1911 Thoughts?

[n2k]

Link

To all the 1911 experts, what are your thoughts on this 1911?

[Greg-Dawg]

$100 more you can get a Kimber.

Pass.

[hnoppenberger]

made in brazil and for 50 bucks more you can get a colt government.




i just bought a stainless version for 899 totally well made.

[Beelzy]

Buy a Colt and enjoy a better tasting KoolAid.

[Miltiades]

Fairly positive on it...

I've never owned the S&W 1911, but do have Colt and Kimber 1911s. Based on what I've read and heard, the S&W 1911 does have a good reputation. And we know the S&W company knows how to make guns and has good customer service. The gun shown would meet many of my criteria, such as a beavertail grip safety, no front cocking serrations, Novak sights, Wilson magazine (apparently). And the price looks fair at $870. It does have an external extractor instead of the traditional 1911 internal extractor, but that wouldn't bother me as long as it worked.

So if I were in the market for a full size 1911 I would consider this a worthy candidate.

[Bug Splat]

External Extractor = no-go for me.

Go with either a Springfield or Kimber. Buy colt if you want to spend more money for nothing but a picture of a pony on the slide.

[n2k]

[SDI]

No go also on the external extractor. I would also have to change out the thumb saffety for an extended one.

[sixniner]

Are SW 1911 made in Brazil? I thought only Springer 1911 are made by Imbel, Brazilian company?

[Isaiah4Autumn]

This is the one I've been looking for....no luck....



Custom TLE/RL II™ .45 ACP

try ammo brothers...is the $800-$900 your price range?

[n2k]

try ammo brothers...is the $800-$900 your price range?

No range

Ammo Bros had the TLE, but not the TLE/RL.

Have to custom order.

[mauritz45]

i have an earlier stainless model. excellent reliability and good value IMO-cam

[Aldemar]

This is the one I've been looking for....no luck....



Custom TLE/RL II™ .45 ACP

I've got the Stainless version. Eats everything I run through it. The night sights are great, although a light on the rail makes them useless. Have you tried Gun World in Burbank? I hate that place, but they usually have a large inventory of Kimbers.

[PutTogether]

I've got the gun you're asking about. Works great for me. Trigger was rattly, but I replaced it. (30 dollars and twenty minutes time)

At the $800 mark, I just don't think that there is one gun that is head and shoulders above the rest quality/feature wise.

[sholling]

Link

To all the 1911 experts, what are your thoughts on this 1911?

We'll so far I've seen lots of kool-aid and misinformation in this thread. Let's straighten that out. I own Kimbers, Springfield Armory, and S&W 1911s and of them all I prefer S&Ws. Let's start with the 1st misinformation before I go into why. S&W 1911s are not made in Brazil - they are made right here in the USA. It's Springfield Armory that imports their frames from South America. Second, I say koolaid because people throw out other brands without saying specifically what makes it the best thing since sliced bread. No analysis.

Now let's compare and contrast. Springfield Armory's Loaded - a darn good self defense 1911. In general they tend to be very reliable because they don't build their pistols too tight or use excessively tight chambers. That means reliability. They are also available with factory night sights. But they have their downside to. In order to pass the California drop test they went with a light firing pin and a heavy spring. That's resulted in a heavy trigger - usually in the 5.5-6lb range. On average they also lack the refined fit & finish of a Smith & Wesson, and in general - while more accurate than most shooters - they are not usually quite as accurate as a Smith or Kimber. Springers are backed by excellent customer service and a lifetime warranty.

Kimber Series II - the original Kimbers (Series I) shook up the industry by selling a factory-custom with all the bells and whistles that shooters wanted but traditionally had to pay hundreds of dollars extra to have added and tweaked by a custom smith - for about the price of a box stock rattle trap Colt. Those were good handguns. But Kimber morphed from an engineering driven company to a marketing driven company and in answer to California's drop test introduced their Series II. On the plus side Kimber builds pretty pistols in a wide variety of finishes, usually have an excellent 4-4.5lb trigger, and are usually exceptionally accurate. On the minus side they build them way too tight for out of the box reliability. An overly tight slide to frame fit for a non-fitted pistol makes for a long and expensive break in, and an overly tight chamber can sometimes lead to feeding issues.

Kimber's answer to the drop test is a Swartz style firing pin safety. A Swartz safety is something that when done well is reliable and transparent. In my opinion Kimber did not do it well. A plunger retains the firing pin until the grip safety is engaged. In Kimbers case the grip safety pushes up a skinny little pin that is easily damaged during cleaning. Easily enough that Kimber will not fix it under warranty. Kimber doesn't seem to have much faith in the rest of their pistol either because their warranty is only good for 1 year.

S&W - In general the Smith will display a bit better fit & finish than a Springer and the trigger will be a crisp 4.5-5lbs. The more modern external extractor is reliable without the maintenance of an internal extractor. On average accuracy is top notch and every bit the equal of a Kimber without being overly tight. Reliability is on par with the Springfield Armory, and the design of their firing pin safety is first rate and should be trouble free. On the down side some come from the factory with a little up and down play in the trigger. It doesn't hurt anything and is easily and cheaply replaced. I personally prefer SW1911s in stainless because the bluing can sometime be a little thin. Night sights are aftermarket only. Customer service is legendary and the warranty is for the life of the original purchaser.

Colt - they once again make good if overpriced pistol. Most models come without all of the bells and whistles that most people want. That means spending lots of money to add them later. Buy a colt if the name is worth $100 or more to you.

Bottom line you won't go wrong with a Smith & Wesson 1911. Review