Best new 1911 for less than $1911?

[45dotACP]

Dan Wesson gets high marks from just about everyone I know.

Probably a reason for that.

Still. I'd be a huge fan of a standard government model Colt in .45 ACP or a Commander in 9mm. Add a Kart EZ fit or Ed Brown semi drop in barrel and you've got a nice gat for a little less than a DW. Probably not as refined, but all my 1911s are...shall you say...Blue collar.

Function over form in a 1911 is a bit of an oxymoron, yet here I am.

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[Default.mp3]

Don't forget that CZ offers a nice pro deal on the Dan Wesson line, should you qualify.

[pastaslinger]

That's not bad advice at all, though I will say the new Gold Cup Trophy compares nicely with the Dan Wesson Pointman 9.

The Colt Combat Unit Pistol is worth looking at if you want a rail gun. The Special Combat Government is normally found at a price higher than $1911. Even now that they are shipping with checkered front straps, whether or not the quality matches a Dan Wesson in the same price range is debatable.

If you are considering a 9mm, I seem to see more reports of reliability issues with DW than with Colt.

Might be because no one buys Colts anymore

Colt fit and finish I have seen in stores is horrendous, I would much faster take a Springfield range officer then upgrade it

[JHC]

I was amazed at the prices of Valors and other DW models on the "Grabagun" site. Way less than I expected. I've encountered very few in the flesh.

FWIW at an $1100 price point I'm totally smitten by my recent SA LB Operator. In conversation at the NRAAM with Rob Leatham he opined that the difference in build quality between the MC Operator/LB Operator class and their higher end guns has gotten much narrower than it used to be. I didn't press for details but my LB Operator accuracy wise is hanging with my Dave Sams full custom and I'm astounded by that.

[TC215]

If you are considering a 9mm, I seem to see more reports of reliability issues with DW than with Colt.

I started shooting Dan Wesson 9mm's about 6 years ago, and have had 5 of them total, without the first issue. I used a couple in a few classes, training for work, etc.

DW has been making 9mm 1911's for a long time, and I think they, along with Wilson, are probably the best as far as the 9mm's go.

[JonInWA]

Colt 70 Series; my stainless (unfortunately now discontinued...) has excellent fit, finish function. My only change has been to switch out the beautiful rosewood grips for a set of Hogue G10s, and that was purely aesthetic (althoughe the G10s do have a grippier surface).

For $1K to $1.5K, would probably still recommend some of the more upstream Colts.

Currently I'm pretty underwhelmed by the cost-versus-value aspect of 1911s over $1,500.

I also am back in my Glock primary mode.

Best, Jon

[Robinson]

I started shooting Dan Wesson 9mm's about 6 years ago, and have had 5 of them total, without the first issue. I used a couple in a few classes, training for work, etc.

DW has been making 9mm 1911's for a long time, and I think they, along with Wilson, are probably the best as far as the 9mm's go.

That's great -- I like Dan Wesson pistols. Whenever I examine them at the LGS I am impressed by the apparent quality. I am more likely to give weight to what a member here such as yourself posts about it than on other gun forums.

My Colt 9mm pistols all run reliably, though one had to go back to Colt for an ejection issue.

[jwperry]

I was amazed at the prices of Valors and other DW models on the "Grabagun" site. Way less than I expected. I've encountered very few in the flesh.

FWIW at an $1100 price point I'm totally smitten by my recent SA LB Operator. In conversation at the NRAAM with Rob Leatham he opined that the difference in build quality between the MC Operator/LB Operator class and their higher end guns has gotten much narrower than it used to be. I didn't press for details but my LB Operator accuracy wise is hanging with my Dave Sams full custom and I'm astounded by that.

I'm kind of surprised no one else has really mentioned this class of Springfields or the Combat Operator(which looks like and specs out as a Professional LR - lite).

[pastaslinger]

I'm kind of surprised no one else has really mentioned this class of Springfields or the Combat Operator(which looks like and specs out as a Professional LR - lite).

I would just go for the TRP for not much more since checkering after the fact is so expensive and you get the magwell

However given that the TRP is as much as a Specialist... Dan Wesson still wins for me at least

Whoever mentioned just customizing a Silverback, that idea is sounding better the more I think about it. I found a pic of one online with VZ aliens in black and a DW duty treat magwell, it looks amazing. Would do the same plus change sights.

[StraitR]

45ACP - I prefer 5" Govt models, and think DW or Les Baer make great examples of both. I think it's easy to decide between the two, as their manufacturing processes and philosophies are polar opposite of each other. DW are full production, and as such, turn out carbon copies. They've been at it for a while, and seem to have the recipe for putting out reliable 1911's down pat. Les Baer, likes to build guns by hand. So, the "idiosyncrasies" people speak of are a result of that human process. Fitting by hand, checkering by hand, etc etc, will often show it's obvious marks. Whether that's good or bad, is up to you. Again, the differences are so stark, that the decision between a DW or LB should be relatively easy based on your preferences.

9mm - I like Commander sized guns. At the $1911 price point, I'd go with whatever flavor of DW you fancy. Colt makes a great pistol, but I'm not interested in a non-ramped 9mm barrel, especially on a LW frame.

In many offline conversations lately with other PF members, I've commented that I believe DW and Les Baer are the sweet spot for 1911's, and this thread basically explains why. I love my Wilson CCP, but after having it for nearly nine months, it's just a gun. I love it because it runs like a sewing machine, not for the top serrations, rear serrations, ball cuts, carry cuts, barrel fluting, you get the picture. I think when you venture past DW and LB price points, you're often paying for fluff and bragging rights. I recently went shopping for a new 1911 and set $2k as my ceiling, I ended up with a Baer TRS based on my preferences. Hard to go wrong with either company, really.