User Panel
There aint one I would trust my life with out of the box without tuning. It comes off a production line, NOPE.
Comes from a semi custom shop, out of the box, NOPE Comes from a known smith - MAYBE First problem - the magazine choice will be dictated by the gun and ammo without tuning not what YOU want it to run. From a guy that LOVES the 1911 platform. NOPE. |
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My most reliable 1911 has been my $489 Springfield GI that I bought in 2012.
They sadly don't make that model anymore, but past that, there should be several models under $2000 that should run well. Im not a snob so I'd probably go with an MC Operator or a Limited Edition Series 70 Colt. EDIT: Nvm, breezed past the 9mm part. |
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Figured I’d reply since I finally heard back from Springfield. All custom shop guns are out of production including the Pro and they have no plans to bring them back. Pretty depressing.
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Is 'sacreligious', but a series 70 full size 1911 with an external extractor and a Wilson / Nowlin style feed ramp is what I would pick.
Don't think that exists in a factory gun though. A Sig 1911 will get you that in series 80. |
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My 9mm Tisas Raider has over 3K rounds through it. The only modifications have been adding a set of tritium sights and some aggressive VZ grips. It has seen mostly Winchester 124gr NATO but 500 rounds have been a IMI 124gr +P black tip JHP and another 500 rounds have been my go to carry load, Federal HST 124gr +P HST. There was also some various JHPs that I tested in the 3K rounds so far, 124gr +P Gold Dot, 124gr +P Golden Saber Black belt, 147gr +P HST, and 127gr +P+ Win SXT. The only malfunctions I had was early on while using the IMI JHP but I figured out the issue wasn’t the gun or the ammo but magazine related out of that initial 1,000 round range session it had 18 failures to feed and double feeds. I switched to only using 9 round Ed Brown magazines and Wilson Combat Vickers ETM 10 round mags (which I guess WC has stopped selling now). Since switching to only using those mags, I have not had another malfunction. It was not cleaned in the initial 2,000 round test and prior to the last 1,000 rounds it was only wiped down with a rag and got some lubrication. It has been the best 1911 I’ve ever owned and it cost me less than $650. I’m currently contemplating dumping my SA operators and building out a Tisas Railed Duty. Basically the Raider but in black.
The bottom pic is my Raider next to my RO operator that cost twice as much, had to go back to SA to get some slide drag and sloppy extractor fitment sorted out and has a bunch of MIM parts. Meanwhile the Raider has a CHF barrel, is a true 70 series, no MIM parts. If the Railed Duty performs as well as my Raider has, I’m done with SA 1911s. Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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I had a SA Garrison 9mm for awhile. Nice gun but it had a tight chamber and was very picky.
I currently have a Colt Competition stainless 9mm. So far it's been 100% with factory and reloads. I use Wilson 10rd mags in it. Thinking about heading out in the desert with it today for some plinking. |
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Quoted: My 9mm Tisas Raider has over 3K rounds through it. The only modifications have been adding a set of tritium sights and some aggressive VZ grips. It has seen mostly Winchester 124gr NATO but 500 rounds have been a IMI 124gr +P black tip JHP and another 500 rounds have been my go to carry load, Federal HST 124gr +P HST. There was also some various JHPs that I tested in the 3K rounds so far, 124gr +P Gold Dot, 124gr +P Golden Saber Black belt, 147gr +P HST, and 127gr +P+ Win SXT. The only malfunctions I had was early on while using the IMI JHP but I figured out the issue wasn't the gun or the ammo but magazine related out of that initial 1,000 round range session it had 18 failures to feed and double feeds. I switched to only using 9 round Ed Brown magazines and Wilson Combat Vickers ETM 10 round mags (which I guess WC has stopped selling now). Since switching to only using those mags, I have not had another malfunction. It was not cleaned in the initial 2,000 round test and prior to the last 1,000 rounds it was only wiped down with a rag and got some lubrication. It has been the best 1911 I've ever owned and it cost me less than $650. I'm currently contemplating dumping my SA operators and building out a Tisas Railed Duty. Basically the Raider but in black. The bottom pic is my Raider next to my RO operator that cost twice as much, had to go back to SA to get some slide drag and sloppy extractor fitment sorted out and has a bunch of MIM parts. Meanwhile the Raider has a CHF barrel, is a true 70 series, no MIM parts. If the Railed Duty performs as well as my Raider has, I'm done with SA 1911s. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/557335/IMG_6547_jpeg-3035827.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/557335/IMG_6537_jpeg-3035828.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/557335/IMG_6550_jpeg-3035829.JPG View Quote |
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My Tisas 1911A1 is my most reliable 1911, that’s not worth much but it’s interesting.
