First 1911

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I'm looking to get a 1911 upon return from OEF and have been asking around the guys for opinions. Thought this might be a good place to ask as well. Not looking to spend more than a G on one and have heard from many that a SIG might not be a bad way to go (CenterMass181), already have a 229 so I'm already a SIG fan. Just not sure if that's what I want for my first 1911. Call it my post deployment gift to myself...Thoughts?
 
If you're stuck in MA your choices will be limited by the AG's supah-sekret list unless you pick one up in a FTF transaction, and then you'll pay a premium if its an off-list item.

MrsTwigg carries a Commander sized S&W1911PD which I enjoy shooting very much. You'd be able to find one in your budget easliy.

I used to carry a Govt. S&W1911Sc which also is a very well made sidearm. These days I have a Colt1991, (also Govt. size) which I've found to be the best 1911 I've ever had.

There's lots of 1911's on the market. Unless you can conceal a full size easily (regardless of caliber) I'd suggest a Commander or Officers size.
 
I'm also a big Sig fan, my 226 is one of my favorite pistols. I have read some reports of people having issues with the Sig 1911. If you search the forums you might find the posts I'm speaking of. I own a S&W 1911PD which is a Commander size and I love it. Being in Mass your options are limited, but if you have patience you could probably find a nice colt in the classifieds although it could take some weeks or months. If you go to the S&W website you can see the various models of 1911 they have. You can usually get them for a few hundred under list. Four Seasons has a ton of them. Good Luck.
 
I would take a look at what S&W is putting out. I own one, and have fired two others, so my experience is limited, but I was very very impressed with the fit, function, and accuracy. (They were all full sized, so I can't speak to the smaller models.) I had a Star PD years ago that I'm still kicking myself for selling.
 
I have two S&W 1911's and love both of them. Never had any issues nor do i expect to. Bought one here from another member for 700 and bought a new one for 900.
 
I've got a S&W 1911ES. Nice mix of a Commander slide with an officer frame. Good shooter, conceals well.
 
This is a great start, I'll definitely keep my options open and start researching the S&Ws. I'm looking to carry it so I'll be sure to check both full size and the others... thanks.
 
Sig has the C3 and RCS as compact 1911s. Like the S&W ES they are CCOs (Commander slide on an officer's frame). I carry a CCO every day and find it to be the best option for concealed carry with a 1911.
 
I just picked up an S&W 1911 about a month ago and love it. It was just a tick under a grand although you may be able to find it a little cheaper if you hunt.
 
Your options for a 1911 are pretty well limited if you return directly to Mass. If you are stationed outside the Commonwealth (assuming you are not NG or Reserve) wait until you get to your new duty station where you can have the whole gamut of brands with offerings in the 1K range.

Lots of people rave about the S&W's so they must be okay to good. I'm interested in the new round butt "E" series myself. I have heard mixed reviews about the Sigs.

If you are lucky you can always buy a good used 1911 from a private party FTF that is not on the "lists."

I have a Colt Mk IV Series 80 with a Mike LaRocca trigger job which I like and carry when I carry a 1911 (which isn't too often) (purchased in 1985 in Mass before we went totally stupid on gun laws)
 
Good luck with your 1911 search, that was my first purchase as a newly licensed Class-A holder. Yes, the 1911 selection is limited in MA and there is an unnecessary premium on pre-ban colt 1911s. If anything, take your time with your research, I had just as much fun researching the various 1911 models as I did finally purchasing one. You are going to get a lot of opinions if you ask 'which 1911 to get' on a forum, take what you hear with a grain of salt. You are going to have avid Colt owners saying there is simply no other 1911, you have the race gun community telling you the benefits of a STI gun, you have the haters who hate certain make and model 1911s based on what else they themselves have read of other's opinion.

In the end, there are facts that will support your purchasing decision and stick those, not what joe schmo thinks is good for you. You said that you want a carry 1911, my first gun and one that i carried for a year was a commander size 1911; thinking the slightly shorter barrel will be better at concealment....well when that is the gun that you have, you will find a way to carry the darn thing. It was not the most comfortable gun I have carried but i loved every minute of it, but because of this experience i appreciate my Sig P-239 for carry in the coming hot summer days versus my 1911.

If it is a carry than it may be worth your while to look up ways to make the 1911 more reliable. But be careful, next comes the perfect holster and what do you know? Your 1911 addiction is now a full blown..

If you wish to try my commander size frame, pm me, you can take a look in person.
 
The Soviet Republik of Massachusetts makes the 1911 selection pretty simple:
S&W Compact ES.
It's a CCO format, which means you can have .45 fun at the range AND carry it concealed.

Or move up North here and get the ultimate carry 1911: Dan Wesson CCO.
 
Are you kidding me...MA even screws people over on 1911's?

Everyday I find out something new.
 
I bought the Sig Target model as my first 1911 a few months ago. Absolutely love the gun and the platform. The gun comes full size and stock with performance barrel and adjustable sig nite sites. But these sites will snag so may have to be replaced if your looking to CC it. About 300 rounds down the tube and zero problems. Have tried for 50 rounds to FTE through limp-wrisiting and can't do it.

Now having said this I have fired a friends Dan Wesson and a Colt he owns. The trigger pul and sighting is superb on both these guns, but I could probably do some upgrades to close the gap. Maybe? But for what it is and for what I paid I'm more than happy with it
 
I had a S&W 1911 and traded it in on a SIG GSR. I think the SIG is a much better built gun... certainly better than the S&W I had. S&W has had a lot of QC issues lately. I, personally, will not buy any current S&W guns.
 
I'm currently in love with the S&W E series 1911 last one i saw was about 750 so if your looking to drop a G that will give you extra money to buy a holster and some ammo.
 
Again great info guys and thanks.

Rivet I appreciate the offer, still deployed so I have a while to continue my research in my down time. This is all good personal feedback from everyone which I'll keep in mind when the time comes. I am unfortunately limited to MA permitted so my list will be somewhat shorter than what would be ideal but, what are ya gonna do.
 
Six months ago I would have told you to steer clear of Auto Ordnance, however I just traded into one of the Kahr made ones and it is THE MOST accurate 1911 I have ever owned. There was a 150 round "break in" period, but since that time ALL malfunctions have been mag related. (Too cheap to by good mags.)

I've seen the new Remington for sale too though I know nothing about it.
 
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OrguneCIB; I hope that it is a brief and safe deployment for you, I will have a box of .45 waiting for you to try on the commander frame for when you return. depending on how long you will be deployed for, my government frame build should be completed in couple of months and will be able to compare side by side full size vs commander size.
 
Don't pay any attention to people that say "limited" or worse "preban". There is always private sale. Lots of people have come by lots of 1911's not on the list in this state. A quick list of mine: 2 S&W's, 2 Colts- one stainless 9MM one 38Super, a Springfield TRP full rail and a mutt custom 9MM CC. Also won an Auto Ordnance A1 that I have not picked up yet. If you have your mind set on what you want, pay attention to the classifieds and frequent the gun shops and jump on one when the price is right. I have not over payed for any of the 1911's listed. Thank you for your service and you are welcome to try any of them when you get home, good luck.
 
Thanks for the offer guys... much appreciated. Still a few months from home but, this has been a great way to kill some down time when the internet is working. I've now opened up my search to include the S&Ws and I'll be continuing the search until I'm home and I can sneak out to pick it up when the wife is at work while I'm on terminal...
 
The E series 1911's are difficult to find simply because S&W isn't producing a whole lot of them.
 
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