Considering a 1911

[PolishBulldog]

From my limited knowledge, 1911's have a more natural grip angle. The triggers are better than striker fired pistols. And a heavier gun has less felt recoil. Oh and old guys love them.

To add to the trigger conversation and if you’re set on a striker pistol, try and find a Canik to test fire. Small price for the value and a heck of a trigger out of the box.

 

[Dionesius3]

The 1911 Officers model in 9mm is an excellent choice of gun in my opinion.
And the Rock Island 1911CS is what I prefer.

 

[AlVine]

I see that Glock is pretty much the "go to" for several great reasons, but at the risk of sounding silly I just don't find them visually attractive.
I have been looking at the Ruger 1911.
Not looking for a conceal carry or home defense piece. Just want to go shoot and have fun.
Feedback?

Yeah, Glocks are fugly and boring, a purely utilitarian handgun. 1911s, on the other hand, are one of the most beautiful pistols ever made and evoke romantic images from history: Gen. Pershing’s horse calvary at Agua Caliente making one of the last mounted charges in combat, then Lt. Geo.S. Patton making the first mechanized attack, returning with three bodies strapped to the hood of his vehicle; desperate battles in Belleau Wood; Smedley Butler’s heroism in Haiti; and much more.

Ruger’s aren’t Colts, but they are American made, so go for it. 9mm in a 1911 is a little weird, but great fun to shoot. There’s very little recoil in a steel 1911 and, as you said, 9mm is cheap. They can be very accurate too, but that varies a lot from gun to gun. Everyone should have at least one 1911 in their collection.

 

[Cardsfan29315]

The Kimber Custom TLE is what LAPD Swat uses I believe.

it is or at least used to be. I’ve got a few Kimbers and this was the least expensive and probably my favorite one. It’s deadly accurate and an all around great gun

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

<<putting on flame suit>>

I don't hate Kimber but I feel they're slightly overpriced. From my limited experience it seems like these brands are somewhat ranked as follows:

Regent, AO, RIA, Norinco, Taurus

Desert Eagle, Para, Remington, Mil Spec Springfield

Ruger, Springfield (next tier)

Kimber, Springfield (next tier)

Colt

Dan Wesson, Springfield TRP, STI

Les Baer, Ed Brown, Nighthawk, Wilson Combat

Full custom whatever sky's the limit

Those with more experience please chime in with what I'm missing here

 

[DBrasco]

Buy yourself a used one from this classified ads or other site, some of the lower budget 1911 (citadel,rock island) will see if they are for you. Be careful if they are for you they’re like rabbits and multiple rather quickly!!

 

[migunner]

As a long time builder and collector, The Springfield Range Officer offers a good set of features for a good price!

 

[Amishman44]

New to guns but I might already have the bug.
Have only been shooting twice with my SP101 and bearcat, but thinking I might like a semi automatic.
Thinking 9MM due to cost of ammo.
I see that Glock is pretty much the "go to" for several great reasons, but at the risk of sounding silly I just don't find them visually attractive.
I have been looking at the Ruger 1911.
Not looking for a conceal carry or home defense piece. Just want to go shoot and have fun.
Feedback?

Can't go wrong with the Ruger SR1911 pistol...they're a little steep in price, but definitely worth the investment $$! You'll get better accuracy with the 1911...and either a Commander or an Officer's model will keep you happy for a long while!

 

[Grelber]

You'll get better accuracy with the 1911..

As a general rule I don't think that is a general rule .

Certainly you can get great accuracy with a well built 1911, but if you are looking for accuracy on a budget I don't think they can compete with CZ and I think many of the plastic fantastics do well against them.

 

[VERT]

As a general rule I don't think that is a general rule .

Certainly you can get great accuracy with a well built 1911, but if you are looking for accuracy on a budget I don't think they can compete with CZ and I think many of the plastic fantastics do well against them.

I am a single stack guy and love shooting 9mm. But on a budget Grelber is correct. Look at a CZ75. My 5” Walther PPQ is exceptional as well.

 

[churchmouse]

I am a single stack guy and love shooting 9mm. But on a budget Grelber is correct. Look at a CZ75. My 5” Walther PPQ is exceptional as well.

My CZ's are deadly accurate. But I am still a dyed in the wool 1911 guy.

