I've been planning on buying a full size 1911 to go with my Colt commander & since I can't afford a Les Baer I've been waffling between a Springfield or a Kimber.

I've read rumurs that the Kimber uses a cast frame machined by S&W, BS or true ???

I know the older Springfields where forged in Brasil but after seeing pics of broken slides I'm wondering about the newer pistols , forged or cast ??

Any definitive info out there ??

Pick up a good used Original Series 70 Colt and keep it in the family

B.S. Kimber and Springfield both use forged frames and slides,Kimber used to have it's frames and slides forged by Smith&Wesson,(it seems that heat treating and forging for other companys, and not nessarily gunparts, has been a sideline of S&W for quite awhile)now Kimbers are being done in the U.S. by somebody else I'm not sure who, I'm also not sure where Springfield gets theirs in Brazil, from I think, Imbel, The broken slides on the Springfields were a result over carburizing, and the steel was too brittle, a heat treating mistake to be sure,not a casting...another tidbit is that Les Baer gets his slides and frames (Rough machined )from Kimber,So, if they're good enough for Les, they should be fine for anyone else......

Ive been thinking about getting a  Springfield Aromory Mil spec ( no frills ) pistol.Ive seen them for $400 . I have a Colt SS series 80 .Its been 100% reliable.Had it since 1995 . WD

Kimber owns their own foundry.  I know they make parts for several other companies, but I have never heard that they make Les Baer's slides and frames.

I don't know where Baer gets his slides and frames, but a company called Jerico supplied slides and frames to both Kimber and Wilson (althought to different specs).  Kimber bought out Jerico, so I guess you can say that Kimber now supplies slides and frames to Wilson.  However, note that they are not made to the same specs as Kimbers own slides and frames.

Also, I believe Jerico got its base forgings from Smith and Wesson.  Although this really doesn't mean much, I guess you could say, in a roundabout way, S&W makes Wilson slides and frames.

As you can see, it can all be very misleading.


Oh yeah, the only company that uses a cast frame, as far as I know, is Para Ordnance.  However, I would not worry about this, people make a bigger deal out of this than it is.  There was a time when castings were definitely of dubious quality compared to forgings, but nowdays they are very close.  I know people that compete with Paras who have put over 100,000 rounds on a cast Para frame with no problems.

Thanks for the info.

As long as either one is forged I'm satisfied.

I was looking at the Dan Wesson's too, looked nice but I noticed some of their frames where cast.

Just got a SA Mil Spec 1911A1 today. $370 at a gunshow. The SA paper says the frame, slide and barrel are all Forged. WD

Unless you stumble into a good buy on a used Colt, I'd suggest you get a Springfield.

Wilson Combat refuses to use Kimbers for a base gun. I've read some, but not all, Kimber frames are indeed cast now. I don't know which ones nor if it's even true.

Both of my 1911s are Springfields, nice guns both.