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Quoted: I'll save you a ton of money, AND give you 100% reliability, without cleaning, mods, worrying about ammo choice, etc..=GLOCK G17 You can thank me later. View Quote GTFO We can make the decision to buy whichever firearm we want. Glock 17 is a work horse, but at times can be methodical and boring. That's why I ended up spending some money on mine to make it stupid and ended up going through a few phases and I eventually lost interest in it. Almost at the same point with my 19. |
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I'm at round count 500ish with my newly purchased Operator. I'm using 8 rounds mecgar. It works great with Winchester ammo and Hornady defense ammo.
My 8 round mecgar magazines don't seem to like federal bulk. The last round would seem to get a partial load where I would have to lightly tap the slide to get it into battery. I found out of a 100 round box, it would do this maybe 2-3 times in the entire 100 rounds box. I do believe .45 depends on it being 230 gr specifically and full powered. I believe the Winchester ones are full powered 230gr balls and Federal aren't loaded full powered. |
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Also, I did own the pricey 9mm Springfield Processional. It was the worst gun I ever owned. I could never get it to work and the 9mm would always jam up. I just gave up and sold it.
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@Telford
Please be reminded this is a technical section. "This is a Tech forum and as such the great latitude in incivility allowed in General Discussion isn't acceptable here. Posts that degenerate into disparaging remarks, bickering, sniping or are generally irrelevant to the discussion will be edited and posters warned. Posts that wander outside the topic of 1911's will be locked or moved. As far as I'm concerned as long as the discussion stays on topic, concerns the 1911 platform, remains civil and opinions are clearly stated as opinions explanation that opinion while information given as fact is supported by credible sources we're all good to go in this Forum." |
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I have owned a Tisas full-size and commander-size 9mm 1911 since December of last year. Both have been flawless performers. Not super high round counts through either gun but enough to be impressed and have have confidence in them.
I bought the first one after giving-up on ever finding a Ruger in stock. Glad now that it never materialized. Ordered a Tisas .45 full-size this morning |
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My beater Colt 1991A1 and my father in law's Colt Defender have been amazingly flawless in reliability. Pretty damn accurate as well.
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Been awhile since I’ve bought a new pistol but my Springer Champion Elite in .45 has been extremely reliable with the factory supplied mags as well as Wilson 47d’s and CMC mags. I say extremely instead of 100% because some of my reloads are challenging in that they were loaded light for 5” target guns and would occasionally fail. With factory it’s been 100% reliable with the mentioned mags. Metalform mags not so much.
