I have a SA 45.Auto. I paid $750.00 + for and a RIA Cal.45 ACP $ 480.00 + for it.Do I have one or are there some better under a thousand dollars price tag?

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Life is short,live it fully.

Springfields are had to beat IMO, I have two. Once you get into that league the bang for the buck (pun intended of course) return on additional costs is hard to come by until you get into the full custom works.

$400 for this guy.



$748 for this guy.

They are my two favorite 1911's.

I personally like the Sig 1911s. They have all the stuff that makes them shoot reliably and accurately, without the fluff and unnecessary stuff like FLGR or ambi safety. Shoot 100% right out of the box without needing 500 rounds of 'break-in' first.

I've got a Citadel 3.5 CS 3.5" inch M1911. I love it. It's got the best out of the box trigger of any M1911 I've ever owned.

My next gun will probably be a 4.25" Rock Island, also a Philippines gun.

Dan Wesson.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Cz 1911, PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Discontinued 2015. 2015 brings the launch of the first pistol made in the USA that bears the CZ name. The CZ 1911 A1 is an homage to the past, a 5” government sized model built as a modern incarnation of the original 1911 A1. That original was adopted into US service in 1924, ‘improving’ on John Moses Browning’s original design. Our version makes several small ‘improvements’ as well, swapping the checkered plastic grips for checkered walnut, adding serrated slide stop, magazine catch and mainspring housing and using a stainless steel barrel. For the sake of the shooter, we elected to forgo the lanyard loop, and added a taller set of sights that are easier to use, with the front dovetailed in so that it can be swapped more easily. Though there are a number of changes, we feel the CZ 1911 is still true enough to the original service pistol to wear the A1 name.

Built with much tighter slide-to-barrel and slide-to-frame tolerances than vintage models, the result is much improved accuracy without compromising reliability. Built without a trigger safety, the trigger itself is aluminum, with pull specified at 5 lbs., give or take a pound. Its forged carbon steel frame and slide are finished in a black oxide and it ships with two 7-round magazines.

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Thank you
Penmon AKA Jim

At about the $500 mark, the RIA guns are hard to beat for a nice, all steel shooter. Mine is accurate and reliable.

At around the $1000 mark, you are in the S&W, Kimber, Sig guns. Nicer than the RIA's, but not greatly so. Improvements above baseline guns come incrementally, not on a parallel track for dollar spent.

Personally, I like Kimbers, and think their Custom Target model w/ adj. sights is a good gun in the 1K range. Mine is the most accurate 1911 I have owned, out of a few. I hear a lot of good things about the Springfield Range Officer for a few buck less.

Two tone finishes, polished blue or stainless, fish scale serrations, etc. are nice, but not necessary, and add to the cost of a good, basic gun.

Larry

I think it would be hard to beat a Dan Wesson.



or, an early Kimber

I'm just one of the people that think a 1911 is a Colt. I know, I know. After the one I was issued in 1971 by the Army, I wanted one. This one is pretty close and shot perfectly right out of the box and has run several hundred rounds flawlessly since. It was under 1000 bucks but not by a whole lot. I have found them a little cheaper since I bought mine but I do not regret buying this one.
Peace,
Gordon

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better have that checked

Current series 70.I may have $1k in it with the parts I've changed

Love my Remington R1 Enhanced!

Model 1911 R1 Enhanced | Remington

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Really? U saw it in Wikipedia?

Springfield Loaded at around $800 is a great gun. But spend about $1100 for a Dan Wesson Heritage and you'll never regret it. I didn't.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

For what I paid for mine (on sale for $300 plus tax, for $321 OTD).
I could buy 3 for under the $1000 budget.

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where's my thread?

My best buy on any 45 was a Wilson Combat I got for 800 with the 22 conversion and 12 Wilson mags..but it was a buy that made me sad. I also bought a Remingtons in the last year a standard 1911 and an enhanced. Seem to be pretty good guns and the price was right at 525 and 550. Not long ago I bought a Kimber 3 1/2 inch crimson trace gun. Works just fine but it IS harder to shoot than full size. Traded a Ruger BlackHawk 41 mag 4 5/8 inch gun..

