Deciding on my next purchase: 1911 or AR15?

[Crovax]

Currently, I only own a 9mm Smith and Wesson M&P. I love the gun and it has made me a better shooter. Since buying it at the beginning of this year I have probably put about 1500 rounds through it. Being my only child, it serves as both home defense and range/learning gun. I have ~700 spare rounds for it right now, 600 of ball point I just bought from a fellow calguns member (plan to shoot a lot of this and keep some for a SHTF end of the world scenario) and some HD hydra shok JHP.

Now that I have one gun, I have to have two...

I really can't decide between a 1911 and building an AR15.

I love the look and feel of 1911's. I'd really like to own one sooner or later because they shoot well. The 1911 I've been looking most closely at is the Kimber Custom TLE II:



I'm a very hands on person, and I'd love to build my own AR15. I really have a lot of fun shooting ar15's whenever I get the opportunity. It would be nice to have something other than a pistol. Plus the idea of a .22 conversion kit for really cheap plinking appeals greatly to me.



Mmm gun porn, threads are always more fun with pics.

My main concern is that I don't own my own home so a full size safe (to store the AR) or a full size reloading setup are both out of the question. .45 ACP ammo is way more expensive than the 9mm that I know and love. Not that .223 is any cheaper...

What are your thoughts? Should I expand to incorporating a rifle, or pick up another pistol? I would spend about the same $$ on both.

[pdq_wizzard]

Get a rifle, (you have a handgun) you only should use your handgun to fight your way back to the rifle you should not have left in the first place

[Black Majik]

I vote for 1911.

[markman42]

Your gonna end up getting both. Might as well wait 10 days ONCE

[bden]

I hope my next(s) will come very soon, and my wish list includes an AR-15 and a 1911. I've thought for a few years that it would be cool to get a 1911 in 2011, but that probably doesn't matter all that much in reality, it's just a way of insuring I don't have to wait until 2012! I only somewhat recently caught the AR bug, so that's higher on my radar now, and just as PDQ mentioned, you've got a pistol already so rounding out the collection a bit would probably be more satisfying in the short term.

It sounds like you're probably already infected with the expensive disease of wanting a small (for now) collection of firearms, so trying to stay on-budget is likely a losing proposition. Both critters are a bit expensive to keep well fed, but that's part of the game we just have to deal with somehow.

As for the AR/safe issue...I hear your concern. That's a tough call, but if you don't need it to be battle ready you could break it down and scatter it throughout the house or fit it into smaller places that way. It's certainly preferrable to have a good quality safe, but that's tough to do on a budget and/or with space constraints. Perhaps I've crossed the threshold and am into babbling now, but I think I'd be tempted in your case to go with the AR, break it down & lock the important bits, and work to aquire ammo as the bank account allows. There are few guns I'd be more interested in owning than a good 1911 though...Ah hell, sell the ranch and buy 'em both!

[ripcurlksm]

get a rifle.

i have one pistol and its a 1911. if i had to get a polymer body pistol i would get a M&P... love that pistol we have the same good taste.

get a rifle. consider other rifles besides AR's unless you are set. Personally, ive fell in love with the M1A. Give me an M1A and 1911 and I am satisfied.

[winnre]

Get either of them. THEN get the other one. That's what I did.

[AndrewMendez]

Plus 1 for the AR. You can buy it in pieces well you wait for your DROS, and you will have the satisfaction of building it yourself. 1911's by Kimber are AWESOME guns, but everyone needs an rifle with some balls!

[ripcurlksm]

but everyone needs an rifle with some balls!

Added a pic for ya andrew You going out to Angeles any time soon? Hit me up

[DaveFJ80]

Same dilema here, as I have a Glock 19 and a Mossberg Mav shotgun. Now I was wanting either a 1911 or to build my own AR. I'm still undecided on what I want, but the main issues that keep on popping up for me are....

- I can shoot the 1911 at any range, where most ranges I go to won't allow the AR
- I already have a handgun, so the 1911 may not get as much use as my Glock
- I can put a .22LR upper on the AR and go 'plinking' with it to save money
- A rifle would "complete" my small collection nicely
- The RIA 1911 that I'm looking at would be cheaper than building my own AR
- I'd favor the AR in an HD scenario more than the 1911

[surfinguru]

I'm going to echo the other sentiments already expressed here and say go for the rifle.

This is how we've stocked the cupboards so far in order of appearance:

1) M&P 9mm - rock solid after 2000+ rounds so far!
2) AR15 - Hi Standard Lower with a Stag 2HT upper (got that one squared away before the Obama manina swept the industry)
3) Browning Buckmark Camper - really fun little gun for the wife
4) SA 1911 in 9mm - clears waivers in another week

After that? I dunno, maybe a nice little bolt action .22lr for our little guy and then something along the lines of an Ed Brown Kobra Carry to add a .45 in there for good measures!

[Cobrafreak]

I would go for an AR then a 1911. The reason is the Rifle is the #1 defensive/offensive weapon and the Pistol is #2. More power/more accuracy. Put thought into the caliber though. My AR is 5.56 and I wish I would have set it up for 7.62x39 . Lots of caliber choices.

[Joe]

Get the AR.

[ironman5669]

a 1911 will mosty likely be available for quite some time, who knows how long we will be able to get ars? (hopefully this wont become an issue but jik!)

[Lone_Gunman]

Get an M1A or a FAL.