Hi everyone,
I'm officially looking for a 1911 to get into CDP and I have always wanted a 1911 in 45 ACP. just wondering what brands/models you think are great and
which suck. I know this is just a ford/chevy debate so I'd rather first hand opinions, not just the "taurus is crap!" stuff people post without
owning one. I'm thinking about in the $1500 range, can go a little over and would be very happy to stay under... maybe to get some crimson trace for it.
any help would be great and feel free to include pictures!
Thanks,
Steve
- Announcements
- Site Suggestions and Comments, Technical Help
- New Member Introduction
- General Forum
- MAJOR IDPA Match Announcements and Results
- LOCAL IDPA Match Announcements and Results
- Non-IDPA Match Announcements
- Match Chat
- IDPA Tips N' Tricks
- IDPA Equipment Questions
- IDPA Rules Questions
- Course Of Fire (CoF) Library and Links
- Rule Clarifications
- COF Ideas
- Talkin' Tactical
- Gunsmithing Questions
- Training Events
- Stock & Enhanced Service Revolver
- Custom Defensive Pistol
- Stock Service Pistol
- Enhanced Service Pistol
- BUG
- Provisional 3 Gun Forum
- Gun Owner's Alerts
- 'Round the Stats Shack
- Other Shooting Sports Questions/Issues
- Reloading
- Knives
- Shotguns
- Rifles/Carbines
- Stuff For Sale
need help choosing a 1911!
| Author | Comment | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 steviesterno |
need help choosing a 1911! |
Lead | |
|
Posts: 14 (11/12/08 11:03:50) |
Steve |
||
|
freeidaho |
|||
|
Posts: 2550 (11/12/08 11:34:59) |
Okay, let me get the best, but non-traditional answer out of the way. A double stack STI with polymer frame and bushing barrel. You will have to search
around for a dealer price though.
They are reliable, easy to shoot, hold lots of ammo, (no barney mag needed,) and are generally the stuff 1911 dreams are made of. If I could afford it, this would be my carry gun and game gun. As it is I am stuck with G21's, strictly because of cost and weight. With that out of the way, we can continue with the more traditional single stack answers..... Ken Reed
+-+ E-Mail: freeidaho at yahoo dot com ...............................There is a $5 fine for whining. (Chris Ledoux "5 dollar
fine")
|--\ .................................................................................................You are what you do, everything else is just talk. |---| Personal web site to display ideas:................................Gaming is an admission that you can't win on a level playing field. /----\ <http://www.parmarng.org/freeidaho/default.html> |*----/\ |-------| My rifle, pistol, shotgun, and IDPA club: +------+ <http://www.parmarng.org> |
||
|
PPC Eljay |
|||
|
Posts: 196 (11/12/08 12:30:17) |
Steve I have heard that Kimbers are no good, but... I have in the high 1000s through my Stainless Target and a good 4000 through the BP 10 and nothing major
has gone wrong with either, every so often I think about a 9mm, maybe a third
Lenny, from the west coast of NJ
|
||
 Dragoon |
|||
|
Posts: 74 (11/12/08 13:25:09) |
Lenny, does your Stainless Target have an internal, or external extractor?
Massimo |
||
|
Glshooter |
|||
|
Posts: 71 (11/12/08 13:51:41) |
I have had 1911's from Kimber, Colt and Springfield. All in the $900-$1000 range. I now have a STI Trojan and it is far and away the best of the bunch. It
is around $900 and I ordered it from Dawson Precision and I had them do their Enhancement Package for an extra $150. So for $1100 I had a 1911 with an awesome
trigger and has never missed a beat. I have shot and handled higher end 1911's and I feel that the trojan comes very close and costs a lot less.
Dave |
||
|
steviesterno |
|||
|
Posts: 15 (11/12/08 14:35:35) |
keep the advice coming... So what's the advantage of a double stack? (besides the capacity). i thought you could only shoot to division capacity so it
wouldn't be a big deal. i dont like the idea of a huge grip, i like the slim profile of a single stack, and i'm kinda leaning towards a springfield at
the moment, just because I keep watching my buddy's top of the line kimber.
