CHEAP CHEAP 1911 Mania Extravaganza Continues!

[dandyrandy]

Continuing the Cheap Cheap GI series. If your a 1911 FREAK of nature like me you will like this. Here we go again! Another sweet 1911! Its price is even sweeter too! So Ive been messing around with the CHEAP CHEAP GI series of 1911s reviewing some of them and telling of my great adventures with them. Well here you go you cheap skate freak of nature heres another cheap gun for ya! But heres the beauty of it there hero its nice too!
charles daly by Dandy Randy, on Flickr
Charles Daly has been around since the 1800s importing guns from around the world. Some good some not so good but mostly good stuff. I would say there 1911 Field Grade is very good! In fact I love this gun! Nothing gaudy nothing crazy no lasers and fancy gizmos and gadgetry just PLAIN 1911! Its all well put together fitment is tight on the slide frame and barrel but not overly tight. Just a blood and guts no nonsense no BS shootin gun. I love it! The gun is surprisingly well put together. Shall I dare say better put together than my Colt 1911 that is twice as much? Ya Ill say it well it is! Okay so the gun is made in Italy. So is my Beretta 92FS and I used the heck out of that in the military. So what!!?? Its made by Brixia which is more known for making high end shotguns. Im good with that! They even put the cool proofing marks on the gun that you see on lots of European military surplus guns. Thats cool at least you know they proof tested the gun with a high pressure load. You can find these for less than 500 bones. You see here is the cheap skate riddle of steal for ya. Cheap and quality are not two words that go together often in the firearms world. If your looking for a cheap but GOOD QUAULITY this is the ticket there chief. So this is my top 3 picks for all new 1911s in the Cheap Cheap GI series. All these 1911 guns are "series 70" type void of any kind of firing pin safety. Ya I prefer them like that. The TOP 3 are: Springfield Armory Mil Spec, SDS Imports 1911 GI, and the Charles Daly 1911 Field Grade. Congrats to these manufactures for making some sweet nice and affordable 1911 pistols. Thanks for reading!

 

[dandyrandy]

Here is the other winner winner chicken dinner for the cheap cheap GI series. So far my SDS Imports Service 1911 is a keeper.
IMG_0995 by Dandy Randy, on Flickr
A few things to note on these CHEAP 1911s. First you need to come back to planet earth pal! These guns are cheap for a reason. Dont be delusional! A $1500 dollar Dan Wesson Heritage is $1500 bucks for a reason okay? With that out of the way a few upgrades will get your cheap skate 1911 bucket of garbage in the grand national races in no time. There is some MIM parts in these guns that I dont think MIM should be at. Also I put all Wilson Combat spring upgrade kits in these guns. Those are the only kits Ive used so far and they work great so thats the only reason Im mentioning them. There is other springs kits. Nighthawk Customs comes to mind as a great supplier for kits. Either way get the dang spring kits! The spring kits give me a good base line to go by. The thinking on these cheap 1911s is this (As long as the bones are good the rest should be good with good quality parts.) There easy to install and theres manuals or youtube if you need help. Lots of these cheap 1911s use MIM firing pin stops. Replace the stop with a forged steal one! Speaking of firing pins I like to use a bit stronger firing pin spring on all of my cheap "70 series" style 1911s. I havent had any other problems worth mentioning on the 3 1911s. The Spring Field Armory 1911s are usually good to go as they are. Only thing worth mentioning with the SA Mil Specs is that they use really cheap grip bushings that strip out easily. Thats it! Nothing crazy maybe like $35 bucks worth of extra parts and lets not forget to buy good quality magazines too. Of course theres always that ONE. You know that one Mr Cool Guy out there that has the cheapo 1911 thats going to raise his little hand and say thats he has ran thousands upon thousands of rounds flawlessly though his Rock Island Armory pistol that he got for free from his cousins cousin. Usually this guy is lying or just extremely lucky. I dont know about everyone else but these aforementioned things is what Ive done on my cheap 1911s and they run great right next to my high dollar gotta take out a house mortgage to pay for the thing 1911s. I few more dollar bills for these upgrades to your cheap cheap GI garbage can blaster is worth it in my opinion.

