How to get a Reliable Hard Use 1911?

[GlorifiedMailman]

After having bought and sold several 1911's during my life, none have stuck out to me as being truly reliable. All haven't been able to go more than 1k rounds without a stoppage, and certainly none ever met the 2k round challenge. The 1911's I have owned have all been Colts and Springfields, so not complete junk brands. I even had one of the Colts worked over by what was supposed to be an experienced 1911 'smith, a Marine armorer from Vietnam. I shoot them amazingly, and I have a huge cache/reloading components of .45 Auto, so I really would love to have a truly reliable 1911 (one that can at least go 1k rounds without a stoppage, and preferably able to meet the 2k challenge consistently). I tend to abide by DocGKR's and the late ToddG's standards for reliability with a duty/carry pistol.

My question is, what does it take to get a stone-cold reliable (at least 2k MRBS) 1911 for serious use these days? So far the best info I've gotten is from reading DocGKR, who states you're going to spend $2500+ and have the pistol worked over by a master class 1911 gunsmith (not just an armorer). He listed several of these expert gunsmiths (Bill Laughridge, Wayne Novak/Joe Bonar, Ed Brown, John Jardine, Hilton Yam, Larry Vickers, and Chuck Rogers), but it looks like none of these individuals are working on 1911s themselves right now (or have passed).

What base gun should I start with, and who would I be able to send it off to? Assuming price is no object. I really want a reliable 1911 from the get-go, even if I have to send it off as soon as I get it to have a successful 1-2k round vetting period when I get it back.

[wvincent]

Mars THUG should meet your needs.
http://www.marsguns.com/store/index.php?main_page=index

[GlorifiedMailman]

Mars THUG should meet your needs.
http://www.marsguns.com/store/index.php?main_page=index

Thanks. I've never heard of Mars Armament. I'll look into them. Anyone know if they have any government contracts or anything?
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And on another note, I see Cylinder and Slide (Bill Laughridge's company, a pistolsmith who DocGKR recommends) has a custom Springfield 1911 in stock. I wonder if that would meet DocGKR's recommendations for a hard-use 1911 and if it would be suitable for hard use right out of the box?

[Sero Sed Serio]

Mars THUG should meet your needs.
http://www.marsguns.com/store/index.php?main_page=index

Is the THUG still available as an out-the-door package? I don’t see it listed on the MARS website, but have long coveted the treatment on a Colt...

[theJanitor]

There are a couple of THUGS on the board. I’m on the list for one for one soon. My best friend has two, and they define a working, hard use pistol

I’ve got a couple that would have easily passed 2000 rounds if I was counting. I would guess my Yost-Bonitz and my Frank Glenn builds colts are better than my glocks

[GlorifiedMailman]

I can't find anything on their site about the MARS treatment either. Do they still do this, and would they do this on a new production 70 series Colt (or Springfield Mil Spec, for that matter)?

[secondstoryguy]

I met Steve from MARS back about 20 years ago when he was working in AZ. His guns were solid builds back then and I'm sure they have only gotten better. The Cylinder and Slide's Trident is a great 1911 too, albeit expensive for what is essentially a gussied up Springfield 1911.

[GlorifiedMailman]

I met Steve from MARS back about 20 years ago when he was working in AZ. His guns were solid builds back then and I'm sure they have only gotten better. The Cylinder and Slide's Trident is a great 1911 too, albeit expensive for what is essentially a gussied up Springfield 1911.

I've been interested in the Trident for a good 12 years now, but I tend to agree. However, if it is as duty/carry-use reliable out of the box as a 1911 sent off to a top-tier pistolsmith would be, I'd consider dropping the money for it. My absolute #1 concern is being reliable enough for carry/duty, specifically that meets the late ToddG's criteria of 2,000 rounds without a stoppage/malfunction to be considered reliable enough for serious use.

[theJanitor]

I've been interested in the Trident for a good 12 years now, but I tend to agree. However, if it is as duty/carry-use reliable out of the box as a 1911 sent off to a top-tier pistolsmith would be, I'd consider dropping the money for it. My absolute #1 concern is being reliable enough for carry/duty, specifically that meets the late ToddG's criteria of 2,000 rounds without a stoppage/malfunction to be considered reliable enough for serious use.

The trident was solid. With a “mission-specific” spec. My buddy sold his last year, with the special finish option. If it had checkering over stippling, I would have bought it. But that wouldn’t be a trident if it wasn’t stippled

[stinx]

I can't find anything on their site about the MARS treatment either. Do they still do this, and would they do this on a new production 70 series Colt (or Springfield Mil Spec, for that matter)?

It in the section titled special. $1600 on you supplied Colt.