I keep looking at 1911's, I have 4 Springfield's, a Mil-Spec, a Loaded, a Range Officer in 9mm, and a Range Officer compact 3 in barrel. I really want a Colt, the price appears to have come down since Colt came out of bankruptcy. I could just end up with a Ruger, and a Remington.

My daily carry now is my compact range officer in 45acp.

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Carpriver.

Two come to mind:

• Springfield Range Officer, in 9mm or .45 Auto, comes in at $800 +/-
• Colt Competition Government Model, same calibers, at around the same price.

Hard to get more 1911 for the money.

Damned near everybody.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

+1 on the ATI. I bought my first one a while back and 0 problems with it. 2nd one was a Commander size with a beaver tail etc. 0 problems out of it. 3rd one I bought just to park a .22 conversion on.
There are two groups in the Philippines. S.A.M. that makes the ATI and the group that makes RIAs and lots of parts. RIAs have always seemed to be very hit and miss on their quality and needed some work to make run reliable. The ones from S.A.M. have ran from the get-go.
I bought a Colt the other day , since I wanted to make a 38 Super it only cost me double to buy the colt as to buy the pieces (barrel, bushing, pin and links) and that is converting one that is already running 9MM.
To build one from scratch, which I have two of them now, will run you over your $ figure without counting the hours and hours to fit, assemble, and finish.
To tote, beat and bang, I love the cheaper variety. Not pretty like the custom builds and not historic like my 1913 US Property 1911( most expensive one I own). None of them are for every occasion so figure what it will get used for, then check with all of your shooting friends and see what they have and what problems/work they have had and if possible shoot theirs.
More than $.02 worth but find what YOU like and enjoy. Larry

I have to give my vote to Sig. The cheaper Colts aren't bad either, but for me fall short of Sig everywhere, until you go to disassemble one. Colt definitely wins that battle, if you haven't tried a full strip on one, buy one just so you can. I'm a big fan of the Rock Island's too, great bang for the buck.

I don't know about 'best buys' and all the clones (and there are obviously some good ones),,but if you have $1k to spend on a 1911(A1), I'd just as soon put it into a Colt.,,something from the early/mid 60's or before.
They just keep going up in value.
Even with some honest wear they make a great shooter as well as a good investment.
JMO.

The others are kind of like having a S&W look-a-like revolver that says something else on the side. Might be a great shooter & less expensive,,but I'd rather have the S&W at this point.

What's the price of the Dan Wesson,do it come in under a thousand dollars?

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Life is short,live it fully.

You will pay something north of 1k for a Dan Wesson

I do admit that there just isn't any 1911 quite like a Colt. I love the ones I have. But their quality took a drop in the last 20 years or so. I hear good things about the current guns, but haven't taken a good look myself.

I'm a big fan of Springfield Armory and have several. Quality guns in many configurations to fit any budget. The Range Officer is an outstanding gun for its price.

I'm not a fan of Kimbers. Over rated and over priced in my opinion.

I always heard good things about Rock Island. So when I came across a used, like new .38 Super at a really good price I jumped on it. It turned out that the guy sold it cheap because it had major feeding problems. Couldn't fire more than two rounds without jamming. It took some serious tweeking on my part, but I got it running 100% now. If I had had to pay a gunsmith to do it, the cheap price I paid for it would have been way too much.
I dunno, maybe it was because its a .38 that it had problems. The .45s seem to do ok, but I won't be buying another to find out.

For a couple of years now I've been saying that the Remington R1 was the best bang for the buck out there. I bought mine when they first came out and its been flawless. Totally reliable, accurate and the best out-of-the-box trigger pull I've ever seen.
Prices on these have gone up in the last couple of years. So maybe not the best bargain anymore, but still an excellent value for the price.

I just went back and re-checked the OP.
MCorpso311 to directly answer your question, you have a Springfield. So yes, you already own one of the best 1911s out there. So don't fret over it.

I've got the same gun, gave a bit more for mine, you did good! Very good shooters right out of the box. Another good one for way under a grand is the Tisas 1911 from Turkey. Had to do a little work on that one but it really purrs now, worth looking into for sure.

Late 60s GM.retro sights,long trigger and bone grips (middle gun).

Despite all the copies, Colt remains the standard. In terms of general appeal and resale value, competitors' products will maintain a secondary status. That's certainly no implication that many of these are not quality pistols.