 

[dandyrandy]

Lets talk about MIM for a brief minute. Yes I know MIM has been talked about before to death but I would like to touch on that some more. Yes these 1911s use MIM and here is the thing about that. MIM is great! Yep! I have no problems with it as long as it is used in the correct place. All three of the cheap cheap GI 1911s use MIM hammers. Nothing wrong with MIM hammers. At least I never had any problems with them. Im sure S&W has been using MIM hammers on there semi auto pistols for decades shooting millions of rounds with no problems. On the other hand theres some places MIM should not be. One being the firing pin stop on the 1911. I just replace them now with a quality forged steel part.

 

[ko41]

Lets talk about MIM for a brief minute...... On the other hand theres some places MIM should not be. One being the firing pin stop on the 1911. I just replace them now with a quality forged steel part.

What's wrong with a MIM firing pin stop?

 

[OLDSTER]

Unfortunately these Norincos were only imported for 9 or 10 years before being banned by the Clinton small arms ban from certain countries. Very well made, a great performer, a favorite platform for custom jobs, and a true mil-spec 1911. I am fortunate to own this early import.

 

[clang444]

Thanks for the reviews. If these are your top 3, what other cheap 1911s did you buy that did not make the list?

And what is your round count through each gun?

 

[dandyrandy]

What's wrong with a MIM firing pin stop?

Thin and MIM dont go together very well

 

[dandyrandy]

Thanks for the reviews. If these are your top 3, what other cheap 1911s did you buy that did not make the list?

And what is your round count through each gun?

One that comes to mind that didnt work out to well was an ATI Firepower Xtreme 45ACP GI 1911. It was an okay gun if you didnt want to do too much to it however it needed way to much work to get it where I wanted it to be. Fitting new parts to make the gun better was becoming to time consuming labor extensive costly with that particular gun. The cost started to way exceeded the worth of the gun. I did the best I could do for the little guy and sent him on his way.
ATI Commander by Dandy Randy, on Flickr
The Springfields Ive had many hundreds of rounds through and the other two maybe a couple hundred so far.

 

[dandyrandy]

Unfortunately these Norincos were only imported for 9 or 10 years before being banned by the Clinton small arms ban from certain countries. Very well made, a great performer, a favorite platform for custom jobs, and a true mil-spec 1911. I am fortunate to own this early import.

Ive seen them in the past and they always felt too junky in my hand. Granted I never shot one before and I cant really explain why I didnt care for them however the horrible attempted English translations emblazed all over the guns certainly didnt help me like the things.

 

[hkcavalier]

I almost bought a Norinco late last year for $400 just for the frame alone. Had aims to put together a 10mm. Could have recouped a lot of my cost by selling the slide. By the time this all connected in my brain and I went back to the store, of course...it was long gone.

 

[dandyrandy]

I almost bought a Norinco late last year for $400 just for the frame alone. Had aims to put together a 10mm. Could have recouped a lot of my cost by selling the slide. By the time this all connected in my brain and I went back to the store, of course...it was long gone.

I would would rather have a Norinco Makarov SKS or AK equivalent.

 

[walnutred]

I'm enjoying your budget 1911 reviews. I recently picked up a Norinco 1911 with 4 magazines for $500. More than I wanted to pay but not bad by todays prices. In my opinion this Norinco is every bit as good as any US issue 1911A1 or 1911 I've handled, and I've handled a few. Plus the sights are easier for me to see.

 

[waffles]

Budget 1911s have come a long way. The RIAs I've owned have been absolutely fantastic.

 

[4barrel]

Another El Cheapo.

 

[Echo40]

It's remarkable just how good-looking some of these inexpensive 1911s are. Up until recently, I had planned on getting a Tisas 1911as a gift for my brother, but in the meantime their prices had doubled and their availability had plummeted, so ultimately the decision was made that if I was going to be spending upwards of $600 on a 1911, then might as well go for something more expensive and make it all the more special, so I ended getting a Ruger SR1911 NRA Limited Edition.

Still, when the price is right, then I think that some of these cheaper 1911s are an excellent value.

