$2500 1911's?

[hkfooey]

Consider you can spend $500 to $3k+ for a 1911... your choice is limitless.

What do you plan to use that 1911 for? Match, HD, just something you want (and probably in the safe 90% of time?)?

Here is my 1911 family, from the cheapo Mil-spec to a custom STI (and anything in between):

[JaMail]

i have the SA loaded long slide (1200 OTD).. i love it. i also just bought a RIA tactical (650 OTD), which is also nice..

you can def tell a difference in them, i did need some work done on the SA to get it to reliably feed HP's..

the RIA was almost exactly half the price of the SA. yet both shoot extremely well

[whipkiller]

You definitely made a VERY GOOD decision. Once you get to shoot it, Let me know how you like it.

$222.11 more and then the longest 10 days known to man.

The good news is I bought it from a range store so I can at least go shoot her while she's in jail. A conjugal visit, if you will.

[oddjob]

I also have the S.A. GI model and some semi-high end 1911's. The GI is every bit as reliable as my more expensive stuff......BUT...My STI Trojans (around $1000.00) are just a very well built gun. My Trophy match's (5" & 6") are decent, but they haven't seen the range in years.

The gunsmith I use has very high standards and is a factory warranty smith for some high end Euro shotguns. He likes Les Baer's 1911's, but he also loved the STI Trojan. I know the Trojan is not on the approved list. I have a friend that had a Colt 1911 built up by this gunsmith and its a piece of art.

In summary you don't have to pay $2500 for a good or even a great 1911......

[freonr22]

amt longslide hardballer, under $1000 and the factor is there

[Q619]

I've seen enough people posting over in the Les Baer forum on 1911forums that have put thousands of rounds through their Baers without cleaning and still been problem free that I'm fully confident in Baer reliability. No Springfield short of one of the custom jobs will touch a Les Baer gun in accuracy or reliability. It's a misconception that a tight gun is an unreliable gun or that a loose gun is a reliable gun. I've owned a Colt XSE, a Springfield TRP and a Baer TRS. My favorite gun BY FAR has been the Baer. The FBI Springer is a sweet number as are the Ed Brown guns and the Wilson's. I've never shot a Night Hawk but they look nice. Most of the guys you'll hear badmouthing any of the guns listed are people who have never had one or "know some guy" who had a bad experience.

You just want a gun to shoot, a Springfield Mil-Spec will do the trick and will be pretty reliable. I'd have a good 1911 smith give it a reliability package where they tune everything and check for proper function as they haven't really had the attention paid to them that I would prefer with a 1911 I'd trust my life to. 1911's are a lot more finicky than most other guns when it comes to tuning but once you have one running right they'll usually run forever and do so reliably.

For the occasional shooter (low volume) most Springfields and Kimbers...or even RIA's will serve you just fine but if you're a high volume shooter and/or you will be trusting your life to this gun I would get something a bit more finely tuned/fitted with higher quality parts. That's just my opinion. Once you get into the tens of thousands of rounds through a 1911 you'll really start to see what that extra quality gets you outside of fit/finish and names. Where lower end guns loose accuracy, break parts and become rattle traps....FOR THE MOST PART, the higher end guns will still be performing as they did new. Keep up with maintenence and you'll never wear it out unless you REALLY shoot a lot. In that case, the cost of rebuilding your existing gun or buying a new one is a moot point as say, 100k rounds would cost you at least 40K.

If you can handle a nice semi custom gun next to an entry level gun and you can't figure out why there is such a price difference then you should probably just get the lower end gun as the other wouldn't be worth it to you IMO.

There's a lot of good information and reviews on most 1911's on both forums and Google. Take some time, do some research and figure out what you want. It's pretty fun. In the end, you USUALLY get what you pay for.

[Q619]

BTW: I forgot to say that the Colt and Springer I had were excellent guns. Both were dead nuts reliable.

[Mstrty]

Best 1911 on the list is...................



















SVI infinity






for $3500

[Steve1968LS2]

$800 Kimber
Accuracy and reliability work-

$100ish for great sights + $150 for top end installation and rebluing

$150 for a top end match grade barrel and bushing-maybe more +$150 for
labor-
Trigger$50-100 and trigger job$75

Beveled magwell, custom checkering, grips, extended safety,beavertail,slide stop etc.$300-500

These a Jim Hoag prices-

So for 2k you can have a fullhouse custom 1911 that runs better than any other retail 2k piece-

The weapon that seems to be the best for what you pay for is a Dan Wesson-Custom features at a decent price-$1500-2000

In my opinion all other factory custom guns are overpriced for the amount of customization done -

My Les Baer SRP cost me $2k used (like new).. and I would bet it still runs a bit smoother than your example and I KNOW it will have better resale.

I doubt much could run better than this SRP.. it's just dreamy to shoot.

[Gary O]

In the distant past I had a Commander with a buttload of custom work done of the type being discussed here. In the end I struggled to sell it for dead stock used prices. I would never suggest that you will ever recover money spent on custom work.

[MOONDAWG]

After passing the "24" mark I quit counting the number of companies that make 1911's.

I've owned copies from the low to high $$ end, and as one poster said you can be surprised at what you find along the way.

One of the cheapest 19ll's I owned was a NORINCO I bought NIB for $299.

Surprisingly it was more accurate than several Colts, Springfields, Kimbers and SIG's that shared space with it.

My number one priority is reliability, after that hurdle is passed a decent trigger and sights finish up the "short list" for a carry gun.

1911 reliability complaints tend to come from owners that don't take enough time and ammo to break the gun in, and follow this by lack of proper maintenance.

Having unlimited funds opens a lot of doors in the 1911 arena and I wish you good luck on your choice.

[HighLander51]

Springfield TGO (The Great One, Rob Leatham signature model)

[Sam]

I really enjoy my Wilson CQB. The pistol is fantastic every respect, is easy to shoot accurately and make me look better than I am. Their customer service is top notch too.

[SoCal Gunner]

Bumping this not-so-old thread for more input; its been a good read. I think for my next handgun I'll go with another 1911, this time in the same $2500 range as the OP. I'd like a single stack/thin grip that's more accurate than I am with a great trigger.

[chiselchst]

The top two I'd consider would be the SA Pro FBI gun, or a Dan Wesson.

Many like the the Les Baer and WC's. I don't think you would go wrong with any of these four, some being harder to find (new) than others...

What a nice problem to have