I just picked up a Remington R1 at a very good price. It was either buy something or waste a small windfall on bills, so I bought this:



My son has had one for about three years, and it has been absolutely flawless in just over 1000 rounds of mixed ball and hollowpoint. Not a bobble.

Its a basic 1911 with good sights, straight up and down slide serrations, some shiny touches, and a flat mainspring housing.







They even put some nice grips on it.



Sights are good for my over the hill eyes.



Imagine my surprise when I did a little googling and found a level of unmitigated hate for my new companion. Apparently the frame is either cast or not, and the fate of the world rests on the question.

If its cast, they did a nice job of it.



Apparently its was either made in the Philippines, Turkey, Brazil, Mars, or Ilion, NY. Remington says it was made in the US, so I'll believe them.

The internets said I should have gotten a __________ (insert nearly anything gun related here) instead.

Then I poured myself a nice glass of wine and realized I don't care.

My kid likes his. I like mine. I hope my pals on this forum like my pedestrian attempts at photography. I will report on how it shoots at the earliest opportunity.

PS: $530 out the door!

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

Congrats!

Looks like a fine 1911 to me.

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-John

I used to get the same stuff from people online about my $269 RIA 1911 way back when. Your detractors are likely just like mine. People who have no experience whatsoever with the guns they are bashing. Like you I just ignored them.

Never owned one. Never shot one. I don't even know that I've ever seen one in the flesh, but I hate them because I can. Enjoy it!

I've shot a LOT of 1911 clones over the years. It's very difficult to find a truly bad example. Just ignore them and enjoy your pistol.
Jim

Nice looking gun. For that price you can't beat it.

I sell and gunsmith for a local dealer. I think that most people that disparage brands and models they don't have for two main reasons:
1) Snobbery- they have to believe that their brand is better simply because it costs a lot more.
2) They are insecure in their choice and have a need to constantly reaffirm their decision.

I have Colts, Norincos, Auto Ordinance, and a Springfield. All work like I want. I've hung the parts on them that I want. I don't need to or want to justify my choices and you don't either.
Every one elses' opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it. Ignore them.
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I don't have Alzheimer's- My wife had me tested.

Congrats on your newest!

I didn't even know Remington made a 1911...granted as you probably guessed I'm not much of a 1911 guy. Although that looks about how I would like one, plain GI styled but with better sights. Might have to find one.

I checked out the R1 when it first came out. It seemed utilitarian and a bit loose. Probably just like a 1911 in 1911. And 1918.

As its entry level price point, it is a good gun.

If I could get my hands on one of the Martian made ones I would do it in a heartbeat.

Looks good! After all the original 1911 was basic. Enjoy!

A few years ago, I picked one up at a local gun store and looked it over. It had an unsightly seam right down the middle of the frame as if it was welded together or cast in a two piece mold. I did not care for that. Other than that, it looked like a nice pistol.

I do not see that seam on yours in the photos provided.

I like it. I've shot one - belongs to my Mom. She picked it because she found she could rack the slide easily enough. It shoots well and has run great without a hiccup for dear old Mom - who at age 76 still runs the 1911 several times a week, along with her 15-3, J-frame and a bunch of 22s. The Glock 30 was getting to be too much to rack hence the Remington R1.

Don't mess with my Mom....

Naysayers on the internet, tell me its not true! Tex is right on the money with his assessment of why people bash other peoples choices. I have owned about every flavor of gun manufactured, they all have their plus and minus attributes. That's a nice looking 1911, shoot it and enjoy.

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Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

I wonder if the bashers have considered that there is a reason that so many mfr's have offered a 1911-based model ? They bloody well WORK !

Larry

Remington 1911s are not "entry level" guns. Remington made thousands of these for the government during the world wars so it isn't something new. All the Remingtons are made in Illion, NY and are fitted to very tight tolerances. Just try to make one rattle or take one down without a bushing wrench if you have doubts. I purchased the "Enhanced" version some time ago and it performs better than my Colt ever did. Like many other 1911s of today, the frame is a cast part while the slides are milled. Only the Remington "Carry" versions have milled frames. However, modern castings are excellent today and you will be hard pressed to find anyone who has seen one fail. Sigp220.45 has a fine and well built G.I. versions with a few enhanced features that he should be very proud of. Know that most of those that question the quality have never owned or much less shot a Remington 1911 so, take their comments with a grain of salt.
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Yes it does matter if it's cast or forged but it also matters how much you shoot and the quality of the cast. Forged does tend to be better, and last longer.

