Is 1911 worth the cost?

[Zoomie]

The FBI uses Glocks


The FBI SWAT teams and HRT use 1911's

Glocks were designed to be an everyman's gun

1911's are more of a shooter's gun

This is not to say that there are not absolutally incredible glock shooters out there (look up team glock)

[saj111]

what i own. glock 23, xd, colt combat commander, kimber ultra carry, sti trojan and then some lesser guns. i carry the kimber every day...every day. it shoots soooo good. the colt and the sti shoot even better. my son (mr. polite to you folks) has commandeered the glock, which he got away with but won't be able to do with the 1911's.
i also have been buying parts to build a mostly caspian 1911. need i say, i really like 1911's. i don't know if i can explain why; it just is what it is.
spend some time shooting a good 1911. you are wrong thinking a good 1911 has to be expensive. for about one thousand you can get an sti trojan you won't have to do anything to. you probably will start doing things to it eventually but you won't have to. for about six hundred you can get something like a springfield gi. think of it as a platform. something you can hotrod, a work in progress. if you like to tinker and improve good things this is it in the gun world. you can spend a little at a time and appreciate the results. this may not be for everyone but i haven't seen many shooters spend time with a 1911 and walk away. some do, most don't.

see, i told you i couldn't explain it.

[jeeperbryan]

I have a nice Kimber but rarely shoot it because of the availability of 45. It is a beautiful gun though. Worth it? I guess so. I could probably use the $1000 and buy a couple of cheaper guns, but I already have a bunch of those.

[03Lightningrocks]

I just can't talk myself into spending $800 plus on a pistol when I can get a Glock for $500.

RIA 1911 about $385 new and is reliable all day long. Plenty accurate for defensive use. If you want to purty it up later it takes all standard 1911 parts.

Agreed - here's my Rock Tactical:



I've been slowly adding to it piece by piece as I feel the need:
1. Grips - got rid of the stock wood immediately and added Hogues.
2. Recoil-spring guide-rod - got rid of the full-length guide-rod immediately and replaced it with a GI-style.
3. Trigger - Added a Wilson trigger just for looks.
4. Grips - decided I wanted rubber on the front-strap too, so added a Pearce grip under the Hogues.
5. Mag well - Added a Wilson mag well.
6. Front sight - Was picking up some glare and wanted tritium for night as well, so added a Novak serrated front-sight.
7. Thumb-safety - The regular ambi-safety was gouging my knuckle on the off-side, so added a Wilson single-side safety.

Everything else is fine, but I'll prolly add some Wilson Bulletproof internals later - sear, disconnector, firing-pin and extractor - just for grins.

That isn't a bad looking gun. Is that sub 500??? My son in law has a low budget and is looking for a nice 1911 in the sub 600 range.

[paadams]

I need to replenish some savings, looking to buy a house in January, but y'all have just about convinced me I need to pick up at least one 1911.

Thanks for making me want to spend even more money!

[03Lightningrocks]

That isn't a bad looking gun. Is that sub 500??? My son in law has a low budget and is looking for a nice 1911 in the sub 600 range.

Thank you kindly. I believe you can pick them up NIB for $400 via Sarco International - or the GI-style for $350.

I will pass that along to him. Thanks for the help and thanks to the original poster for bringing up this topic. This forum has a neat way of being helpful at times. Actually...it happens a whole lot of times.

[Embalmo]

Thing you have to bear in mind is that the Glock is like an Apple Mac - it's made only by that company, so they control what goes into manufacturing the base-product.

The 1911 is like a PC - it's is made by almost everyone and their dog, so when it comes to reliability, durability, accuracy, etc, you have to start looking at the manufacturers of your chosen model and their reputation - not only for the product itself, but in terms of customer-service. With so many manufacturers, there are going to be variances in machining tolerances - and when you start mixing and matching parts from different companies eg magazines, sights, etc, you'll have to be alert to those possible variances.

That said, the 1911 is the Barbie-doll of the pistol-world - you can buy parts for it anywhere and customize it exactly to your taste. It's a user-friendly design - but it's not made for the lowest common denominator of shooter who just wants to point-and-click; it demands that you know what you're doing.

I like the way you described the issue. I do love my Kimber.... and have no idea who made what parts for it. I guess I just assumed Kimber did. My Kimber Raptor 5" is probably one of the most accurate "out of the box" pistols I have ever owned.

To me it was worth the cost. By the way... you don't have to buy a twelve hundred dollar 1911 to have a darned nice 1911. Taurus and others make sub 700 dollar 1911's that will work just as well. I think I even remember seeing a Kimber that was sub 700 bucks. Plain Jane model. They just ain't as purty...

P.S. I just did a quick search at Gun Broker. I saw several that were below 600 bucks. Check it out.

Ouch-$700 or more for a Taurus anything?

[KinnyLee]

Think of a 1911 as a Lexus LS460 and a Glock as a Ford Crown Vic. Which would be more fun to drive?

For me neither. They are both boats. Ones a more comfortable boat though. LOL. I would say it's Chevy Mailibu vs a Corvette Z06. Hehe.

[dicion]

Yes.

Next question!

[rm9792]

I just can't talk myself into spending $800 plus on a pistol when I can get a Glock for $500.

That isn't a bad looking gun. Is that sub 500??? My son in law has a low budget and is looking for a nice 1911 in the sub 600 range.

There are others in that range. Charles Daly is imported from the Phillipines like RIA I believe. Springfield has the GI models under 600 new and way under used. There are some cheesier brands well under 600 but for the money RIA gives the most bang IMO. Springfield or Norinco would give you a better base to build up later. You might find a blued Taurus in that range and they are well equipped.

[glbedd53]

Colt Series 70