That said, there’s not a pistol around that I’d willingly pull out of the box new and load up to go to a gunfight. NONE. I will also say that SOP for me with any 1911 is before shooting the first time, I strip it down and remove burrs and if needed polish and tweak the extractor, especially the hook. In the early days of MIM parts I’d often replace the extractor since they’d never seem to hold a proper tension setting. If you can bend the extractor between your fingers without much effort, it likely needs replacing no matter what. |
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Quoted: I kinda wish and hope Tisas will get into the 2011 game View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: My 9mm Tisas Raider has over 3K rounds through it. The only modifications have been adding a set of tritium sights and some aggressive VZ grips. It has seen mostly Winchester 124gr NATO but 500 rounds have been a IMI 124gr +P black tip JHP and another 500 rounds have been my go to carry load, Federal HST 124gr +P HST. There was also some various JHPs that I tested in the 3K rounds so far, 124gr +P Gold Dot, 124gr +P Golden Saber Black belt, 147gr +P HST, and 127gr +P+ Win SXT. The only malfunctions I had was early on while using the IMI JHP but I figured out the issue wasn't the gun or the ammo but magazine related out of that initial 1,000 round range session it had 18 failures to feed and double feeds. I switched to only using 9 round Ed Brown magazines and Wilson Combat Vickers ETM 10 round mags (which I guess WC has stopped selling now). Since switching to only using those mags, I have not had another malfunction. It was not cleaned in the initial 2,000 round test and prior to the last 1,000 rounds it was only wiped down with a rag and got some lubrication. It has been the best 1911 I've ever owned and it cost me less than $650. I'm currently contemplating dumping my SA operators and building out a Tisas Railed Duty. Basically the Raider but in black. The bottom pic is my Raider next to my RO operator that cost twice as much, had to go back to SA to get some slide drag and sloppy extractor fitment sorted out and has a bunch of MIM parts. Meanwhile the Raider has a CHF barrel, is a true 70 series, no MIM parts. If the Railed Duty performs as well as my Raider has, I'm done with SA 1911s. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/557335/IMG_6547_jpeg-3035827.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/557335/IMG_6537_jpeg-3035828.JPGhttps://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/557335/IMG_6550_jpeg-3035829.JPG I would love to see that. However, the one issue they still haven’t sorted out is the magazines and the 2011 is notorious for being picky about mags. There are plenty of aftermarket mags you can use though. For what they are charging for 1911s, I can’t imagine a 2011 from them would be more than $1,000. What I’d like to see more though is a more custom 1911. Railed duty, but with a magwell, front strap checkering, top strap serrations and tritium sights. Even if it added $300-$400 to the price, it would still be a sub $1K 1911 that out performs anything that SA is producing at that price. |
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My Springfield MC Operator has been flawless through thousands of rounds.
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I had a STI Spartan in 9MM that was very reliable. Load it up with +P and it was awesome!
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I have an embarrassing amount of 1911’s
The 2 that cost the least have also been the 2 that are the most out of box perfect: Ruger full size Colt Competition model |
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The only unreliable 1911 I've owned was a STI 9mm. I think it was a Ranger II. Total piece of shit.
Every Colt and Springfield I've owned has been 100%. I'm hoping I can say the same about my Tisas. |
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I've been fortunate that every 1911 I've owned has been great from the beginning.
Kimber STS II circa 2004, Springfield Operator, DW, and Colt. My WC (every day carry now) and Ed Brown remain accurate and reliable regardless of the ammo I run. I don't think you need to spend thousands, but I don't regret the money I've spent on them either. |
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There is a certain amount of luck of the draw with 1911's. Most of them will run just fine from the factory but even high dollar ones can on occasion have issues (but really that's true with just about any gun out there). That said, I wouldn't count on most of the low dollar models lasting 1000's of rounds trouble free. Not saying they can't or won't, just that I wouldn't count on it. Also a 1911 in 45ACP is as American as apple pie so buying one made overseas is just gross IMO, especially from some shithole muslim country that hates us.
