or Para off the shelf and be Very Very happy with a decent shooter.

All depends on how much $$ and time you have.

In the end, they will all go bang and make caliber specific holes downrange.


Just stay away from Auto Ordnance and a few other bottom end manufacturers. If the price seems too good, it is.

No offense intended at all, but when I was shooting 2700's, all of my pistols were serviced by Al Dinan. He was a true "master of the art", a shooter, and a businessman. It was a shame how he got killed backing out of his driveway.

Point is...take a .45, out of the box...use it...feel it. Then give it to a good gunsmith. After the trigger work, bushing work, slide work, bbl. work, etc. you will have something that will meet or exceed your abilites. Grin, the rest is up to you.[wink]
 
The new 2008 AOs are actually not bad. Like many, I've been scarred by past experiences with the older Numrich models, but these new Kahr-built ones are not bad at all. I really like mine.

Smiths are great, but I'm one of these old farts who can't get past seeing "Smith & Wesson" on a 1911. Yes, I know. It's a personal problem.

Anyway, be very careful. 1911s are like Lays potato chips. You may find you just can't have one :)

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stable_full_left1_sm.jpg

 
+1 S&W

don't know where you live but you could go to S&W in springfield to
the shooting sprts center and try a few of their 1911's

I would serioulsy recommed a 945. I have one its about 4 years old.

You will have all of the custom adds for a lot less $


JimB
 
I just picked up my first 1911. Its a 4" barrel S&W w/ a rail on it. I love it. What a difference though when I did that first shot. Wasn't expecting the power it has. I am very pleased with it and it restores my faith in S&W. I had a 4013 I think the was the # in .40 and all it did was jamb up after 3 or 4 quick shots. I've put over 300 rounds thru the 1911 w/o any issues.
 
Fire one FIRST. If there is one absolute that I have learned since I got my first LTC, it's that not all guns work for all people. If you live near Brockton, I'd be glad to let you shoot mine.

When buying, I'd steer clear of Auto Ordnance.

Kahr OA! I have a U.S. Made 10mm OA that is fantastic. 1982 manufacture.
It is the balls! Testbed for the Secret Service and FBI 10mm. Yep, must be a POS.
 
Kahr OA! I have a U.S. Made 10mm OA that is fantastic. 1982 manufacture.
It is the balls! Testbed for the Secret Service and FBI 10mm. Yep, must be a POS.
I'm happy you got a good one. Enjoy it. Mine was junk. After many trips to the gunsmith it would never run a single mag without a jam. Traded it off in '98.
 
I'm happy you got a good one. Enjoy it. Mine was junk. After many trips to the gunsmith it would never run a single mag without a jam. Traded it off in '98.

If you traded it off in '98, then you must of had one of the earlier Numrich guns manufactured in NY. Those were absolutely horrible. I would not have even considered an AO until I found out that it's a completely different company making them now. The one I got is the newer 2008 AO built in Worcestor by Kahr. Here's a copy paste of recent range report I left at another forum. FYI, I picked up my AO from Four Seasons a few months ago.

Kahr-built (2008) Auto-Ordnance 1911A1 WWII repro

Well, I'm not sure this new Kahr-built AO has totally exorcised all the demons from those awful Numrich AOs that I remember when I was living in NC nearly two decades ago, but it certainly made a good effort.

A few months ago, I was the market for a cheap, but reliable 1911 that I could beat around and not feel bad about. As circumstances turned out, I wounded up with a LNIB Colt SS 1991 NRM. Couldn't have been happier. Only there was a slight problem. The Colt turned out to be so nice, I didn't want to nick it let alone abuse it. So now I was back on the market for yet another 1911 that I could abuse and not lose any sleep over.

After exhausting my search for a RIA or Norinco, I picked up a new, "MA compliant" AO WWII repro last week. It was cheapest 1911 that we can buy NEW here in this socialist state (the rest of you will get to know our pain now that Obama is in office). Never thought I'd ever own anything with an AO rollmark on it, but after looking it over carefully at the gunshop, I decided to take a chance on it. Now after my first range trip today, I'm glad I got it.

Fit of all major parts is decent, all the holes are in the right spot, parkerizing was even, springs were of good quality, and the barrel chamber/rifling looked fine. The slide stop is a pain to remove though. The interior of the plunger tube must be very rough or something. Either that, or the plunger spring is excessively heavy. I cannot push the slide stop entirely out and away from the frame using just with my finger. I need the help of a small screwdriver or the lip of the magazine to give it a slight pry once it's partially slid out. Hopefully, this will wear in with use. Not a major issue, just a pain in the ass like my brother who borrows my stuff and never returns any of it. The Metalform mag was crap. Had numerous weld marks on it where they attempted to "fix it" or something. Anyway, since I had plenty of Colt mags, the factory mag went Immediately into the crash. Didn't want to waste any time with it.

Not much to look at, but hey it's all about personality, right?

autoordnance_left.jpg

autoordnance_right.jpg


167rds were expended today, of which most were UMC 230gr ball with some 230gr Remington Golden Sabres and Federal HydraShok (old truncated cone style) tossed in. To my surprise, there were no "break in" issues at all. Not one failure to feed, chamber, or extract. I did get two stove pipes, but that was my fault for limp wristing the gun during rapid fire. That problem went away as soon as I started gripping the gun like a man. :eek:

The front sight, a concern among some current AO owners, seemed to have been staked on properly and showed no signs of looseness. Accuracy was not bad at all for a mil-spec, but shots tended to drift slightly to the left and high, but not so much that it bothered me. The trigger seemed to have smoothed out really quickly after the first 100 rds or so and broke fairly crisp. Once again, way more than you'd expect for a GI mil-spec.

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If I had any complaint at all, it's the standard high ejection port. I was reminded as to why I've always hated it. A few times the brass would deflect off the side of the port and bounce back into the slide. Luckily, it was after the last round so releasing the mag or turning the gun upside down would simply let the casing drop out of the gun. Not serious, but really annoying. My old, custom Essex had this issue and it didn't go away until I had the port lowered. I remember the issued 1911s from my days in the Corps would do this every now and then also. Sooner or later, its gonna cause a stoppage if a brass case gets deflected back and causes a stovepipe.

autoordnance_brass.jpg


Anyway, for those of you who have stayed away from the AOs based on your earlier Numrich, West Hurley experiences, these new Kahr 1911s are definitely not the same animal. You might want to give them a look see if you're looking for a cheap GI mil-spec or project gun. Right now, I'm pretty happy with mine and don't plan on making any mods to it (despite the high ejection port). I trust it enough to use it as my home defense gun at the moment.

UPDATE:

A couple of folks has been asking about the barrel and whether it was standard GI or was throated. It's throated.

barrel1.jpg


Here's a better shot of the chamber and rifling. Note, that's oil and fibers from my cleaning patch on the rifling. The grooves are actually very smooth.

barrel2.jpg
 
Love the Kimbers. Have an ULTRA CDP which I carry, and a nice Gold Match II in stainless, fiber front sight, and Techwell Magwell setup.
 
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