1911 experience

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  • zerowolf

    Plinker
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    Jan 24, 2008
    31
    6
    Southside Indy
    Would like to know experience, positive or negitive, with high end 1911 pistols. Wilson, Les Baer, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, etc. I own examples of all four of the above. My personal favorite is the Ed Brown Executive Elite S/S. The one that has given me the most trouble is the Wilson Sentinel. Problems with extraction and feeding were corrected by Wilson in a timely manner. It is now most reliable with Cor-Bon 230 +P JHP, a round that they do not recommend in their manual.
     
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    kirkwood

    Plinker
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    Jan 17, 2008
    48
    8
    Bloomington
    What makes high end 1911s "high end" Is it the parts, materials, and close tolerances to make it more accurate? Has the design changed at all since 1911?
     

    Thickburger

    Plinker
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    Jan 20, 2008
    67
    8
    Indianapolis
    i own a Kimber Target and only shoot WWB through it. besides the occasional jam it does fine. just wondering what exactly you are looking for since it seems like you have a well-rounded collection and should know your own experience.
     

    esrice

    Certified Regular Guy
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    20   0   0
    Jan 16, 2008
    24,095
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    Indy
    My experience has been that I am very jealous of your 1911 experiences.

    executive_cover.jpg
     

    zerowolf

    Plinker
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    Jan 24, 2008
    31
    6
    Southside Indy
    Thickburger: I do know my own experience but I would like to hear from others. A custom or semi-custom firearm is unique unto itself due to extensive handfitting. Not all are created equal. Reliability can be a problem until the gun has been fired several hundred rounds. Some work perfectly from the gitgo and some need a little tweaking. You might think a $2500 pistol should be perfect but the close tolerences can cause some malfunctions in the first few hundred rounds. All of my 1911 pistols are very reliable at this time. I have two Kimbers and they are a true bargain for your money. This has been my experience.
     
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    hkhoosier

    Plinker
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    Jan 19, 2008
    88
    8
    zero, A buddy of mine owned a NightHawk and it ran flawlessly. I shot it many of times and it was great. fwiw
     

    AKsteve

    Marksman
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    Jan 16, 2008
    192
    18
    Avon
    Run of the mill Springfields seem to work the best for me. :cheers: Sorry to say I don't have experience with expensive 1911s
     

    Jay

    Gotta watch us old guys.....cause if you don't....
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jan 19, 2008
    2,903
    38
    Near Marion, IN
    I've had several 1911-style pistols over the years, but the two I like the best, and carry, are two series 1 Kimbers. One is a Pro CDP, and the other is a Pro SLE, Both are 4.25" barrels, both are accurate, and I've not had a failure of any sort out of either one. The only other 1911-style I have now is the Sig GSR. I've had it since last May, and so far (about 1K rounds) it has also been failure free.
     

    Integraholic

    Master
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    5   0   0
    Jan 16, 2008
    1,808
    38
    At home
    Kimber Stainless Custom II is the first gun I bought and the only gun I'll never sell. Only firing problems I had were when I was a new owner and was limp wristing it. I love this gun to death.
     

    NEWMAN

    Sharpshooter
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    Jan 24, 2008
    501
    16
    kimber is a queen 1911. When the spec sheet says you have to replace the spring after 800 to 1k its not for me.

    High -end is somthing else.lol I have seen many so called hi-end weapons that fail on a frequent basis or you get some trail dust on them and they FTF. I would and do buy a cheaper weapon and re-build to my specs ones tha work. I'm buulding another 1911 in a couple months I'll post the build.

    Buy what works I'd rather have a Rock that allways fires then a Kimber that looks good in a safe.
     

    NEWMAN

    Sharpshooter
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    Jan 24, 2008
    501
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    Kimber Stainless Custom II is the first gun I bought and the only gun I'll never sell. Only firing problems I had were when I was a new owner and was limp wristing it. I love this gun to death.

    Myth. It was been proven many times. Check out youtube and many other site about this.
     

