Suggestions - Best 1911 for first time shooter?

[terreythompson]

A friend of mine insists that 1911s aren't starter pistols, but when I was a beginner my father took me out and taught me how to shoot with a 1911 and now I wanna do the same with MY son. Me and my wife plan to enroll him in a defensive pistol class and I want him to have a pistol of his own.

Before anyone blanches at this, I should clarify that my son is about to turn 16 and he's a very responsible young man. We raised him around guns and taught him the importance of safety and responsibility. Guns are to be kept in a rifle locker with the safety on and so forth.

He's been target shooting with rifles since he was a little boy, but this will be his first time using a pistol. I'm a little out of the loop when it comes to modern 1911 models but I found this article online https://gunnewsdaily.com/best-1911-money/ and was wondering if anyone has a favorite from the list? We were thinking about getting him the Taurus PT because it's cheaper than some of the other ones I've come across (wanna save the $ for his college fund), but I don't want to get it if it's not as good as the pricier models out there. Any ideas/recommendations?

[JonInWA]

While it has some sharp edges on the slide and hammer, I think a good basic 1911 purchase is a Colt, either a 1991 or a Series 70 Reproduction. The parts and assembly quality is decently solid (and high). Price-wise, I think they represent an excellent value.

I strongly recommend a 5" conventional bushing Government pistol (as opposed to shorter-barreled and/or bull-barrel variants), for an initial 1911 purchase/experience.

A less expensive alternative alternative possibly worthy of consideration would be one of Ruger's 1911s, although I have no personal first-hand experience with them.

The article that you provided the link for is somewhat entertaining, but it contains some significant omissions, inaccuracies and is somewhat out of date. Parsing this forum, and others can pretty quickly give you a good perspective of current 1911s.

I would not recommend the Taurus 1911.

Best, Jon

[Robinson]

You may get differing opinions on your question.

When buying a 1911 there is more or less a minimum level of quality you should settle for. Even then it's possible you will be at the beginning of a journey to ensure the pistol you bought works properly and is reliable. That's one of the reasons you may hear that a 1911 is not necessarily a beginner's pistol. Apart from that, "1911" means a lot of different things these days -- and some 1911-style pistols are made to a better specification than others.

As a minimum, look at offerings from Colt and Springfield Armory. Smith & Wesson, Ruger, and Sig make some nice pistols but would not be my first choice. Colt is making real good guns for the most part, but sometimes their QC is less than what it should be. A bump up in price will get you into a gun from the Colt Custom Shop or a Dan Wesson, and then up from there into the higher end semi-custom makers. Dan Wesson is somewhat of a sweet spot when it comes to offering value and performance for the money.

All of my 1911s are Colts and I've had good luck with them. Others have not had the same experience. The fact that the gun you buy might need some tuning in order to make it suitable for serious use is something you need to accept before you start down the road.

If you go ahead and make a purchase, take some time to learn about proper maintenance and also plan to learn as much as you can about how a 1911 actually functions, what parts are user replaceable, etc...

Or, buy a Glock.

[psalms144.1]

The 1911 is reasonably complicated in its manual of arms, and not tolerant of mishandling. However, we efficiently trained generations of service members to use them with little difficulty. In fact, I learned to shoot pistols on my Dad's best friend's 1911, with minimal long-lasting "issues" (despite an on-going and completely emotional love of the 1911).

My concern is if your son is new to handguns altogether, the recoil of the 1911 could lead quickly to some bad habits ("flinch" being the worst, and hardest to overcome). I would suggest a 9mm as a "starter" pistol in 1911, just to avoid some of the recoil. Colt makes an all-steel Commander model that might be just the ticket - plenty of weight to absorb the minimal recoil, and still provide the benefits of the 1911. The other option I'd look at is the Springfield Range Officer in 9mm, either the 5" or the "Champion" 4" barrel.

[M2CattleCo]

I've trained several new shooters on the 1911 and they usually do a lot better than the ones who insist on a plastic gun. The 1911 is inherently one of, if not the easiest centerfire handguns to shoot.

Not sure what's reasonably complicated in a safety that's up for safe, down for fire.

Just make sure you get something that WORKS. I'd get a basic O1970 or O1980 and go from there. Shoot a case or so of ammo and when the front sight falls off, you can think about some upgrades. Learn to shoot a more practical handgun in the year that the Colt is out getting worked on.

[DAB]

for a new shooter, i'm not sure i'd go to 45acp first. i'd start with 9mm first.

[Sterling Archer]

I would suggest Springfield Armory. They're cost effective solid pistols backed by some of the best customer service in the industry. The Range Officer line is nicely priced and has lots of options.

[JHC]

I would suggest Springfield Armory. They're cost effective solid pistols backed by some of the best customer service in the industry. The Range Officer line is nicely priced and has lots of options.

