Pondering 1911s...

[Paleoman]

Ok, subjective analysis of accuracy (closeness to center, groupings, overall spread) of the ones I've shot so far have them in this order, best to worst (for me):

Remmington R1 Enhanced
Springfield A1
Magnum Research Desert Eagle
Magnum Research Desert Eagle 4"
Sig Sauer TacOps
Springfield Champion Operator 4"
Springfield Operator TRP

Note the Magnum Research's had mods (sear, trigger too?)

Anyone have experience with Magnum Research 1911s?

Will I notice a difference with some of the other Sig's (Nitro, STX, Extreme)?

 

[Picton]

Ok, subjective analysis of accuracy (closeness to center, groupings, overall spread) of the ones I've shot so far have them in this order, best to worst (for me):

Remmington R1 Enhanced
Springfield A1
Magnum Research Desert Eagle
Magnum Research Desert Eagle 4"
Sig Sauer TacOps
Springfield Champion Operator 4"
Springfield Operator TRP

Note the Magnum Research's had mods (sear, trigger too?)

Anyone have experience with Magnum Research 1911s?

Will I notice a difference with some of the other Sig's (Nitro, STX, Extreme)?

Nice, thorough search; it's best to be deliberate about gun purchases, I've found. If you don't, you wind up with a Mosin in the corner and no good reason you bought it.

As to your last question... who knows? Too many variables. For me, the one that makes the biggest difference is whether there's texturing on the front strap, oddly enough. I tend to shoot smooth ones better, slightly. YMMV.

 

[Rob Boudrie]

you wind up with a Mosin in the corner and no good reason you bought it.

And how exactly is that a bad thing?

 

[Picton]

And how exactly is that a bad thing?

Never said it was bad. It just takes up space.

 

[Gammon]

Never said it was bad. It just takes up space.

No problem, just dump the golf clubs.

 

[Terminator03]

Never said it was bad. It just takes up space.

Throw it in one of those Archangel stocks that allows it to use mags, then it could be an interesting "new" rifle to play with. Just a thought. I originally bought my M44 for that purpose, however, it was too pristine to use as a donor, so it sits in the safe taking up space now like yours!

 

[ColdDeadHands]

My first two handguns were a Sig P938, and a Sig 1911 TTT. I really enjoy having the same method of operation for both my summer and winter carry guns. I can tell you the Sig 1911 has been fantastic, a great shooter, and no malfunctions yet after a few hundred rounds. The one I got has the excellent Siglite (sp?) front sight which is a nice factory feature. I believe it was right around $1,000 at a local store. I'm pretty sure the TTT is a commie-state model, so you'd have some different options in NH.

 

[nstassel]

Ok, subjective analysis of accuracy (closeness to center, groupings, overall spread) of the ones I've shot so far have them in this order, best to worst (for me):

Remmington R1 Enhanced
Springfield A1
Magnum Research Desert Eagle
Magnum Research Desert Eagle 4"
Sig Sauer TacOps
Springfield Champion Operator 4"
Springfield Operator TRP

Note the Magnum Research's had mods (sear, trigger too?)

Anyone have experience with Magnum Research 1911s?

Will I notice a difference with some of the other Sig's (Nitro, STX, Extreme)?

The WORST was the TRP? If I had to guess the order it would have been basically the reverse of that order.

 

[Picton]

Throw it in one of those Archangel stocks that allows it to use mags, then it could be an interesting "new" rifle to play with. Just a thought. I originally bought my M44 for that purpose, however, it was too pristine to use as a donor, so it sits in the safe taking up space now like yours!

Thanks, but I'm not spending money on it. It's way outside my collecting interests, and I only have it because I picked it up in a trade. I'm not even sure why I don't sell it; laziness, probably.

 

[Paleoman]

My first two handguns were a Sig P938, and a Sig 1911 TTT. I really enjoy having the same method of operation for both my summer and winter carry guns. I can tell you the Sig 1911 has been fantastic, a great shooter, and no malfunctions yet after a few hundred rounds. The one I got has the excellent Siglite (sp?) front sight which is a nice factory feature. I believe it was right around $1,000 at a local store. I'm pretty sure the TTT is a commie-state model, so you'd have some different options in NH.

Yeah, I'm looking at the same thing with operation.


sent from my phone.

