Good morning, I would like your input on comparing the Ruger, Smith and Wesson, and the Springfield Armory 1911's (all basic models). Is one preferred over the other? I had a Springfield 1911 years ago in the aluminum frame and that was a problem child from day one. Thanks for all of the comments.

I own those and a lot of the decision would be based on money I think. I have a few of each. SAs are either built or the parts come from IMBEL in Brazil then assembled in the USA. That may bother some folk. They are nice.

Rugers are made in Prescott AZ. Being a new gun there have been some teething problems. The ones I have are lovely.

The new S&W 1911s are made in Maine, and I think it may be a problem getting a S&W 1911 that is not an E Series unless you live in CA or a like state. The ones I have are great, but I have not bought an E Series yet, although I keep thinking about it. Some people have an issue with an external extractor on a 1911. Probably due to the problem Kimber had when they tried an external extractor, which was a way different design than what S&W uses.

Another one that seems to be a good value for the money is the Remington R1s'. The thing that brings me back to S&W is their warranty.

Choosing a 1911 for Duty Use.

10-8 Performance 1911 User's Guide by Hilton Yam

Reliability, Round Counts, and Longevity in 1911s

Hilton is the real deal, a SWAT cop, firearms instructor, and gunsmith. I carried a gun he built for several years. The only malfs* were with ammo for it was not set up (+P, which requires different timing), and cheap department practice ammo. Even that was a total of ... 4 rounds in 3000 or so. With standard ball of good quality (Black Hills, mostly) and duty ammo (Gold Dot 230 grain), no malfs at all.

* A stoppage in the cycle of operation is a malfunction. Jam goes on toast.

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

I have owned multiple Springfields and have been generally pleased. No more pleased, however, than with my E-Series, which has been the most reliable out of the box 1911 I have ever owned with both ball and hp ammo. Even more so than my 1943 Remington-Rand, which my father carried when he was issued it NIB during WWII up through his retirement in 1956. The R-R, while flawless with ball, will not reliably feed hps, which it wasn't designed to do, after all.

Everyone I know that's bought a R1 has liked it, but I personally feel that it's not a great value for the money. The SR1911 is variable, IMHO. Most people I know have been very happy with theirs. However, by my observation there's a lot of variance in tolerances and general consistency of manufacture.

In the $800-$1,000 range, I'd go either for an E-Series base gun or a Springfield Loaded or Range Officer.

Get you a new e-series and be done with it. I have carried 1911's for thirty years and own many. S&W got it right and build a great 1911. Best of luck and be sure to post your new toy.

I have 3 of the Ruger's, 2 government and one CMD. I would not have purchased them if I didn't believe that they are an excellent value. Now, some will fuss about the frame being cast but they really need to consider Ruger's reputation for making brutally strong firearms using cast frame. How many of us have seen Long Colt or 44 Magnum loads marked for use only in Ruger or Thompson Contenders? One real positive aspect of the cast frame is no Plunger Tube to come "unstuck" an the most inconvenient time possible. There is also the fact that a properly lubricated stainless steel frame will last nearly forever and it takes a rather foolish amount of abuse to get one to actually rust.

The only potential downside is that Rugers feature a Service fit like the original 1911, which means they do rattle a bit. However, I've compared my Rugers to Springfields, Colts, and S&W E series pistols and all feature a similar fit. One positive aspect of a Service fit is that it usually produces a more reliable pistol and has very little effect on accuracy as long as the barrel is properly fitted to the slide and barrel bushing.

I have had a Ruger for a year or so and have been very pleased.

Had 3 Smiths including an E series commander. Now I have 1 Ruger Commander. Ruger is the best bang for the buck IMHO.

You all keep talking about these Rugers like they are made of gold. I have never owned one but have seen and shot them at the range. They don't do anything for me, but I don't buy price. I had a few problems with my first two smith 1911's, but this new E-series is scary accurate while being very reliable. I don't know why anybody wouldn't want to buy a Smith 1911 over a Ruger 1911, just my two-cent. Also I think you need to go to a Ruger forum to brag on your great Ruger 1911's..

T-bird, if I could find the stainless E Series locally I'd probably pick one up. Thing is that I haven't seen ONE of the 5 inch government models locally in all the time that has passed since the E Series was announced. Yeah, I have seen a bunch of the Scandium round butt model but since I now worry about the wear on the frame on my Sig P239 I'm inclined to avoid any more semi's with aluminum frames. BTW, the Sig has about 4300 rounds downrange and has always been lubed with grease.

So, until S&W actually makes an effort to produce some handguns that I find interesting I'll keep on bragging on my Rugers. BTW, I find the new model 66 VERY interesting and have a bet with myself that I won't see one single example show up at two of the S&W Stocking Dealers that I visit all the time for all of 2014. Frankly, if it's not a Plastic Fantastic pistol I'm starting to regard the rest of the S&W catalog as Vaporware.

So scooter what you are saying is that since you cannot find a smith that you recommend a Ruger on a smith and wesson forum. I'm sorry but I love my smiths and would recommend anyone to buy one.

6*ª Etapa Estadual de IPSC HANDGUN FTPRJ 2016 - VÃ�DEO COMPLETO - YouTube

Only complaints I ever had with the upper end Springfield's,are the larger grip stud used.Makes fitting required on exotic wood replacement grips.

Love my Ruger 9mm 1911. Don't need to try anything else although the Ruger 1911 lightweight commander and the Rock Island compact 1911 are fine pistols as well.

upload gambarcertificity.com

screenshot softwarecertificity.com

free image uploadcertificity.com

__________________
Mike
S&WCA #3065

OLD THREAD!

__________________
So many S&W's, so few funds!!