Back in '93 as a senior in high school, I convinced my dad to take some money I had saved up to buy me a new Gov't Enhanced model that Colt was coming out with at the time. Matte stainless with beavertail grip safety and the Commander model hammer. Very pretty gun and reliable, but definitely loose on the tolerances and not very accurate. I can shoot much better groups out of my Para Ordnance P12-45.

Anyways, I have a retired military friend who dealt with lots of non standard weapons and does some consulting work for LEOs now that he's retired and he loves Springfields for the bang for the buck. Well built, reliable, accurate, and reasonably priced.

For under a grand Springfield is impossible to beat. You can find certain S&W models for under a grand and Colt as well

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

My 2 cents.. If you are going to collect it, buy a Colt. If you are going to shoot it ,, anything other than a Colt.

Back in the bad old days when you wanted a 1911, the only one out there was a Colt. Then send it to Wilson , or Baer, or Novak,, etc. and they would fix it.
Today Springfield, Kimber, S&W, Ruger, and some others, actually make a 1911 that will work out of the box,, has sights you can see,, beaver tail safeties,, etc. etc.

And all for a lot less money than buying a Colt and spending big buck for a gunsmith to get it running right.

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I'm in my Kimber SS II less than $500. New around $800. I've owned many 1911 brands. My Kimbers are keepers.

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Let me clarify my earlier remarks about Colt.
Colt is and always will be THE 1911. They are the most prized and sought after 1911s. They're made from the best steel in the industry and have the best resale value. You just can't go wrong buying a Colt.
However, starting back around roughly the early 1990s, the quality of workmanship in fitting them together fell off. Many speculate that this was due to the loss of many of the "old timers" at the factory who were replaced by much less skilled people. They were still high quality guns, just not what they used to be in terms of accuracy.
In 1998 I bought a Custom Shop Gold Cup. This gun should have been target quality straight out of the box. However, it proved to be no more accurate than my standard Springfield Government Model. It took a little work and a couple of new parts to bring it up to what it should have been.
Don't misunderstand. They were still excellent guns. Its just that they shot no better than other makers pistols which sold for several hundred dollars less.
As I said, I have heard that the current pistols are much better and the prices have gone down. I just haven't experienced this for myself yet.
I do love my Colts.

I would probably get a slightly used version of a more expensive gun.

My Springfield Trophy Match was $930, and while not a true 1911, my 945-1 was right at $1k.

I was after stainless target 45's, and they are both excellent.

The CZ 1911 A1 can be had for around $800. Built by Dan Wesson with no MIM parts. The gun is solid and also discontinued which will add a little value to it in the future.

Is it running right if it shoots good groups and hasn't had a malfunction since I unboxed it? Several hundred rounds flawless. If I send it to a gunsmith will it still do that? This gun is a 2014 model and the slide to frame fit is much nicer than a lot of high priced custom 1911's I have seen. How much do you think it will cost to get it to run right? I don't want to go over the 1000 dollar limit you know.
Peace,
Gordon

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better have that checked

The Colt Defenders are nice and shoot very well my father owns one and he likes it.

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Shoot like a pro!

The Colt 1991 is hard to beat. The quality is very good and has more forged parts and less MIM parts if that is important to you.

I have both a Colt 1911 (30 years old) and a Ruger. I bought the first Ruger 1911 I ever saw and paid a little over $600 at the time. It eats everything I feed it and is equally accurate to the Colt. The stainless steel makes it hold up to holster wear and sweat. I have fired some expensive custom 1911s that could do no better than either of mine. Good luck.

I have a Colt 1918 vintage USArmy and a Colt 1920 vintage Govt Model, both works of art, but when I want to shoot .45ACP the Glock-30 is my choice.

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60-10,640-1,G30,G41MOS,1911

I like my Colt's but I'll add another good one here that no one has mentioned. Norinco; Norc's are made from good steel and make great base guns for a build.

The Taurus 1911 has all the other qualities and amenities of a much higher priced weapon. I am not a big fan of Taurus's other weapons however they make a hell of a good 1911 pistol. This weapon has hundreds of rounds put through it without a single malfunction. I always buy the cheap Federal aluminum cased cartridges.

