been lookin at 1911's....need some opinions

SHANE704 wrote:I have found a few I like, the sig 1911's seems to be very reasonably priced...are they good pistols?

moredes wrote:

SHANE704 wrote:I have found a few I like, the sig 1911's seems to be very reasonably priced...are they good pistols?

I was raised to be a fan of Colts. I've been through my share. I've got 3 left, all of them extremely customized (Jim Hoag, Ted Yost, Bill Wilson circa 1995). I sold off all the stock Colts--70 or 80, it didn't matter--they all needed extensive work to bring them up to Sig/SA/Kimber quality. I've never owned an SA, and have only one Kimber. I've never found a another Kimber I liked enough to buy, and the same can be said for the entire SA line. I thought they were overpriced for all the refinements and options (on both brands), though for the most part, their triggers were fair to good, with some rare excellent trigger examples. The one quality I objected to most was fitment. Even when I perused the SA and Kimber booths at the 2009 SHOT show, I was generally unimpressed with their slide-to-frame fit. (I guess neither company thought it 'completely' necessary to devote attention to that fit and feel, since it is generally acknowledged that slide-to-frame fit only contributes ~5% towards accuracy....the general belief is that barrel-to-slide fitment quality contributes > 90% of an 11's inherent accuracy, and both SA and Kimber seem to have that down.) Oddly, the Kimber I bought is an Ultra Ten II--it has an abominable reputation for FTF's and FTE's, but mine has run like a champ without alterations from the first day. I wouldn't sell it if I could. Kimber discontinued them rather than service them they were so bad, but mine was an extremely early production, and I guess I lucked out.

I have two Sig 1911's--the XO and a late-model C3. They are fantastic guns, especially for their cost. I've had three C3's--each one was purchased as an aesthetic advancement over its' predecessor; I ended up with a black Nitron slide-and-frame C3. The early C3's are distinguished by the "manhole" cover on the right side of the slide. These early models had some barrel bushing problems that required use of the fabulous Sig warranty (no sarcasm intended). These early bushings were out-sourced and not machined to correct dimensions, causing the barrel to batter the bushing until it cracked. Sig will send a shipping label and repair, inspect and test their gun for no cost. I've had it done on the only early-model I purchased. They replaced the barrel and bushing and tested it, supplying me another target with the warranty service.

Late model C3's (at least the two I've had) and the XO seem to function fine. I'm very pleased with the Nitron finish; after at least 6 months of daily holstering, the one CCW Sig I use shows absolutely no sign of wear. It has held up as well as my Ion Bond guns. (I don't usually carry a Sig daily--I have a true custom gun I prefer, but I carry the Sig as my beater, especially out-of-state [just in case].) All four of the Sigs I've owned rack like glass-oil-glass sandwich; each part is as smoothly finished inside as out; the triggers are consistently fantastic and hover at 4 to 4-1/2 lb, crisp (but not overly so)--a good 'combat' trigger that can be used for target shooting.

I have nothing bad to say about Sig 1911's. Now Para's on the other hand are extremely expensive in my opinion, especially for all the complaints I've read about their performance and warranty service. I've just never liked a Para enough to take a chance, considering their internet reputation.