It’s your money…. Seems pretty simple.

Would you spend x$ on x wine? No, but I’d spend x$ on x bourbon…

If buying the high dollar 1911 prevents feeding or clothing the kids, that’s one thing. But if you’ve got your bases covered, buy what cranks your tractor. (And be prepared for a similar purchase for the missus…).

Well, a while back I bought my 1st ever 1911: a Remington R1 Govt. Model: very "plain jane" but shot just GREAT! Paid $349 after a $50 Rebate. Included their "Lifetime Factory Warranty", too...

A couple years later I bought a 2nd R1: the Enhanced Commander. It was $399 after a similar Rebate. Shoots even better.

I replaced the grip panels on the Govt. Model and added the pretty trick Meprolight LTD "Bullseye" sight that was a custom fit for that model's unique(?) dovetail. Have done nothing to the Enhanced Commander as it really didn't NEED anything.

Other than reloading for them, shooting and cleaning them I have nary a single expense. Don't know about any warranty coverage but, so far, nothing has ever gone wrong.

So: is a Wilson Combat, a Las Bauer, a NightHawk (or even a 70 Series Colt?) truly a better gun that would make me happier? Probably better, but not really any happier. OK: better, for sure!

I prefer to spend the difference on other 45 ACPs I can also shoot and enjoy: my XDM Elite Compact with a Vortex red dot, a Ruger American, Model of 1955, etc.

Cheers!

P.S. I have two Subarus (an SVX & a pre-direct injection Outback) and I won't pay more for legroom on a 2 segment flight than the cost of the durn ticket!

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Sit Reloader Sentiret

I think my collection of John Giles and Jim Clark guns will show my feelings about spending substantial cash on customized guns. Their work was known to me from my voracious reading of gun books and magazines belonging to my dad or me. My feeling was that in becoming a competent bullseye shooter I was not going to handicap myself on equipment. I don't regret a penny I've spent.

I was watching the live auctions. The impressive price was the hammer price prior to buyer's premium, taxes or shipping cost. It appears as though most of the wins were from on-sight bidders. Buyer's premium for internet bidders is now 27%.

The premium is 17-1/2% if you pay cash and bid directly with RIA. That’s still high, and remember they take 10% or more off the hammer price before paying the seller so the real bid/ask spread is at least 27-1/2%. (The haircut on sellers goes down as the value of the firearm goes up and it does get to zero at some point.)

The tricked-out high-end models aren’t for me. I thought I was being extravagant a few years ago when I opted for a bare bones Colt Classic 1911 over the more affordably priced Springfield Mil-Spec.

They sell a lot of $1000 whiskeys, but most people are fine with a cheap bottle of Jack.

You would probably be amazed to really know the true number of high dollar firearms bought every day.

I worked in a custom gunsmith shop for a decade. Built many many guns with a $5k price tag, always had standing orders just another day at the office. Some of the more special ones over the years ranged up to $20k or more.

A close friend is a master engraver and does work for a well known boutique pistol company. He cuts an unbelievable number of jobs in a year with their standard engraving package that he designed, I think it’s a $5k option over the price of the pistol. A couple years back they did a planned limited run of a fancier engraving package, extended the run due to demand and couldn’t keep up, price was $10k per.

We have to remember that for almost everyone “our” baseline of what seems like “a lot” of money is a drop in the bucket for many. Multiple times I saw guys spend more in a day in the shop I worked in than I’d gross in the same year. While I could never fathom being able to afford to do something like that I also didn’t have a jet to take me to meetings to make international deals for my corporation. Reality is different for everyone, your wildest dreams may be someone else’s Tuesday afternoon.

I bought a Nighthawk many years ago, just as they were going “live” as a company. I bought it as a fan of the 1911 design (I already had a couple of Kimbers) and I wanted to reward myself for an achievement at work. It’s a great pistol. It’s pretty old (now), but still brings me joy. The fit and finish is fantastic, and it shoots like it has eyes. I think I have $3K in it, and I custom ordered precisely what I wanted. Could I get my money out of it? Probably not…. Don’t care.

Just a simple question of taste, expectations, and disposable income.

Does a Rolex tell better time than a smart watch?
Does a 3 series BMW and Toyota Corolla not do the same exact job?
Natty Light or a craft IPA?

30 years ago, I would laugh at buying a Colt SAA, when I could get a Ruger for 1/4 or less.

I bought a used Les Baer wad cutter gun. And when I use Federal Match Wadcutter ammo in it, all my holes touch at 25 yds.

At my current level… never!!
If the lottery comes through…yep 😊

I am from a long line of frugal Scotsman!

