school me on 1911s

Well I have never let myself get really caught up in the whole 1911 world as I already spend way too much money on guns as it is, but ive kinda got the itch to build one to carry...which will probably end up with me having another 5k worth of 1911s in my safe before i know it. For all you 1911 gurus, what brands/models should I be looking at Kimber, Colt, Springfield, or what?

Also, anyone have any experience with the sig 1911s? The Scorpion Carry looks pretty enticing and the price isnt bad either.


thanks,
spencer

personally, and this goes for any gun... i wouldnt carry a gun i built, or had modified for personal defense. that just leaves too many cracks for a good attorney to nail you with (custom trigger, action, etc, means you built that gun going to look for trouble.). just my opinion, and you know what they say about those. but i prefer a bone stock gun for concealed carry (ok, maybe different grips/ sights). but i am more paranoid about that kind of thing than others probably are...

as far as 1911s go... kinda hard to mess one up? id say get a quality one from the list you quoted (even sig) and have at it. i love the way the sigs feel. guess its the grips... that said, i loved my 1911 Loaded by Springfield Armory... but i also love my buddy's kimber compact and my other buddy's Colt...

so what was the question? lol

good luck.

Lots of choices when it comes to 1911s from inexpensive Rock Islands to full house customs.
I agree with Joe if you're carrying it, stay with a stock gun. Find one you like and go from there.

#1 choice would be a Series 70 Colt. Then an older Springfield Armory. I hear Kimbers are good, but never played with one.

See if you can find a Series 70 Colt Gold Cup at a good price. Other than adding an ambi-safety and maybe rubber grips, they are good to go out of the box.

The Rock Island 1911s have a GOOD price, just not sure how well they will hold up to 1000s of rounds...........



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If you want a stock gun go with an older Colt and enjoy it stock.

If you want a beavertail, sights, etc..Look for an early Kimber. The early ones were made well and will shoot as well as most custom guns. I would hold out for an early Classic Gold match. You are welcome to try mine at MRPC any weekend you like. My older Kimbers shoot so well I sold my Gold Cups.

Kimber, Dan Wesson or Colt if I were buying factory. If you're wanting something to have built to custom specs, look at Fusion or Caspian.

I've got two Springers 1911's and a "no-name" Metroarms 1911. A Sig 1911 is on the list since I have the Sig virus.

The 1911 bug is selective. They can be tempermental and some people just plain don't like them. The best comparison I've found is that a 1911 is like a 1984 Harley Davidson where a Glock is like a GSXR. The 1911 has tons of aftermarket doodads, not the newest technology, can be dead reliable or dead unreliable depending on the condition.

I hate to bump another forum on here but if you must know everything about a 1911 then you need to go straight to the masters brother......1911 Forums

Depends on the year of manufacture regardless on many production lines. Colt's quality slipped during about a decade there, Kimber got too big for their britches for a while there too. Others have stellar reputations (Brown, Wilson, Baer) with a price tag to match.

If you want something you can buy relatively cheap and sell without losing $$, buy a used RIA Tactical to get a feel for the 1911. Just don't go tricking it out, as you won't get your money back out of it.

Knowing what little I do about them now, if I were to have to start over, on a budget and buy a 1911? I'd look at a Kimber in the original (read: NOT the "II" line) series, maybe in the "Carry" line. Custom Carry, Pro Carry, etc. Otherwise, Springfield or, again depending on the manufacture date, Colt.

One last thing: like everything, each manufacturer has their fanboys. I've had Dan Wesson, Ed Brown, Kimber, RIA, Sig, etc. Some are more accurate than others, but that quality isn't unique and individual weapons are what we buy. Heck, I love 'em all.

I handled a Sig Scorpion Saturday

How much money are you wanting to spend?

miker84 wrote:I handled a Sig Scorpion Saturday

That's got to be one of the ugliest 1911s I have ever seen... 1911s are suppose to be park,blue or stainless not painted tan.

handled a stock kimber bobtailed at Dad's, loved the feel. the 1500$ price tag didnt look as appealing to me though

Everyone has their own opinions, but for $1500 i'd much rather a Fusion vs a Kimber. But if money was no object, then......I'd rather have a Chopper

Several forums avilable with good info on all brands, 1911forum.com, m1911.org and 1911pro.com.

i have a kimber ultra tactical 2 that i carry now. S.A. has one almost just like it. 3 in. bbl. skeleton trigger&hammer & all the deburring work & ejection port work also. i have NEVER had 1 problem out of my kimber 3in. or my S.A. 5in. bbl. 1911 in the loaded version. i think i like my S.A. just as much as my Kimber if not more. both have been flawless in every way.
mikey

bubbat wrote:

miker84 wrote:I handled a Sig Scorpion Saturday

That's got to be one of the ugliest 1911s I have ever seen... 1911s are suppose to be park,blue or stainless not painted tan.

I hear ya. I'd probably get tired of the tan after a while........maybe. The grip/mag well is a neat feature. If you get a chance to look at it in person check that out.

thanks for the advice guys, I will let yall know what I end up getting


-spencer-

Just wanted to add that I just got a Dan Wesson Valor. I'm very impressed with it. Priced between Kimber and semi-customs. For carry I would definitely look at their V-Bob, which is a commander sized Valor with a bobbed frame.