S&W, Ruger, or Sig 1911's?

[Dragline45]

I eventually want to get a 1911 and have limited choices since I live in Massachusetts. We cant buy new Springfields or Colt's because they refuse to jump through Massachusetts hoops to get handguns approved. My best choices are the Ruger 1911, one of the S&W 1911's or the Sig 1911. If you had to narrow it down between these choices which would you pick and why is one better than the other?

 

[coolbreezy]

any the of the "approved" 1911's you mentioned are fine. the sig and smith have external extractors if that is a deciding factor. all three are american made and get very reviews by most average shooters. the sig is considered the best bang for the buck, but i think the other two are just as good as the sig. i have a sig 1911 and it has better features than the springer and IMO is better built than any springer ive shot or handled. it is comparable to the trp for features and build quality.

 

[coolbreezy]

i live in ct, so the gun laws in this state are alot more relaxed than mass, jersey or ny.

 

[willmc33]

Smith & Wesson. I dont own one but my brother has one of the Doug Koenigs and man that thing is smooth and a straight shooting pistol.

 

[droptrd]

Ive handled and shot the ruger and a Sig 1911 - not sure of the model. The Sig had a very good slide to frame fit and the finish was perfect. This model was factory loaded with sights, trigger, beaver tail, rail etc. This gun had NO rattles or loose moving parts. Typical Sig.

The Ruger was stainless. The slide to frame fit was extremely loose. Parts like the trigger and beaver tail had tons of lose play. If you shook the gun it rattled like crazy. Worse than any Taurus or RIA 1911 ive seen. The sights were ok but not adjustable like the sig. Beaver tail and safety were basic. All the parts flopped around kinda loosely but it functioned perfectly. We put about 300 rds though it (UMC) with no problems.

Both pistols seemed accurate and reliable with my limited experiance. The SIG just seemed to be a big step up in quality and features...and price

I liked the SIG best.

 

[MonsterB]

Sig, with the Smith second and the Ruger 3rd. Sig makes a very nice 1911.

 

[jmr40]

I've no 1st hand experience with the Ruger or Sig. The 2 S&W 1911's I currently own are the best 1911's I've ever owned. I'd take one over a Colt, Springfield, or Kimber any day and I've owned those in the past. Still have a Colt and Kimber. They are good guns, but the Smiths are better in my experience.

 

[Technosavant]

I've not seen a Ruger in person. I own a Sig and a S&W. Both are good guns and would serve well, but between them I'd take the Sig over the Smith every day of the week. It's a bit of a better value (the Sig 1911s seem to stack up against the Smith E series, not the regular stuff, and does so at lower prices) and my Sig just seems like a nicer and smoother gun than the Smith.

 

[dgludwig]

All of the op's stated options are excellent choices imo. All three companies enjoy well-deserved reputations for having good customer service. I've only handled the Ruger but it seems like a well-put-together pistol and maybe offers "the most bang for the buck". I don't own but have shot a couple variants of the Smith & Wesson 1911 pistols and have always found them to be accurate, reliable and well-finished. The only 1911s I currently own and shoot are from Colt and SIG. I regard the new SIG 1911s to be the best finished, having the tightest tolerances and offering the most features of any 1911 pistol selling for around $1,000.00 or so.

 

[Micahweeks]

Like most people, I've barely seen an SR1911 in person. The other two, though, I've shot plenty. My vote is Sig.

 

[federali]

Good choices

All three are good choices. I happen to own an S&W 1911, 5" and the gun has never failed me. It even cycles semi-wadcutters (the ammo most likely to fail to feed) without issue. The S&W has an external extractor which some purists object to. Doesn't bother me at all.

If the internal version was more reliable than the external extractor, S&W would have used it. At least with the 1911 market, where just about all 1911 fans tend to be knowledgeable, a gun with any reported extraction or ejection issues would fall right on its face.

 

[khegglie]

Glad you still have some good choices there my friend.

 

[erob3]

I owned a SR1911, very nice pistol. For the money that is the best bang for the buck, no pun intended. It has every option I like seeing on a 1911; beavertail safety, combat hammer & trigger, nice grips, SS finish and Novak sights. It also does not have things I don't like on a 1911; front slide serrations and a rail. I'm sure there is a place for these features but just not for me. It had a very nice trigger right out of the box, shot straight and never gave any problems. The only reason I parted with it was the fact that I made a nice little profit on it, even after having it for almost a year and shooting it quite a bit. I have to admit, it still looked new and the guy that bought it was tickled to get it. And it's AMERICAN made!!

As to my S&W 1911, it's a 9mm Pro Series and is top notch. I have to admit I much prefer a 9mm over a .45 for several reasons. I realize the 1911 .45 purists are cringing right now and I respect their opinion but for me the 9mm is great. Less recoil, much cheaper range ammo and a more than sufficient self defense ammo. However, back to the question at hand. My S&W is a fantastic pistol and again has all of the same features of a Ruger, however, it is actually worked on at the S&W custom shop so it's a bit more pricey than the Ruger. I can say the tolerances on the S&W are tighter, little to no rattle and shoots exactly where I aim it. It is slightly heavier than the Ruger but that just helps to manage the recoil even that much more. And again....AMERICAN made!!

As for the Sig I can't comment on it, I have never seen one. Like myself, I'm sure most of the reviews you have read about them are positive. The Sig Stainless 1911 looks just like a Ruger and S&W. Depending on the model of pistol Sig is manufactured in both Germany and America.

Purchase price is as follows starting with the cheapest:
Ruger - Sig - S&W E series - S&W Pro Series

I still say for the price the Ruger is hard to beat, why spend an additional $200 - $400 when you don't have to. This of course is taking into consideration you have decided on a .45; if a 9mm is an option you have a whole other set of pistols to look at. Hope that helps. Good Luck.

 

[dgludwig]

The Sig Stainless 1911 looks just like a Ruger and S&W. Depending on the model of pistol Sig is manufactured in both Germany and America.

Most people would agree, like them or not, that SIG 1911 pistols have a distinctive SIG look about them; some (the non-"Traditional" models) are different enough to require a slightly different than usual 1911 holster (they won't fit well in "standard" 1911 holsters). Also, with the exception of the Model P210 and its variants, most, if not all, SIG pistols are made in America and certainly all of their model 1911 types are manufactured in their New Hampshire plant.

 

[Sgt Pepper]

I doubt that you can go wrong with any of them, but my S&W E-Series .45 and Pro Series 9mm were excellent pistols. Beautifully crafted and worked flawlessly. I only moved them along to get into the custom 1911 of my dreams.