First 1911...

[Gluemanz28]

Which one is getting the up-grades at the class...???

The SS Loaded in 9mm. I'm betting Mrs Glueman will end up with it tho.

Allen has the GI Milspec and is going to cut the military sights out and lighten the slide and put some pretty paint on it. I have a post asking for color suggestions for slide, frame and grips. Your opinion is highly valued if you have any suggestions.

 

[churchmouse]

The SS Loaded in 9mm. I'm betting Mrs Glueman will end up with it tho.

Allen has the GI Milspec and is going to cut the military sights out and lighten the slide and put some pretty paint on it. I have a post asking for color suggestions for slide, frame and grips. Your opinion is highly valued if you have any suggestions.

I posted Hugger Orange in jest in your thread.

Color is a personal thing. Mil-specs need to be park finish or a coating that mimics it. The army greens and some desert tans are in vogue right now.

 

[churchmouse]

OP, did not intend to jack your thread but when 1911 guys gather projects are discussed. There is always a project.....always.

 

[wtburnette]

I've always been a polymer striker fired fan. Love glocks. All of them. Even that piece of crap 45 GAP. I've always wanted a 1911 out of curiosity. Man they look nice, and I hear the triggers are amazing.

So I took the plunge and bought a Springfield Range Officer Compact. Sure I know it's not a high end 1911, but it isn't bottom of the line. All I have to say is holy crap, why didn't I buy one of these years ago. It shoots so smooth and accurate. It feels great in the hand. It even carries nicely in waist band.

i urge anyone who has wanted a 1911 but has never bought one, to go out and buy one as soon as possible. Life is too short to regret not buying one sooner!

That is all. :-)

I did the same thing last year. Stopped just drooling over them and bought one. Instantly fell in love with the platform and bought two more in the next couple of months. Awesome guns!

 

[Expat]

Sig Sauer makes some nice 1911s as well. Of course if you get tired of the clones, there are the Colts. There is something to be said about not having those ugly external extractors.

 

[Leo]

First Semi auto I ever bought was a 1911 full size. The 2nd semi auto I ever bought was a 1911 officers, the third, a 1911 commander (I am seeing a pattern here)....... I have bought multiple others over the years, but other than Berettas, I don't keep them very long. All of my long term "hot rod gun" projects have been 1911's. The last semi auto I bought, was (wait for it) a 1911.

Safety? I have never noticed any problem. My thumb sweeps the safety on the way out of the holster. It is not even a seperate motion. I shoot high thumb grip, so a safety is a good steady rest for my thumb.

Some guns are shooting appliances, and like my washing machine or lawn mower, do the job I purchased them to do. No real thrill, no pride of ownership, no delight to handle, no visual pleasure. A great appliance is one that you don't have to, or want to, think about. And when they break, you throw them away and purchase another one. The 1911 is not in that catagory.

 

[VERT]

I am actually a big fan of the Smith and Wesson external extractors on the Pro Series and E series guns. As far as 9mm 1911s are concerned I think the Smiths are one of the best going right now.

 

[Hopper]

I am actually a big fan of the Smith and Wesson external extractors on the Pro Series and E series guns. As far as 9mm 1911s are concerned I think the Smiths are one of the best going right now.

Agreed, Vert. The SC-E was almost my first 1911. I got really lucky with a great deal on a NIB V-Bob, but the SC-E (especially the bitone) felt like magic in my hands, the bitone is gorgeous IMO, and is one I'd still be hard pressed to pass up if I ever run across one at a good price.

OP, for the love of all that's holy... *please* use a business card when re-assembling! I made the mistake of thinking I knew more than I did the first time I took the V-Bob apart. Actually, field stripping was a breeze. But when putting it back together, the slide stop slightly rolled off the spring-loaded pin, and caused a partial idiot mark. Not a full mark by any means, but enough to make me sick about it.

 

[Leo]

But when putting it back together, the slide stop slightly rolled off the spring-loaded pin, and caused a partial idiot mark. Not a full mark by any means, but enough to make me sick about it.

I think the OEM's should mill a shallow slot right there and not polish it, so that it would be impossible to notice that little scratch on the finish. I do not remember ever buying a used one that was not scratched. I am not really bothered by it, but I know lots of people that get really upset.

I touch up the edge of the slide lock so it is easier to install without making a mark. THe side benefit of easier to install also makes less chance of a scratch. I always try to be careful, but if it happens, it happens.

 

[Expat]

I think the OEM's should mill a shallow slot right there and not polish it, so that it would be impossible to notice that little scratch on the finish. I do not remember ever buying a used one that was not scratched. I am not really bothered by it, but I know lots of people that get really upset.

