First 1911

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X_shooter

New member
I did it. I bought my first 1911. I had been wanting a 1911 ever since I was shown and handled a surplus colt as a child. I am pretty sure it was from WWI since the person that owned it was in their 90's back in the seventies. He said he brought it home after being discharged.

I had been looking at the Colt XSE for a while but with my budget settled on the RIA's Tactical Chrome as an entry level firearm and had planned to pick one up at the gun show next week. That was until a friend mentioned he had a 1911 for sale. Its a SA Loaded stainless built in 2007. He was the second owner and he said it looked like a low round count when he bought it. He only put 100 through it so he thinks it 500 or less. He's a seasoned LEO and firearms trainer so I trust his estimate.

The slide is tight, the barrel looks new, no wear anywhere on the gun. There were very few scratches but nothing deep. I am going to carry it so it will happen eventually. It did have a nasty slide catch scrape. The worst I have seen. I know it won't affect the operation of the gun but jeees be careful! It has black rubber grips instead of the cocobolo wood which I prefer anyway. I came with the case, manual, brush, holster and two magazines that look new. The price was well under a new model and nearly the cost of the RIA. He also threw in a box of ammo.

I am quite pleased with my purchase. :D I can't wait to run a few boxes through it this weekend. Anyone know if there is ammo this gun wouldn't like based on your own SA Loaded experience?
 
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Sefner

New member
Grats! You won't be able to have just one 1911, you'll want more.

On the slide release scratch, a lot of 1911's have them, I consider it a sign of care: it means the previous owner attempted to clean it at least once :D.

I put a slide release scratch in my first 1911 first time I cleaned it. Felt like I had put a huge semi-circular scratch on myself when I did it.
 
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zombieslayer

New member
He's right they are addictive. A week after I bought my first, a second followed me home. Now I'm contemplating a Dan Wesson VBOB...
 
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midlandwalther

New member
and were are the pics of this monster so we all could enjoy?
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This.

An idiot mark can easily be buffed out of a stainless gun. You picked a great gun from a very reputable company. It should run most ammo with good mags. Buy a couple of Tripp or Wilson Mags and run the hell out of that thing!
 
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Eagle0711

New member
The best ammo is standard 230 FMJ. If I were you I would put a new recoil spring in it because you don't know for sure how many rounds went thru the gun. It could have also been left with the slide locked back for years. Change it regularly and the gun will likely out last you. The spring is a 16# and they only cost about $7.00. Best, Lyle
 
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Kreyzhorse

New member
Congrats. You picked up a great gun. I too had always lusted after a 1911 and when I finally bought one (a Springfield TRP) I wondered how I lived 39 years without one.
 
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EdInk

New member
Good deal. I may be able to get my first 1911 in a couple weeks too. If so, I will probably go with the SA GI Model. I like the "historic" feel and since it'll be a range toy I'm not worried about having the more modern features.
 
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Raines

New member
Great Pistol, congratulations...I love when people get their first 1911...I remember mine....Its a good feeling..
 
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stevieboy

New member
They call that slide release scratch an "idiot mark" for a reason, that being that it tends to be put on 1911s by idiots like me.:D I put one on my nice, blued S & W 1911 about 5 minutes after I got it home from the dealer and I know that it'll be there for the rest of that gun's life. I took me a while before I could stop staring at it and cursing.
 
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franco45

New member
Congratulations. I may be getting my first 1911 this weekend. I too have decided the RIA tactical would be a good starter. I like the duotone model.
 
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Crankylove

New member
If so, I will probably go with the SA GI Model. I like the "historic" feel and since it'll be a range toy I'm not worried about having the more modern features.
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Have two Springfield G.I.'s in my family, and for a lower end (in terms of price) gun, they are great. Every bit as reliable as the higher end 1911's that are also in the family.......but, the sights kinda suck. Mine is for carry only, so the itty bitty sights aren't really an issue, but for general plinking/target shooting, I think I would step up to the Milspec or loaded, or swap the sights for something a little easier to pick up.

X_Shooter: Looks like you got a got deal on a great gun. Don't worry about the "idiot mark". I try not to let mine get abused, but sometimes scratches and the like happen, but, they add character and let people know you actually use the thing, instead of leaving it in a safe to collect dust.
 
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FoxtrotRomeo

New member
Congrats. Mine was a simple Taurus PT1911 that was the first. Still got it, I want to get it salt bath nitrated. The blueing wore off on the back of the grip and here and there and I knew it would but I knew it would be a good starter 1911 (boy was I right).

If anything you can have slight mods done to it to make it more like the latest 1911 in the USMC the M45 MEU (SOC) pistol. The armorers have updated the M1911A1s to the above mentioned versions so not much would need to be done to a GI model for a copy cat. Either way, great pistol.

And yes one won't be enough. Soon I'll be taking home a Kimber Eclipse Pro II and eventually a TRP so they do multiply and if you have the money they will multiply like rabbits. :)

Happy shooting. Oh and pick up a few Mec Gar 10 round mags. Great range mags and a nice even 10 rounds. Makes going through a box of 50 easier. Less loading, more shooting. :)
 
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JimPage

New member
My carry gun is a 1991 Colt Officer Model. It won't feed 185 gr ammo most of the time. It needs a different recoil spring for that ammo. If the 1911 is like the 1991 just be sure to use only 230 gr ammo.
 
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JonM

New member
You'll like it.

I have had the Loaded series Black & Stainless and also the lightweight alloy frame with the stainless slide. Both guns funtioned flawlessly and shot very well. The frame to slide fit on the black & stainless seemed a little loose but you couldn't tell it by the size of the groups. ~ That scratch sucks:eek:
 
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