Bought a 6 1/2" 99% Registered Magnum [missing original grips] added period correct no Bark stag grips and a stag grip adaptor. The gun was a whopping $325 plus tax. The grip and adaptor cost me about $225/250 IIRC

Picked up an ANIB Sig C3 .45 20 years ago for around half of the $1,142 MSRP.

Some times it pays to have a fair amount of knowledge and a bit of cash in your pockets.. Rich guys buy expensive toys, tire of them, and trade them off for a "new toy".

Bought my most expensive handgun from Wilson Combat a Beretta 92 Centurion Tactical for $1,250 Serial # is my birth month and year as a retirement gift.

LOL I've taken "several" stock guns and spent another 40-50% of the gun's
original cost to get Smith's to build me the gun I want!

Best bargains in the World for me were the S&W Performance Center Guns from the 90s. They didn't sell well around here at 2-3 time the cost of a stock guns. I got 5 for just a couple hundred more than the same guns from the main factory.

The only firearm guilt that I can share is that I had a Ruger "Old Army" that was in great shape and had no problems it. I had heard about Reeder's in Arizona, gave them a call and ended up sending the old girl off for a full custom job that resulted in a Douglas premium octagon barrel and special large frame for my oversized hand, as well as trigger/action job that set me back a bit over a grand over my initial purchase. The plus side is that the thing shoots fantastic, the downside is that it is almost too pretty to shoot. I am trying of making a point of getting it dirty more often.

These threads are always amusing. I’m fortunate enough through very hard work to own many dozen $4000+ pistols, with some being double that and into five figures. I own many more dozen $2-$4000 pistols.

Yes, the Indian is the most important variable, but the arrow makes a HUGE difference. People that use that phrase, generally have no experience with nice guns.

These threads are always amusing. I’m fortunate enough through very hard work to own many dozen $4000+ pistols, with some being double that and into five figures. I own many more dozen $2-$4000 pistols.

Yes, the Indian is the most important variable, but the arrow makes a HUGE difference. People that use that phrase, generally have no experience with nice guns.

My firearm collection is pretty much shooters, and they punch holes, stave off invaders and bring down prey as good as any Winchester commemorative. We all like different things which helps make the hobby interesting.

You think those Wilson's are expensive? Take a look at a quality double shotgun sometime.....or more over, a quality double rifle. And yes, folks buy them....

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Even older, even crankier....

Ug! Him have many excellent bows, but how many arrows does him actually shoot?

Him knows!

Cheers!

P.S. Who makes him's arrows?

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Sit Reloader Sentiret

Come on over. We can bring most anything that you may want to shoot. Just name your poison and we (my shooting partner and myself) have quite a few toys to choose from. Range is six miles from the house.

Was at Cherry Point for a Reunion about a week and a half ago. Sure has changed!

PM me if you want.

AJ

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Two comments here.

1) Today you can buy a Tisas or RIA branded 1911 for around $350 new. That’s an inflation adjusted price equal to about $110 40 years ago, and 40 years ago you were going to pay around $250-275 at the low end for a new, non Colt 1911.

In other words an entry level RIA or Tisas 1911 costs about half of what a similar 1911 would cost 40 years ago, with the major difference that the Tisas and RIA 1911s will actually function reliably and have fairly decent triggers, by factory standards. That’s largely a result of a) modern CNC machining and the greatly reduced need for hand fitting on a CNC made 1911, and b) inexpensive foreign labor.


2) That also means the $2K to $5K custom 1911s today would be comparable in price to $600 to $1500 custom 1911s in 1982.

I don’t think those custom prices have outpaced inflation and they are no more expensive today than they were 40 years ago in terms of actual buying power required to buy one.

However, there is now a much bigger gap in the price you pay for a stock 1911 and a custom 1911 in terms of the buying power required as the base model 1911s are actually less expensive while also being better functioning.

$1200 gun on a budget, I never thought I would own a $1200 pistol.
I spent around 600 on a CZ PCR, a year or so later I sent it to Cajun Gun Works for a 600 dollar tune up with their Pro package.
It shoots right up their with a friends $3500 Wilson.
$1200 hundred to me is the same as $12,000 to the rich guys if they make ten times what I make and believe me that's easy to do.. I have no regrets.

Your $175 dollar investment in 1974 is now equivalent of $1,113. Gasoline was regularly 24.9 cents a gallon when I got my first car and frequently paid 17.9 cents. When I was young my dad bough gas for 14.9 cents a gallon.

Inflation is alive and well if you’ve not noticed.