2nd'ed

How about a 9mm?

[JHC]

I've trained several new shooters on the 1911 and they usually do a lot better than the ones who insist on a plastic gun. The 1911 is inherently one of, if not the easiest centerfire handguns to shoot.

Not sure what's reasonably complicated in a safety that's up for safe, down for fire.

Just make sure you get something that WORKS. I'd get a basic O1970 or O1980 and go from there. Shoot a case or so of ammo and when the front sight falls off, you can think about some upgrades. Learn to shoot a more practical handgun in the year that the Colt is out getting worked on.

+1 No harder than an 870 and lots of young shooter start out shot gunning with one.

Stay the course OP!

[JHC]

What would Pat do?

18874

PS - just a regular Joe that took him up on the offer on his new book. I haven't had the pleasure. ��

[psalms144.1]

Not sure what's reasonably complicated in a safety that's up for safe, down for fire. Well, there's that. Then there's administrative handling, loading/unloading where the safety has to be OFF, and the only thing standing between a good day and the LOUD NOISE is nothing getting anywhere near the very light, crisp, short trigger.

Don't get me started on how many times I saw soldiers "decocking" their loaded 1911s by thumbing the hammer and pulling the trigger with the safety off.

Like I said, it's all about training, but, it's definitely not as soldier/agent/idiot proof as a double action revolver...

[JTQ]

I think there are two things you need to decide on up front...

1. Do you want/need a beavertail grip safety.

2. Do you want/need adjustable sights.

Decide wrong on either and you may be in for some frame or slide grinding or welding.

Most people like beavertail grip safety's, and unless you're a target/competition shooter, fixed sights generally give you more sight options.


Get one in .45 Auto. Mags are a lot easier to get.

[JAD]

I would worry less about caliber than the beaver tail. I love the looks of a classic 1911, but I would take steps to avoid discomfort in a first pistol, and I would (and do) want my son to shoot the everloving crap out of his new heater.

Springfield's RO in 9mm is a nice gun for the money -- I own one, see my review on this forum -- but mine had some wrinkles and I'd save you that drama if I could.

The new Dan Wesson A2 looks purpose built for your requirement. The forum's collective experience with DW suggests that you will experience no drama, and it's very much an everything-you-need spec at a good price.

http://danwessonfirearms.com/product/a2/

[Hambo]

I would worry less about caliber than the beaver tail. I love the looks of a classic 1911, but I would take steps to avoid discomfort in a first pistol, and I would (and do) want my son to shoot the everloving crap out of his new heater.

Absolutely!

[HopetonBrown]

A 1911 was my first gun purchase, about 14 years ago. I don't shoot them much anymore. Got tired of the maintenance and tinkering to keep them running. I still own 3, but Glocks get all my trigger time these days. A Springfield Loaded is a good first or last 1911.

[ranger]

Springfield Armory 1911 Range Officer 9mm.

[45dotACP]

You or the boy handy with tools and firearms repair? If you get a Taurus 1911, you'll get to be ;)

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[That Guy]

A friend of mine insists that 1911s aren't starter pistols, but when I was a beginner my father took me out and taught me how to shoot with a 1911 and now I wanna do the same with MY son. Me and my wife plan to enroll him in a defensive pistol class and I want him to have a pistol of his own.

Before anyone blanches at this, I should clarify that my son is about to turn 16 and he's a very responsible young man.

I bought my first gun, a .22 pistol, when I was 15 (minimum required age in my country at the time). Many years later, when I first taught my current girlfriend to shoot, I mostly gave her an 1911-pattern pistol to shoot. (I was quite into 1911s at the time, it was the best suited and easiest to shoot platform for someone with small hands I had available at the time, and most importantly I had a .22 conversion kit which enabled low-recoil basic marksmanship practice with the same pattern of pistol.) Being trained on the 1911, her first own firearm was a 1911 in .45ACP. Based on these experiences, plus experience with the 1911 platform in general, I would say that:

1) For a new shooter, starting with a .45 caliber pistol easily leads to flinching. While not an impossible caliber for a new shooter (especially in a full size, steel frame pistol), a lot of care needs to be placed on flinch-mitigating training such as dry practice. In my opinion shooting with a .22 would also be pretty much a requirement - the .22 has muzzle flash, muzzle rise, and the report of a gun shot but in much lesser quantity than a center fire pistol, so it helps a shooter to become accustomed to shooting a pistol much more than only dry practice. So, either a separate basic marksmanship practice pistol or a caliber conversion kit should be budgeted into the cost of the gun.

A 9mm 1911 kicks significantly less than a similar .45. So that would be a better choice for the beginner. Still though, most of the effects of recoil are mental - so I would very much like to see a .22 as part of the training equipment for a new shooter.