    TraderJack

    Shooter
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    0   0   0
    Feb 10, 2008
    202
    16
    I used to shoot in a weekly league and we had shooters with almost every kind of gun on the market. Baers, Colts, Sigs, Browns, Wilsons, H&Ks, Kimbers, Glocks, Paras, Taurus, STIs, SVs, Berettas, Springers, Nighthawks, even a couple of wheel guns would compete.

    And, over time, almost everyone of them had a problem of some kind. Failure to feed, failure to eject, stovepipes, sights falling off, magazines coming apart, and even a frame failure on a Kimber! If you shoot long enough, you'll see them all fail.

    But, some of the same guns would have problems every week.

    I feel the only truely 'reliable' gun is the gun that is constantly tuned to meet the shooter's expectations. Either a competent owner or a competent 'smith needs to tune the gun to feed & eject quality ammo, every time. That includes magazines as well.

    The 'high end' 1911s have the fewest problems and the fewest failures of any kind, by a large margin. But they're all just machines. They have moving parts that sometimes fail. The shooter needs to inspect and replace parts that are ready to fail so he doesn't have the failure at a critical time.

    That's why those 'high end' 1911s command such a high price. Better parts, better fitting of parts resulting in a better functioning machine. You get what you pay for.

    You can buy a $800 gun, have a 'smith tune it and add some better parts for another $1000-1200 and you have a very good, reliable pistol. Or you could have just bought a Baer, Brown, Wilson, or NH?

    Or you can be happy with the $800 gun and just enjoy it.

    There are many opinions about this subject. Some folks only want a Colt. Some will only shoot a Baer. Some swear by Springers. Some say Glocks rule! That's why we have so many manufacturers. People want different choices.

    So I guess, You, having several of the top of the line pistols, are the best judge as to the value of your pistols.

    As for me, my Colts are dead-nuts reliable and I carry them daily. I trust my life to them. I also trust my Baer just the same. I inspect them all and look for any sign of wear or failure on a regular basis.

    I do covet the EB Executive Elite. And I might even drop a dime on another Baer. But buying a pistol is all very subjective. You're going to get at least as many opinions as we have manufacturers.

    Good luck and good shooting to all.
    Regards,
    TraderJack
     

    TraderJack

    Shooter
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    0   0   0
    Feb 10, 2008
    202
    16
    Myth. It was been proven many times. Check out youtube and many other site about this.

    Yes, I was a little confused by this post as well.
    I understood that Integraholic was speaking from personal experience, so I wonder...
    What was proven? Dis-Proved?
    Newman, can you shed some light on the subject please?
     

    NEWMAN

    Sharpshooter
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    Jan 24, 2008
    501
    16
    Tests have been done by many but this gentleman has fired more weapons then most.

    Col Cooper's debunking of the 1911 limp wristing FTF myth,
    (buy shooting wth only "thumb and finger" grip).


    Look that guy up and you will see what I'm talking about. And like we all have said here
    "a properly functioning 1911 is not subject to problems from "limp wristing," I'd be inclined to suspect a problem with the ammo or your magazines."
     

    TraderJack

    Shooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Feb 10, 2008
    202
    16
    Oh. You were talking about 'limp wristing'. OK. I wasn't sure what you were refering to in the other post. I re-read Integraholic's post, I believe he was admitting to being not so experienced, but has since overcome his failings.

    Yes, I'm quite familiar with the Colonel and his writings.
     

    stormryder

    Expert
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    1   0   0
    Mar 16, 2008
    971
    28
    Batesville IN
    I personally own 2 1911s a AMT Hardballer Longslide and an Argentine Police copy. I got both for about $250 each at the 1500. I like the AMT for its longer barrel and slightly better range & accuracy. The Argentine I like for everyday carry and that it's ported for better handling. The only upgrade was a set of Lasermax grips on the Longslide. My point is brands don't mean much just performance, reliability and personal preference.
     

    TomN

    'tis but a flesh wound!
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    62   0   0
    Mar 22, 2008
    2,954
    48
    Elkhart
    Everything made by man will fail at some point....

    That being said, the only pistols from your list that I have owned have been Wilsons. I've had go through my hands a Millennium, 3 CQBs, 1 compact CQB, and a lightweight Protector. All of them ran without so much as a hiccup.

    I carry a Kimber now though.
     
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