Need help picking a 1911

[MTS Cop]

Well, my birthday is fast approaching and I think I'm finally going to get myself the 1911 I always wanted. The one I really want would be a genuine Colt M1911-A1 of WWII vintage (to go with my Garand and Carbine) but they are way too rich for my blood. I want a 1911 that is as close to GI as possible. The Colt 1911 and 1918 replicas fit the bill but are still a little pricey and I'd probably be a little too over protective of it because of the collectibility. I guess the Sprigfield Armory GI-Spec is closest to what I'm looking for, unless someone can recommend something better. Oh, and my price range is about $500. I will now let the more knowledgable among us comment.

BTW, the cover of the September issue of the American Rifleman has been torturing me.

 

[G-Mac]

MTS Cop...

If you get a Springfield, I'd highly recommend taking a slight step up from the G.I. to the "Mil-Spec". Lowered and flared ejection port, polished feed ramp, better sights, beveled mag well. I have one and I love it.

 

[Bruce51]

Ria

I'm really happy with my RIA 1911. The only thing I changed was the recoil spring. The standard #16 spring threw cases across the range. I installed a #22 spring and could not be happier. I bought it for $399.
Remember it is a JMB design that Colt built as well as many other factories. It looks close enough to the original to suit me. No locks, no disconnect just a basic 1911.

Bruce

 

[BigG-n-Tn]

I want an SA factory loaded so bad I ca't see straight. If you're limited to $500, you might have a hard time finding an SA. Add just a few more bucks and you're there.

 

[Bruce51]

I would like to add that the RIA worked with every magazine I tried. Wilson,McCormick and Colt. It comes with one very nice Novaks Magazine.
It also fed 185FP reloads,230FMJ medium loads and full power ball loads right out of the box without a hiccup. A great value for the price.

Bruce

 

[Steave]

If you get a Springfield, I'd highly recommend taking a slight step up from the G.I. to the "Mil-Spec". Lowered and flared ejection port, polished feed ramp, better sights, beveled mag well. I have one and I love it.

I'd agree with that as well. Also, should you ever decide to have additional work done to it in the future, you would have a great base gun whereas you may not want to sink any more $$ into a lesser quality pistol, and there are plenty of other inexpensive 1911's out there. The Springfields may not be terribly expensive, but they are not cheap guns.

 

[bmhiii]

If you get a Springfield, I'd highly recommend taking a slight step up from the G.I. to the "Mil-Spec". Lowered and flared ejection port, polished feed ramp, better sights, beveled mag well. I have one and I love it.

I have the SA GI and it looks real close to the real thing. However, G-Mac has a good point. If you want the look, go GI, but if you want a little better one, go Mil-Spec. JMHO....

 

[pred]

Save your birthday money and research and learn more about the Colt 1911s, And when you find one you will be able to know what you are looking at and feel confident that it is what you want.
Here is what will happen otherwise...
I will call you Bob for the sake of it.
Bob wants a Colt military 1911,,, But can only afford $500 right now.
He settles for a RIA or the like,
Bob really likes it, But in a month he seems to be dwelling on Gun Broker looking at all the nice US 1911s, He still isnt totally happy.
Bob starts having issues in bed, Cant stay away from the Gun auction sights,, And is neglecting his dog.......
So, If BOB just waited a bit longer and saved just a bit more until he got lucky at a local gun show and found a real nice WWII 1911 for $875 with some haggeling.... Bobs wife would still be happy, His dog would be healthy, And he would have the 1911 of his dreams!
Take it from me,,,, I finally found mine, And sold off the Springfield, The Charles daily and the like!
You can find one for under 1K in near mint condition, But it will take 6 months or so, And the the fun of finding exactly what you want is the search for ti!
Peter

 

[BE Mike]

I would have to go along with getting the "real thing". In the long run, you probably won't be happy with a knock-off.

 

[Bat Guano]

The SAs are decent guns. I got two DCM GI issue 1911A1s back in the '60s, for $25 and $45 respectively. At that time they were all over the place.

Good guns and all that, but what's being asked (and gotten?) for the WWII guns is ridiculous today. Sort of like the housing bubble before it popped.

I have an SA stainless Mil-Spec, and it is a good shooter and certainly up to the job. It cost me about $550 a few years back. I've been shooting 1911s since 1959 and it's good enough for me.

 

[3rd Gen Neal]

If you get a Springfield, I'd highly recommend taking a slight step up from the G.I. to the "Mil-Spec". Lowered and flared ejection port, polished feed ramp, better sights, beveled mag well. I have one and I love it.

