Best 1911..Photos added

[619TOY]

Originally Posted by lunyou

what kind of modifications would you do right out of the box?

For a gun in the price range you are looking at I would:

• Do a trigger job
• Check for any play at the muzzle and if so, have a barrel bushing fitted for it.
• Check for any play at the breach and if so, have a barrel link fitted for it.

I have a 15 or so year old Gold Cup and that is all I have done to it. It will outshoot just about anything(in it's price range). If I were to buy a new 1911, I would buy a Les Baer, no question (but I know that's out of your range).

[mminter1973]

Originally Posted by FJ40_owner

IMO the best value for a production gun is most any Kimber.

Nothing more needs to be said. They have good triggers and are extremely accurate. I have a 5" royal II and a 4" pro carry and i prefer the 4"

[Sc0-]

Check the used market, purchased a SVI doublestack in .38 Super with a Caspian slide and 4 or 5 mags for $1k. Absolutely an awesome piece of work. I have also purchased 3 custom Dan Wesson Patriots before CZ bought them out/merged. Stainless forged frames/slides, match barrels, one piece guide rods, VERY nice pistols and were also $1k a piece. If I was in the market today I would check out the Taurus 0r S&W for a new gun or the forums for a built up match gun... and if lots of money was involved SVI has a "gun builder" on their website... (it's like jewelry, it looks nice and feels nice but probly no more accurate than a $500 Glock.)

[BillRiley]

No complaints from my Kimber Pro Carry.

[lunyou]

Its funny I was about to drag this thread back up. I am getting the itch to buy a gun and really only want a 1911. I am going to try to stretch my budget it a bit, if I can. I will look at the Kimber but I fear my budget will not fit the bill.

lunyou

[Brian in Oregon]

I'm not going to argue what the best 1911 is.

But my favorite is my Colt stainless Delta Gold Cup in 10mm.

I modified it with a 24 lb recoil spring and a full length recoil rod with a Shok-Buf. It will cycle the 10mm Lite loads, but it's set up for heavy loads. Particularly Cor-Bon loads with 135gr Hornaday XTP bullets. Nasty. Recoil is significantly less than a Glock 20.

[lunyou]

Sounds like a good gun Brian. My Gun dealer has a gold cup locked in his safe at work. I think he wants something like $1200 or something like that.

I have been looking at prices and I am probably not going to be able to stretch for the kimber so I guess a springfield is on the docket unless I get lucky and find a nice used one.

lunyou

[Brian in Oregon]

Or... save up longer to get what you want.

[lunyou]

Yeah, thats always he quandry isn't it. Wait longer to spend more, and get a product. Or be impatient and get something a bit cheaper with problems.

Although I haven't heard or read alot of problems with the Springfield 1911 GI Spec. Just the sights, from what I read, are the main issue. That is an easy enough fix isn't it?

I just wish that Para was cheaper. It was a good looking gun with everything I need to get started with my concealed carry. Hmm, maybe I can talk the guy down a bit. Would $800 be too much for a Para P-10, 2 extra quality magazine, and an expensive concealed carry holster.

lunyou

['74 UA FJ]

You can get a kimber for less than $800.

[lunyou]

^I'll have to look into it. I haven't been searching really hard yet since I still have a bit of saving to do. And I have the bad feeling my big screen TV is going to go out on me this summer.

lunyou

[TX80Fan]

...buy either a Kimber, SA or Colt...they all will hold their value pretty well, are top quality & will get you very excited...'nuff said

[Mace]

Never really cared if a gun held it's value or not.

I don't believe in selling guns

[ToyotaDon]

Anybody use the Kimber LDA models? I tried out a friend's one time and it seemed too easy to fire accidentally. Like when I'm holding it sideways looking at it with my finger on the trigger, what just made a loud noise hitting the metal roof overhead?
Okay, it's someone else's turn to shoot now.

[lunyou]

Originally Posted by ToyotaDon

....it seemed too easy to fire accidentally. Like when I'm holding it sideways looking at it with my finger on the trigger,
Okay, it's someone else's turn to shoot now.

Let me guess that had never happened before......"you promise"

lunyou

[TX80Fan]

Originally Posted by Mace

Never really cared if a gun held it's value or not.

I don't believe in selling guns

My intent was to inform him that if he doesn't like it he can resell it and not lose his arse...not everyone perpetually collects. He could possibly 'defray' the cost of another gub with the sale of a quality 1911. However, if he gets a quality 1911 I highly doubt he will ever part with it...

[lunyou]

Well an update is in order. Sirenmoses here on mud PMed me with a 1911 for sale.

It is a stainless Para Ord. P16-40 for a good price. It should be at my FFl on Friday and I should get it then. If it isn't raining, and it does't appear as though it will, I will go shoot it some and report back here.

lunyou

[phrogg4evr]

Originally Posted by jeffdavis1053

I'd say a Kimber is about as good as it gets before you start getting into the more "custom shop gun" market.

Originally Posted by FJ40_owner

IMO the best value for a production gun is most any Kimber.