I touch up the edge of the slide lock so it is easier to install without making a mark. THe side benefit of easier to install also makes less chance of a scratch. I always try to be careful, but if it happens, it happens.

I did it on my first one. I bought a Combat Commander that almost has a groove there like you describe from being scratched so many times by the prior owner(s).

 

[Hopper]

I touch up the edge of the slide lock so it is easier to install without making a mark. THe side benefit of easier to install also makes less chance of a scratch. I always try to be careful, but if it happens, it happens.

IIRC, CM has mentioned in the past that some of the higher-end custom 1911 guns have a small groove ground into the bottom of the slide lock that provides a natural reassembly location on top of that spring-loaded pin. I think this would help immensely, or it would have in my case.

But yeah... beauty marks happen. Fortunately, mine took off a bit of finish, but didn't scratch into the metal.

 

[churchmouse]

IIRC, CM has mentioned in the past that some of the higher-end custom 1911 guns have a small groove ground into the bottom of the slide lock that provides a natural reassembly location on top of that spring-loaded pin. I think this would help immensely, or it would have in my case.

But yeah... beauty marks happen. Fortunately, mine took off a bit of finish, but didn't scratch into the metal.

Yes they do. Some of the nicer after market pieces (slide stops) have the groove in them as well.
I have filed this into a few.

 

[IndyGlockMan]

Which one is getting the up-grades at the class...???

Class? What class?
PM inbound...

 

[raptrbreth]

Class? What class?
PM inbound...

Allen is teaching one tomorrow on trigger jobs/newby stuff.

I am in the same boat as the OP as I just bought my first one recently (thanks Bradis). I went with the SA MC Operator because of the MC part. I had shot 1911's in the past but never owned one. I have always planned on saving and buying a high end, i.e. Wilson, Les Baer, Nighthawk, etc. After reading a lot about 1911's, mostly here, I decided to buy one I liked the look of and then adjust to my needs. I'll see if I change my mind and buy one later.

 

[BeDome]

I've always been a polymer striker fired fan. Love glocks. All of them. Even that piece of crap 45 GAP. I've always wanted a 1911 out of curiosity. Man they look nice, and I hear the triggers are amazing.

So I took the plunge and bought a Springfield Range Officer Compact. Sure I know it's not a high end 1911, but it isn't bottom of the line. All I have to say is holy crap, why didn't I buy one of these years ago. It shoots so smooth and accurate. It feels great in the hand. It even carries nicely in waist band.

i urge anyone who has wanted a 1911 but has never bought one, to go out and buy one as soon as possible. Life is too short to regret not buying one sooner!

That is all. :-)

My third, bought on my own, hand gun was a '62 Colt M1911 well used, but still awesome as ever.
I have had several, but narrowed it down to three.

Nothing special except for one which had some fancy trigger stuff done, just plain old Colts.

I love them. Wish I could buy more.

 

[gtpilot21]

Has anyone bought a Remington 1911? How does that compare to the Springfield and the Sig? I have always been a Remington fan for my shotgun.

 

[wtburnette]

Has anyone bought a Remington 1911? How does that compare to the Springfield and the Sig? I have always been a Remington fan for my shotgun.

The Remington R1 and the Sig Sauer 1911's are "series 80", where the Springfield line is not (series 70). Personally I prefer the series 70 style 1911's so as not to mess with the safety plunger lever and such.

 

[88E30M50]

Has anyone bought a Remington 1911? How does that compare to the Springfield and the Sig? I have always been a Remington fan for my shotgun.

I have an R1S and love the thing. Like WTB says, it's a series 80 style, but that does not impact the gun much. I cannot tell the difference in trigger feel between my series 70 style 1911s and my series 80 style ones. They are a little trickier to reassemble, but not difficult by any means. When putting the sear and hammer pins in, you just put them part way in, then slide the part in and push them home. You get used to it and it takes maybe 20 seconds to reassemble a series 80 fire control group vs. 15 seconds for a series 70.

Over all, I think Remington is making a credible 1911. The basic ones are well machined and are reliable. Right now, they have a $75 rebate which makes them pretty attractive.

 

[churchmouse]

Have had 3 Remington's including the R-1 enhanced. All were decent pieces. Well worth the asking price.

 

[JohnBoy1]

I've had a few Ria's and one Taurus a few years back. All were ok guns, fit and finish were decent and they all functioned well. After doing some research and reading some of churchmouse's post on 1911's I went with the Ruger sr1911. He really knows his stuff and I value his opinion. The Ruger is leaps and bounds above the others I've had.