I love the look and feel of 1911s and 2011s. The triggers are always awesome and they feel natural. I’ve owned a few in the past (RIA, Springfield) but they were all lemons that had parts break off and wouldn’t run reliably at all.

I’m about to sell an MP5 clone in the $2k range and am thinking about throwing the money into a nice 1911 or 2011. I’ve never even shot one, but I’m heavily leaning towards an STI.

I’d love opinions on the ONE pistol you’d buy in this price range - hopefully something with the reliability and ruggedness of an HK or other gun I KNOW won’t be a lemon.

Dan Wesson Specialist - full size chambered in .45 ACP. Go for the Duty Coat (black finish). Spend the rest on mags and ammo to test reliability. Maybe a different pair of grips to make it distinctly yours.

Why? These have a great reputation, the company has decent customer service if something is wrong with it, and they have every upgrade I would personally want on a "tactical" 1911.

As far as a 2011, I don't have any experience in that realm but the STI Tactical series seems pretty kickass. Some cops use them, and they appear to have all the right upgrades. I've always just heard that the biggest downfall to 2011's are the expensive and finicky magazines.

Les Baer in whatever configuration that you prefer. I have a Concept V with a million rounds through it (not really but 30k+ I would think) and a TRS I'm trying to catch up to. New CC/UTC can be had at about 1800 and will last your lifetime through that of your grandkids.

Thanks for the comments guys. I just went to the local PSA and checked out a few of their nicer 1911s. One that felt surprisingly nice was a Springfield master class silent operator.

My buddy just got one. Very nice gun

Awesome, thanks. I’m trading for one after Thanksgiving - found one locally.

Springfield custom shop guns are built as well or better than anyone else in the game.

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If were talking new I would get a les baer for 2k, if were talking used I would look around for a used WC CQB in that price range.

The down side to the 2011 is that mags are pretty expensive. Plus I dont have any experience with STI.

First you need to decide: 1911 or 2011.

1911: From $1200-$1800 or so, it seems to be tough to beat a DW.   Springfield doesn't really have much that plays well in the $1100-$2000 space.   Basically you have the TRP at $1100 or so and then the Pro at over $2500.   Over $2000 and you bring in Ed Brown, Baer, and a couple of others, and begin to enter Wilson and Guncrafter territory.   I've owned Brown, Baer, and DW and I think they offer a fair value for the money.  I think Wilson and Nighthawk tend to be overpriced for what you get, unless you're a high maintenance customer who is always on the phone with the shop about everything.

2011: Be aware you will pay about $75 and up for magazines.  They are also not flawless magazines out of the box, especially when it comes to reliable slide lock on an empty mag.   A certain amount of tweaking can be necessary.  That said, the 2011 is my favorite handgun platform.  There is nothing that feels and shoots as well, while being very easy to work on.  I own a lot of 2011s and have worked on a lot more.  The current STI offerings, in my opinion, are overpriced.  You will do a lot better by looking past their $2500-3500 guns and focusing on the traditional models like the Eagle, Edge, Tactical, etc., which can often be found well under $2000 and are built just as well as anything else they make.    STI doesn't really make a gun that is worth $3500 unless you just gotta have Costa's name on the slide.  They make a $1500 gun with $500 worth of additional cosmetic features and a $300 finish.   Put them up against a Wilson, Nighthawk, or even a Brown, and the STI fit and finish just isn't close to that level.    However, STI does shine at making non-.45 guns and making them well.   They tend to be quite accurate out of the box, too.

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I currently have a trade pending to pick up a Springfield Silent Operator - hopefully it won't disappoint.

Picked her up.

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Nice gun! I wasn't even aware of this model. Did you say it's a custom shop model?

That’s my understanding

Nice choice!  I have one of the pleb Operators and love it.  Or maybe it's a TRP.  Do they make Operator TRP's?  Maybe I should look in the safe instead of guessing, either way, I've got one or the other and it's great.

Damn, it's a TRP Operator and it's in 10mm.  Anyway, Springfield makes a nice 1911.

I'd like to add that I'm not retarded, I have a couple dozen 1911's so it's hard to remember what they all are at my old age of 43.

I have 5, and can remember them all lol. But I’m only 49

Those silent operators are custom shop guns yes.

Maybe I am retarded, looked again and I have a 6" TRP Operator in 10mm and a 5" TRP Operator in 45.  I'll get my shit together eventually.

That's a beauty, op. Seriously nice looking pistol. Do you have a can for it? A size 13 o-ring will probably fit against the shelf of the threads and keep the thread protector from loosening during firing.

Yep! Haven’t shot it yet, though.

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Did your wife see this picture? Was she mad that it was on the white bed cover and that's the reason your selling it already?

When it comes to guns my wife is ALWAYS mad at me. I actually found a grail gun for sale locally and my wife insists on a "sell one to buy one" rule since my safe is overflowing as-is.

That's too bad because I like the Springfield better myself.

I love the feel of it and the trigger is amazing. I just am afraid to go shoot it and make sure it's not going to break on me because if I do, there goes my ability to sell it. On the flip side, I can IWB this, which I can't do with a Mark 23. Highly conflicted here...

Sharp looking gun, looking forward to hearing how it does since there is one in a local shop.

Why couldn't you sell it? SA will fix most anything short of intentional abuse or stupid reloading tricks.

For those still looking for inspiration... Buy this:



Current bid $17.6k.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/792131038