I dunno, the newer Kimbers have had some quality issues. I few peeps at the local range who have bought kimbers in the last couple of years have had problems, malfunctions, feeding problems, etc... But the same thing happened to Colt in the 90s, their 70 and 80 series gubs from 15 or so years ago were great, but mid-late 90s, the quality went to crap. I have my MKIV Series 80, 1991 vintage and the thing workie flawless. We had the Series 80 for our MEU-SOC .45s when I was a Lance Coconut with recon, they were great shooters

Originally Posted by Landpimp

I had a S&W M66 2.5" with 38's in it......I outshot him each and everytime.....he was not pleased

nothing magic about a 1911.....

Very true, I love my 1911, but I can't deny the reliability and accuracy of my wheel gubs

[Jwood]

Springfield... cant beat the lifetime warranty either

[lunyou]

Well I have an update. I have my Para 16-40 and it shoots well. The double stacked magazine is a bit too big for my hands, I have smaller hands. This causes my grip to be off.

I ran by the gun shop and he has a good looking Springfield .45 with some good aftermarket grips. He thinks he has a buyer for my Para so if he has a buyer we are going to do some trading and I am going to have a .45 Springfield. I would like to have both but no sense keeping one that I am not profecient with.

lunyou

[lunyou]

So I have tried to sell the Para here locally for the amount a "non-official" 1911 shooter suggested. No hits at all.

I am thinking at going after a single stacked Springfield Loaded in .45ACP. I can hold the single stacks better than the double stack. So if anyone is looking for a 1911 in a .40 S&W, for a great price let me know.

lunyou

[White Shark]

There are some good suggestions here.

Low price, but really nice: Springfield, Kimber, or Colt Gold Cup.

Medium price: Springfield, Kimber, Para-Ordnance

No limit: Wilson, Les Baer, Springfield custom shop


For my money, I'd save a few bucks and go for the Wilson. In the meantime, I'd pick up a Springfield. I've had Colts, and I'm not a fan.

Cookiemonster has a friggen sweet Para-Ordnance P12-45. That thing is nice. Alloy frame, custom setup, the works, etc. It was his backup in his head bustin' days in blue. Not cheap by a long shot, but really, really nice... I even like it as much as my muck resistant, go to hell and back HK. He used my USP40 in the Academy and cranked out a metric crapload of rounds through that thing.

Needless to say, you don't want to walk into his house at night without being welcome. You're liable to get a zero grouped double tap between the eyes. He's that good. I'm not too shabby myself with a pistola, but I prefer Mr. Remington, although I think that a speargun would be worth more as far as style points are concerned....


These things have to go pretty far under water which is 784X denser than air. Think about how fast and far they would go in your living room.



..

[lunyou]

Wilsons are expensive. I saw a guy talking about one on the 1911 forum and he was talking about $4000 for one, that is outrageous. That is like giving $50,000 for an FJ40.

I like good customer service so I am definatly going to go with Springfield, from what I have read they are second to none in that department.

I would buy a Para-Ordnance again, but in a single stack this time instead of the double stack. I have read horror stories about them online but mine has no problems with anything that I can tell. It feeds JHPs just fine, fires them without hesitation, and spits them out to redo the whole cycle without a hiccup.

I really don't see how a Kimber or a Springfield or any other brand of pistol that is in the same price range, can be much better. I guess when I hold and fire one of a different brand I will know whether or not all the hype is real.

My gun shop owner is a 1911 owner and likes to talk. When it comes down to talking about 1911's he won't simply because he believes firmly in the platform that it was built on. He says that a 1911 is a 1911. And basically he is right. Do I think a Wilson is a Taurus? No, but I do feel that for simple home defense and range fun the Taurus might be a good alternative. Is a Springfield Loaded in the ball park with my P16-40? I don't know but we are going to find out.

When you talk custom 1911s like the Les Baer or Wilson you talk about a completely different group of pistols. Just like comparing a Ferrari or Lambo to a production Vette. All three are great cars but the Vette is going to lack things.....but you pay for the Ferrari.

I know it seems wierd that I started the thread asking for advice, and now I seem to be giving some. I feel I just realized that 1911s are almost all good, its the design that makes them that way. Most all pieces from any other brand can fit onto another brand making customization or part upgrading almost endless. You ask here or there and some people swear by Kimbers, others swear by Springfields, others won't touch anything but he original Colt.

lunyou

[sirenmoses]

Originally Posted by lunyou

...
I would buy a Para-Ordnance again, but in a single stack this time instead of the double stack. I have read horror stories about them online but mine has no problems with anything that I can tell. It feeds JHPs just fine, fires them without hesitation, and spits them out to redo the whole cycle without a hiccup.

The feeding/recycling might be good cuz the shop polished ramp & chamber before shipping. The appraiser suggested it as necessary before he would re-sell it, and I don't think it was just cuz he was trying to talk me down. Glad I sold it to you & helped you become a 1911 guru....

[lunyou]

Originally Posted by sirenmoses

The feeding/recycling might be good cuz the shop polished ramp & chamber before shipping. The appraiser suggested it as necessary before he would re-sell it, and I don't think it was just cuz he was trying to talk me down. Glad I sold it to you & helped you become a 1911 guru....

I figured the work you had done to it was what helped it run so smoothly.

I do appreciate the good business we did and would do it again in a heart beat.

lunyou