1911: Best Options?

1911 Poll

  • Colt

    Votes: 23 19.7%

  • High Standard

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Kimber

    Votes: 45 38.5%

  • Les Baer

    Votes: 8 6.8%

  • Norinco

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Para Ordinance

    Votes: 4 3.4%

  • Rock Island

    Votes: 2 1.7%

  • Wilson Combat

    Votes: 12 10.3%

  • Sistema

    Votes: 6 5.1%

  • Springfield

    Votes: 17 14.5%
  • Total voters
    117
R

Rovert

New member
I am a newbie trying to finalize my decision for a HD weapon, that is also fun to shoot. Put over 200 rounds through my friend's Colt 1911, and also shot an HK, SIG, and Baretta 9mm.

I've decided the 1911 .45ACP is right for me. I didn't care for the HK, because it just didn't seem to fit in my hand very well, and I was more accurate w/ the Colt 1911.

My goal is to find a 1911 form factor that's as accurate as the SIG, but also 'pretty'. I'm very compelled toward the Kimber Custom Eclipse II, but would like to hear everyone's thoughts on makers/models that I might not know about.

Can you please cast your votes, and comment, considering these parameters:

Reliability/Quality
Accuracy
Resale/Investment Value

I'm trying to keep it around $1000 or (preferably) under. A $650 gun today that I can sell for $600 tomorrow is an important consideration contrasted to a $1000 gun today that I can only sell for $500 tomorrow.

TIA!
 
G

George Hill

Staff Alumnus
Other options...
Wilson Combat
Ed Brown.
Tussy Custom.
STI.

Take a good look at the Wilson KZ-45... Sweet shooter. For a Pretty gun that you can shoot - any of them will do. For an Investment the Les Baer will do... But maybe an Ed Brown would be better. Tussy Custom is the tops in my book for investments, looks, and 1911 "sex appeal"... but they will cost you some more scratch to get into.
 
R

Rovert

New member
George, as a newbie, I wasn't aware even of most of the choices up there, until my friend helped me, and definitely not aware of the options you listed.

Bearing in mind that $1000-ish is my CEILING in terms of price, please feel free to edit the poll list to include the makers you mentioned.

Thanks!
 
T

Tamara

Moderator Emeritus
Springfield...

...but I might be biased, seeing as how I have a V-10 Ultra Compact and a Custom Professional, and that I'm very impressed with my roomie's "Loaded" Stainless.

I'll say this, however, regarding "base" model Springfields v. Kimbers v. Colts; we see far fewer of the guns from Geneseo come in with QC problems than those from NY or CT.
 
R

Rovert

New member
Tamara, thanks. I guess I don't really object to a little tweaking if the gun is a 'keeper' in the long run. In looking over my list, I realize that I can scratch Les Baer off. No matter how nice they are, even his least expensive model is half again as much as I can budget right now.

Any thoughts on the Kimber Custom EclipseII?
 
M

Marko Kloos

New member
My 2001 Springfield Loaded Stainless has been 100% reliable with everything from ball to MagTech Gold HPs right out of the box. It's also a tack-driver, even with the 7lb Springfield factory trigger (the only weakness on a fine gun.)

For the money, it's tough to beat a Springfield Loaded. They're just about the best value in 1911s right now, yielding the best price/quality ratio. Kimbers are nice, but a bit expensive, and their QC seems to be spotty (although every company, including Springfield, puts out a lemon every once in a while.)
 
C

CastleBravo

New member
I wasn't a fan of the newer Colts generally until I saw the latest version of the 1991A1. They replaced the ugly-ass "1991A1" stamp on the side with classy new rollmarks that would have fit in 30 years ago, and the quality of the fit and finish is EXCELLENT. The price was also a reasonable $500, so the days of stupid Colt price inflation seem to be coming to an end. I was pleasantly surprised. My alternate suggestion would be a Kimber.
 
C

CWL

New member
Wilson Combat KZ45. Handcrafted gun for ~$1000. Comes with a legal page long checklist of every step during manufacture, assemble and testing and signed-off by the tech who hand-fitted it. -They even test the magazines that come with the gun to insure that they work with a variety of ammo. External extractor. Guaranteed 1.5" grouping @ 25 yards. Polymer frame, holds 10 rounds. Guaranteed for life.