 

[Mongo59]

Churchmouse should know. Like him I am a 1911 guy. Love them and probably one of the safest designed handguns ever made.

All I could add is try em before you buy em. There a lot of rules of thumb out there but you won't really know what works for you until you fire it.

I have a 9mm Browning Hi Power copy that is harder to recover from recoil than my worst behaving .45acp. It isn't inherently the gun or the design, just the tune of it.

Pick a good one and don't jump around, find someone to tune it to YOU. It may not be cheap, but it will be a value.

 

[chenowethpm]

I would like to throw my two cents in. I may be new to the INGO site but I’m not new to 1911’s. They are the reason I love firearms. The first handgun I ever purchased was a Ruger Sr1911. Out of the thousands of rounds I put through that gun I remember very clearly the three failure to feed instances that happened. That was pretty early in its life and the more I shot it the better it behaved. That being said, like other people have mentioned, once you go with the 1911 it’s hard to find something “better”. But I love my CZs too! Good luck and I don’t think you can go wrong with the Ruger SR1911, great first for me!

 

[JJM7288]

Buy This One!
https://www.1911addicts.com/threads/reduced-for-sale-dw-heritage-45acp.64317/#post-986279

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

Buy This One!
https://www.1911addicts.com/threads/reduced-for-sale-dw-heritage-45acp.64317/#post-986279

Is that you? PM sent

ETA purple

 

[JJM7288]

Not mine, saw the listing on the 1911 addicts site. It is a very good deal.

 

[elkhunter2018]

I've looked through the comments here as I am also planning on adding a 1911 to my arsenal. I'll probably end up getting an SR1911 first, but those Dan Wessons sure look nice!

 

[doddg]

I've looked through the comments here as I am also planning on adding a 1911 to my arsenal. I'll probably end up getting an SR1911 first, but those Dan Wessons sure look nice!

1. When I was looking I shot with gmcttr (1st time shooting with a member here) and I shot an SR1911 I had just bought and he let me shoot his Dan Wesson and a Kimber which I have not been happy since.
2. I have never shot any Kimber that I didn't like: sweet guns (only fired about 3 of them), but I refrain from buying them b/c of what I have read here from people with decades of experience. My summary of it is that you are paying a premium for a high-maintenance gun, which is fine if you like tinkering with your guns: I don't.
3. I like the utter dependability and value that I have found in S/W, Ruger and of course, the gun that changed everything for me that I discovered last summer due to the threads here: CZ, CZ, and CZ. I have owned 6 of them and intend to get a P-07 to try out against my P-10, but the Shadow 2 is SUPREME.

 

[elkhunter2018]

1. When I was looking I shot with gmcttr (1st time shooting with a member here) and I shot an SR1911 I had just bought and he let me shoot his Dan Wesson and a Kimber which I have not been happy since.
2. I have never shot any Kimber that I didn't like: sweet guns (only fired about 3 of them), but I refrain from buying them b/c of what I have read here from people with decades of experience. My summary of it is that you are paying a premium for a high-maintenance gun, which is fine if you like tinkering with your guns: I don't.
3. I like the utter dependability and value that I have found in S/W, Ruger and of course, the gun that changed everything for me that I discovered last summer due to the threads here: CZ, CZ, and CZ. I have owned 6 of them and intend to get a P-07 to try out against my P-10, but the Shadow 2 is SUPREME.

1. Ok, I don't know anyone who has a Dan Wesson, but it sounds like I need to find one to shoot before I make any decisions!
2. Very interesting, I didn't know that about Kimbers. I don't like to tinker with my guns (other than normal teardowns and cleaning).
3. I've shot a couple of CZs in years past, but I don't have one myself and I don't know much about their product line. I'll have to educate myself and check out that Shadow 2.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[gregkl]

A friend of mine had what I thought was a good perspective: since he owns CZ's he doesn't feel the need to venture into 1911 territory. One of the CZ's he has is set up as single action only, it's a steel gun so he's just sticking with his CZ.

Something to think about.

I prefer the 1911 but that is mostly because I am very familiar with them and for me CZ's have a higher level of complexity. I do most all my own work on my firearms but when I owned a Shadow, I never took it down past a field strip.

Sure, I could learn how to detail strip one, but I decided to not go down that road.

According to what I hear and read, you will "tinker" less with a CZ than a 1911.