Steve |
||
|
freeidaho |
|||
|
Posts: 2551 (11/12/08 15:18:44) |
steviesterno wrote: Steve, The advantage to the double stack is the capactiy. Great for 3-gun games, USPSA, and other competitions. No fiddling around with a barney mag. And they are easier to reload due to the big opening in the handle. It is probably a personal thing. I have big hands, so the girth doesn't bother me. Ken Reed
+-+ E-Mail: freeidaho at yahoo dot com ...............................There is a $5 fine for whining. (Chris Ledoux "5 dollar
fine")
|--\ .................................................................................................You are what you do, everything else is just talk. |---| Personal web site to display ideas:................................Gaming is an admission that you can't win on a level playing field. /----\ <http://www.parmarng.org/freeidaho/default.html> |*----/\ |-------| My rifle, pistol, shotgun, and IDPA club: +------+ <http://www.parmarng.org> |
||
|
Bubba |
|||
|
Posts: 1396 (11/12/08 16:47:52) |
If I only had all the money back from all the Kimber, Springfield and Colt 1911s I've had. Sigh.....
All of my friends say the same thing. I've had probably 7 or 8 of these pistols. As a group we have all owned probably 25-30 of the production pistols. We spent a lot of money trying to make them reliable for thousands of rounds. However, today I shoot Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special, Wilson CQB, Nowlin Match Classic or STI Eagle 5.0. My personal opinion is the Nowlin is the best of the bunch. I've thought about selling one of the Baer's or the Wilson and ordering another Nowlin. But the last time I called, there was a one year wait just to get on the waiting list. 
My friends are all shooting either Baer or STI or Wilson. Most of them Baer. I'm not poo poo'ing anyone's favorite blaster. It's just been our experience the higher end production guns are more reliable in the long term. Personally, I don't even consider one broken in until around 5000 rounds. All of us with the Baer pistols have 25-30,000 plus rounds through them. And they are still going strong. My Nowlin has 20,000+. The person I shoot most often with has probably 35,000 through his STI. They just keep running and running and running. If you are only going to shoot 5000-10,000 for the life of a pistol, the other pistols may be fine for you. Long term, high round count tends to be a better value with the higher end pistols. Of course, that's just my opinion. And opinion's are like arm pits. Everyone has a couple of them and sometimes they stink. 
|
||
|
steviesterno |
|||
|
Posts: 16 (11/12/08 17:16:36) |
I already have a great (to me) 3 gun set up for the shoots around here... benelli pump, dpms flattop and brand-spankin-new M&P pro. the 3 guns down here
dont seem to have major/minor divisions or anything. im new to the 1911 market and would hate to drop $1500 beans on something that doesnt turn out to be
decent. I'm also very impatient, so a year to get on a waiting list just wouldnt work. im a recreational shooter that competes 1-2x a month and ran my p99
untill this upcoming weekend (managed to place very well with it, too!). just looking for something to bang out 2000 rounds a year or so at most and enjoy.
watching my buddy rack-tap-pull-drop-rack-pull his custom kimber makes me want something that works.
Steve |
||
|
Ken |
|||
|
Posts: 60 (11/12/08 17:44:38) |
I run a Wilson Combat CQB and a Smith & Wesson Pro 1911. The S&W is not as smooth as the Wilson, but it's very good. On the plus side the Pro
ran about $1050 from the S&W Shooting Sports Center,,,,, that's just a down payment on a Wilson now.
|
||
|
steviesterno |
|||
|
Posts: 17 (11/12/08 18:23:34) |
yeah, im not looking to put down 4k on a 1911 quite yet! look nice though! any other suggestions in the 1000-1500 range?
Steve |
||
|
PPC Eljay |
|||
|
Posts: 197 (11/13/08 08:53:06) |
Massimo, both guns have the internal extractors. The stainless gun has close to 10000 rounds, so I'm no where near the Bubba zone, and really don't
think I will ever get that high with any one gun. The double stack is my ESP gun running 200 gn lead at about 140PF and as Ken said the big hole is easy to
hit. My only concern I have with the BP 10 is the block that the slide rides on is aluminim, so I really don't know its long range life span. Steve, I bet
your friend's problems are more ammo than gun, I think every 1911 has it's likes and dislikes.
Lenny, from the west coast of NJ
|
||
|
steviesterno |
|||
|
Posts: 18 (11/13/08 09:00:08) |
ah, forgot about the ammo deal. He only feeds WWB through his kimber. I was shooting it with a box of blazers and even the mags that fed wrong for him, fed
well for me. go figure. I'm still looking, so keep the pictures and advice coming!