+1 for sure. I had a GI and it should have been issued model # P.O.S. I found a lightly used Kimber Raptor 5" for around 725 and it has been perfect. (Looks killer also!)

 

[godlessgael]

I know a lot of people are extremely satisfied with their SA 1911's, but I have had terrible experiences with all 5 that I have ever shot. I was in the exact same boat as you, wanting a Colt but without the funds to realize the dream. I have decided to wait and save up money for the Colt.

 

[walter o]

If you want a 1911 to shoot the R.I.A is a good firearm for the price .i Have 2 Do not think they would be suitable for a custom build . they work great out of the box ,but for the few that have problems RoskIsland has great customer service. I bought a Kimber conversion 22 kit for mine
and it over hangs the back of the frame about 1/32 it does not inter fear with the operation and the kit works fine . I tried the conversion on both R.I. and had the same overhang ,Put it on my Colt 70 and the fit was perfect.For a starter 1911 I don't think you can beat the R.I. but it ain't a colt. Go to your pusher and handle both then decide.

 

[buckeyeshooter1]

Indulge yourself and buy a Colt. The good news is that it will hold its value. Babying it is never bad.

 

[MTS Cop]

You all bring up good points. I'm not limiting myself to $500, it's what I would like to spend but would go a bit higher. I have to do some more soul searching but all your thoughts and comments are well appreciated.

 

[Maddog 521]

After almost 100 years of the 1911, why do some people hate the other manufacture's who are building them? I would think after 100 years it would be easy to build quality guns. I also think you can get a good quality GI pistol for $500.

 

[S-W4EVER]

I like all 1911s, as long as they are built right. The first 1911 I bought was a Springfield Armory GI model (parkerized w/ 5" barrel) and it is a reliable and accurate pistol (as long as you feed it hardball ammo). I replaced the "US" grips with the brown plastic ones and now it looks pretty close to what we carried in the Army.

The Mil-Spec is a step up with larger sights and flared ejection port but the GI is more historically accurate. There are minor differences between the GI and the real thing (like the shape of the safety and the hole for the lock in the mainspring housing) but these parts can be easily replaced if so desired.

 

[Farmer17]

I'm wanting almost exactly what you are wanting. I have had Colt's before and there is nothing magic about them to me, they are good guns, just not worth the extra $ for my needs. I was wanting the Rock Island from Sarco for $339 plus 15 bucks shipping, but they just recently raised their prices about 15%. Also the stock GI sights are so small they are almost unusable, and its hard to believe the military used them for 80+ years. I have heard the High Standard and Bersa 1911s are as good or better guns and maybe even cheaper. The Bersa has checkered wood grips and slightly bigger sights than the Rock Island and looks better to me, but they are a bit hard to find because they are so popular. If you found a good deal on any of the tricked out 1911s you could make it look pretty much like a GI model for not much money. The hammer, beavertail grip safety, and trigger are pretty easy and cheap to trade out with GI parts.

 

[GatorFarmer]

If you want a nice 1911, buy one of the relaunched Colt Series 70s, or get an original (which is a different animal, but still nice). If you want it to look something like a WW2 GI gun, then have it parkerized.

If you want one for something other than looks, then there's the other Colt offerings such as the Gunsite pistol (and perhaps have it modified to suit) or else just go with a boutique gun that will run you around two grand. Wilson, Brown, Baer, and others offer high end 1911s. They cost what they do for a reason.

 

[haggis]

It's always difficult making a recommendation for a specific brand of 1911. Springfields are a hit or miss proposition. I believe most of them are well built, but there have been many examples that never should have made it out the factory door. If you get one of those, you feel like the guy who recommended them was a jerk.

In reality, any gun can have flaws, even Colts and Kimbers. So what do you pick? There are two low-cost 1911's I can recommend.

1. Rock Island, or any other 1911 made by Armscor. I have detailed stripped these guns, and I was very impressed by the quality of construction, even if the frames are cast (forged frames are not nearly as important as some people think).

2. Norinco. Other than the fact that these are difficult to find, they are very well built from some of the toughest steel available (5120). They are forged if that matters to you. They have no MIM parts (if that matters to you - it doesn't matter much as far as function). I personally think that banning their import was heavily influenced by American gunmakers that didn't want the competition (you can still get them in Canada for $325 Canadian).

Rock Island is probably the better choice due to availability and their good service record if you happen to get the very occasional dog. If I was sentenced to only having a Rock Island, I wouldn't feel very deprived.


Buck