1911 Question

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Sparks2112

New member
Out of all the various 1911's on the market today under $1,000.

Which make and model is MOST reliable right out of the box. I want something that'll take anything I feed it and ask for more.

Mostly interested in 5" .45's but if you have suggestions for something else I'm curious to hear it.
 
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DBAR

New member
I've had good luck with Kimber, and Springfield.

Most people will agree with me on the Spingfield part, but not the Kimber part.


To be honest with you, the Springfield Champion that I got was the best 1911 out of the box.
 
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michael t

New member
Under 500 My American classic has been perfect over 500 rounds of ball and HP
Under a 1000 all of my Colts and Dan Wessen
My 2 unrelieable were
Para Ordance
Kimber

Todays Colts are very well made and seem to still follow the orginal specs for a 1911 I belive much of the 1911 unrelieable comes from tinkering of owner.(they won't admitt to it. of course) Adding buffers flull length guide rods. or replacing factory rods with another brand. I replaces the guide rod in one of my Colts. Pistol became unreliable right then. I returned to factory and its again became relieable . If the gun is left box stock as comes from factory odds are it will be relieable . I uselly shoot 50 rounds of ball on a well lubed pistol then start trying different HP .
 
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J.Netto

New member
I have shot literally thousands of rounds through my kimber with no problems what so ever. Then again, the gun is only as good as the magazines you put in it. Get good magazines.
 
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pilpens

New member
My Kimber Custom II has been reliable after approx 200-300 rounds using the mag that it came with (probably made by metalform).
The wilson 7 round mag I got causes FTF.
I only have shot round nose 230 grain ammo.
I do not know of 1911 makers who guarantee their pistols to be absolutely reliable out of the box in the < $1000 range.
 
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Kreyzhorse

New member
I'd go Springfield. Not that you couldn't get a Kimber or a S&W that works very well either, but Springfield's Customer Service appears to be second to none.

I've got a Springfield TRP by the way that I've had zero FTF or FTE since I've owned it. Great gun.
 
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azredhawk44

Moderator
My experience is with Sig, Charles Daly and Colt.

The Daly was used and could have been tuned well by the previous owner... but it gave me no grief.

The Sig is on its second trip back to New Hampshire.

The Colt is on my hip now.

My money goes to Colt from here on out for 1911's.
 
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schmeky

New member
My Kimber has been excellent. You're in the Dan Wesson price range and they make a pistol that may be worth more in few years than the current purchase price.
 
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spamanon

New member
I just passed the 2000 round mark with my Kimber DW. NOT ONE single malfunction of any kind with Kimber magazines.
I did buy a Wilson 47d for this gun, but I gave up on it after 4-5 malfunctions in ~60 rounds (what's the point?).
 
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cjw3cma

New member
Out of all the various 1911's on the market today under $1,000.
Which make and model is MOST reliable right out of the box. I want something that'll take anything I feed it and ask for more.
Mostly interested in 5" .45's but if you have suggestions for something else I'm curious to hear it.
Click to expand...

You will receive a positive or a negative reply for almost every make / model 1911 available - at any price. At a selling price of $1,000 ANY full sized 1911 should do exactly what it is suppose to do. Pick the gun that you like based on what you've learned / read here and on other forums.

Personally I went the custom "parts" gun route, built by a qualified gunsmith, to my specifications and I was out the door for less than $650.00 and a 100% reliable carry weapon (as I wanted a reliable forged gun rather than one that had fancy labels, etc.).
 
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Hunley

New member
I have two suggestions you may want to consider.

1. STI Spartan - While I have not shot one, I have heard nothing but good things about them. They're made by RIA for STI with STI parts.

2. Springfield GI Model in Stainless - This is a good, solid mil-spec 1911 with subtle differences. I own one and love it. It would be a good platform to start with and do modifications to such as flaring and lowering the ejection ports, putting in adjustable sights, match barell, etc.
 
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RickB

New member
I'll agree that quality magazines make a real difference. If a gun company can sell the gun with a $10 mag, that's another $10 that they can put in their pockets compared to equipping the gun with a good mag.
Unfortunately, "1911" is about as specific as "car" these days, and about the only certainty is that there's not a single pistol on the market that's made to government specs, and those are the only specs there have ever been. Each gun may be something of an individual, for better or worse. As much as I love the 1911 design, I doubt I would bet on any particular example to run consistently without a little TLC, and I wouldn't make a blanket endorsement. That said, I would probably bet on Springfield, both because they make great stuff, and because their customer service is first rate; if something isn't right, they'll make it right.
That said, I'll buy Colt if they're making what I'm looking for.
 
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