 

[92G]

Sig 1911. for price comes with excellent features including very nice frontstrap checkering. i have thousands of rounds through mine runs like a champ. it's a series 80 design and at first the trigger wasn't as smooth as the S&W. however after ~1k rounds the trigger really smoothed out. in fact I sold my S&W 1911TA since i wasn't shooting it at all.

the remington 1911 R1 enhanced are also nice especially for price.

i do like the S&W 1911 offerings but find them overpriced. the ruger 1911 is OK I briefly owned one but the POI was way low and it had some feeding issues that were resolved with extractor tuning. IMO this shouldn't be necessary to fix.

also a big fan of the rock island 1911's. i think for price they're impossible to beat. they're also series 70 design (like the ruger and S&W) so the trigger is fantastic.

 

[Paleoman]

The WORST was the TRP? If I had to guess the order it would have been basically the reverse of that order.

Yeah, that's what the shots are showing. I shot the TRP first, and the Remington second (of the five I tried), so there is a possibility that I wasn't "warmed up" . Note, the grip was somewhat uncomfortable, so that may have contributed some.

Here is the target for the TRP. I shot 14 at 15 feet and then 6 at 20 feet (didn't mark the two cases, but there was more spread with the 20 feet shots):




Here is the target for the Remington R1. I shot 14 at 15 feet and 6 at 20 feet (I know that one, possibly two of the strays were from the very first shots):


It's a considerable difference between these two for me. Other guns had some clusters, but overall were spread out more than the Remington.

Before posting, it looks like the thumbnails of the photos are rotated 90 degrees to the left, so just keep in mind that the top is where the carrier is located.

 

[Bourget117]

Sig 1911. for price comes with excellent features including very nice frontstrap checkering. i have thousands of rounds through mine runs like a champ. it's a series 80 design and at first the trigger wasn't as smooth as the S&W. however after ~1k rounds the trigger really smoothed out. in fact I sold my S&W 1911TA since i wasn't shooting it at all.

the remington 1911 R1 enhanced are also nice especially for price.

i do like the S&W 1911 offerings but find them overpriced. the ruger 1911 is OK I briefly owned one but the POI was way low and it had some feeding issues that were resolved with extractor tuning. IMO this shouldn't be necessary to fix.

also a big fan of the rock island 1911's. i think for price they're impossible to beat. they're also series .

I wouldn't say the S&W models are overpriced. Yes, the performance center models are pricey but the all basic stainless 5 inch e-series model can be had for $775-$850. Certainly the same or less than some of the Sigs.

 

[Parker Duofold]

OP: You live in New Hampshire so you've got many, many options.

Home defense: Glock 19 with a light of some kind on it and night sights. Or get a shotgun.

1911: What 1911 you buy won't be your last. I'd go with the Springfield Range Officer or a Colt 70 series in blue or stainless.

Renting before buying is a good idea but remember the gun you rent has probably be through a lot. It probably won't shoot like a new, clean gun with correctly adjusted sights.

There are many threads on here relative to "what 1911 should I buy.?

 

[Paleoman]

I hoping that, by testing, I'll get the most objective idea of how well each gun works for me, w.r.t. ergonomics and accuracy. I know it's impossible to try them all, so I'm trying to find some of the major players and get samples of them to shoot. I really don't want to buy one that I've not shot, unless I've found something similar from the same company.

That is why I was wondering, for example, if the other Sig models (STX, Nitron, Extreme) are similar to the TacOps. If it just a difference in grip, control positions, sights, I'd be OK with an evaluation of one of the models in a line if that was the case. Same for the ones that I've tried above.

I'd also be interested in what people thought of the ones I have tried, w.r.t. reliability, as that is one factor I can't test (other than seeing issues with the rentals - only the Magnum Research 4" had issues w/slide not going back upon empty magazine - they said it is one of the oldest guns they have for rental).

 

[Chet0729]

I love my ruger 1911, even enjoyed the remington 1911 enhanced. Heck even used to carry an original Ithaca ww2 1911a1 someone put modern sights on. Never a issue with any of them for reliability or accuracy.

I have one of the Ithaca's. The sites were upgrade by the Springfield armory after the war on a lot of those guns. Mine has the upgraded sights. It shoots real well.