First 1911, suggestions

hillman

hillman

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I keep seeing people on here post about 1911s and how great they are, it's made me really interested. I have yet to shoot one myself, but I am now thinking about picking one up.

I've recently become a fan of .45s in general, my Ruger P345 is now my daily carry, both on and off duty, and I can't say enough good things about it.

But now I'm thinking seriously about picking up a 1911 and would like some suggestions. Money is an issue, as my current job situation is uncertain, so I'm looking for a moderately priced, but good quality 1911. I don't mind getting a basic gun and upgrading / having work done on it later as I can.

Can anyone give me some advice on what to look at? New or used doesn't matter to me. What should I look at and what kind of prices should I expect?

Thanks.
 
S&W1911. A basic model is all you need, just the standard S&W 1911 Stainless, and should run you 550-700 depending on whether you want new or used.
 
What I did was to see them in person, pick them up, feel them out. You can find just about any price you want. If you can fire a few, great! Lots of people here use them - meet up with them and try them out. Everybody has an opinion, what counts in the end is YOUR opinion.
 
I just obtained one S&W1911...for about $750. I'm guessing that's the norm. I'm no expert on 1911's though, but they are on a totally different level of pistol than anything I've ever handled.
 
Thr Rock islands definitely look appealing.

On the used side, Norincos (if you can find one) are great. And it is always hard to go wrong with anything that has a dancing horse on it as a shooter, parts and return on investment..
 
vellnueve said:
S&W1911. A basic model is all you need, just the standard S&W 1911 Stainless, and should run you 550-700 depending on whether you want new or used.
Click to expand...

What he said.

Or there's a used Colt 1911 for $600 at Callaghan's in Marlboro, or there was on Saturday, anyway. Made in 1919, aftermarket trigger and barrel, BoMar sights, reblued and seems to be pretty tight. Some blemishes in the finish but seems to be solid.
 
I was looking at the one at Callaghan's as well. And am still considering it, SO BACK OFF!..
but seriously.


the things that I do not like about that one in particular.
1. this is a mismatched gun, the slide and lower are colt but not matching
2. This appears to me to be an amature's attempt at gunsmithing
3. the trigger was awful, if to be used as a target gun.
4. the bluing job was (as mentioned) a redo, it was obvious.
5 . I did not poke into the internals of it, not sure what else may have been changed.

So, IF someone buys this that is not up on 1911s and putting them back to right I would HIGHLY reccomend having a competent and trusted smith go over it before shooting.

On the upside (and there is a LOT to like here).

1 it is a Colt.
2. it has that dancing horse on it that adds value.
3. Price is very fair for what you are buying
4 it is a COLT
5. price point makes it an attractive gun to modify the way YOU want it.
6. Given the state of it, you would go into this eyes wide open that you wil want to/ NEED to have it gone over and probably modified. Given the price point and state/ condition, you would not be ruining a very valuable / collectable piece.
7. this may come as a shock, but in case you didn't notice, it Is a COLT..
8. Rich is a great guy, great to deal with, NO BS and will ALWAYS treat you right.
 
Another plug for the SW1911. I have the Gunsite model, which is a commander sized (4.25" barrel vs the standard 5" government, the grips are the same and they use the same magazines), scandium/aluminum alloy framed version. A friend has the government sized steel version. I think you can't go wrong with the Smith&Wesson 1911 lines. S&W has great customer service, and all the upgrades that you would tend to do to a GI type 1911 are done for you from the factory.
 
I have a lot of 1911's but to be honest I like my S&W's better than my Colts. There is a big difference that you can notice if you shoot them a lot.

One big difference is, Colts are a little more finicky about what you feed them. The older ones can be real bad with any thing but ball. The rifling in the Colt barrel starts sooner than the rifling in a barrel in the S&W. Which basically means the S&W will feed a lot of different designs of bullets with less trouble.

Also the Colt has the older style sights which are fixed and small. You either have to have the slide milled and new sights installed or learn to live with them. S&W has it all over Colt with the different types of sights offered.

A used base model 5 inch S&W with novack sights can be found for as little as $550.
 
Seanc, according to what I've read, the finish in 1918 and 1919 was very dark and not very durable, so most of them wind up reblued. I wasn't too thrilled with the pitting that I saw on the right side, though.

