If anything? I'm a noob to the 1911 platform. I had a Colt Combat Elite (80's model), that I recently traded for a Galil parts kit and CNC Warrior receiver (I build AK's).

Now I'd like to pick up a decent 1911 that shoots good, is 100% reliable like my Colt was, and has rails.

As for railed guns, the RIA, Taurus, and Sigs are by far the cheapest. I'd consider something nicer like the Springfields or Kimber, but are they worth the extra $400-$600?

Why are the Taurus guns so cheap, and why do they have such a bad reputation? I know RIA is foreign, but they come with a lot of parts for the $ it seems like. Same with  the Sig.

Someone needs to straighten me out!

ETA: if this has been covered recently in-depth, feel free to just post the link!

Taurus guns are mainly MIM parts and mine while tight when new got loose real fast. The RIA guns are good, but ave had some issues. Of the three I'd go for a Sig.

"Cheap" ??  

Look to bid for a "cheap" Taurus 1911 on GB and watch and see how fast you get outbid at the end.

No, not Colt money, but more than RIA bucks. Maybe the GB bidders don't read message boards.

I found myself wondering the same, I went with Sig after a little research and the gun works great.  It eats any ammo and I havent had any FTF/FTE.  This might help out a little: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5xTkOztsBs
If you decide to go with Sig you should know this, I called them to verify something about their laser and askeda few ?s about the gun.  I wanted to know how much better any other more expensive Sig would be internaly compared to my Nitron/w rail.  Their customer service was great and they told me that they all have the same internals down to the match grade barrel, that pretty much you would be buying an appearance package but inside they are the same.

The PT 1911 is often an underrated gun. They are great performers for what you pay for them. Mine actually had a couple thousands rounds through it with no malfunctions. The guy that I shot with that got me to buy one had upwards of somewhere around 7-10,000 rounds through his and not one issue. Then again I've seen more expensive 1911's that had all kinds of issues from FTF,FTE, or not feeding hollow point ammo. My Taurus had none of these issues and ran like a champ ... But there are many great pistols out there to choose from.... Good luck with your choice

I think the Taurus is cheap because they make their own tooling and parts in house, right down to the "Novak" sights. There is a lot of bad stories out there about quality and customer service.
I bought a stainless PT1911 in 38 Super from CDNN and the only problem I had was some rust discoloring shown up on the bead blasted round surfaces, which I had taken care of by sanding and polishing to a  bright stainless finish on the entire gun (it was only a $430+shipping gun so I went crazy with it). Function has been excellent and accuracy is on par for a 38 Super. If anything breaks or wears out early it is no big deal and would be an opportunity to put in some more reliable parts which are readily available.
Would I pay more for it? probably not
Would I buy it again? certainly
Would it replace my Colt XSE? HELL NO!!!

It is just a toy for the range to me.

and just cause we like pictures



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Buying a Taurus is like buying a Hyundai. If you plan to keep it forever and don't beat the heck out of it it'll probably do. But if the time comes to sell it don't expect to get much of your investment back.

Taurus guns are cheap because they are made in a country(Brazil) where it doesn't cost as much to manufacture them and all parts are made in house.  They have a bad reputation because Taurus made lots and lots of models of autoloaders that have had serious QA issues or at least a lack of consistent quality.  Add to that a history of pretty poor customer support.

RIA's are made in the Philipines, another country where manufacturing is cheaper.  They also use cast frames, and extruded slides to keep cost down.  Nothing too terrible about that because Caspian frames are also cast.  RIA does have a track record of having some problems in manufacturing as well, but they have countered that to some degree by having a very good reputation for customer service and backing their product with good repair work, and timely service.  Sigs are known for quality, but I'm not sure how interchangeable they are parts wise.

May I also suggest spend more once and never cry about quality with either a TRP or a Les Baer.

Reliable like your Colt Combat Elite?
I think you should look at finding that gun back. You had a reliable Colt and not a lower tier one. It sounds like that is going to be hard to duplicate today with what is on the market. Another Colt perhaps or save a bit longer and you can move up from there. I do not find that I have to move up from Colts pistols.

The only one of those three I would consider is the Sig. Cheap and 1911 don't mix well. The Sigs are nice.

Look at it this way.

With a Cheap 1911, you're spending $500 on some the junkiest handguns on the market.

With that same $500, you could buy some of the best handguns on the market.

if i was going to buy a "cheap" 1911, it would be an RIA...everybody that gets one likes it, and they got great CS if you ever need it..

I get RIA 1911s too regularly for around $250-$300 (I have a bidding addiction on Gunbroker.com) so I wouldn't say you get junk 1911s for $500.  In fact, I got my Springfield brand new for $425 here locally.  The fact of the matter is if you want reliable, accurate and sexy you pay for it.  But you either get one 'cheap' and pay to have if 'fixed' or buy it outright.  After a horrible experience with a Kimber I decided to give the less expensive alternatives a chance and haven't been disappointed.  Granted that comes from spending so much less and getting the same or better to begin with.  I have had work done on all mine and on average the 'cheaper' 1911s required more work the end cost was 100s of dollars less than the higher end 1911s.  

This

B/c that's what I did and I have never had a problem with my RIA and it's super accurate