Posted: 5/9/2014 6:17:08 PM EDT
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So I have been looking to add another pistol to my general defense/range toy arsenal and am trying to decide between a Sig P226 or finally getting my first .45 1911.
I have $1100 to spend on the pistol and I want a 1911 that is mainly reliable and has a rail. I also want a 1911 that I can customize and tune to be a top of the line personalized type of project. My question is, what type of 1911 should I look at if I want a reliable solid shooter out of the box but also allows for endless customization and upgrades to top of the line status? If it helps I really love the Sig Tacops 1911s, but I have heard they are limited on what aftermarket parts I can add/change. Thanks |
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Quoted: How much are the les baers going for? Quoted: Quoted: Save a little more and go with a Springfield TRP or a Les Baer, or get a Springfield Rangemaster and customize it.  How much are the les baers going for?  |
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Here's the issue: customizing a 1911 and "budget" don't belong in the same sentence, unless you do the work. Since it's your first 1911, I'm assuming you don't know how to work on them.
My advice is first buy a nice 1911. A Smith E-series railed is right at your budget. A Springfield MC Operator or STI Duty One are also nice, but are about $150-300 over budget. Don't know if you want to wait and save. Buy a nice 1911 and shoot it. Later, buy a cheaper, basic gun like a Rock Island GI. You're talking about $325 or so, if you get a good price. Use that as your learning gun. Buy parts and tools for gunsmithing, do a ton of reading, and teach yourself with it. But don't drop a grand on a 1911 and start hacking away at it without prior experience. I understand this is the pricier way to go about it, but it'll save you from having sunk a lot of money into a gun that may or may not have resale value after you try your hand at it. |
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Quoted:
Here's the issue: customizing a 1911 and "budget" don't belong in the same sentence, unless you do the work. Since it's your first 1911, I'm assuming you don't know how to work on them. My advice is first buy a nice 1911. A Smith E-series railed is right at your budget. A Springfield MC Operator or STI Duty One are also nice, but are about $150-300 over budget. Don't know if you want to wait and save. Buy a nice 1911 and shoot it. Later, buy a cheaper, basic gun like a Rock Island GI. You're talking about $325 or so, if you get a good price. Use that as your learning gun. Buy parts and tools for gunsmithing, do a ton of reading, and teach yourself with it. But don't drop a grand on a 1911 and start hacking away at it without prior experience. I understand this is the pricier way to go about it, but it'll save you from having sunk a lot of money into a gun that may or may not have resale value after you try your hand at it. Thank you for the information. So let's say I buy a colt rail gun like mentioned. That way I have a solid platform and reliable 1911 out of the box that I can at least become familiar with at the range. Then slowly learn what I can do myself or send it off to get upgraded by a gunsmith that already knows what he is doing? I want to get a solid starter that is fun to shoot but that I can also depend my life on. Then just build it into a extremely reliable and accurate machine. |
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Quoted:
Why do you think you need to change things right away? Also, what type of changes are you planing to make? There is a big difference in swapping sights to replacing fire control parts. It wouldn't be right away, but I do want to get a pistol that I can use every day and slowly customize. I honestly don't know what I would change yet, I am still doing my research. I just want to make the most reliable and accurate 1911 I can that has some personal touches. |
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1911s don't lend themselves to being slowly customized.
Almost everything on them works together, and has to be fit / tuned together. A Rail Gun or MC Operator already has everything extended, lowered, whatever. All I would do is an EGW thumb safety and get rid of the ILS. |
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Quoted:
1911s don't lend themselves to being slowly customized. Almost everything on them works together, and has to be fit / tuned together. A Rail Gun or MC Operator already has everything extended, lowered, whatever. All I would do is an EGW thumb safety and get rid of the ILS. I guess I need to do quite a bit more research. Since it seems I really know next to nothing about 1911s. |
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Quoted:
Here's the issue: customizing a 1911 and "budget" don't belong in the same sentence, unless you do the work. Since it's your first 1911, I'm assuming you don't know how to work on them. My advice is first buy a nice 1911. A Smith E-series railed is right at your budget. A Springfield MC Operator or STI Duty One are also nice, but are about $150-300 over budget. Don't know if you want to wait and save. Buy a nice 1911 and shoot it. Later, buy a cheaper, basic gun like a Rock Island GI. You're talking about $325 or so, if you get a good price. Use that as your learning gun. Buy parts and tools for gunsmithing, do a ton of reading, and teach yourself with it. But don't drop a grand on a 1911 and start hacking away at it without prior experience. I understand this is the pricier way to go about it, but it'll save you from having sunk a lot of money into a gun that may or may not have resale value after you try your hand at it. I was going to give this same bit of advice, but I would suggest getting a nice Colt. I have had quite a few 1911s over the years and kept searching for the 1911 that just felt right. I refused to buy into the "Colt name brand" pistol until my wife gave me a certificate for a pistol at the local gun store. I wound up with a first run of the XSE based Combat Elites. It was magical. I have been shooting the 1911 platform since the early 90's and tinkered quite a bit on previous ones. Unlike many tinkerers, mine always got better. LOL. I have done a few things to the CE over the years now, replaced the bushing with a Brown, trigger job, bead blasted the frame, and replaced the grip safety. It is my primary carry when I am able to carry a firearm as a civilian. I have another CE NIB for my daughter as a wedding gift. She is only 7, but I never received anything like that from my parents and always thought it would be a nice thing to pass down. Good luck, and read all you can from reputable sources. Go slow, and don't get too aggressive and you should be fine, |
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Well thank you guys for all of the information. Have decided to go with a colt 1911, preferably the rail gun.
I like having a pistol that I can learn quite a bit about and seems to have endless possibilities. now I just need to try and find one for a reasonable price. My usual store said it could be anywhere from 6 months to a year if I place an order through them. Now I am on the search to find a black colt 1911 rail gun for around $ 1100 |
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"The Colt .45 Automatic: A Shop Manual Volume 1" Book by Jerry Kuhnhausen is an invaluable resource for getting your learn on.
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I would say it depends in if you EVER plan on selling it. If not maybe save a few bucks and get a Sig or perhaps even a RIA or ATI since the base gun won't matter all that much as long as it's to spec and good steel.
If there is even a possibility you might sell it, even though you would never get back near wha you have into it, I would say a Springer, Colt maybe a used Dan Wesson. Have the work done by a reputable smith and save all the paperwork. You might want to consider passing on any of the "trendy" mods that are cool now but will later date your gun like bobtails, flush cut barrels, etc. While they are popular now one day you may not want them anymore and while a barrel is easy enough to replace a bobtail can't be undone very easily. |