High end 1911 debate...

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

I am looking to get a nice high end 1911. Its a LOT of money for me to spend so I want to make a well informed choice. So, I turn to you all.

I have my eye on a Springfield Armory TRP PRO. I love Springfield, I like what the gun was designed for and I like their warranty.

I am wondering if there is anybody out there with some personal experience with any high end 1911s and if they would mind sharing their pros and cons on some brands.

I appreciate all the help you guys and gals give on here!

P.S. I looked through some other posts on the forum dealing with this topic but didnt find much in the personal experiece department but more on the personal preference side.

[joe817]

IMO, one of the best sources of in depth discussions on the 1911 is in the 1911 forum.

http://forums.1911forum.com/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hope you find what you're looking for!

[CompVest]

Wilson Combat. All hand fitted. Truly excellent 1911s. They performs as great as they look. If you are in the Houston area there will be a Wilson dealer at the George R Brown gun show this weekend. If this is more than you are interested in be sure to check out STI.

[Pete92FS]

I like my Kimber Ultra Crimson Carry II - it has operated flawlessly through the first 100 rounds. The only thing I don't like about it is the plain sights. I'll eventually change them out for some Trijicon night sights or at least some that have bright white dots. I guess they figured with the laser you didn't need the better sights but I don't completely want to depend on the laser sight and my eyesight isn't what it used to be; especially in some of the dimly lit indoor ranges I go to.

It's light, good looking and easy to carry. Definately a keeper.

[gmckinl]

Wilson Combat. All hand fitted. Truly excellent 1911s. They performs as great as they look. If you are in the Houston area there will be a Wilson dealer at the George R Brown gun show this weekend. If this is more than you are interested in be sure to check out STI.

I have the Govt model CQB. As CompVest said "truly excellent". BTW, they will do uncataloged/custom touches - just ask.

[karder]

I don't know if you consider the Colt line high-end, but I have been shooting those for many years. I have heard some folks don't like them, but I have had nothing but good experiences with all their pistols and would purchase from them without hesitation. My brother has a Kimber which is really nice and a pleasure to shoot, but I have not personally carried one nor do I have enough rounds through it to offer you anything useful. I really am interested in Sig's 1911 line and would love to try one of those out. The only 1911 line that I have enough experience to make a judgment on is Colt, and I think they are awesome. I hope you find what your looking for.

[mbw]

The 1911 forum is the place to do your research, everything in one place.

Be sure and look at Les Baer. I have and carry the Custom Carry model, at this point I would have no other. I have somewhere over 5000 rds thru this particular pistol. Zero, as in none, malfunctions with all types of ammo. LB standard guarantee is under 3 inches at 50 yrds, not 25 feet but 50 yrds. For an additional charge they will guarantee 1.5 inches at 50 yrds.

Your first choice is a very good one, Springfield. Funny thing is that Les Baer is the man who started and ran Springfield's custom shop for years before he left and re-started Les Baer Custom. The Springfield Custom Shop still makes one of finest 1911 pistols that you can buy.

Baer 1911's list for around $2000 but sell for a little less. Springfield will start at around $600 and go up to $2000 and more in the Custom Shop. Wilson's start at around $2500. You will get more gun for your money with Baer or Springfield.

I have owned and carried Wilson's and they are great pistols. Today they are very expensive and I think Baer offers more pistol for your money.

Try here for your best price and selection on Baer-

http://www.proload.com/default.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gregthehand]

I speced mine out and had my gunsmith in Conroe build one of mine for me. It cost less than going with a Wilson Combat, Les Bear, etc and was exactly how I wanted it down to the smallest detail. It also functions flawlessly. Handling it and my Kimbers, and Colts you can really tell a difference between the two. The only pistol I have that comes close is my STI.

[adam71176]

I have owned 2 STI's and fired many Kimbers and a Dan Wesson. In every aspect I liked the STI the best and they have a great range of guns to choose from. Turns out I'm just not a 1911 kind of guy, a little to much maintenance for me, but I really liked the suggestion of having one custom built by a gunsmith to your specs. Then when people ask, you can tell them it's and ExtremeDuty45

[Charles L. Cotton]

I have a Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special and it's a great gun. My wife liked mine so much I had to order one for her also. I alternate carrying it with a custom Colt Commander. If you buy a Les Baer new, then be ready for a VERY tight frame-to-slide fit! I thought mine was defective, but after a call to Baer Custom, they said it would be okay. They were right. After many thousands of rounds, the frame-to-slide fit is still excellent.

Chas.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

I have been leaning toward the TRP PRO model. I just got an e-mail back from springfield and they said that it shoots 1.50 at 25yds and 3 at 50 yds. I know that Baer and Wilson and Brown can do 1.25 at 50yds. Should that really hinder my choice or should it not matter?

[srothstein]

I like the Springfield high end and custom jobs. I also have always heard great things about the Les Baer and Wilson pistols. My only experience with a Wilson was a friend who had problems with his. He had a stainless frame and the finish material would not stick to it properly. Wilson replaced the frame for him though, so the customer service was pretty good.

But I would probably wait right now until after January. Police magazine is reporting that Remington is bringing out a 1911 and introducing it at the SHOT show. I would wait to see how it turns out before I bought anything.

[ske1eter]

I've got a Les Baer Concept V, and as Charles said, it was very tight but I've never had a bobble with it that wasn't related to poor ammunition. It worked great through a fighting pistol class with Tactical Response.

[HankB]

I have a Les Baer Premier II, except it has a hooded MMC rear sight rather than a BoMar type. Extremely reliable, extremely accurate, good trigger, good sights . . . what more is needed? Highly recommended.

I haven't looked at Wilsons for a while, but my impression was that they had a lot of sharp edges. I took a 2-day class once where a number of other students had Wilsons, and by the second day they all had band-aids on their hands; there's a difference between shooting a box or two at the range and shooting upwards of 1000 rounds in short order, especially when timed drills are part of the program. A few guys had reliability problems, too, but they may have been ammo or magazine related. (I DO like Wilson magazines.)

Ed Brown pistols are very nice indeed, but after comparing them side by side with Les Baer's pistols, I think at least $500 of the price differential is just for the Ed Brown name; I absolutely couldn't see >$500 more quality in the guns to justify the higher price.

Kimbers are generally good guns, but somehow, they just don't seem to be great guns. And I have some reservations about their use of MIM parts and their firing pin safety. Probably not really an issue, but given the prices for their higher-end pistols, I'll pass.

Colt . . . after a bad experience with a Government Model Jammamatic and Colt's warranty NON-service . . . well, let's just say my candid and uncensored comments would draw the ire of moderators.

[mr surveyor]

I have a Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special and it's a great gun. My wife liked mine so much I had to order one for her also. I alternate carrying it with a custom Colt Commander. If you buy a Les Baer new, then be ready for a VERY tight frame-to-slide fit! I thought mine was defective, but after a call to Baer Custom, they said it would be okay. They were right. After many thousands of rounds, the frame-to-slide fit is still excellent.

Chas.

I believe that Mr. Cotton summed it up concerning the entire spectrum of "high end 1911's". Just follow all the gun related boards and see the multitude of complaints from the crowd that screams "if it costs $$$$, then it should function perfectly out of the box". High end guns are built to very tight tolerances that either require hundreds of rounds to be lovingly cycled through, or a trip to the custom shop to be rail lapped and polished. But, those tight tolerance guns are the ones that will be most likely passed down to second and third generation shooters. Personally, I'm very fond of my flawless '97 Kimber stainless compact, but I would be thrilled to break in a new one.

surv