2) Ones first pistol should be as reliable as possible. It is really difficult to become a better shooter if your energy and attention is taken with trying to keep the gun running. Budget 1911s aren't exactly known for their reliability. This affects the budget. (And don't forget reliable magazines!) It is an unfortunate fact, but a quality 1911 with quality magazines simply does not come cheap. If your budget won't allow for a quality 1911, I would rather look at other pistols than try to make due with a poorly made low price one. (You can, of course, occasionally run into a great deal. But it's not something you can exactly rely on.)

3) Ones first pistol should be as comfortable as possible. So definitely go for a modern design with a beavertail grip safety, especially if the gun is chambered in .45. At least for me, the narrow grip safety of a 1911A1 starts to bite into my hand, by the time I've shot 100 rounds I have clear red marks in the web of my hand from the grip safety. A wider beavertail is much more comfortable. And of course a full size, steel frame gun recoils much less than a more compact or light weight frame one.

4) Friends don't let friends buy Taurus. :)

[Xrslug]

FWIW I also learned to shoot on a 1911 (setting aside various BB guns as a kid, including a cool 1911 replica that could shoot BBs and *darts* -- loved that thing). Two recommendations: (1) don't get something that's very tightly fit to the point that it's difficult to rack the slide, do chamber checks without accidentally ejecting a round, etc. until it's had hundreds of rounds (or more) through it; (2) get something with an extended, large thumb safety. This is personal preference but given how key the thumb safety is to safe handling of the 1911, and the need to switch on and off as you present to the target and come off the target, etc. make it easier on the new shooter. Personal preference but I find the standard Colt "teardrop" thumb safety that comes on a lot of their 1911s to be a bit small. Springfield Loaded (and anything up the range from there) and Dan Wessons should all have extended thumb safeties.

[JTQ]

Look at the Ruger SR1911 or the Springfield Loaded. Both give a beavertail grip safety and Novak(ish) sights. My point about sights earlier is that in this age of Glock's, where all sight cuts are the same, there are a bunch of different sight cuts on 1911's, and most people don't realize that until after they buy the gun and start looking for aftermarket sights.

Ruger SR1911 http://www.ruger.com/products/sr1911/models.html

Springfield Loaded http://www.springfield-armory.com/products/1911-loaded-45-acp/#PX9151L

[StraitR]

Plenty of good suggestions already, I'll second Colt or Springfield Armory as probably the best choices here.

This is for a 16 year old, so it doesn't have to be "duty" or CCW ready because it will not be carried for defensive purposes. It will taken to the range (wherever that is) and shot for fun. If it has issues, they can be fixed, it's not life or death right out of the box. Stick with either of those two brands and you're likely to be fine.

As far as caliber, of course 9mm would be easier to shoot, but 16 year old boys are only getting stronger by the day, so a 45acp is not out of the question. Many boys, and girls for that matter, have learned to shoot pistols with a 45acp 1911, so don't assume it's too much. Depussification is a good thing.

My preferences are Commander if 9mm and a Government model if 45acp.

[vcdgrips]

IMNSHO- A Glock/M&P/HK in 9mm would be a better first pistol. If a frame mounted safety is driving the train, the M& P has you covered. Triggers set up to improve the Glock etc. abound though that is a separate topic in and of itself.

Presumptions: 5 inch, steel. .45 cal. Sights you can see. Safety you can use. Beavertail. Not Colt sharp on any edge. You will need to figure out what mag is likes best. i.e. Wilson ETM, Chip McCormick Power Mag or Tripps.


1. Dan Wesson A2 (Everything you need, noting you do not, in a very well made package)
2. Springfield Armory Loaded or MC/Long Beach Operator if a rail is in the mix. (Also, if there is a problem, if the warranty shop can't figure it out the custom shop can and will)
3. Ruger ( the 21st Century Kimber Series 1, usually far exceeding the intersection of quality and value)

[OnionsAndDragons]

These guys already have you covered with great suggestions!

My guideline would definitely be: don't buy less than a Colt or Springfield.

If your son already enjoys shooting and you know it will be at least an off and on pursuit in his life, I would find a way to get him a Dan Wesson. The odds of it being flawless out of the box are very high, it will be something he can truly keep for life. I would favor a commander sized model in 9mm personally, but if you want to go 45acp then Gov't size is the best choice for sure. Nothing wrong with a Gov't sized 9mm, especially in a maker like Dan Wesson as you likely won't have to worry about springing the damned thing out of the box.

[jwperry]

Springfield Armory 1911 Range Officer 9mm.

This!

[theJanitor]

terreythompson what 1911's do you own/use? Lots of great suggestions above, but knowing where you stand with the 1911 would be helpful