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

  1. #31
    Hokey / Ancient JAD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Guerrero View Post
    A THUG?
    That's kind of the way I went. Time must not be of the essence, though.

  2. #32
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
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    I wasn't familiar with Alchemy until this thread. If I was buying, I'd likely buy from them.

    I still harbor dreams about an aluminum frame CCO in .45, railed fullsize in .45, and non-railed 9mm fullsize (all otherwise identical) as my "perfect" trifecta of 1911s. One for carry, one for home, one for games.

    I'll be 50 in 4 years. Maybe that'll be my "I'm old now" acknowledgement birthday present to myself. Maybe by then Alchemy will be offering an aluminum frame in the CCO and a railed frame in the fullsize...
    Does the above offend? If you have paid to be here, you can click here to put it in context.

  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by rob_s View Post
    I wasn't familiar with Alchemy until this thread. If I was buying, I'd likely buy from them.

    I still harbor dreams about an aluminum frame CCO in .45, railed fullsize in .45, and non-railed 9mm fullsize (all otherwise identical) as my "perfect" trifecta of 1911s. One for carry, one for home, one for games.

    I'll be 50 in 4 years. Maybe that'll be my "I'm old now" acknowledgement birthday present to myself. Maybe by then Alchemy will be offering an aluminum frame in the CCO and a railed frame in the fullsize...
    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.

  4. #34
    Site Supporter rob_s's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robinson View Post
    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.
    Many moons ago (at least in my moons) I had both and never saw an issue to a point that I had any concerns.

    I just don't buy into that concept anymore (if I ever did) and to the extent that there are differences I don't think they really matter.
    Does the above offend? If you have paid to be here, you can click here to put it in context.

  5. #35
    Site Supporter KevH's Avatar
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    Having owned 30+ 1911's myself ranging all over the map (including high-end customized guns built by guys like John Harrison, Jim Garthwaite, John Jardine, factory customs like the Springfield Professional, and basic factory guns like the Springfield Long Beach Operator) and working for a police department that has a high number of 1911's in various makes in-service and being one of the armorers that care for them, I feel I'm qualified to make a recommendation here.

    In 2021 the only 1911 I will recommend unequivocally to anyone is...

    Wilson Combat

    You can spend lots of time, money, and heartache trying to make a reliable daily carry 1911. You can spend a lot of effort vetting individual smiths and sitting on waitlists for years. You can order "factory customs" from small operations that go out of business or get absorbed by larger places, or that do not provide adequate customer support post-purchase, or...

    You can skip all the drama and buy a gun that you know will work with a factory standing behind it that will fix it if it does not.

    My personal recommendation would be to find a slightly used CQB in the $2k price range in 45 ACP. If it doesn't work 100% send it back to Wilson to get freshened up. Learn with that gun what works for you and what does not and let Wilson (and only Wilson) make any changes to it that need to be made. Keep all the paperwork for the gun. Either you will fall in love with the 1911 or if you don't you can always sell it and recoup your cost.

    I've watched lots of guys (and I'm one of them) go through several different guns (and smiths) trying to find the magical combo that works. I've also watched a bunch of guys buy a Wilson and carry the same gun, with slight tweaks done by the factory, for twenty years now. I'm done trying to recommend different 1911 routes to people. Just go find and buy a Wilson Combat.
    Last edited by KevH; 01-25-2021 at 11:51 AM.

  6. #36
    Site Supporter richiecotite's Avatar
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    Planned use for this is “a 1 gun solution”. Range, carry, home defense, maybe gaming. I’ll still have plastic poppers and shoot those too, but this 1911 will be the gun I shoot the most.

    That Novak Colt seems like a pretty solid deal, but I’m still heavily leaning towards the ACW. I especially like the fact that for an extra $125 you can get an extra fitted extractor. I called them today and they said it’d be a 8 month wait. I was aware of evolution armory, remember a few years ago they were doing good work with decent turnaround times.

    I’ll contact Nighthawk just see how long the wait is, but right now I’m leaning towards buying used.


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    "I'm a tactical operator and Instructor and also retired military."

    -read on another forum

  7. #37
    $3k is a helluva number, especially if used pistols are an option. Years and miles generally don't matter much to a properly built pistol.

    Last week, an alchemy prime went for $2900, and a THUG went for $3300. LOTS of options at this price point, but your dollar will go farther in the used market. Nighthawk is doing really good work, and you can send in your own base gun. I've never seen an alchemy in person, but by all accounts, it seems right. I think most of the accessible builders have implemented plans to keep lead times much shorter. Heck, even Heinie is working on his list, albeit with an apprentice (which irks me, but that's a different discussion). A buddy has a pistol on Dick's bench for over 12 years

    I've got one last Colt at the smith, and his fee exceeds the $3k budget, without the cost of the base pistol. I'm hoping for receipt of it this year.....Maybe I can leapfrog @JAD and move up a spot

  8. #38
    Hokey / Ancient JAD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by theJanitor View Post
    ...Maybe I can leapfrog @JAD and move up a spot
    Signs point to yes...

  9. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by KevH View Post
    Having owned 30+ 1911's myself ranging all over the map (including high-end customized guns built by guys like John Harrison, Jim Garthwaite, John Jardine, factory customs like the Springfield Professional, and basic factory guns like the Springfield Long Beach Operator) and working for a police department that has a high number of 1911's in various makes in-service and being one of the armorers that care for them, I feel I'm qualified to make a recommendation here.

    In 2021 the only 1911 I will recommend unequivocally to anyone is...

    Wilson Combat

    You can spend lots of time, money, and heartache trying to make a reliable daily carry 1911. You can spend a lot of effort vetting individual smiths and sitting on waitlists for years. You can order "factory customs" from small operations that go out of business or get absorbed by larger places, or that do not provide adequate customer support post-purchase, or...

    You can skip all the drama and buy a gun that you know will work with a factory standing behind it that will fix it if it does not.

    My personal recommendation would be to find a slightly used CQB in the $2k price range in 45 ACP. If it doesn't work 100% send it back to Wilson to get freshened up. Learn with that gun what works for you and what does not and let Wilson (and only Wilson) make any changes to it that need to be made. Keep all the paperwork for the gun. Either you will fall in love with the 1911 or if you don't you can always sell it and recoup your cost.

    I've watched lots of guys (and I'm one of them) go through several different guns (and smiths) trying to find the magical combo that works. I've also watched a bunch of guys buy a Wilson and carry the same gun, with slight tweaks done by the factory, for twenty years now. I'm done trying to recommend different 1911 routes to people. Just go find and buy a Wilson Combat.
    There was a time I would have recommended WC without hesitation, but I've had too many issues over the last five years with their guns (3 out of 5 WC's had problems). And I know I'm not alone. @Pit @Sensei

  10. #40
    Site Supporter Hambo's Avatar
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    Take a long look at the 1911 thread in the gallery. Pay attention to @theJanitor's pistols and other customs vs. semi-custom front strap checkering is my pet peeve). If I were looking in your price range it would be used WC for $2K'ish, or the whole ball of wax for a used custom.
    "Gunfighting is a thinking man's game. So we might want to bring thinking back into it."-MDFA

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