I used to shoot IPSC and had a totally custom 38 super double stack race gun for unlimited class. I don’t remember what I paid but think it was in the $2500/3000 range 30 plus years ago. I literally shot it until the frame cracked and I didn’t feel comfortable getting it welded. $3000=$6,700 in todays dollars.

Around that same time I had my limited class gun built using a mill spec
Springfield frame and slide. Just guessing I’m going to say I had $1,500+ in it. Today $1,500=3,350.

Inflation!

Well, at 50 posts into the thread there isn't a whole lot to add.

Yes, I'm nodding my head in agreement. There are quite a few who purchase these upper end pistols, not just 1911s.

Funny thing is, when you go to a forum that supports this activity with an active classified section you'll find them scratching their heads and wondering why anyone would buy a revolver or a black plastic bullet squirter.

Many of these high end guys climb the ladder with progressively more expensive pistols at each rung. They trade two to get one. It may take years to finally get to the top. Never satisfied and always reaching. They might pay more for a pair of "nice" grips than my last pistol cost.....and then you find out that they never shoot them. A virgin pistol is worth more to them than one that's been fired. If it has been fired they can tell you to the round how many times and it's always a very few times.

The guns are beautiful and the photography is always outstanding. Funny thing is, I get to enjoy their efforts by just looking at them. Sort of like when a pretty girl walks into the room.

Now, tell a non-firearm person how much you paid for your last revolver and watch them come unspooled.

[QUOTE=bc1023;142001049

Yes, the Indian is the most important variable, but the arrow makes a HUGE difference. People that use that phrase, generally have no experience with nice guns.[/QUOTE]

Very true. It may happen once in a life time but I've never saw a winner with a cheap off the rack gun. Larry

I haven't bought a "new" gun in a lot of years. Try to buy gently used guns if possible. I do look closely at better guns that show a fair amount of use as this is usually an indicator of the gun being accurate.

The closest I have come to a top of the line piece was when I was stationed in Calif. I became friend with a guy named Jim MacDonald, he had a small shop in his garage. He operated under the name of Mac's .45 Shop , and was in Seal Beach. He built custom M1911 IPSC guns. I traded him three Colt Series 70 Government Models in .45 ACP for one of his guns, built on a blued Colt Series 70 that I had. I had $200 in each of the Colts. His guns were on par with Wilson's at the time. Had seen folks come into his shop and give him $2K plus their gun to be modified into a IPSC gun.

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

LOL just got a Wilson Combat Email..... they now offer 90 different finishes..... to release the inner Ranger or SEAL in you!

Ah the good old days; Sir do you want that in Blue, Nickel or we now have it in stainless steel!

I won't buy one of those fancy custom guns. While I am a decent shot, I'm just not good enough to wring $3000-4000 worth of accuracy out of one.
I do just fine with the regular factory offerings. Although I may get the upper tier models.
If there's any customizing to be done, I do it myself.

I do own one custom gun. A 1964 Clark Longslide .45. I stumbled across this one used about 15 years ago and just couldn't pass it up. Paid just over $1000 for it. That was pretty high back then. But today, a lot of factory offerings are that much and more.
Great gun. Still as tight as it was when it was made and far more accurate than I'll ever be.

That $175 is more like $1200 now. Think about that.

As I have posted, bought the special order Model 19 in Guam for $105.
The Dude who ordered it expected to pay $95 and refused to pay $105.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

It is all relative. When I was into trap shooting $3000 would
not come close to a high end trap gun; buying a good fishing boat can easily hit 6 figures new with a couple of big outboards hanging off the end; and a country club membership for your golfing can cost you plenty. The handgun hobby is one of the least expensive there is. I enjoy just shooting the old Smiths I have because they are great machines and any of them is better than I am.

I have seen some of your pistols in your posts online. Really beautiful stuff! (Love your post on your 4" Korth Combat, by the way.)

I am not a particularly good shot... Maybe more accurate to say I am a lousy shot. I lived in Japan for most of my adult life, so did not have the opportunity to practice often. Now that I am resident in the US, I am getting better but I am sure will never get to the point where I can truly take full advantage of most quality handguns' accuracy.

I find the marksmanship that some of the guys here exhibit when they post their targets truly impressive.

But, as for accuracy, that's not why I buy high end, expensive guns. I buy 'em because I admire the quality, the effort and skill that goes into making them. The craftsmanship. While I am not — well not very, compared to many guys — into high end mechanical watches, I understand the attraction. I think it is similar.

