Seeking 1911 opinions

[churchmouse]

Colt is not all bad, though I have had bad experiences. It is my belief that for less than $1500 youre not going to get a "fitted" barrel or bushing.
Colt installs drop in barrels as I would assume most manufacturers do on "production" guns. I handled several 1991 colts that were very nice.

Kimber is the same as sig to me....they focus on features first...look at how many options kimber and sig both offer....dozens of different style, colors, rail/no rail, classic or modern, and numbers....Ive seen a lot of new kimbers that ran great out of the box.

Springfield is not an American made gun...so that would rule them out for me....so $.02.

the CZ is fantastic, but the cz1911a1 was limited to 1000 guns produced....if you can find one, buy it....I contacted CZ and they are not making any more...they dont even have parts for them....I tried to order a hammer and ...no go.

Smith is hit and miss on quality and the same as the others but youve got a decent chance of getting a good one...you hear leass complaints about the 1911's than their revolvers.

The $1k price mark is a tough field. $300 more gets you a dan wesson or a used les baer(maybe new if you shop around), $300 less get you almost the same quality with an imported gun...or an auto ordnance ...I think theyre made in USA....but probably a cast frame.

Sig offers a decent gun if you can tolerate the way they looks and can afford a custom made holster....the squared slide doesnt fit many standard 1911 holsters well.

If it was my money....Id handle as many colts IN PERSON as i could and pick the best one....regardless of features.

God bless
-Shred

Springfield has moved the operation back here as I understand it. If i am wrong someone set me straight please.
The Brazilian made SA's were not the best pieces.
As with anything there are good and bad. Buddy has an early Kimber and loves it. I have shot it and it is well made piece. It is some of the later models I am not impressed with. I have owned 3 of the "Pretty" ones and for the money they fell short.

In the 1K plus range look for a TRP. These are always (as I have seen) great out of the box pieces. On point accurate. Decent triggers especially after you run them a while. Yes, The ignition controls will "Break in" with round count on these. The wives tail about the gun not running until it gets broke in is crap.

To me Sig makes a 1911-ish pistol. It is not a 1911 in the true sense but you could say the same of S&W in this comparison.

The series 70 SA's fit the bill in this regard. The metallurgy involved seems to be better. They accept up-grades and mods very well.

Fair point on the Colt. I understand quality is on the rise but I am not ready to gamble on them again. I do regret selling the older ones I had.

Again.....find something that fits you.

 

[88E30M50]

Dean is spot on regarding the Kimber painted finishes. My Compact Stainless II had a painted aluminum frame that started to chip almost immediately. It did not wear into a nice patina but instead got a noticeably shabby appearance. I ended up just bead blasting it and leaving it bare and it's been much better looking ever since. Other manufacturers seem to put a lot of effort into finding ever more durable finishes, but Kimber seems to concentrate on colors and pinstriping instead. Sig has a bit of that going on too in some of their lines, like the P238 and P239. But, I swear that Kimber must have used melted crayons for the finish on my guns because that's about as well as it wore. No, I might be wrong about that. Melted crayons would have worn into a nice patina instead of the chipped up mess the finish became.

 

[wtburnette]

I got into 1911's about 18 months ago and love them. My first was a Ruger SR1911 and for the price, it's a heck of a nice gun. Definitely a production gun, but I got mine for $599 and it shoots great and has a nice trigger, right out of the box. I added some VZ grips and think it's a great little value. I also have a Springer Loaded, which I like, but never warmed up to the way I'd hoped. Oddly, my favorite 1911-style gun is my Sig TacOps. Like CM stated, it's different looking and not a "traditional" 1911. That said, it had a reasonable price, came with very nice features (checkered front and back straps and night sights) and it's the best shooting 1911 I own. Threw a light on the rail and a 10 round mag in it and it's my home defense gun

For a budget 1911, the Ruger is hard to beat. Stepping up, the Springers are very nice and the Sig's are as well, though as mentioned, need custom holsters due to the Sig slides. I also have a Dan Wesson CCO. It's hard for me to compare it to anything else because it's a purpose built carry gun. It's fun to shoot, but not as much as my full sized 1911's. It is very nice for carry purposes though and the DW quality is very impressive. One of these days I'll save up for a full sized Dan Wesson

 

[88E30M50]

A DW RZ-10 has been on my 'Wants' list for a while. Someday...

