Didn't want to hijack the other 1911 thread, so....
What would folks suggest for an inexpensive(maybe $700 or less?) 1911 for light range use? No plans to use it for carry, defense, or serious training -- just as a casual shooter and to gain some familiarity with the platform.
Or is it unrealistic to expect anything decent at that price point?
For around the $700.00 price range (give or take 100 bucks) you should be able to find one of Colt's new production basic models. They come with sights that are actually useful, they should feed hollowpoint ammo, and every specimen I've seen was built well and ran from the box. As a good basic 1911 that will do anything from looking pretty to being suitable as a base for a full custom gun down the line it's hard to beat.
I find the Remington 1911's intriguing, but I haven't had the chance to look at many of them. The ones I've seen all seem to be well made, but I've never seen a shot fired through one so YMMV.
If you can find an old Norinco 1911 on Gunbroker, they were good 1911's by most reports.
I've had mixed luck with lower-end Springfield 1911's so I'm always hesitant to mention them.
I've never seen a Ruger 1911 in person, so no idea how those are.
I'd advise staying away from Taurus or Para Ordnance.
Only Remington I've laid hands on was pretty disappointing. Couple of S&Ws owned by buddies seem to run.
Seven bills? A base Colt or, if you can find one, an "NM"-prefix Springfield.
For a cheap range only gun...........I actually liked the Ruger, especially compared to much of what else is in that price range.
For range use only? Why not look at a Rock Island Armory? They are cheap and seem to be well made enough for range use. However I am sure there are people here who know much more about them than I do though.
Colt has a firing pin safety on their lower ended models. Something I am not a fan of, especially if you wanted to do more with it in the future. They also tend to have sharp edges.
Springfield Loaded. New they are probably a little more than you want to spend but you may be able to find one lightly used.
Desert Eagle 1911. These remind me of the old pre-series II Kimbers. My friend has purchased two of them, 5" and a 4.25" version. The 5" has been a solid pistol with no failures while the 4.25" had some failures to extract. I adjusted the extractor and it has run fine ever since. Both guns had excellent triggers out of the box and one gunsmith I talked to said the barrels are excellent quality. I think they sell for $649 at the local gunshop if you can get over the DESERT EAGLE on the side of the slide.
Ruger 1911. There is one that is in the rental case at the range and they said there have been no complaints and no parts failures so far. I spoke to another guy at the range who had one and he said that it has treated him well.
The Remingtons are a little odd in some dimensions and they have a firing pin safety.
All of the above mentioned pistols have cast or MIM parts in them which can be prone to premature failure, typically early on.
I second what TCinVA said, stay away from Taurus and Para.
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
For $700 or less? Search the gun shows and look for a Colt Series 70 (not the O Model Series 70 manufactured between 2003-2009, but the original MK IV/Series 70 with serial numbers with a "70G, "70L," "70S," "70B" prefix or "G70" suffix). Those were made at the peak of Colt's hey day and generally good pieces; of course they won't have the now "standard" features of a tight slide to frame fit, beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, high visibility sights, etc. But for simple plinking they're accurate enough and reliable with 230-gr FMJ ammo enough to learn the platform on.
1st, I own no 1911's, 2nd, I would say RIA. Have heard great things as far as cheap range plinker goes, even EDC for that matter.Originally Posted by peterb
http://centerfiresystems.com/AC-RI1911.aspx
$400 sounds nice and a bunch of ammo
My RIA has had about 1k + flawless rounds through it. The finish sucks, I'd never carry it, but I'll be damned if it doesn't feed and function just fine.
It was my first handgun, I'd take it back if I could but I didn't do all that bad all things considered. It was a good introduction to owning pistols... Glocks it is from here on out though.
edit: I can ONLY recommend RIA if you promise you won't carry it or put too much ammo through it or hell even give a shit about it. NO guarantees it will hold up to higher round counts, but if you don't plan on shooting it a ton it's really not the worst buy in the world for the money.
That said for 700 bucks a Colt or Springfield might be a better bet, more resale value and probably a nicer gun overall.
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