Been a Ruger , Remington and Marlin user for years.
Always admired the other more expansive brands but I was kinda busy raising 5 kids.
I think the most I spent on a gun was a Colt Blued Steel Mustang that I carried for over 20 years.
Then I had a chance to shoot a S&W M69.
I now own one.
I can appreciate fine things just choose to spend my finances on medium quality items.
Have too many hobbies to go whole hog on all of them.
Also enjoy Jeepin',Ham radio,older stereo gear and photography.

This is not about the cost of a gun. But I just read an article that John Rigby & Sons are putting out a cleaning kit for the guns. The cost is 6,000 pounds ($7, 600). How is that for pricey?

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USMC 69-93 Combat Pistol Inst.

Not me.
Nowadays, for under $1200 ( sometimes way less ) you can buy 1911 guns that come out of the box with all of the good features, and no waiting for months on a custom shop to get around to doing the work on a standard, basic gun. And for half the price.
If you want to sell or trade the gun off, it will be far easier to recoup your investment on something like a Tisas or a Ruger that comes from the factory already set up with extra features.

Not me.
Nowadays, for under $1200 ( sometimes way less ) you can buy 1911 guns that come out of the box with all of the good features, and no waiting for months on a custom shop to get around to doing the work on a standard, basic gun. And for half the price.
If you want to sell or trade the gun off, it will be far easier to recoup your investment on something like a Tisas or a Ruger.

Gary does very nice work. I stopped in his shop about 25 years ago and talked with him about some custom work on an Old Model Vaquero I had. Never got around to getting it done. Another regret, among the many....

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Even older, even crankier....

The S&W Performance Center and the Mastershop Sigs are both incredible shooters. Sad that both are now defunct.

How many folks actually want to win a match bad enough to spend a few thousands to have the gun that gives them a (perceived) advantage and are willing to train for it? Ammo and travel expenses will exceed the purchase price of the firearm in less than a year.

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FFL08

...but I let them all go by. We're retired and on fixed income. We have some money laid aside, but it won't be worth much in the future.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I see those "tricked out" and high end pistols flying off the shelves here in Charlotte. Some to serious shooters. Some to folks who just like nice stuff. Also see the gun shops buying them back lightly used (or unfired) at a deep discount and then reselling for much wider margin than original / new sale.

I do not own any of the Nighthawk, Les Baer, etc., guns. Many of them feel great in hand. Just not a 1911 guy. I am fortunate that my tastes are less expensive. But, yes, people buy these guns at a good clip down here.

Depends on what you want to do with the gun.

I was a PPC shooter. In '76 or '77 I had reached a plateau and decided I needed a custom PPC revolver. That cost me $350, including the base revolver. Back then that seemed a lot.

Around this same time Bill Davis got into the business. His first Davis PPC revolver, built up on a S&W Model 10, was $250. That was just to get the camel's nose under the tent flap. Demand for these PPC revolvers exploded and thus did the prices. Those were custom guns, modified for PPC, and then later for related types of competition.

PPC and related disciplines were revolver only then. When competitors decided to go with semi-autos, the prices for S&W PPC autos or custom 1911s modified for PPC escalated the cost. Seems it took a lot more modification to turn out a a semi-auto that would shoot PPC as well as a custom revolver. I was out of competition by then and not paying attention. Had I been awake, I certainly would have had an S&W PPC semi-auto. They were pistols I would have had to own, even if I was no longer competing.

The closest I have ever come was with my S&W Model 52-2. I consider it to be a factory custom pistol. It is just an amazing pistol.

I greatly admire custom guns. Were I wealthy I would have a number of them.

In the rifle department I have a Ruger 77/22 I customized (except for the bolt tightening). It is a very tight grouper. But to get those tight groups I have Anschutz level money in it. But it is still a Ruger, so I will never get Anschutz money out of it. I also have a Miroku produced Winchester Model 52. This is a low production (at the time) rifle, not customized. But the fit and finish and the feel of the trigger are custom level.

Part of the firearms hobby enjoyment for me is to have a few gunsmith or factory customized firearms just for their quality and how they shoot.

My only regret is not buying more when I coulda', woulda', shoulda'.

I’m fortunate to have a brother who collects cars.

Makes my collecting seem downright reasonable.

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Mark Lathem

Depends on your definition of “tricked out”.

Some manufacturers do silly things to trick out their guns and raise the price according to account for the coolness factor.

Like ugly grips, forward cocking serrations, full length or two piece guide rods, and on and on.

Now…if you’re looking for serious collectibles, save your money and buy a Heirloom Precision gun.

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Life Is A Gift. Defend it!

14 acres of guns at the NRA convention last week. A lot of "mid-4 figure$$$" guns and gear. I almost had the wife convinced I needed the $60K Kubota on the floor for the yard work Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

I just a retired road cop on pension. Even my 30-30 is a Glenfield.