It's worth the money, you'll never go back to the others.

www.wilsoncombat.com
 
C

CastleBravo

New member
As an aside, Dane Burns will do everything from swapping out the trigger to a $3,000+ masterwork. Getting that basic Colt or Kimber and giving him $1,000+ to play with is a good alternative to a Baer or the like. He has done alot of work on my Delta Elite and it runs like a champ. Oh, and in case anyone was wondering at least one way to spell accuracy is "B-a-r--S-t-o." :D
 
B

blades67

New member
Isn't that R-O-L-A-I-D-S? Oh shoot, that spells relief!:D

Rovert,

I spoke with the gunsmith at 1911Heaven a couple of months ago about which 1911 would be the best to start with and he said that Springfields come back less often than any other brand. He was talking about stock factory guns, not the case full of 2000$+ SVI guns I was looking at.;)
 
T

tonyz

New member
rovert

I just bought a Kimber Custom Eclipse II.
It is an extremlly nice gun. Has a beautiful finish and most all the accuracy and reliability tunings already done.
Mine shoots one ragged hole at 50 feet, With my own reloads and has not had any feeding problems with swc to ball, 185Gr to 230gr.


Tony
 
R

Rovert

New member
Thanks to everyone here. I have put a deposit on the Kimber Custom Eclipse II, and can't wait to get my mitts on it. A bit pricey, but I'm sure I won't be disappointed. Classic design, quality engineering, beautiful finish. All that and a box 'o chocolates.

Thanks!
 
Y

-Yo-

New member
Kimber QC issues

Before you go with Kimber, do your homework. Most owners seem quite happy. However, I bought an $1100 Gold Match that was unquestionably the worst firearm I've ever bought. Assembly/reliability was worse than a Makarov. Gun arrived NEW with scratches in the blue and lots of metal shavings inside. Gun could not be made to shoot to point of aim even with adjustable sights maxed out. Oh and it jammed. Jammed every 15 rounds or so even with the best aftermarket mags I could buy.

Many complaints about recent Kimber quality control. See www.1911forum.com. Be aware that Kimber uses a lot of molded MIM parts. My MIM ambi safety bent like a noodle and trigger was very disappointing. The MIM rear sight failed twice.

That said, most people seem to be happy. I think one reason is that for many people, their Kimber is their first "good" gun. They may have low epectations regarding assembly quality and reliability. Personally, I can not see how Kimber could produce such a POS if the mfg process was fundamentally sound. My Gold Match was incredibly crude and rough compared to my Sigs, SWs or HKs.

If you want a 1911, I'd look at a Rock River, or get a Springfield and send it to a good smith for fluff and buff.

Yo
 
D

DAVID NANCARROW

New member
I went over to 1911.com and ran a search on complaints on Kimber vs Colt vs SA, and Kimber had more complaints, followed by SA, with Colt coming in with the fewest. Does this mean Kimber is the worst? I can't prove it, but from what I can see, people who buy Kimbers as a generalization are expecting perfection from the particular model they buy, and get very upset when it doesn't quite come true. For my personal experience, I've been buying Colts for over 30 years, and had one bad-a nickeled Series 70 that wouldn't feed 7 rounds of ball out of the issued magazine to save its life. To me, it was one of the prettiest Government models I have ever owned, but I have come to believe that beauty comes from something which fits my hand in the dark when things go bump in the night, and something which allows me to call my shot every time. For me, its a 1991A1 with a set of wrap around Pachmyers and the plastic and MIM parts replaced with steel, to the tune of $600 total price, pistol included. Shooting star 8 round mags work nicely as well as the standard Colts.
 
D

denfoote

New member
The ONLY 1911 that has ever caught my eye is the Kimber Custom Carry. My wallet can't stand the $1000+ price tag!!!;)
 
R

Rickmeister

New member
In descending order of quality...

Custom: STI, Wilson, Rock River, Ed Brown, Les Baer.
Production: Kimber, Springfield, Colt.
 
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