Sights were obvious aftermarket; Richie says that the owner's widow said he used it to pin shoot. The barrel was nice and tight; no movement in the bushing at all. Also the lockup looked good, too. I was very, very close to taking it home with me... I decided to think it over, and ultimately decided that getting the IBM carbine I've been lusting after was more important at this time. After all, I do have a great .45 - my SW1911.
 
Dwarven,
I think it is an old, played with, nice, shooter. And one that probably needs some attention, or at least a stamp of approval from a competent MD.

I think it would be a nice shooter for any one to have. I DO like the fact thatthis gun has history. To a large extent the is rendered academic by it's present state. I like the fact that the price is reasonable and right. Also, that there is no sacralidge in performing surgery on a near 100 year old piece.

As far as the others vs Colt.. I think this is pretty much a Jap bike vs. Harley argument. The Jap bikes (arguably) do everything better than a Harley. But, the Harley will always be the standard by which others are judged and compared to. And no matter how much better the others are to the origonal, they will always be copies.
 
Are you looking for an older gun or original style 1911 or are you looking for a modern 1911? The Modern guns are MUCH better shooters (for the most part) and typically have better components. Decide what the primary purpose of the gun will be and then you can narrow down components you will want on the gun. This will help target the actual gun you should buy. If you're looking for a gun for competition or target shooting you prob. want something that has a BoMar style rear sight. If you buy a gun with a Novac style rear it will be costly to have BoMars installed later. If you're looking for a carry gun then the Novac style would be preferred. Give us some insight to the purpose of the gun and I can narrow options down for the most part. If you're looking for a GI type gun I'm not one to help you but if you're looking for a modern 1911 I can help.

Pete
 
seanc said:
As far as the others vs Colt.. I think this is pretty much a Jap bike vs. Harley argument. The Jap bikes (arguably) do everything better than a Harley. But, the Harley will always be the standard by which others are judged and compared to.
Click to expand...
He's making this comparison to a guy who's ridden BMWs for the last 22 years... [laugh]
 
PistolPete said:
Are you looking for an older gun or original style 1911 or are you looking for a modern 1911? The Modern guns are MUCH better shooters (for the most part) and typically have better components. Decide what the primary purpose of the gun will be and then you can narrow down components you will want on the gun. This will help target the actual gun you should buy. If you're looking for a gun for competition or target shooting you prob. want something that has a BoMar style rear sight. If you buy a gun with a Novac style rear it will be costly to have BoMars installed later. If you're looking for a carry gun then the Novac style would be preferred. Give us some insight to the purpose of the gun and I can narrow options down for the most part. If you're looking for a GI type gun I'm not one to help you but if you're looking for a modern 1911 I can help.

Pete
Click to expand...

All my guns are carry guns... else what's the point?
 
seanc said:
I was looking at the one at Callaghan's as well. And am still considering it, SO BACK OFF!..
but seriously.


the things that I do not like about that one in particular.
1. this is a mismatched gun, the slide and lower are colt but not matching
2. This appears to me to be an amature's attempt at gunsmithing
3. the trigger was awful, if to be used as a target gun.
4. the bluing job was (as mentioned) a redo, it was obvious.
5 . I did not poke into the internals of it, not sure what else may have been changed.

So, IF someone buys this that is not up on 1911s and putting them back to right I would HIGHLY reccomend having a competent and trusted smith go over it before shooting.

On the upside (and there is a LOT to like here).

1 it is a Colt.
2. it has that dancing horse on it that adds value.
3. Price is very fair for what you are buying
4 it is a COLT
5. price point makes it an attractive gun to modify the way YOU want it.
6. Given the state of it, you would go into this eyes wide open that you wil want to/ NEED to have it gone over and probably modified. Given the price point and state/ condition, you would not be ruining a very valuable / collectable piece.
7. this may come as a shock, but in case you didn't notice, it Is a COLT..
8. Rich is a great guy, great to deal with, NO BS and will ALWAYS treat you right.
Click to expand...

why does the dancing horse add money to the gun or are you joking? my ov model has a dancing horse. an how can you tell if the gun is tight what do you mean by that i'd like to check mine out
 
Last edited:
hillman said:
I keep seeing people on here post about 1911s and how great they are, it's made me really interested. I have yet to shoot one myself, but I am now thinking about picking one up.

