Posted: 1/9/2011 6:42:35 AM EDT
| Any suggestions for the best 1911 in the less than $700.00 range. I'd be mostly using it as a range/night stand gun. Maybe down the road when funds allow, I'd consider some trigger/hammer work on it. Any input is greatly appreciated. |
| Don't know about the "best", but a Springfield Mil-Spec or Range Officer would serve you well and SA's customer service is great. The R.O. Is a new offering and is getting a lot of good reviews––one from me. It's definitely worth the premium over the Mil- Spec. There are other good candidates amongst the other brands––I don't follow them so I can't be specific. Good luck. |
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Believe it or not - Taurus PT1911. Stainless version goes for around $575 at shows. Decent value considering the enhancements. Mine is accurate and reliable. Gets good reviews from what I have seen in magazines.
My stable includes a Springfield Armory, two Kimbers, two Les Baers, three ParaOrdnance, and a Caspian Long Slide. Taurus has a place. |
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I love my MilSpec. A little over 1200 rounds and not a single malfunction. I have started to upgrade things to make the gun more comfortable to me, but it needs nothing, IMO.
I have heard nothing but good from folks on here about the Rock Island Armory 1911. Look at the Tactical, it comes with a lot of things people want on 1911's today and can be had for much less that $700 Springfield's new Range Officer would be one I would look at. So in order I would look at: Range Officer, MilSpec, then Rock Island. |
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http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/26335
A little higher than your budget, but IMO if you upgrade this gun later on you'd have a very respectable 1911, vs. an upgraded RIA or other brand that would still be a RIA, no matter how much $$ you put into it.  This might not bother you, but it would bother me a bit. The S&W is also made in the USA 
I also hear that the lower level 1911s are harder to work on, but thats 100% interweb heresay. Might be true, might not. If i had to stay within the $700 mark I'd go with a Springfield mil spec. |
| find a used colt 1991 well under the 700 limit and you can use the money saved for good magazines which you will need many of. I never buy a full size 1911 new- at least in my neck of the woods tons of good deals on used ones- just make sure it hasn't been bubba'd |
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Quoted:
Don't know about the "best", but a Springfield Mil-Spec or Range Officer would serve you well and SA's customer service is great. The R.O. Is a new offering and is getting a lot of good reviews––one from me. It's definitely worth the premium over the Mil- Spec. There are other good candidates amongst the other brands––I don't follow them so I can't be specific. Good luck. RO would be my choice for 700 and under. as long as your not counting total out the door cost. |
| The RO is within his cost, but only barely. All of the one's I saw at the gun show this past weekend were $699, with a couple here and there around $725. The Mil Specs were under $700 though, usually the mid $600s. Personally, I picked up a Parked Loaded for $739 (before tax) because I felt the extra features it had were worth the extra cash. I also liked the Trijicon combat sights it had better than the target sights that come on the RO. |
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Quoted:
Don't know about the "best", but a Springfield Mil-Spec or Range Officer would serve you well and SA's customer service is great. The R.O. Is a new offering and is getting a lot of good reviews––one from me. It's definitely worth the premium over the Mil- Spec. There are other good candidates amongst the other brands––I don't follow them so I can't be specific. Good luck. This... I have a number of them (Mil-spec, Loaded models)... all good. If you can find a used Sigarms one, those are pretty nice too (I have a commander-sized version of one––BIL has a full size). Lifetime warranty sweetens the pot even more. |
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Colt XSE or 1991
Springfield Loaded Springfield RO Kimber Custom II STI Spartan Springfield Mil-Spec In some sort of order, the mil-spec being my least favorite, but still an excellent first 1911. Only reason I put the Kimber over the Spartan is I prefer Novak cut rear sights over Bomar cut sights and I prefer forged steel frames over cast steel frames. Pistols like the Kimber and Loaded and Colts can't be had for less than $700 unless you go used, which I would not have a problem doing, especially on a lifetime warranty gun like the Colt and Springfield. |
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RIA Tactical or Match
American Classic STI Spartan These are all decent guns and I would give the edge to the STI. That being said I have a RIA Match and it's excellent for the money. I went looking for a STI Spartan and none of my local dealers had them, so I bought the RIA Match. I also own a STI Ranger II and have owned a Kimber Pro Carry II. I also had two Taurus 1911s and they both worked 100% out of the box, had to sell them to pay some medical bills. |
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Get a Rock Island 1911 (under $500) and spend the rest of the cash on a reloading press, brass and bullets to make you own ammunition. Buying a 1911 Government model .45 is one thing, feeding it factory ammunition is where it gets really expensive. Good point. I went with an American Classic (deluxe) from Cheaper than Dirt. The rest will go towards some reloading gear. I have buckets of .223 brass laying around. Might as well do .45's while I'm at it. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Get a Rock Island 1911 (under $500) and spend the rest of the cash on a reloading press, brass and bullets to make you own ammunition. Buying a 1911 Government model .45 is one thing, feeding it factory ammunition is where it gets really expensive. Good point. I went with an American Classic (deluxe) from Cheaper than Dirt. The rest will go towards some reloading gear. I have buckets of .223 brass laying around. Might as well do .45's while I'm at it. Well you got a range use only gun. |