Seeing that you are willing to go as high as $5k, this is what I would get from most expensive to least. Alchemy Custom Weaponry (ACW) Wilson Combat or Nighthawk Really any one of those /\ 3 will likely give you the performance and reliability you are looking for. Comes down to which one offers a model that most closely matches the looks and features you're after and for me that's ACW Dan Wesson - Overall best bang for the buck in the 1911 world Colt - The much hated and loved Colt. The original OG. Most of their models are fairly basic but still one of, if not the best sub $1k 1911's on the market. Especially if long term reliability is the goal. Only reason I don't recommend Colt's more strongly is it really can be hit or miss what you get from them. |
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Quoted: I kinda wish and hope Tisas will get into the 2011 game View Quote Girsan has a 2011 copy that's being imported by EAA. I have one that has just a hair over 1,000 rounds through it. It runs well and is fun to shoot. Overall fit and finish is pretty much straight budget 1911. Trigger is decent at around five pounds. The barrel fit is fairly loose. Slide to frame is okay. The grip is some kind of weird plastic. Possibly 3D printed? It seems oversized internally to the point that factory Staccato mags won't engage the magazine catch. Or if they do a gentle shake will cause the mags to fall out. Replacing the grip with a Gen 1 STI or another similar product seems to fix this. I've test fit an STI and mags seem to be retained properly. The slide is cut for the Holosun K. I'd prefer something more versatile. I sent the slide to C&H to have it cut for the cross plate system. I don't have it back yet. The only MIM parts appear to be the sear, disconnector and slide stop. The extractor is smaller in diameter than the norm where the extractor interfaces with the firing pin plate. Why? So I like the gun but it is too expensive for what it is. The Prodigy is the better value. At least it will probably retain a decent resale value after some parts are changed out. The Girsan will likely not. The only real unique thing about the Girsan is the aluminum frame which is why I wanted it. Whoever Tiaas USA's 1911 program manager is is doing a good job. He's got a good variety of pistols available and seems to have the QC vs price pretty much dialed in. I have no personal experience with the Tisas 1911s but they seem to be working fine by all accounts. There are tons and tons of threads and videos on the web and the guns seem to simply work. A long post to get to what I wanted to say. Rumor is that Tisas will offer a 2011 pattern at SHOT 2024. If this is true and the gun works like the 1911s and we should have a winning product. OP I hope you don't mind the thread drift. |
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Lot's of great information.
One note, aluminum frames are not even rare, let alone unique. |
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Quoted: Lot's of great information. One note, aluminum frames are not even rare, let alone unique. View Quote They aren't overly common in the 2011 realm. Staccato only fairly recently added aluminum as an option. The new Jacob Grey is aluminum and Cosaint has this option. Most others from Cheely, Limcat, original STI etc are steel. |
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I've been shooting the IDPA for 25 years and am a S.O. I've seen numerous pistols have catastrophic failures due to MIM parts breaking. MOST all mass produced pistols use MIM parts, so it's not a matter of "IF", but WHEN they break. Meaning-they are totally unreliable.
SO, whatever pistol, make sure it has hammer forged parts in it. Myself, I'd pick a Wilson Combat EDC X9 and then spend the rest on ammo and training.. |
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Quoted: For $5K you can go for a nice semi custom like a Wilson Combat. Dan Wesson Valor is great bang for the buck. But most 1911's just need a little tuning to be 100% reliable if they aren't out of the box. Wilson Combat I'd expect to be 100% for the amount you are spending. And I hear they have excellent customer service if it's not perfect. And there's something to be said for the old school original WWI and WWII 1911's that seem to be extremely reliable with much looser tolerances compared to newer models. View Quote Wilson Combat’s customer service is outstanding. Any concern you have with their products are “check your email, there should be a shipping label I already sent”. A buddy sent in a used WC 1911 for a full service. WC said the finish had discolored in a few areas. They refinished the entire gun and didn’t charge for the servicing. |
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Quoted: They aren't overly common in the 2011 realm. Staccato only fairly recently added aluminum as an option. The new Jacob Grey is aluminum and Cosaint has this option. Most others from Cheely, Limcat, original STI etc are steel. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Lot's of great information. One note, aluminum frames are not even rare, let alone unique. They aren't overly common in the 2011 realm. Staccato only fairly recently added aluminum as an option. The new Jacob Grey is aluminum and Cosaint has this option. Most others from Cheely, Limcat, original STI etc are steel. STI did aluminum frames too. I don’t think they ever had a high take rate. |
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NONE!
