Help Deciding

[Redmanll34]

Hey Guys/Girls, I need some help deciding what I should do for my next gun purchase. I have always been interested in buying an older 1911 type gun like the Sistema. Now that I have my C&R I can buy one from anywhere with ease. But does buying an older gun like the Sistema pose a greater risk of problems with it compared to buying a new gun like the AO 1911? So I guess my real problem is should I buy the Sistema and hope it functions properly (if it doesn’t at least parts are interchangeable), or go with the AO and have a warranty? Let me know your opinion on this matter please.

Tom

 

[Skald]

I talked to a couple of people and they said I can shoot my WWI .45 with little fear of bad things happening.

If its a concern, bring it to a gunsmith to examine the frame for cracks. Greg Derr in Marshfield was great in answering all the questions I had about my 1911 and pointed out interesting stuff about them.

One thing you have to remember the gun was pretty much designed to shoot ball ammo.

 

[vellnueve]

The 1911 is built to last. Sistemas should be no different.

That said, for the price the AO 1911s are very nice and have the simple feel of a military 1911.

 

[Thor67]

I go to 1911 Forums occasionally.

There are several threads on AO's and Rock Islands, which that forum's members seem to like better than the AO by a slight margin anyway. I think the Rock Island is less expensive (at least in the free part of the country) than the AO. Both are available here.

General discussion threads for both, including some range reports by actual shooters: http://forums.1911forum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32

AO vs. Rock Island Armory (RIA)pistols: http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=150267

I did a search on "Sistema" too. There are several threads that discuss those pistols as well.

Here's the search that I did: http://forums.1911forum.com/search.php?searchid=1419647

Here are some specific threads for you, but there are others:
http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=151943&highlight=sistema
http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=103778&highlight=sistema

Hope this helps!

P.S. There is (or was) a Sistema available in our classified.

 

[FPrice]

I have two Sistemas and find that they are as good as any Colt clone (better than some). They are not immune to problems - I had one that had some abnormal resistance when you cycled the slide by hand. From what I can observe, the slide may have been tightened up a bit, and the revoil spring plug was dragging on the inside of the slide. I filed it down a bit and it seems better now. Accuracy and feel are fine.

I have tried a few AOs and i don't like the feel of the trigger. Something just seems wrong with it, at least to me.