Remington R1 and Ruger 1911: A Look-See

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Shane Tuttle

Staff
Warning: Long-winded bloviating ahead!

Gander Mountain having a sale on some stuff gave me incentive to stop in. I rarely have good customer service for anything there but I had time to kill.

After some perusing, a gun clerk asked if he could be of assisstance. I decided to bite.
I was impressed yet again with the fit/finish of the R1. I'll be buying one soon without a doubt. The only cost-cutting issue I see is it appears the main spring housing is plastic. For the pros of the R1, I have to say they outweigh the cons by far and is worth every penny....if it shoots well and reliably.

I joked, full well knowing the answer, by asking if he had a Ruger 1911 in stock. He laughed (in a geniune, not scoffing manner) and said no. They've had one in stock in the past 5 months. It was on the shelf for 20 minutes. So, we carried on with the topic of the R1.

Later in the conversation, I joked that it was too bad he didn't have that Ruger in stock. Just as I was saying that, another clerk walked by eavesdropping on my comment...

"So, I guess it might be in your best interest what was literally unpacked a few minutes ago..."

Needless to say, I was handling that Ruger in merely minutes. The lockup was solid, the finish was very nice, and the controls were favorable. However, I was disappointed in the trigger. The fitment was sloppy. The fitment of the slide/frame was in itself was well above average quality. Looking at the backside, they don't mate as well as the R1 to me. Most know that this doesn't affect accuracy or anything. Mainly cosmetic. It's just one of the points of inspection I cover.

In the end, I'm thinking the Ruger doesn't live up to the hype. No disrespect to the positive comments given here and on other boards, but I just don't see how great it is compared to the price you pay. Is it a quality 1911? I think so for the money. It does seem to be a well built gun and a decent value.

So, from the time it came off the truck to being on lay-a-way, a new record was set for Gander...15 minutes! :D

Now, you're asking yourself, "Um, Shane? What happened to buying the R1?" Well, my FFL will be allocating one soon....very, VERY soon! :cool:
 
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LockedBreech

New member
I haven't been able to play with an SR1911 yet, but the R1 has also impressed me on multiple occasions. It's really a lovely pistol, the finish is quality.
 
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lamarw

New member
I agree. I own an R1 and have admired the SR although have never fired one. I did spend 15 minutes at the counter with the Ruger, and with this limited experience was happier I owned the R1.

To me, they felt significantly different. I am sure there are plenty of others who also sense the difference and will prefer the SR.
 
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PetahW

New member
Shane Tuttle said:
I was impressed yet again with the fit/finish of the R1. I'll be buying one soon without a doubt. The only cost-cutting issue I see is it appears the main spring housing is plastic.
Click to expand...

Appearances can be deceiving - The MSH on my standard R1, bought new 3 mos ago, is blued steel.

.
 
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excelerater

Moderator
i own both
Ruger would be my choice over the 2....Ruger is an underpriced 1911
and I would put it up with many others in the 800-900 dollar range
 
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ET.

New member
I looked at both before I purchased a Springfield Range Officer. If I had gone with a Remington R1, it would have been the enhanced model (upgrade of the basic GI model), since it had all of the features I needed. The SR 1911 by Ruger was a full featured stainless 1911 at a price that I could live with. The biggest problem with the SR was that I couldn't find one to purchase.

The Range Officer is a model based on the higher priced race guns that Springfield sells, just without the bells & whistles that the more expensive SA guns offer. Of the three it is the only one that offered a forged slide as well as the forged frame. Is that something that even matters? It did to me. Also since it was set up as a target pistol and came with a match grade barrel/bushing combo & had a hand fitted slide/frame fit, I opted for the Range Officer. I've loved it, but then again I probably would have loved either of these three 1911's.
 
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Coach Z

New member
While the Ruger is my first and only 1911 I've been very happy with its accuracy and function. Overall I think it's great bang for the buck.
 
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KyJim

New member
Comparing guns side by side is always the best way to really judge them (or at least their appearance). I handled an earlier Remington and it had a crappy trigger. When I tried one not long ago, it had a much better trigger. Not great, but very serviceable. It might just be the individual pistols or maybe Remington has started figuring things out. I've never seen the Ruger. I have it on good authority that they are attracted to virgins, though.
 
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Shane Tuttle

Staff
Both R1s I handled had very good triggers. One was last year around late May at Cheaper Than Dirt's store in Texas. The other, as I said, was at Gander. I'm guessing I was lucky.

excelerater said:
most rugers are in the mid 600s
Click to expand...

Perusing through GunBroker, I don't see where most in the $600 range. That may be the starting or current bid, but not Buy Now or Reserve prices.
 
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Marquezj16

New member
Congrats on your new Ruger. :D

I bought mine for $649.

IMO the SR1911 is a great value. Mine is accurate and functions 100%.
 
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KyJim

New member
It suddenly occurred to me that someone might misconstrue my comment about Ruger 1911s being attracted to virgins. According to mythology, the rarely seen Unicorn was attracted to virgins. I was equating the relative rarity of seeing the pistol with that of the Unicorn and not commenting on the sex life of Ruger 1911 owners. I don't know and don't want to know anything about any member's sex life. :D
 
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tahunua001

New member
my little brother made me so mad today. he informed me that he had seen an SR1911 at my favorite LGS 3 days ago and that by yesterday it was gone already...it is the first SR1911 that has made it to my home town since they came out and he didn't think to mention it until it was gone....
stupid famn damily. :confused:
 
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Riceman

New member
tahunua001, I'm not sure where in Idaho you are but I just picked up an SR1911 yesterday from Cabelas in Boise. It was the last one they had and I paid $659 plus tax. I was in Sportsmans in Meridian and they had one for $699.
 
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Shane Tuttle

Staff
I picked up the R1 yesterday. Cleaning it up right now and heading to the range.

To clariy, I was a bit more critical of Ruger's trigger than the R1 due to the higher commanding price tag. The R1's trigger is a little bit better fitting, but not by much. The R1 has just a bit more creep than the Ruger. Both of their breaks, resets and overtravels are about the same.

And Petah, you're right. The R1 MSH is steel. Well, at least mine is...
 
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Nathan

New member
Perusing through GunBroker, I don't see where most in the $600 range. That may be the starting or current bid, but not Buy Now or Reserve prices.
Click to expand...

FYI... About 75% of the guns on Gunbroker don't sell because they are not listed for a competitive price.

Also, when/if buying an r1, you have to consider the extra safety and if you like that.

I think you did better buying the Ruger, but you will need something more GI later!
 
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lamarw

New member
Please provide us with your range report.

I suspect it will be favorable. It is nice to have both the R1 and the SR to compare.

Other than good pistols, I see the Ruger as attractive and the Remington as traditional.

There are numerous choices with the Remington as far as upgrades to incude stainless steel finish plus other upgrades.

I see the Ruger as a one trick pony with apparently limited availability even with its one and only choice..
 
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