Want a 1911, Have Q's

Rock armor is pretty nice
one of my buddies bought one and he loves it. It shoots pretty well and mothing jas gone wrg with it. Yet. Probaly put 500+ rounds through it already

 

my Sig was 700$ it was a CPO gun...

iirc Springfield makes a 1911 for about 550$

 

Rock Island Armory 1911 is real solid, for the price!! 500+ rounds shot so far and no problems yet. tight slide to frame fit, and eats and spits out all kinds of 45 ammo. the only negative i can say about it, is that the finish on it is kinda blah

 

Keep the glock. Avoid Taurus. buy a Rock Island GI for under 400 shipped and be happy.

 

x2 and spend a few bucks to mod it out and it'll shoot just as good, if not better, than i higher priced gun IMO

 

Buy once cry once. Spend the money and get something nice other wise you will always have this little tick in the back of your mind saying "damn I wish I would have gotten a ...."

 

This.

I was thinking of getting an entry level 1911 because I'm chronically broke but I sure am glad I held out for the one I wanted (Kimber). That being said, ARs and 1911s are 'upgradable'...

 

In your price range, I'd opt for the Springfield Armory (SA) GI or Rock Island Armory (RIA) base model. Both can be had for around $500 locally.

I've heard the RIA is pretty reliable out of the box while the SA may need some breaking in. SA has a lifetime warranty so, if you do encounter some reliability issues, they'll get it to run right.

 

No offense to those who have them, but avoid the Taurus. They are not always bad guns, but their quality control is lacking. When you look at them and see they have some of the same aftermarket features you find on a $1200 gun at half the price, you should ask yourself how they are able to do that...

In the $500 price range the GI model Springfields or a used Springfield Mil-spec are great guns. They lack those aftermarket features, but are good quality, solidly built workhorse guns for a guy that wants something too SHOOT. The RIA GI or RIA Tactical are also very well made guns. The RIA Tactical does have some of those extra features but manages to somehow retain the quality and reliability to be a good shooter. If you can swing $600, the new Remington 1911-R1 is a very good quality pistol, nicely finished and well fit.

If you double your price range you open up your options quite a bit. Personally I avoid the S&Ws because the external extractor is a weaker design, but they are well-made guns otherwise. The Sigs are well made and nice looking guns, a little flashier than some of the others aesthetically. Kimber, Springfield, and Colt are all very well made, quality guns made to 1911-A1 spec. You will pay a premium for the prancing pony on the side of a Colt, but some guys want that.

The base model Springfields have been hard to find lately, so your best bet in that price range is probably going to be the RIA Tactical or a Remington 1911-R1.

Whatever you get, run it wet for the first 1000 rounds (very well oiled). After that you should be good to go. The 1911 is not something that likes to run completely dry the way a Glock does, and quality magazines are a must to ensure reliability.

That's my $.02, take it or leave it. Whatever you buy, you will love the 1911 in general, and you'll probably end up with a second one down the line (especially if you go cheap on the first one). I've got three at the moment, have sold or traded off a handful of others in the past, and am making arrangements for a full custom built on one of my Springer frames. They're just too darn fun to shoot...

 

The Remington has pretty good reviews, and the Springer GI or mil spec seem to fit your bill. I've shot netheir, but have read quite a bit on both. I ended up with a Kimber Custon II, BTW, the cost new, shipped to me was only $653.00 off of Gunbroker.com. I did however, have my cousins FFL at my disposal, most dealers will process for $25.00 or so.

 

^^ to the last 2 posts...

Remingtons are nice, BUT not legal in CA.

 

I guess I glossed over the OPs location. Good on you for pointing that out, the Remington is not on the CA safe handgun roster.

So glad I moved.

 

How in the hell can one brand of 1911 style be on the list and another not? Sorry, I don't understand your countries gun laws.

 

It's a law that was instated in the name of "safety," but what it boils down to is tax revenue and controlling the gun sales in the state. The pro-active portion of the CA gun owning population has been working hard to reverse some of the bull**** laws they are facing, but it's a slow process.


If you care for a more detailed explanation:

In order to sell a pistol in CA, the manufacturer has to send CA DOJ $5000 and 3 samples of the pistol. The pistol has to have a loaded chamber indicator, a magazine disconnect safety, and has to pass CA DOJ's silly safety testing. Then after a few months if it passes all the tests, that model may be sold in CA.

If the manufacturer then wishes to sell the same EXACT pistol with night sights and different color grips, it must repeat the testing process. Needless to say, most manufacturers don't bother to submit their whole product line. Unfortunately, the Remington 1911R1 doesn't have a magazine disconnect safety.

OP, in this case, if you are still active duty military & your permanent residence is not CA, you may buy a Remington 1911 in your homestate and bring it to CA with you. But if you are a native CA resident you are SOL and have to find a pistol on the safe handgun roster (the RIA and Springfield models are approved).

 

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm a motivated weekend warrior.

I just have a small concern about the cheap 1911s with no firing pin safety block. God forbid if someone or something were to bump into my 1911 and if it was conditioned 1 a.k.a. round in chamber, hammer cocked back, is there a chance it might go off?

Thanks you motivating gun nuts.

 

Absolutely not. The 1911 was designed to be carried condition 1 without a firing pin block. Most of the good high end 1911s today don't have a firing pin block, it's not really necessary. Get a quality 1911, if it has a firing pin block that's great, but if it doesn't don't let it bother you. Get a quality holster which fully covers the trigger and is a snug fit (it's nice if it is a raised side and molded to hold the thumb safety in place). Don't do anything goofy like duct tape your grip safety down to disengage it. Do follow the four rules.

That should all be common sense stuff anyway, so no issues there. I've been carrying a condition 1 1911 for years, as have most of the guys that taught me much of what I know about 1911s and shooting in general; between all of us I don't know of a single accidental/negligent discharge or any other issue.

If you think you'd still be uncomfortable after all that, carrying a 1911 is not for you. I carried a Beretta in the service, and always carried it with the safety off. The redundancy of engaging a safety on a double action pistol with an 8# trigger is not needed in military/LE applications. If you're a competent shooter and a responsible individual, carrying a loaded gun will never be a problem for you; be it a condition 1 1911 or a DA pistol like a Sig or Glock.

I apologize for rambling and not really answering the heart of your question. No, it is nearly impossible for a condition 1 1911 to fire if the hammer is bumped. For that to happen, the pistol would have to be:

A) Dropped/bumped directly on the hammer spur with sufficient force to simultaneously cause B & C

B) Shear all the internal engagement between the hammer, sear, and thumb safety (to allow the hammer to drop without the trigger being pulled, thumb safety disengaged, or grip safety depressed)

C) Shear the half cock notch off the hammer (otherwise the hammer catches itself before it falls all the way)

This is all highly unlikely.

 

x2^^^

 

I prefer the Series 80 firing system for carrying a 1911 with a round in the chamber. It is much more resistant to impact.

IMHO the best deal going in a 1911 right now is the Para GI Expert. It'll shoot rings around anything in its price range.

 

I love the look of 1911's but I've never shot one... I need to either find someone local who has one or a range that rents them to try it out.

 

Be warned; they are addictive...