 

[Hopper]

Hopefully no one will ask me to turn in my Man Card for this message, but... I'm not that much into the traditional 1911 platform. I had one of the best you could have at a price point I was willing to play in, being a Dan Wesson V-Bob. Fit, finish, accuracy, feel... it was everything I had read it was supposed to be. But I took a turn into wheel guns, and never really looked back. I swear, I could go to shooting nothing but revolvers, and live a perfectly happy life.

Until I saw this... the new Springfield EMP 4", just released a few months ago. I know it's not a true 1911, as it's 9mm, among other things, like an internal barrel bushing. But darned if this isn't a really sharp-looking shooter, and I've been hard pressed to find anything bad about it. It's a tad bit spendy, so my recent PPQ M1 purchase (which is an insanely accurate and pleasant shooter) may have to be sacrificed at the altar to make room for this one.

Calling Churchmouse! Any thoughts/opinions on this? Have you given this a look yet?

 

[VERT]

Being a big fan of the P99, PPQ, PPS line (not Walthers other crap) my advice would be to keep the PPQ M1. Just save up for the EMP, which is super sexy.

 

[churchmouse]

Hopefully no one will ask me to turn in my Man Card for this message, but... I'm not that much into the traditional 1911 platform. I had one of the best you could have at a price point I was willing to play in, being a Dan Wesson V-Bob. Fit, finish, accuracy, feel... it was everything I had read it was supposed to be. But I took a turn into wheel guns, and never really looked back. I swear, I could go to shooting nothing but revolvers, and live a perfectly happy life.

Until I saw this... the new Springfield EMP 4", just released a few months ago. I know it's not a true 1911, as it's 9mm, among other things, like an internal barrel bushing. But darned if this isn't a really sharp-looking shooter, and I've been hard pressed to find anything bad about it. It's a tad bit spendy, so my recent PPQ M1 purchase (which is an insanely accurate and pleasant shooter) may have to be sacrificed at the altar to make room for this one.

Calling Churchmouse! Any thoughts/opinions on this? Have you given this a look yet?

Not had any experience with them.
Heard fair things.
Handsome piece.

 

[88E30M50]

I saw those when the first came out too and really like the .40 version. I'm hoping to get to fondle one when at the NRA show next month.

 

[88E30M50]

Colt is not all bad, though I have had bad experiences. It is my belief that for less than $1500 youre not going to get a "fitted" barrel or bushing.
Colt installs drop in barrels as I would assume most manufacturers do on "production" guns. I handled several 1991 colts that were very nice.

Kimber is the same as sig to me....they focus on features first...look at how many options kimber and sig both offer....dozens of different style, colors, rail/no rail, classic or modern, and numbers....Ive seen a lot of new kimbers that ran great out of the box.

Springfield is not an American made gun...so that would rule them out for me....so $.02.

the CZ is fantastic, but the cz1911a1 was limited to 1000 guns produced....if you can find one, buy it....I contacted CZ and they are not making any more...they dont even have parts for them....I tried to order a hammer and ...no go.

Smith is hit and miss on quality and the same as the others but youve got a decent chance of getting a good one...you hear leass complaints about the 1911's than their revolvers.

The $1k price mark is a tough field. $300 more gets you a dan wesson or a used les baer(maybe new if you shop around), $300 less get you almost the same quality with an imported gun...or an auto ordnance ...I think theyre made in USA....but probably a cast frame.

Sig offers a decent gun if you can tolerate the way they looks and can afford a custom made holster....the squared slide doesnt fit many standard 1911 holsters well.