Steve |
||
|
Dragoon |
|||
|
Posts: 75 (11/13/08 12:45:35) |
Lenny, my Kimber Stainless Target II has the external extractor.
I've heard that it's not as reliable as the internal extractors but I have never experienced an extraction problem with it. Mind you, I've only put maybe 4-5k through it. Massimo PS: I've since had an ambi thumb safety and a Wilson mag well installed.
Last Edited By: Dragoon
11/13/08 12:48:00.
Edited 1 times.
|
||
|
steviesterno |
|||
|
Posts: 19 (11/14/08 15:40:45) |
alright, im thinking i really like the S&W pro, springfield TLR, les baer premere II, and the ed brown kobra. anybody hear any good/bad/ugly about these
choices?
Steve |
||
|
19852.czechpistols82792 |
|||
|
Posts: 10 (11/14/08 20:28:47) |
I have a very simple Colt that I like very much. The Springfield Armory MilSpec is also a great way to go, you get to figure out what you like and don't
along the way.
|
||
|
Bubba |
|||
|
Posts: 1398 (11/15/08 20:31:56) |
I know lots of people who shoot the Premier II. It is a very well built gun. My only comment is probably more of a personal preference. I've tried shooting
IDPA with pistols that have target sights. And the first time I had to clear a malfunction, those target sights ripped my hands up. I've never wanted
another gun with them. The lower profile sights don't seem to cause that problem. Novak Extreme Duty Sights are still adjustable and don't have the sharp edges. Others
have similar systems. Personally, I would look at one of Baer's other sight systems and never look back.
Not a fan of the S&W or the Springfield. I know Ed Brown makes a great gun. They just seem to be a bit higher priced for similar quality to a Baer. |
||
|
sam1colt |
|||
|
Posts: 4 (11/16/08 00:51:11) |
I shoot the STI Trojan. Flawless. I have 34,000+ through mine with one broken extractor at 22,000 rounds, easily goes 1000 rounds between cleaning with out
failures. Cant say enough good things about it. Played with alot of different 1911's before I decided on the STI but I have never regretted it. For the
money you cant buy better fit or function.
RYAN |
||
|
marinakorp |
|||
|
Posts: 26 (11/16/08 13:10:32) |
Kimber TLE II
I have well over 20k Rounds through this one... she's a keeper.
It's Mr Marinakorp
CM if you must. |
||
|
steviesterno |
|||
|
Posts: 20 (11/16/08 20:29:20) |
i ended up talking to everyone at the IDPA match today while running the hell out of my new M&P pro... basically if you ask 10 people what 1911 they
recommend, you get 12 answers. i'm worse off than I was before asking.
Steve |
||
|
gmancdp |
|||
|
Posts: 64 (11/19/08 17:18:58) |
just finished up this yr with a Les Baer i've been running since 2002,setting right at 79krounds...replaced the extractor at 75k,and other then new recoil springs,grips and new mags,and a rear sight pin..it still runs good and is still tighter then several of new intb colts...i think most of them are running in the 1600 to 1800 range today and i dont think you need the 1.5 inch guns for idpa...i've missed a few deals on the Baers because shooters buy them and say they are to tight and sell them at a loss.... |
||
- Announcements
- Site Suggestions and Comments, Technical Help
- New Member Introduction
- General Forum
- MAJOR IDPA Match Announcements and Results
- LOCAL IDPA Match Announcements and Results
- Non-IDPA Match Announcements
- Match Chat
- IDPA Tips N' Tricks
- IDPA Equipment Questions
- IDPA Rules Questions
- Course Of Fire (CoF) Library and Links
- Rule Clarifications
- COF Ideas
- Talkin' Tactical
- Gunsmithing Questions
- Training Events
- Stock & Enhanced Service Revolver
- Custom Defensive Pistol
- Stock Service Pistol
- Enhanced Service Pistol
- BUG
- Provisional 3 Gun Forum
- Gun Owner's Alerts
- 'Round the Stats Shack
- Other Shooting Sports Questions/Issues
- Reloading
- Knives
- Shotguns
- Rifles/Carbines
- Stuff For Sale