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I have a Sig XO (45acp), a S.A. loaded target in 45acp, a S.A. range officer in 9mm and a S&W 1911sc. The S&W is well north of $1K. Sigs can be had for under $1K but not by much. Highly recommend them as mine's been excellent. Only gripe is the FPB lifter on the frame makes it hard to reassemble. Can't go wrong with a Spring Field and I think you get great bang for the buck with them. Both of mine have been great. If the front straps were checkered they'd be every bit the Sig.

CZ 1911A1 if you can find one.

I bought the S&W 1911 about five or six years ago for about $650.00. While I don't shoot it an awful lot, mine has never suffered a stoppage of any kind, including with semi-wadcutters.

Out of the box, the gun is more than accurate enough for its intended purpose. I'm no longer a competitive shooter and never plan to be. At typical defensive distances, I can keep my rounds clustered around a shirt button.

Kimbers for me....especially the first generation models from Oregon or Yonkers. I have a Custom Classic and an Ultra Carry that are now 15 years old have been flawless. The Ultra Carry is my winter EDC.

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I like the Ruger SR1911 and the RIA's. Did pick up a Colt that just needed some attention for $500 last month but those are hard to come by.

G.T. ,,,,
Glad you like your Colt and it is dependable. I've owned Colt LW Commanders, Government's, & Gold Cups. Like most 1911's I'm rather fond of them. If you check out post #31 the top two in the picture are Colt's. One worked on by Les Baer when he lived in Pa. and the other by Bill Wilson.

Back in the 70's & 80's if you wanted a 1911, the only game in town was Colt. Out of the box I've seen them not feed Hardball,, let alone SWC's. I've seen them not work out of the box and had to be sent back to Colt. And Colt's Quality & Service wasn't very good. ( Take note S&W )

During that time frame it was like: ' Hey, Colt how about putting sights you can see on the 1911 ,, or adjustable sights,, or beaver tail grip safeties ,, or extended thumb safeties ,, or mag wells,, or a trigger that's not a nasty 8 to 10 pound pull ? '
Colt's attitude ,, Hey this is what we offer ,, take it or leave it.

In the 90's Springfield starts making their 1911's. Hey, Springfield how about sights ? Ok we can do that.. What about beavertail safeties? Yes,, we can do that.

( Springfield ) Hey, why don't we hire Les Baer to work for us and improve our stuff and give the shooter what he wants.. Hey, why not hire Bobby Leatham to sponsor and show the shooter we support them ?? Go to any shooting competition and count the number of Springfield,, Kimber,, STI's,, Para. etc.. then count the number of Colts.

I have a friend that is an excellent gunsmith and has worked on several of my firearms. A few years ago I said to him ,, I should have you build me another 1911. He said, Why ?? For half the price you can go to the LGS pick up a ready to go 1911 from Springfield or Kimber.

Springfield Ranger Officer ,, adjustable sights,, beavertail safety, extended thumb safety, 4 to 5 # trigger pull ,, ready to go to the races,, list price less than $1000.

Nothing wrong with a good Colt 1911.. But,,,

I don't currently own a shooter 1911, but my favs have been the STI Spartan (alas, no longer available) and a stainless milspec SA someone had added XS sights to.

Worst ever? Colt Series 70.

If I were to buy another, it'd be an SA.

P.S. You're not likely to find a SIG or Dan Wesson for under 1K.

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This one started out as a Springfield gi that a local guy did a bunch of work too.Retro sights,fitted bushing,counter bored muzzle,front strap checkering,flat MSH,wide spur hammer,trigger job,etc.Its quite accurate and I think I gave him $800 for it 8 or 9 years ago.Its the one that usually goes with me because I don't worry about its finish at all.If I shoot poorly with it,I know it's me.

I'm not an expert on the subject of 1911s and I never will be. I spent well over a year researching 1911s on every site that I could find, with the object of finding the "best gun for the money". I even went through every 1911 in the case at my lgs to see what I liked. I ended up with a Desert Eagle 1911G. Mostly because I felt it had the best trigger of the bunch(about 20 guns). I had pretty much made up my mind on buying a Rock Island gun at that point, but for just under $600, I couldn't pass up that "trigger". I love the DE and I have had zero problems, to date. If I ever buy another one I'm pretty sure it will be a Rock Island.