Who care what people say. Its good looking and its yours. Take care of it and enjoy it!

If you buy it they will make it. Simple as that.

I like mine. Only beef is the bluing seems a little weak. Looks like it might wear fast. But the trigger is great, it shoots straight and runs just fine. $422.38, new.
Jim

sigp220.45,
Good for you. Thanks for the pictures.

About 4-5 years ago, looking for a new, good-shooter 1911, my dad, at 70+ years, having owned and shot Colt Gold cups competitively back in the 1970's, having owned a fair number of 1911's, and after consultation with his mid-80's-year-old-still-working-everyday-at-LGS,1911-savvy cousin decided on a Remington R1 over various options, some significantly more expensive.

Yes ...... the price was very good.

Yes ...... it's been flawless and my nephew can shoot some amazing groups with that gun.

Yes ...... sights are good and my old eyes like them.

Yes ...... grips look pretty nice.

I had no idea about the "unmitigated hate" but now that I'm savvy I guess I'll have to conclude my dad and uncle with 120+ gun owning & shooting years between the two of them don't know Jack.

Yup. Remington says the R1 is "made" in the U.S.A. but I'd rather enjoy a glass of wine rather than scour the internet trying to disprove Remington or figure out if Remington parsed the word "made."

Yep.... my dad likes his R1 and so do his shooting partners, his two grandsons, and me. We've had a lot of enjoyment from that R1 and that's priceless.

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

Congrats on your buy. It's a 1911 what's to say bad about it. To me if it shoots right out of the box, it's fairly accurate you got a good 1911. I seen good and bad 1911 at higher prices too.



I been wanting well a few more one in Stainless loaded (Thompson custom) a Cimirron nickel 1911.
The RIA for a ccw in nickel too.

I didn't get to fire it, but I handled one at a friends house. Seemed pretty well-made to me. I, too, liked the stock sights.

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Because of the metric system?

It's the internet. According to the interwebs the only perfect pistol is a Glock 19.

I like the Remington R1. Out of the mil spec style guns theirs is likely among the best and certainly a good buy.

There is a lot of anti 1911 sentiment out there in general as many trainers and instructors are calling the 1911 out as unsuitable for defense and only good for range use while pimping their preferred polymer pistol plus line of parts and accessories for said pistol.

Cast or forged doesn't matter any more than forged vs MIM. If it's made properly with good QC it's of no consequence. There are some castings stronger than forgings in the firearms industry, but it doesn't sound as fancy.

Lasts longer? I wonder how much longer. Perhaps you should call Ruger and share your wisdom with them. Their cast revolver frames have a reputation for being pretty darn strong but, they may not be shot very much. Please post a photo of any damaged Remington if you know of any.

Ok cast is stronger you win! Someone should tell WC. They could sell more guns cheaper

Nothing wrong with your new 1911.Still beats a plastic gun IMO.

The Browning Hi Powers starting with the 40 S&W used a stronger cast frame over the previous forged.

My current 1911 frame is a Caspian with a cast in plunger tube (a common failure point) and a reinforced grip frame. Sure it was cheap but they have an excellent reputation.

I'm sure WC isn't interested in devaluing their entire line for the sake of volume. That's just silly, but cast doesn't always mean inferior.

There is a reason why EVERYONE makes a 1911 today. The design is classic, proven and reliable. Some companies have changed features here and there ( external extractor,beavertails etc.) to give a few features to the masses. But all in all, most of them are good guns. And very few need to be tuned like the 1911's of old...

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

Castings have been around long enough and I or a gunsmith that's a close friend have ever seen a failure. Wr would probably be shocked at how many small parts are cast and then milled!

I have looked over several Remington 1911's and they all seem sound. Yours looks fine to me and at that price you can hardly go wrong. Myself I tend to shy away from the Mil Spec 1911's because I end up changing out the grip safety and hammer. Then maybe the trigger and the barrel bushing and then! Well you get the point.

My current 1911 started out life as a Colt Series 70. It shoots great and I love it. I'll have that old gal until they box me.

