Posted: 7/8/2005 8:09:20 PM EDT
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I was going to get a USP Compact, but now that the time draws near, I've decided it's time for a 1911. Based on my general specs, I came up with these options. A. Kimber TLE RLII. B. Springfield MC Operator. C. SIG Arms GSR. So which one would you choose? They're all similarly priced, and I want them all!  So I have to get the opinions of others to decide. Kimber and SIG both seem to be having quality issues as of late, and the Springfield is green. So what would you personally get?
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I'll preface my comments by stating that I usually shoot a Kimber. That said, I have really come to love custom guns because they work so damn well. If I wanted a production gun, I would get a Les Baer TRS. AJohnston has 35,000 rounds through his, and two malfunctions. For a custom, I would go to Yost Bonitz and get a 1* Enhanced. Expect to spend 1500 shipped for the 1* and a little more for a Baer. As far as your choices, the SA wins hands down. If it doesn't run right out of the box you can fit a new extractor, unlike the Kimber. The Sig is just a parts gun, nothing special. |
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The number one thing that prevents me from going hands down Kimber, is the external extractor. Also, I'm under the impression that Kimber uses their very own external extractor where as other brands use a very similar one. Please don't mention AJohnston in this thread. Seeing his collection is enough to make me shed tears. Maybe I'll win the lottery tomorrow. I was looking into custom builds, but I don't have the money for that. $1200 is about all I'm going to be able to spare for now. I was contemplating building my own from parts, but I'll wait and get some experience before I consider that. As for the SIG, do you think it's even remotely worth the average $950 going price? It seems like people either love them or hate them. Judging from what I've read, it seems you either get a complete lemon, or a complete winner. SIG also seems to be pretty reliable on the customer service too. |
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Great question. The light rail is a great addition to a great weapon. The hands free light system is by far superior to using a weapon in one hand and a light in the other (just my opinion here.) As far as your choices the MC Operator hands down. Its a great weapon that will race right out of the box and keep going. I know I carry one!!!  (In fact I just took it off my hip and put her away for the day.) |
Just out of curiousity what does the Warrior or the TLE/RL have over the Operator? The Warrior wasn't out whenI bought my Operator but i haveto say it runs circles around the TLE |
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Of the the chooices given, SA MC Operator, though I wouldn't want adjustable sights on any of my hand guns... [email protected] |
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If the Kimber is the one with an aluminum frame, I'd skip it. I don't like kimber's aluminum frame setup (no ramped barrel). If not...I'd still skip it; I won't buy an external extractor until the industry decides to standardize on one easily-replaceable design, which isn't going to happen any time soon. I wouldn't buy the SIG under any circumstances, unless I found one at a price that would allow me to flip it to make some cash to buy another. So by default, I'd get the SA Operator. YMMV, of course. |
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Kimber has had teething problems with their external extractors. Most have been fine, but the design is a little short, providing poor leverage, making spring weight a huge factor in the performance of the extractor. Again, most have been good, and if it's not, Kimber will back it with good service. Springfield would be my choice. I've owned several Operators, and except for the lack of an ejector pin hole in a couple, I've had no complaints. If you buy in person, just make sure the ejector is pinned, and not just Loctited in the frame. The Sig would not even make my list. Everyone I personally know who has bought one had serious reliabilty issues that Sig could not fix. They may have worked the bugs out, but the thing that scares me is this. When they first hit the market, Sig's press release touted the fact that they hired a well known competitive shooter, and had all the potential reliability issues worked out before release. They also touted the fact that their guns had nothing but top notch after market parts. When Sig says this, I'm impressed. When it turns out they were wrong, I think they either didn't know what the heck they were doing, or they were just lying. Either way, I'm not going to buy one. |
| I certainly would not pay extra for the Sig GSR. Sig did not reinvent the 1911 wheel. The only thing they did is make their 1911 look more "Sig Like" for lack of a better term. I'm certainly not going to pay extra for that, even though that might appeal to a true Sig fan. |