$3,000 for a 1911...got a Springfield Pro!

[JonInWA]

Crap like this is NOT slaking my desire for an Alchemy Arms....

Best, Jon

[03RN]

Springfield Pro, no question for me.

[03RN]

I got away from carrying a Lightweight Commander 45 because practicing with a steel gun didn't translate into an ability to shoot the Lwt Cmdr to a satisfactory level. Now I carry a Lightweight Government and it shoots almost like a steel 5" gun.

I picked up a lw champion this past summer. Its not quite as fast to shoot as a 5" steel gun but Its close, at least close enough for me.

[41magfan]

Not too long ago I had a Wilson, Baer, Nighthawk and Brown on my shooting table at the same time. I shot them back to back with the same ammo at the same target doing the same drills. All of them were 100% reliable and all of them capable of shooting gold ball sized hand-held groups at 20 yards with factory hardball. They were all 5" guns chambered in .45 Auto guns and while they were of similar build, all have a subjectively discernible characteristic that makes them slightly different .... like the variation in sights, safeties and trigger pull.

Aesthetically, the Brown is the best finished and has the smoothest "feel" in its cycle of operation. The Wilson has the heaviest, but cleanest trigger. The larger frame dimensions on late production Baer pistols either appeals to you or it doesn't. I like them all and shoot them all about the same, but I'm still inclined to think a Baer (i.e. Premier, Custom Carry, Thunder Ranch for less than $2k brand new) is the best bang for the buck when purchasing new pistols at prevailing market prices.

[ranger]

I have been shooting 1911s, Para, and STIs since 1986. I have been blessed to never have the horror stories of 1911, etc. reliability issues. Any issues I had were either bad mags or my bad reloads. Had great success with used guns. Picked up some 9mm and 45 1911s locally here in Atlanta at great deals. My one regret so far is buying then selling a SA 1911 45 Lightweight 5 inch.

I am amazed at the quality of a used Springfield 1911 TRP Operator picked up last year.

My point is that for $3000 I would pick up a nice used 1911 and then try to get a Dillon press and reloading components to feed it plus the holsters, mag pouches, etc. (maybe just set the funds for reloading in bank until priers, etc. become available at somewhat normal pricing).

[Rex G]

Not too long ago I had a Wilson, Baer, Nighthawk and Brown on my shooting table at the same time. I shot them back to back with the same ammo at the same target doing the same drills. All of them were 100% reliable and all of them capable of shooting gold ball sized hand-held groups at 20 yards with factory hardball. They were all 5" guns chambered in .45 Auto guns and while they were of similar build, all have a subjectively discernible characteristic that makes them slightly different .... like the variation in sights, safeties and trigger pull.

Aesthetically, the Brown is the best finished and has the smoothest "feel" in its cycle of operation. The Wilson has the heaviest, but cleanest trigger. The larger frame dimensions on late production Baer pistols either appeals to you or it doesn't. I like them all and shoot them all about the same, but I'm still inclined to think a Baer (i.e. Premier, Custom Carry, Thunder Ranch for less than $2k brand new) is the best bang for the buck when purchasing new pistols at prevailing market prices.

Interesting comparison. Thanks. A local gun store is a dealer for all of these. I see a few new ones, and a number of well-preserved, never-carried pre-owned samples. Now and then, I get an itch. Sometimes I resist the itch, telling myself that I have a lifetime supply of auto-pistols, and sometimes, well, “they pull me back in.”

My only Wilson Combat, thus far, has been a tiny .45 ACP Sentinel, 20+ years ago. Reliability with the short Sentinel-specific mags was sub-par, and I later read about a bad batch of WC mag springs, which may have been the problem. In hindsight, I wish I’d worked through the problem, rather than parting with it, but a collector wanted it, and made a decent offer.

I have three Baers. One was made about 21 years ago. The others I bought pre-owned, in 2016, and 2018 or 2019, so I don’t know if any are “late production,” or not. My Monolith has the ambidextrous safety, with the gas-pedal-like lever on the left side, which interferes with both my right-handed hold, and my left-handed hold, so I haven’t even gotten around to shooting it, yet, as I debate whether to remove metal, or replace the whole safety. With my right thumb on top of the pedal, I cannot reliably get enough depression of the grip safety. With the pistol in my left hand, the bottom of that gas pedal is very firmly against base knuckle of my left trigger finger, which may or may not cause a mechanical issue, shooting bare-handed, but could become a comfort issue, if I fire many rounds. (My hands have always been skinny and boney, so pistols sit VERY low, in my hand, and aging is making that factor worse..

It would be nice to add a Nighthawk or Ed Brown, next, but a long-slide Les Baer is also a strong contender. I tend to buy pre-owned, so, much depends upon what I happen to see in the pre-owned display case. With my right hand and shoulder going gimp, a pre-owned pistol having an ambidextrous already installed is value-added. (Actually, my trend toward being a lefty shooter has shifted my attention more toward nice revolvers, but that is a discussion for the Revolvers section of P-F.)

[richiecotite]

FWIW, I already have a Dillon 550b with 45 acp conversion kit, a couple thousand projectiles, about 2 years of primers and powder, kydex from CCC, leather from 5Shot, a dozen WC ETM, a dozen (metalform?) 7 rounders with the nipple follower, molds and close to a half ton of lead when I’m ready to cast.


Seems like there’s one thing missing, can’t quite put my finger on it...

My birthday is in early March. I’m giving myself until then to find something off the shelf, if not then I’m going to order myself a Prime Elite for my birthday, and hopefully it’ll come in time to be my Christmas present.


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[rayrevolver]

My birthday is in early March. I’m giving myself until then to find something off the shelf, if not then I’m going to order myself a Prime Elite for my birthday, and hopefully it’ll come in time to be my Christmas present.


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When I went looking for an STI I joined a forum called 1911 Addicts to buy a used 2019 Stac P. That place seems to have all kinds of high end 1911s for sale and they hit daily.

This lasted about 1 hour:
https://www.1911addicts.com/threads/...nfired.122583/

[Evil_Ed]

OP, I'm roughly in your boat. My decision was to take my bone-stock blue Colt S80 Gov't Model, call the Colt Custom Shop, and get it worked over. They're sending me the RMA on Monday, it'll be off to them, in a couple of weeks I'll get mailed or called with an estimate as to the cost (I'm guessing roughly 2500+-), and it'll go from there.

If you add in the cost of the base gun, it'll top 3000...but I'll be getting what I want, how I want it. My main thing was getting a 1911 with a good firing pin safety that wasn't a Kimber, Sig, or Smith. (Or one of the other has-beens or never-wases) You can get all manner of custom, or near custom 1911s from Wilson, Guncrafter, Alchemy, etc...but none of them have what I want in a 1911; a firing pin safety. For that, you need to go a little off-menu...

[theJanitor]

...but none of them have what I want in a 1911; a firing pin safety. For that, you need to go a little off-menu...

I prefer a worked over S80 for a carry piece. good call, IMO