Enjoy your Remington and I bet she shoots just fine!

I don't know where you're finding all this unmitigated hate at. Yeah, I've seen some questions and of course there will always be those who insist that anything other than what they have is junk. But overall the R1 has been getting great reviews. Its an excellent pistol. Right now I truly believe its one of the best bang for your buck 1911s out there.
I love mine!

I had a carry version and it was a good shooting gun. Well built and never missed a lick. Traded it for a couple of Smith and Wesson revolvers I had been eyeballing for awhile. Didn't trade because I didn't like the Remington, just liked the Smiths more, lol.

You forgot to say it's beautiful. That's one good looking pistol! Congrats.

Rugers and Remington's....If I were in the market, I would buy one of each. Both seem like a good buy for the money, both get panned for not being something people want them to be.

No matter what you buy, somebody will brag they bought something better.

Oh, and good job on your pedestrian photography, nice pics of a nice gun.

It looks like every other 1911 on the market. And that is not a bad thing.

I tend to like and buy Colts specifically because they are one of the few manufacturers that still use forged frames.

I will state the FACT that forgings cost considerably more than castings. That is not arguable.
That is the reason why the R1 can cost less.
Yes, cast frames if done right work ok, but going cast for all the manufacturers who did so was to cut costs and/or increase profit.

Just don't anyone believe that their cast frame pistol is "equal" to a forged frame pistol.
Again, there is a real reason for the lesser expensive price, and over time, forged frames WILL hold up better than cast frames which is something to keep in mind considering that the 1911 slide runs in direct metal-to-metal contact in the milled grooves of the frame.

Post #9 on this page I think states the case well.
http://pistolsmith.com/pistolsmiths/...ck-frames.html

I'm gonna order one but I'll ask for half cast and half forged.

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Thirty characters. Exactly...

Make sure it is a real Martian made one, not a Venusian made knock-off. Everyone knows that Venusian steel is inferior.

FYI - The Remington-Rand company that made 1911s for the US Government during WWII and the Remington Arms Company are/were NOT the same outfit.

Remington-Rand was a business machine manufacturer known for it's typewriters. It had nothing to do with Remington Arms except for sharing a surname thanks to Remington Arms creating the Remington Typewriter Company in the 1800s. Remington Typewriter was sold in 1886 making it a completely separate and independent entity which later merged with the Rand Kardex Corp to form Remington-Rand in the 1920s. Remington-Rand never had anything to do with Remington Arms.

Until it introduced the R1, Remington Arms had never produced a 1911 pistol.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

Looks like a decent pistol,,I have to admit I've never looked one over. I just don't follow the newer stuff.
My 2 1911s are mid 60's stock 1911A1 pistols.I just like them that way. No frills or add ons. This Remington looks pretty close to that.

As to the investment cast vs the forged piece,,,given a quality investment casting and then followed up with precision machining and heat treatment,,the part will outlive most any firearms application we here would ever give them.
Poor quality investments and hardening is a given the part will fail early. It is very, very expensive to have the initial moulds made for the parts to cast the wax masters. So much so that some production is less costly now being done by EDM & CNC from billet steel and end up with a part ready for fitting and or heat treatment.

Forging does add grain structure strength that investment casting does not. But these are hand held sporting firearms,,not the rear end gear drives of quarry trucks.

Investment cast parts are easy to ID by carefull inspection on the inside surfaces. There, the 'as cast' surface will be present in some areas no matter how little as machining them to clean them up isn't worth the time and money. That's part of the savings idea anyway.
Some are more easily seen than others. Some are apparent on the outside surfaces, and some even have tiny voids in the castings.
Not all investment castings are equal.
Ruger couldn't find a decent investment casting outfit to do theirs early on so he started his own (Pine Tree Castings).

Bare in mind that nealy every Ruger's receiver that was ever made , (except for the original type .22 auto pistol ,) is & wax always cast.. rifle, shotgun, revolver both SA & DA, or semi auto pistol..the .22 auto pistol has a metal tube for a receiver that is lightly milled..........

SA Inc, has used cast receivers on their M1A's for years, with problems developing on dern few... we only get/use USGI surplus Garand receivers because they cost the same as theirs and hold their value better.. I grant there are a slew of poorly made cast Garand receivers that should never be used.....