I've recently become a fan of .45s in general, my Ruger P345 is now my daily carry, both on and off duty, and I can't say enough good things about it.

But now I'm thinking seriously about picking up a 1911 and would like some suggestions. Money is an issue, as my current job situation is uncertain, so I'm looking for a moderately priced, but good quality 1911. I don't mind getting a basic gun and upgrading / having work done on it later as I can.

Can anyone give me some advice on what to look at? New or used doesn't matter to me. What should I look at and what kind of prices should I expect?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

This is Crazy.... You and I have the same exact gun story!

If you like your Ruger, you will LOVE a 1911.

The SW1911 is a good start. I went with the sku: 108285, 5" model with fixed rear Novak sight. it's black, no rail - has more of a "classic" look IMO. I don't care for the wood grips though. They loosen up during shooting +100 rounds. So I'm on the hunt for some grips...

I got it earlier last month so I'll be getting $100 back. The price before the Rebate was $774.

I've been online and there seems to be a plethora of parts (of course)....

***I love my Ruger as well*** LOL My Ruger is what convinced me to get rid of the Glock to fund a .45 ACP 1911.....
 
cdiaz6000 said:
This is Crazy.... You and I have the same exact gun story!

......

The SW1911 is a good start. I went with the sku: 108285, 5" model with fixed rear Novak sight. it's black, no rail - has more of a "classic" look IMO. I don't care for the wood grips though. They loosen up during shooting +100 rounds. So I'm on the hunt for some grips...

..
Click to expand...

A dab of nail polish on the screws fixes that.
 
wheelgun said:
A dab of nail polish on the screws fixes that.
Click to expand...

great... now to find some nail polish.......... hmmmmmm,

my girlfriend is away for two weeks and her "chic" bag went with her. i guess I could buy some..... but then again. LOL
 
There are a couple of points that I have tried to make that I am not sure have come through.

I believe the S&Ws to be very well made and very very nice guns. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them and for the money and the availability (in mass) probably the best deal going. The fact that the factory is local is certainly an upside as far as service.

The Rock Islands (no first hand shooting experience) are well made, pretty faithful interpretations of the orig 1911s. They are also the best bang for the buck out there as far as price.

There are tons of other 1911s out there. Far too many to list as 1911s are have essentially become a cottage industry of low, middle and high end models all tweaked in some way to differentiate them from one another. Carry models, race guns, shortened, lengthened, high cap, double action, etc. Kimber, Les Baer, Wilson, caspian, Bul, Essex, enterprise, Norinco, etc, etc....

To go along with this there are billions of after market parts to further tweak your gun to what that individual wants.

If the owner wants to do their own work, has the knowledge of fitting, grinding and polishing, or if they intend to never alter the gun then any of the above off will probably serve them extremely well as there are very few crappy guns out there. But, 50% of the fun of a 1911 (like a Harley) is tweaking and adding doo dads.

A look at and a call to any of the parts catalogs/ manfucturers and a few smiths can be enlightening. Some smiths will flat out not work on certain makers for any number of reasons (even some of the nicer/ higher end guns). Determining if a certain part will work in the Brand X gun, can be a crap shoot. A person could find out that the 100% milspec 1911 isn't so 100% milspec. The response is generally something along the line of "sure it's a 100% milspec, but, we tweaked it and improved it so, certain parts might require a bit of fitting".

Boiling it down... The overwhelming ammount parts out there are all made to fit Colts. If you call the parts comapny and ask them, will this work in my Colt Series 80? They will say yes. And if it does not send it back and get your money back. If you ask a gunsmith to install a new sight, beavertail, extractor, etc. on your Series 70 they will say, Sure! drop it off on tuesday.

The final point. as much as I buy a gun thinking that I am going to keep it, treasure it and shoot it forever, things change. A few years down the road should a person decide to sell or trade off a 1911, the Colt will always be desirable to a wider audience. To a dealer/ seller they don't have to explain to a person that may have never heard of (fill in name here) how and why it is that much better than the Colt. Colt is the standard that all others are compared to. It very well may not the best out there but, there really is no way you can talk about 1911 without Colt being part of the mix.
 
It stinks for those of us that live in MA, that we can't get a new Springfield Armory GI or Mil-spec 1911. I've inspected one at a gunshow and have heard great things about reliability. They're right up there with the S&W 1911's as bang for your buck goes.
 

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