If it was my money....Id handle as many colts IN PERSON as i could and pick the best one....regardless of features.

God bless
-Shred

I did not realize they discontinued the 1911. I was under the impression that they were transitioning manufacture to the CZ shop in Kansas, but do see that it's no longer listed on their website. That's a shame since that was really a nice gun for the money. Mine has been perfect through the 800+ rounds put through it so far. I'll have to keep my eyes open for another to add to the collection.

 

[Thegeek]

It's just a formula. Dollars per initial quality points.

Take any two guns from different manufacturers at the same price point and compare fit/finish/function/features/etc. One will always win out. All they're saying is that Kimber 1911s are usually on the losing side.

 

[RustyHornet]

A DW RZ-10 has been on my 'Wants' list for a while. Someday...

See, there are always "somedays".

 

[raptrbreth]

Have to second what Dean said, my SA MC Operator was stellar out of the box. After a trigger job it is a tack driver.

 

[knot4reel]

Ok folks I have acquired one of these. Kimber Crimson Ultra Carry II, pre owned LNIB unfired. Anyone have experience with one of these ? As usual your thoughts and opinions are valuable and don't worry about hurting my feelings, it wouldn't be the first time. Not my pic but a web shot.

 

[88E30M50]

See, there are always "somedays".

I'll have to remember that. With the gun hobby, there is always a 'Someday' gun out there. What could I have been thinking earlier.

 

[churchmouse]

Ok folks I have acquired one of these. Kimber Crimson Ultra Carry II, pre owned LNIB unfired. Anyone have experience with one of these ? As usual your thoughts and opinions are valuable and don't worry about hurting my feelings, it wouldn't be the first time. Not my pic but a web shot.

This model was one of the "Pretty" Kimbers I took in a trade.
Problematic. Traded it off with full disclosure. Fella that got it sent it back to Kimber. Gun never was right.
I hope you have better luck with yours.

 

[RustyHornet]

I'll have to remember that. With the gun hobby, there is always a 'Someday' gun out there. What could I have been thinking earlier.

I'll put a request in to our leader about making our next meeting topic about "someday" guns.

 

[knot4reel]

This model was one of the "Pretty" Kimbers I took in a trade.
Problematic. Traded it off with full disclosure. Fella that got it sent it back to Kimber. Gun never was right.
I hope you have better luck with yours.

CM what kinda problems were you having with it so I will have an idea what to watch out for ?

 

[VERT]

CM what kinda problems were you having with it so I will have an idea what to watch out for ?

I am not The Mouse and his opinion trumps mind. But my experience with any pistol is that the smaller you make them relative to their originally designed size the more quirky they get. There is a lot going on to make a 1911 cycle properly and guns with less then a 4.25" barrel everything has to be timed correctly. So keep fresh springs and mags for your gun. Figure out what ammo it likes and doesn't like.

 

[GNRPowdeR]

Until I saw this... the new Springfield EMP 4", just released a few months ago. I know it's not a true 1911, as it's 9mm, among other things, like an internal barrel bushing. But darned if this isn't a really sharp-looking shooter, and I've been hard pressed to find anything bad about it. It's a tad bit spendy, so my recent PPQ M1 purchase (which is an insanely accurate and pleasant shooter) may have to be sacrificed at the altar to make room for this one.

I was looking at both this 4" EMP and the Springer RO Champion in 9mm. When looking at everything, I had decided to go with the Champion. Not as Prom Queen as the EMP, but the RO Champion will accept different 9mm mags while the EMP takes OEM Specific mags. That (to me) was a deal breaker.

*Full Disclosure - When time came to buy, I found a guy selling a Wilson Combat for a better price than I could find at my LGS and decided to get it. Wilson Combat Professional 4" 9mm*

 

[churchmouse]

CM what kinda problems were you having with it so I will have an idea what to watch out for ?

FTF. Seldom made it through a full mag with out issues.
Gun was just clunky all around.

Again, I hope you got a good one.