It's good to find a kindred spirit. When I came across the Clark Long Heavy Slide Government Model .45 in that little gun shop outside Cleveland my brother said the owner would need a mop because i was drooling so much.

I certainly don't regret buying all the customized handguns that I did.

I currently own two that fall into that category, and have had others.

My first custom handgun was a compensated .38 Super for USPSA competition. Single stack, iron sights. I didn’t order it made, but traded into it. I got it to use as a range toy, but got into shooting USPSA matches and ended up trading up over the next few years. First to a dot-sighted single stack .38 Super, then a double stack and dot-sighted .38 Super.

So yeah, I had them and used them for their intended purpose.
Did they make me a big winner? No, but they sure made things easier. Each gun upgrade was a very noticeable help.
They eventually went away for other things.

Later, I got a custom 1911 carry gun. I had always wanted one, but like most, spending the money was the issue. The wait to have the work done didn’t help, either.
I got lucky on both counts and won one in a charity raffle.
After getting one and seeing how nice it could be, that gun only made me want to have one made up to my specs even more.

I am a big Browning HiPower fan. I will also be the first to admit they are just a little short of ideal in a few areas. It’s allllllmost there, but not quite. If any gun benefitted from customizing, it’s the BHP, in order to reach it’s potential.
So I did it.

The resulting gun was just what I wanted. The few shortcomings of the design were corrected, and the already good parts were improved upon.

Was it worth it? I think so. As I said, I got it just the way I wanted it. I carried that gun for well over ten years, and would still be carrying it now if eyesight had not forced me to admit I needed to switch to a red dot. I still carry it on occasion, and am currently considering finding someone to mount a red dot on a spare slide for it.

Yes, I know many people say they would be reluctant to carry any valuable gun because they can’t bear to think of it going into an evidence locker if they have to use it in self-defense.
My opinion on that is if that gun is the one that helps me perform even a little better, it’s worth using rather than leaving it in the safe. A nice gun sitting in an evidence locker might be the least of someone’s expenses or worries in that situation.

A little late to the party, but as at least one person noted, Colt's QC frequently left a lot to be desired. In 1969 I bought a new 1911. Had reliability issues regardless of ammo, magazine, extractor change or tune etc. Trigger left a lot to be desired, the sights were the hump & bump, etc. This continued-and got worse-as Colt approached and had it's most recent bankruptcy.

People who bought Colts were basically buying gun parts, which they then took to a craftsman who adjusted them to proper specs. There came a time when you couldn't even expect properly machined frames & slides. Then various gun mags started selling the idea that you HAD to have minimal clearance between frame and slide rails, checkered grip frames and so forth. Prices naturally went up as economy of scale disappeared.

Back in 2021 when the Biden Bucks came rolling in, I decided to use them to splurge on a Dream Gun, knowing that it was something that I could otherwise never justify the expense of, and frankly after the pandemic I needed something good to come out of the whole mess, something to look back on fondly.

There were a few guns that I was considering... A Smith & Wesson Performance Center 629, a Tanfoglio Witness 10mm Elite Match Pro, and a Heckler & Koch USP45 Elite.

Ultimately, I got the H&K USP Elite because the other two options were sold out, and frankly I liked them all pretty well equally anyway.



The H&K USP45 Elite is the Competition Match Grade variant of the USP, with a hand-fitted slide and barrel, Bomar adjustable rear sights, and a factory tuned trigger.

I'm not into competition shooting, I bought it for two major reasons:

1.) Because the aesthetics appealed to me.
It kind of looks like an oversized, futuristic Walther PP.

2.) .45 Super.
The H&K USP45 is one of the few pistols on the market that's capable of shooting .45 Super sans modifications.

Unfortunately, my life changed rather drastically by 2022, so I haven't gotten out to shoot it much since, but nevertheless I'm happy that I bought it.

It didn't cost me too much either, it ran me $1077 when all was said and done.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I'm an H&K fan in a couple of ways, I preferred the G-3 to our M-14, love the MP5 in every configuration I have ever had my hands on and also find their pistols unmatched when it comes to basic ergonomics and operation. I have never had any of our H&K firearms issue a FTF and I have gone out of my way to do everything except fire one under water to find out. My bedside handgun is an HK45C with Streamlite weapons light. The trigger reset is very similar to the MK25 which is another amazing firearm although big and heavy. I never sprang for an Elite in the same way I never bought one of Sigs 210 models, I never sprang for a MK25 due to cost and that a HK USP Tactical .45 is significantly lighter, I think I got the supressor on the USP for the price difference between the USP and the MK25.