Affordable 1911

[lcpl. huynh]

I'm looking for a 1911, but I have the budget of a college student. What are some affordable 1911's that are respectable. I saw a Kimber for $700 2 weeks ago, but then I also saw some Kimbers for $2000, so I'm lost. This will be the last gun I buy before I deploy.

[five.five-six]

what do you want to use it for?

[Overkill]

What do you consider affordable? Your budget will certainly help us provide some more clear answers.

[USN CHIEF]

Just wait until you come back from deployment and save your money so you can get one of them $2000 Kimber's... Trust me, you will not regret it..

[bwiese]

You can get a basic Springfield "GI style" 1911 sometimes for under $500 new. (A buddy got one for $479 IIRC.)

Throw out the factory Springer mags (cycling issues) and get MecGars or Colts or old USGI parkerized ones wrapped in the antirust paper at gunshows.

You'll have a reliable 1911 that shoots just fine and is reliable. The ones I've shot have been quite accurate - way more than required by any self-defense needs.

As time passes, you can dress it up with different grips, tighter barrel bushing, change hammers, do a trigger job, drop in a Bar-Sto barrel, etc.

I have a Springer equivalent of a Colt "Officer's ACP" and love it.

S&W also makes fine 1911s though they are a bit pricier.

YOU ABSOLUTELY DO NOT NEED TO SPEND A FORTUNE TO GET A GOOD 1911. Hell, theres lotsa used deals out there, look here on calguns.

[five.five-six]

You can get a basic Springfield "GI style" 1911 sometimes for under $500 new. (A buddy got one for $479 IIRC.)

I have one of these, I have ~1k through the factory mags with NP, I guess they are just hit and miss. the springer lifetime warrentee is nice. if i were to do it over again, I would pay a few extera bucks for a mil spec over the GI, it is easier ti dress it up a bit more

great gun

[Knauga]

Like Bill said, the Springer GI is a great buy for a plain jane dead on reliable 1911. You can always tart it up later if that's what you are looking for, or like somebody else said, buy it when you get home and you'll probably have more money to spend and able to bump it up to one that is already "tarted up".

I have a GI Champion model (SA's version of a commander size 4") and the ONLY reason I'm selling it is because I bought another gun for CCW and if my wife sees one come in and not one going out I'm a dead man

I haven't seen a GI in a gun shop for under $525 lately and I haven't been able to find a Mil-Spec for some time, but they are both great guns and great shooters if you can put your hands on em.

[five.five-six]

funny i was just about to post a link to your gun, that park looks good on it. the Mil-Spec seem to always be hard to find

[bwiese]

In prior comment above, I may have been mixing the MilSpec and GI models.

I think I have seen both around $500 when on sale.

[Knauga]

funny i was just about to post a link to your gun, that park looks good on it. the Mil-Spec seem to always be hard to find

This is probably closer to him as he is in Frisco. If he were down here we could talk about a GI going on deployment discount

I haven't seen a milspec in any of the gun stores I browse through. It's a shame they're great guns.

[lcpl. huynh]

$700 is about where I am able to spend, thanks for your feedback, I'll definately look into the springfield

[railroader]

The $700 kimber you saw will be very good, it just is a plane jane without all the cosmetics. I have a kimber custom and I just sold a kimber gold match. Sure the gold match was a tighter and prettier gun but the accuracy was very close and the cheaper kimber custom actually had a better trigger. Of the kimbers and springfields I have shot the kimbers had the better trigger out the box. Mark

[hi_desert]

I'm relatively new to 1911's but I chose the SW1911 ($700) and couldn't be happier. After all the upgrades to the RIA's or milspecs you'll have invested nearly a grand. The SW gets you there on your first day of ownership. SW was slow to join the race but IMO a sleeper in the sub $1k category.

[aplinker]

SA Loaded too

[lcpl. huynh]

Thanks Calgunners