 

[OLDSTER]

Ive seen them in the past and they always felt too junky in my hand. Granted I never shot one before and I cant really explain why I didnt care for them however the horrible attempted English translations emblazed all over the guns certainly didnt help me like the things.

Too chunky ?-clone to a Colt. Attempted English translations ??-not on the Norincos I've owned. Are you sure you've ever seen much less handled a Norinco. ??

 

[dandyrandy]

Too chunky ?-clone to a Colt. Attempted English translations ??-not on the Norincos I've owned. Are you sure you've ever seen much less handled a Norinco. ??

On those China 1911s the Model of The 1911A1 on the side is always worth a laugh

 

[Eddietruett]

Here is the other winner winner chicken dinner for the cheap cheap GI series. So far my SDS Imports Service 1911 is a keeper.
IMG_0995 by Dandy Randy, on Flickr
A few things to note on these CHEAP 1911s. First you need to come back to planet earth pal! These guns are cheap for a reason. Dont be delusional! A $1500 dollar Dan Wesson Heritage is $1500 bucks for a reason okay? With that out of the way a few upgrades will get your cheap skate 1911 bucket of garbage in the grand national races in no time. There is some MIM parts in these guns that I dont think MIM should be at. Also I put all Wilson Combat spring upgrade kits in these guns. Those are the only kits Ive used so far and they work great so thats the only reason Im mentioning them. There is other springs kits. Nighthawk Customs comes to mind as a great supplier for kits. Either way get the dang spring kits! The spring kits give me a good base line to go by. The thinking on these cheap 1911s is this (As long as the bones are good the rest should be good with good quality parts.) There easy to install and theres manuals or youtube if you need help. Lots of these cheap 1911s use MIM firing pin stops. Replace the stop with a forged steal one! Speaking of firing pins I like to use a bit stronger firing pin spring on all of my cheap "70 series" style 1911s. I havent had any other problems worth mentioning on the 3 1911s. The Spring Field Armory 1911s are usually good to go as they are. Only thing worth mentioning with the SA Mil Specs is that they use really cheap grip bushings that strip out easily. Thats it! Nothing crazy maybe like $35 bucks worth of extra parts and lets not forget to buy good quality magazines too. Of course theres always that ONE. You know that one Mr Cool Guy out there that has the cheapo 1911 thats going to raise his little hand and say thats he has ran thousands upon thousands of rounds flawlessly though his Rock Island Armory pistol that he got for free from his cousins cousin. Usually this guy is lying or just extremely lucky. I dont know about everyone else but these aforementioned things is what Ive done on my cheap 1911s and they run great right next to my high dollar gotta take out a house mortgage to pay for the thing 1911s. I few more dollar bills for these upgrades to your cheap cheap GI garbage can blaster is worth it in my opinion.

I have 2 of these. 1st one I bought was the plain Jane model. Think I gave $350 for it new on the recommendation of a friend. Liked it so well I picked up a stainless model Ithaca the upgraded Novak type sights. Paid around $450. I have put at least 1k rounds through each of these and with the exception of a tight extractor on the stainless model that after a break in of about 100 rounds loosened up, they run flawless and are very accurate. With the crowd I shoot with, we are always running guns (especially) bargain models through some pretty hard shooting. We’ve never had a Tisas (SDS Import) fail. I’m gonna ruffle some feathers, but I wouldn’t trade either of mine for 2 RIA. I’ve owned several RIA models and while not a bad gun, I don’t think they compare with the Tisas.

 

[Ματθιας]

Those Norinco 1911s are solid chunks steel. They are well made and machined - especially considering the prices they retailed at in the 1990s.

 

[VictorLouis]

The SDS are also marked as Tisas, the maker, on the slides, IIRC.
Auto-Ordnance, now being a Kahr sub, is probably a good bet. I've
seen one or two Ithaca marked guns, also. NOT vintage, LOL, but new
production. I know nothing about them. Two little heralded features of the
Rugers are the that the plunger tube atop the left grip is cast as part of the frame. Nothing to come loose. IIRC, they also have integrated grip-screw bushings.