So the ability of firearms company to build good quality cast receivers has been solved...if it is a company that is dedicated to putting out a quality product...

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

I always thought it was kind of funny about people complaining about how much better a forged part is and then buy a ticket to fly somewhere on an airplane that probably has as many cast parts on it as there is forged parts in very critical areas.

It may be funny but ALL airplanes are built to one standard. Not so with guns otherwise a Tisas would be equal to a Baer, Nighthawk or WC. There are no "economy" versions of airplanes as far as raw materials and manufacturing goes. No one makes a Taurus or Jimenez version of an airplane

Remington Arms produced roughly 21K 1911s towards the end of WWI.




http://www.americanrifleman.org/arti...gton-r1-m1911/

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SWHF #448

Had an ria 1911 just to see whats up with 1911's . It function fine , no issues with any factory or handload tried . 3.5lb trigger tuned at home and it was accurate . Just found out I have no use for a 40oz empty 1911 in general and traded it toward a carry pistol . Received a R1 from remmy as a pay off for the junk r51 and traded it unfired .

I have better range guns and that's what a full size all steel 1911 is for me . Might keep a LW 38super commander if I find one .

Nice gun sigp220.45, nice price too. Hope you get many years of enjoyment shooting the R1.
Some people must not know a bargain when they see it.

That kind of hate is nothing like I got when I bought a LNIB Colt Matte Stainless 1991 a few years ago...

Now there's one I'd like to get my mitts on!

Isn't that the truth?

I like your R1. The spur hammer would bite me but if it works for you, you're well on your way. I'd turn my attention to getting a really nice trigger pull and forget reading much about what others think of the gun, where it might be made, or the never-ending cast vs forged debate.

I have handled some of the Remington 1911s, but not shot them. I thought they looked well made to me. The way to know if you got a good semi-auto is to fire it. And keep firing it, and keep firing it. Have fun along the way! :-)

I have to disagree with the gentleman who said there is no way to make a bad 1911. On the contrary, it is apparently pretty easy to foul up a proven design.

I sold a Gold Cup and bought a Kimber top-line stainless Gold Match a few years after they came out. It would work 9 round out of 10. Failure to feed. Bought Wilson 47Ds. Nothing would change that FTF. AND, Kimber (in my multiple experiences), has the WORST customer service of any gun maker. Just nasty. They never did get the gun to work, and shipping was on my dime. Had regional 1911 experts go over it. They couldn't solve it. The guess is that the breechface was incorrectly machined. I finally sold it to a home gunsmith who was sure he could make it work. Good luck.

My Dad had a budget priced Taurus 1911 stainless. It would shoot groups....around 12" offhand at 25 yards on the same day we'd shoot 2"-3" groups with other handguns. Never could get hold of Taurus for a repair. Maybe their 1911s are only for folks who shoot at 5 yards?
Hard to say.

Any company can make a bad product, it's how the CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT treats you that counts. S&W? I love them! :-) They have gone out of their way to make me happy in the past, and are usually a riot to talk with if you show some humor. In particular I remember Lenny and Frank, both of whom were awesome.

Springfield, Ruger and Colt (thanks Brent!) all have excellent customer service as well. I would recommend them to anyone.

Remington? I have no idea. I have never owned a Remington that ever needed work! :-)

Now get off your computer and go burn some ammo Sir! Be safe out there. Best wishes, Marc

The bottom line is a well made part is a well made part regardless of the way it got there.

The high end 1911's get the best parts available and meticulous hand fitting and blending on nearly every component. That doesn't make them infallible. In fact there a surprising number of posts that can be found online of various failures on $2000+ guns. Unless proactive, every gun will eventually succumb to high mileage failures. The high end guns will typically be bullseye accurate to 50 yards, the standard guns combat accurate to 25.

This is the reality that applies to all 1911's:
Reliability, Round Counts, and Longevity in 1911s

The only frames that regularly die early are alloy and surplus. If you can afford the ammo to get there it's of little consequence in the long run.

Folks love to knock stuff that's on the lower end of the scale regardless of how it works. My own 1911 is self built with a mix of the best parts I could afford. It looks like $300 but shoots like $3000 and that's all that matters.