Seriously though. I've had at least 25 1911's. Doesn't matter if it was a Nighthawk, Wilson, Dan Wesson, Cabot or a $900 Colt. It's luck of the draw in my experience. I will say that generally the more expensive ones had a better track record, but most em of had some kind of failures at one point or another. Aside from hating manual safeties, the lack of being able to run any and all types of ammo was a dealbreaker. Strikers only for me. |
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In the upper price range mentioned, Nighthawk. Mine is in .38 Super but it does have a fitted 9mm barrel if that counts. It has been 100 percent reliable through a couple thousand rounds.
At about 4000 bucks less my Colt Lightweight Government model .45 and Colt lightweight Commander .38 Super both have run like Swiss watches with FMJ and SD ammo. The Colt Commander is my EDC 87% of the time and I trust it completely. It's not as pretty or as smooth as the Nighthawk but it's every bit as reliable. You don't have to spend a crazy amount of money to get a reliable 1911, They just have to be built right. The best I can remember, The only unreliable 1911 I've owned was an AMT Hardballer model in the 1980's. It jammed something awful out of the box and it took a good smith to get it running right. |
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Quoted: I would love to see that. However, the one issue they still haven’t sorted out is the magazines and the 2011 is notorious for being picky about mags. There are plenty of aftermarket mags you can use though. For what they are charging for 1911s, I can’t imagine a 2011 from them would be more than $1,000. What I’d like to see more though is a more custom 1911. Railed duty, but with a magwell, front strap checkering, top strap serrations and tritium sights. Even if it added $300-$400 to the price, it would still be a sub $1K 1911 that out performs anything that SA is producing at that price. View Quote If Tisa gets into the double stack 1911 game, they'll probably use para/nowlins mags, not STI. |
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Quoted: Quoted: If Tisa gets into the double stack 1911 game, they'll probably use para/nowlins mags, not STI. What makes you say that? Not as much work to tool up for the frames, since they're basically the same as a single stack frame, except for the wider mag well. It's what Armscor and Bul did. |
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My 500 dollar colt commander.
I could pull it out right now with 1000 rounds and blast them all. |
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My Sig runs well, and my newer Springfield has about 1300 rounds through it now with no failures of any kind. In fact I have yet to find a combination of mags and ammo that it doesn't like over the course of about a dozen types of 230gr FMJ, a half dozen JHP, and 10 or so different types of magazines. Others have had entirely different experiences with Springfields and others in that price range, and I think a lot of the tradeoff for lower priced 1911s is less certainty with regards to their reliability and the durability of their parts.
I have a friend who shoots a Les Baer Premier II in competition, he has upwards of 37,000 rounds through it and has only replaced springs. I personally experienced a failure to feed with it but that was with one of his reloads that had a split case neck, I can't speak to any other malfunctions he's had but I'm sure he's had at least a few. Other than that I won't personally have experience with the higher end guns that use all machined parts (I'm aware LB uses cast mag releases) until my ACW Prime gets here. Tisas does seem to have their pistols pretty well figured out though. I don't own any, but the very limited experience I have from shooting others' Tisas guns yielded no failures. All of the aforementioned pistols are .45s. I do think that 9mm 1911s have more working against them largely do to cartridge length because the pistol was designed for 45 ACP/.38 Super length cartridges. The 9mms seem to be more magazine sensitive because of how different magazines accommodate the shorter cartridge length. |
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Quoted: They aren't overly common in the 2011 realm. Staccato only fairly recently added aluminum as an option. The new Jacob Grey is aluminum and Cosaint has this option. Most others from Cheely, Limcat, original STI etc are steel. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted: Quoted: Lot's of great information. One note, aluminum frames are not even rare, let alone unique. They aren't overly common in the 2011 realm. Staccato only fairly recently added aluminum as an option. The new Jacob Grey is aluminum and Cosaint has this option. Most others from Cheely, Limcat, original STI etc are steel. The topic of this thread is 1911. |
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I have fired thousands of rounds through several springers and never had an issue that wasnt ammo based
(crappy reloads or cheap aluminum rounds) |
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