Which 1911?

[Biggins151]

I'm looking into getting a 1911 and wanted to have a pic rail for a light. It will mainly be a night stand gun and range toy so I'm looking at a full size, but I'm unsure of which manufacturers to look into. I would like to keep the price under $1,000, but it could go over if necessary. I just don't know if it would be better to start with a lower end gun like a Rock Island and add upgrades to it as I go? Or just start off with a higher end gun like a Springfield, Colt or S&W.
Your opinions will be greatly appreciated!

[Mac009]

So so many choices but for my first 1911 I went with a Sig 1911 Stainless Rail. I got it for around a 1k with tax and dros. It's still in jail right now but Ill have it soon. With the night sights it comes with and my TLR-3 light, this thing will make a great night stand piece.

[Oceanbob]

I don't want a light.

I want a good solid 1911 that runs out of the box. Picked it up today at OC Armory. (Thanks Mike)

Ruger SR1911

Check out hickok45 running these 1911s.

[GoatLovin]

Kimber TLE/RL. I got mine new six years ago for $850. No clue what they go for now. It has yet to have a single malfunction. The only change I've made is the grips, which are now VZs. I've used regular Kimber mags, KimPro mags, CMC as well as Wilson ETM magazines without any issues. I've never tried shooting steel cased ammo, but it gobbles up everything else.

I'm no longer a fan of railed 1911s any more. Not sure why or when that changed. If I were you, I'd look for a Custom II or a Springer Loaded, around $650 and $750, respectively. Great entry level 1911s at decent price points.

Cue the Kimber haters.

[ersatz]

Do you want a full or half rail 1911? That alone should narrow down your choices.

[Biggins151]

I prefer the look of the half rail over the full rail, but are there any advantages/disadvantages? Why the dislike of the railed 1911, goatlovin and oceanbob? Looks? or from a functionality stand point? (sharp edges hanging up on clothes or other issues?)

[GoatLovin]

I prefer the look of the half rail over the full rail, but are there any advantages/disadvantages? Why the dislike of the railed 1911, goatlovin and oceanbob? Looks? or from a functionality stand point? (sharp edges hanging up on clothes or other issues?)

Just looks. The rail itself shouldn't affect functionality.

[crob]

Not sure on many manufacturers in that price range, off the top of my head is the Sig, and it has quite a bit of features for the price. The purists will tell you to look elsewhere due to the external extractor and slide shape, but if you can get past that, they seem like nice firearms.

[thai562]

For that price, you can't go wrong with a Sig 1911s. Sig 1911s are the best 1911 for the money.
Sig included a lot of improvements to all their 1911s, where other manufactures only included in their higher-end models.

[LovingTheYear1911]

You really have two choices for that price range: Sig or Kimber. I could shoot my Kimber more accurately for some reason. Either are good.

[Cool Custard]

Get a rock island, recover tacticals railed 1911 grips and tons of ammo and shoot! That's my vote

[missiontrails]

This one goes in and out if stock every few days, it was $799 earlier today.... hard to beat this one for the money.

http://grabagun.com/catalog/product/view/id/174039?trk_msg=KLV2GONS0CK4LA1FMC074H2T6O&trk_contact=T3M763CQQT5E4LLP9HERQLAIMS&utm_source=Listrak&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Order+Now&utm_campaign=Product+Alert&utm_content=Alert+1

[FUBAR]

Sig 1911 Railed or Kimber TLE/RL.

[steel30]

+1 for SA Loaded and Kimber TLE...no issues whatsoever.

[Biggins151]

I found these two at a decent price. I'm building a 6.5 Grendel as we'll so having those 3 psa lowers thrown in isn't a bad option ( selling the other 2 to drop the price a little) Would you guys recommend kimber over sigs? I know it's always been an argument about who has the best affordable 1911 and some people hate kimbers some people hate sigs and blah blah. But does anyone have any hands on experience with either?

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/firearms/handguns/sig-sauer/1911/sig-sauer-1911-tactical-operations-1911r-45-tacops-with-3-psa-lowers.html

http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/firearms/handguns/kimber/tle-ii/kimber-custom-tle-rl-ii-45-acp-with-rail-3200139.html