1911 upgrade

[littlejake]

If a Taurus did not have any MIM parts, would you choose it over any of the aboive?

Certainly not. I wouldn't use a Taurus as a paperweight.

But, my question was a serious one. I am considering taking one of my vintage Colt 1911s and putting $$$ into it to bring it up to the accuracy and reliability of 1911s in a class of Wilson and Baer -- or just buying one of aforementioned 1911s. Much of the expense in the rework of an old Colt is in all the hand-fitting required.

I'm old fashioned -- I believe plastic, stamped steel and MIM parts have no place in a gun. So, I ask which, to the best of the most knowledgeable out there, has no MIM parts.

[den888]

Les Baer's must be seen and shot by all 1911 fans, as they are top notch all the way...

[Ducman]

how come Richard( Black Magik) has not chimed in yet?
Les Baer for the money. worth every penny IMO.

[B Strong]

I have 2 custom shop springers and the quality of machining and tolerances are better than anything from LB, EB, NH, WC, KM, etc.

It's nice to have pride in your guns, but can you substantiate this?

[CSDGuy]

The answer lies in your pocketbook... Springfield, Kimber, Les Baer, Ed Brown, and so on, are all good, quality 1911 manufacturers... If you figure your budget and go from there...

Buy the best you can afford...

[9mmepiphany]

It's nice to have pride in your guns, but can you substantiate this?

i wouldn't challenge his statement, the workmanship is very good out of the Springfield Custom shop...surely as good as Wilson and Brown, although i will grant that the Brown usually looks better

for me the draw of the Baer is that they have control of manufacturing. the draw of NHC is the variety of features they offer, plus they are the only source of Heine authorized 1911s

[B Strong]

i wouldn't challenge his statement, the workmanship is very good out of the Springfield Custom shop...surely as good as Wilson and Brown, although i will grant that the Brown usually looks better

for me the draw of the Baer is that they have control of manufacturing. the draw of NHC is the variety of features they offer, plus they are the only source of Heine authorized 1911s

I own many of the pistols we're discussing, and own many 1911's built by noted 'smiths.

At the high end, there is no "best" there are just personal preferences.

Springfield's out of the custom shop are top pistols, but to assert that they're a quanititive measure better than every pistol out of other top shops isn't a supportable position.

[Centurion_D]

Like someone mentioned earlier buy what you can afford. I have a SA loaded model and have been happy with it. I've put a couple of hundred rounds down the pipe with no hiccups whatsoever.

[J-cat]

It's nice to have pride in your guns, but can you substantiate this?

I can.

If you look closely at the relationship between moving parts, the difference is obvious. The slide to frame fit is tighter. The barrel to slide fit is tighter. The sides of the barrel hood are perfectly flat and you cannot see any light between the hood and the breech. The cuts are perfectly square. The barrel bushing is tight. The lower lugs are perfectly symmetric. The edges of upper lugs are not rounded off. More care and attention is given to thiese guns than the semi-customs mentioned above.

[J-cat]

Certainly not. I wouldn't use a Taurus as a paperweight.

But, my question was a serious one. I am considering taking one of my vintage Colt 1911s and putting $$$ into it to bring it up to the accuracy and reliability of 1911s in a class of Wilson and Baer -- or just buying one of aforementioned 1911s. Much of the expense in the rework of an old Colt is in all the hand-fitting required.

I'm old fashioned -- I believe plastic, stamped steel and MIM parts have no place in a gun. So, I ask which, to the best of the most knowledgeable out there, has no MIM parts.

I prefer forged and machined parts to MIM or investment castings too. MIM parts can be replaced, however. I want a gun whose slide/frame/barrel relationship is perfect. To me that means a SigP210-like fit.

[wildhawker]

The most affordable higher end pistol you mentioned is the Baer, the Nighthawk and the Wilson are of equal quality, but at a higher price point.

I'd not buy a Kimber, hit and miss QC.

If you're on a budget, the Baer TRS - if you're not on a budget, the Wilson Tactical Elite.

I think you can count on two votes for whatever Bill offers as guidance, his and mine. We think very similarly on 1911s, and many things I expect.

[aplinker]

For the money of a Wilson, I'd much prefer a tuned/customized Colt or Baer.

The Baer is a semi-custom, at best. It provides a top-level base gun with some "extras." It is not, however, a custom gun. I wouldn't consider it to have significant "custom fitting."

Even Nighthawk and Wilsons have limited levels of hand fitting.

The TRS is a bargain, for what it is. If I didn't despise front cocking serrations, I'd probably own one.

[Gress]

I have Baer TRS and love it. No issues whatsoever with all kinds of ammo through it and very accurate.
At the same time, you can not go wrong with any on your list. I'd add S&W PC1911 to the list and suggest you look at it. Very nice gun too.

[vta]

im surprised no Dan Wesson fans have jumped in yet. they seem to be all over 1911 threads lately. I will say it for them. It's the "Best gun around a thousand bucks".

[9mmepiphany]

im surprised no Dan Wesson fans have jumped in yet. they seem to be all over 1911 threads lately

i'm a huge fan of the Dan Wesson line, but i didn't think they were interested in lower-middle priced 1911s. i will say that the D/W does very well with a few custom tweaks, but i wouldn't spend that much for a base gun for a build...you end up throwing most of it away anyway.

here's a link to a Grayguns tweaked Dan Wesson CBOB that turned out very well with just a few mods

http://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/430601935/m/831109613/p/1