Posted: 3/9/2008 5:04:13 PM EDT
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Im looking into picking up a used 1911 from a pawn shop or a local gun shop i want something in the middle of the road, as in not the most expensive pistol you can find. i thought about trying to find a used kimber thats still in good shape or what not but what are some things i should look for in buying a used 1911 and whats a price i can expect to pay |
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Most factory built, used guns from the US will be just fine. If no one has tinkered with it, a used Kimber, Springfield, Colt, or other won't cause you great heartache just because it has a few rounds down the tube. But, if you're expecting to save tons of money by buying used, I've found that it just doesn't happen regularly. Most of the time, a used gun will save you about 25%. To me, it's enough to justify the used purchase of a decently built gun. Others might disagree. |
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550 shouldn't be hard to spot on the EE and some for less. Keep a very active eye on the EE here, and go back pages and pages. I've seen some good deals that go unnoticed due to crappy titles or just skipped up. Look at the auction sites too. Of course all of this depends on what you're looking for, basic GI style or bottom of the line Kimber/Springer or the more 'tricked up' models. |
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Buying a 1911 is a totally different experience from most other guns. Buy wisely and you will know joys that most other firearms cannot fulfill. Buy foolishly and the reverse extreme applies. A compensator may range from good modification to stupid waste of money, depending on the application of the gun and quality of the materials and workmanship. I will warn you (as an impartial observer) that your priorities seem dangerously out of whack. You are a poor college student who wants 1. a 1911, 2. Cool grips, and 3. a compensator. There is not much wrong with this if your patience matches your priorities. But if you go into this thinking, "I need to spend X for the 1911, so I can have enough for the grips and the comp" you have put yourself on a slippery path to disappointment. Take every red cent you can possibly afford and earmark it for the STOCK 1911. If you can raise X for the gun and Y more in 2 weeks, you are missing the point. Wait the two weeks, and take X+Y to the store for that stock 1911 you have carefully researched. You should be leaving with great weapon. Unless you have found a bargain, you should be too broke to afford enough for a decent range session, much less VITAL spare magazines, to say nothing of compensators and cool grips. If you can get that quality 1911 for less, then the money should be tied into a few QUALITY magazines and a good range session or two. At THIS point you should be flat broke.  Then you should have a birthday coming up, or maybe another paycheck, or you saved enough plasma money to buy the grips. Congratulations! you have dressed up a beautiful, quality 1911 that brings you utter satisfaction with some grips that really make the gun for you. Now you ask yourself since you have had a few months of owning and shooting if the tacticool compensator is really worth it for you. Do you shoot competitively? Is this weapon carried ever. Answering these two questions can seal the deal one way or another for you. The key to 1911 bliss is that there are NO shortcuts. Make every red cent count on the platform (your MOST vital purchase). Then make sure every addition made to the pistol is an improvement (taking quality of the materials and labor into account). |
