1911 Obsession

[Donny1]

About two months ago I shot a 1911 for the first time. It just felt right and now I can't stop thinking about getting one. I look in the classifieds here, look at new pistols online, look on gunbroker, etc, every day.

I have a serious dilemma. First of all I have budget concerns so buying a 1k+ pistol is out of the question right now. Also I'm concerned that buying a totally custom built pistol could have some kind of issue in the long run and I would have trouble getting a part/repair that would return it to it's original condition and reliability. This may be an unwarranted concern as I do not know extent of what may be one-off pieces for a particular pistol, or the ability to repair.

So, moving forward. I want to buy a 1911 as a starting point. The most important thing to me is reliability so I want to start with the most durable and trouble free product short of custom made. I like stainless but that's not a mandate. The idea is to do all the customizing/aftermarket upgrades myself short of what might require machining or serious fabrication. I would not attempt anything myself that may effect performance/reliability or do permanent damage. Let me add that I am very hands on/DIY and have been working with intricate mechanical assemblies for years.

Next, starting from this proposed platform:

1. What can I expect to achieve, how far can I take it?

2. What will fall short of what a completely custom built pistol is as far as performance of features?

3. What would be the best brand/model to begin with.

I like building and keeping things I have made for life so I may be a little anal about just jumping into this but I like to be informed before I start any project.

Advise AND criticism welcome.

[7anthony7]

Honestly, I have owned and still do about 7 1911's. I can't say any of them have given me any problems except a Kimber Pro in 9mm. I bought my S&W 1911 SC for $700 and have put about 2k rounds down it and even bought a second. Never had any issues at all. I have heard good things about rock river and aparently they are not too expensive. Pretty much all of the parts are interchangeable, but some will require fitting. The only custom 1911 I purchased is a Wilson 10mm. They did all of the custom work on it though. I would just read articles from reliable sources and try them out at a range if you can. Great gun platform.

[mrlightning559]

I was in your shoes about a month ago got my 1911 and never looked back I too plan on doing some light mods I think besides expensive jigs it's can all be done myself except barrel fitting and a few other things. My take is if I can purchase the part I'll try to do it myself I'd never attemp anything on the frame or slide

[rips31]

haven't had a problem with my kimber custom ii...probably 600rd and it runs like a champ. comes with lots of the goodies that folks want in a 1911, so can't go wrong for the price point.

[Donny1]

I was in your shoes about a month ago got my 1911 and never looked back I too plan on doing some light mods I think besides expensive jigs it's can all be done myself except barrel fitting and a few other things. My take is if I can purchase the part I'll try to do it myself I'd never attemp anything on the frame or slide

What pistol did you get?

[rubber duckie]

i have a sig 1911 gsr, i love it. the only thing i have taught about is building a 2011 from a 80% frame. if i were to do it again, i would try my hand at a paperweight.

[RolinThundr]

Honestly, I have owned and still do about 7 1911's. I can't say any of them have given me any problems except a Kimber Pro in 9mm. I bought my S&W 1911 SC for $700 and have put about 2k rounds down it and even bought a second. Never had any issues at all. I have heard good things about rock river and aparently they are not too expensive. Pretty much all of the parts are interchangeable, but some will require fitting. The only custom 1911 I purchased is a Wilson 10mm. They did all of the custom work on it though. I would just read articles from reliable sources and try them out at a range if you can. Great gun platform.

I thought Rock River Arms stopped making 1911s, are you thinking of Rock Island Armory?

[lazs]

Realistically? If you buy a full sized Kimber or Springfield you will not be able to tell the difference in real terms between those guns and a custom gun costing twice as much.. the nod would go to the kimber in my opinion tho.. I like my eclipse better than my sons springfield.

5,000 + rounds through the Kimber.. just shot some RCBS cast semi wadcutter rounds at about 1,000 fps into less than 1" at 25 yards which is about the exact same as my Dan wesson 44 mag will do.. course.. My 44's have twice the energy but.. they recoil a bit more....

[gump45]

Disclaimer: I am not an expert.

I'm a Springfield Armory fan since 1995 when I bought my first one. I paid about $450.00 for it then, in the basic 1911A1 Mil-Spec version, basically a GI model in black parkerized finish with 3-dot sights (rather than the older, small black iron sights) and black plastic grips.

It was good to start there at the time, and I bought custom parts for it that were later fitted by a gunsmith: Ed Brown beavertail, King's Gunworks ambi-safety [no grip mod required like on the Swenson-style that many customs use, including the Springfield Armory Loaded versions]. I added the two-piece guide rod and Shok-Buffs on my own; drop-in parts. :-)

My current Springfield Armory is a PX9109LP, which is a Loaded model, i.e. pre-customized from the factory, (http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?version=4) and includes Novak-style Trijicon Night Sights, ambi-saftey, beavertail, two-piece guide rod, XD holster, mag carrier and 2x magazines. It cost about $799-$899 before tax, DROS, et al.

I replaced the Swenson-pattern ambi with a Kimber brand ambi that is practically identical to the King's Gunworks model I used on my last one.

Basically, listen to the other folks here and go with what you can afford. I read a lot before I bought mine and the main reasons were: inexpensive base models are plentiful, aftermarket parts are abundant, and pretty much any gunsmith you find would have experience with the 1911A1 pattern. Pick up any gun magazine on the stands and you will see endless ads for parts, especially in American Handgunner [not affiliated with this publication], which usually features plenty of 1911A1 porn. Don't know if Ichiro Nagata is still doing photos for that magazine, but his photos are pretty awesome.

Good luck and happy researching!