1911 diminishing returns

[GodBlessTheUSA]

I say "Amen" to a lot of the advise above. And I'll add my 2 cents.
I've had the privilege of shooting the best 1911s the Army could assemble, I've shot most stock manufacturers' 1911s, I've built several, owned many: there is a difference in how they are built I've seen boxes of raw name brand frames sitting at a machine shop waiting for a pass through a CNC machine also.
I've owned a 1911 that started as a RIA frame but was hand fitted with after market parts, and it was sweeeet. I've hand fitted parts into a slide and you could go "gangsta" with it : start shooting "normal " and rotate the pistol until you're shooting with the pistol upside down! Really , it's a controlled feed firearm.
You can feel the difference when you "rack" the slide on a custom built 1911. It's palpable.
But I believe it's a combo of parts and very patient fitting.
If you can feel two at a time and compare 'em you'll feel the difference.


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[MaconGuns]

Buy a Glock. Had to be said and you know the odt is slipping when this comment hadn't been made yet.

I've lost count of Glocks I've traded away. Fixing to sell a 26 and a 20. I'm replacing every pistol I own with Hammer fires. Just ordered a p220 10mm today so the G20 will be listed soon.
Probably the PPQ and some others will be listed soon.

 

[MaconGuns]

I say "Amen" to a lot of the advise above. And I'll add my 2 cents.
I've had the privilege of shooting the best 1911s the Army could assemble, I've shot most stock manufacturers' 1911s, I've built several, owned many: there is a difference in how they are built I've seen boxes of raw name brand frames sitting at a machine shop waiting for a pass through a CNC machine also.
I've owned a 1911 that started as a RIA frame but was hand fitted with after market parts, and it was sweeeet. I've hand fitted parts into a slide and you could go "gangsta" with it : start shooting "normal " and rotate the pistol until you're shooting with the pistol upside down! Really , it's a controlled feed firearm.
You can feel the difference when you "rack" the slide on a custom built 1911. It's palpable.
But I believe it's a combo of parts and very patient fitting.
If you can feel two at a time and compare 'em you'll feel the difference.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree fully that a custom built pistol will in most cases out perform a generic.
And I'll agree that in most cases it's worth extra cash.
I'll drop an extra $200 for a nice trigger and $200 for nice barrel and $200 for better finish.
But if I have 10 parts at $200 each that's $2000. I can't see paying $2000 more for a guys name on the side. I'm no gunsmith but doesn't a 1911 boil down to a good trigger and a smooth slide?
Does it really take that much effort and materials for a gun manufacturer to produce?

 

[elmosdad]

Well I've had several 1911s and I wouldn't give my old series 70 Colt for any other one especially the springfields...

 

[canoecanoe]

Diminished 1911.

 

[insulinboy]

Quality is a big part but most of it is bells and whistles. On a $900 1911, you are not going to get a hand finish polish blue, recessed slide stop, or cut and recessed barrel crown. You are not gonna get a guarantee its gonna hit 1" grouping at 25 yards for $900, you'll get a maybe it could. But whether, it hits that accuracy at that distance is still entirely on you.

I beg to differ, if you buy something like the 5" springfield range officer you are looking at a $700 purchase give or take depending on where you get it, and you are getting a match quality pistol LPA target rear sight, bull barrel with a tight bushing and lock up, but you are making sacrifices on things like the finish (I swear the finish on mine you can rub off when you clean it if you're not careful) It needs a fiber optic IMHO but you're looking at a $20 purchase there if you're comfortable changing that out yourself (which most people are). Excellent trigger right out of the box (but some polish work can improve it even more). There was a point I was shooting mine so much I could go shoot pins at GA Firing line on muscle memory point shooting.

That being said if you're looking for a no frills budget gun with just the right upgrades I'd look into a Rock island tactical model, not the tac II, just the Tactical. Novak style sights you can swap out later if you want to, they function smoothly, and are good candidates for upgrades like a hand fit barrel bushing, or some trigger work to turn into a really fine weapon, the only downside is they aren't going to have the resale of what I consider a "name brand" gun (colt, wilson combat, springfield, dan wesson, ect) Id honestly say if you were going to spring for a new tactical II you should look at something like the springfield range officer instead that falls into the same price point but is going to hold its value better and I think personally for the upgrades on the tac II vs the range officer, the V10 grips are nice and the finish is better on the RI, but the sights and fit on the range officer IMHO are far superior.

This is just my personal opinion gained through my personal experiences, your mileage may vary slightly

 

[MaconGuns]

Well I've had several 1911s and I wouldn't give my old series 70 Colt for any other one especially the springfields...

Is this because it's collectable or because it's better quality, or both

 

[Flashover16]

The Springfield Armory Range officer is likely the most accurate 1911 that I own, and that by the way is the full sized one in 45 acp.
this includes Colt, Dan Wesson, Rock, Para , ect.
of course the range officer is built to be good at the range from the factory as well.
I would by the way trade my Colt series 70 for a Baer, Wilson, Ed Brown if anyone is interested.
I would also trade my Dodge pickup for a Mercedes or Lamborginini as well if anyone is interested, mama didn't raise no idiots in her house !
the pluses of the Rock Tactical II (in 10 MM) is first springer don't offer the range Officer in 10 mm, then you have the fiber optic front sight, the mag well , the VZ grips that the range officer don't cover, not to mention the ramped barrel fully supported of the Tac II.
I don't particularly care for the bushing less barrel however on the Tac II.
If going for lesser power cartridge than the 10 MM then not that much difference in my opinion between the 2 except the tac II is about 125-150 bucks cheaper.
IN 10 MM honestly I much prefer the Tanfoglio Witness to the 1911, and certainly a Elite Match Tanfog for sure, and at about the same price as the Range officer (700-750), its a winner.

 

[JustinR]

Add another vote for the TRP. Friend of mine bought a Nighthawk and I grabbed my TRP and to the range we went.The Nighthawk was tighter than dick's hatband, felt like it was on ball bearings, and shot great but that didn't justify the 3500-4000 price tag.

 

[Tazz]

A lot of good info & advice posted. I've owned a bunch of 1911's through the years simply because I love the design and I seem to be able to shoot better with them, but out of all those 1911's I've only owned three different brands, Colt, Springfield & one Wilson Combat. Right now I only have two 1911's, a Colt XSE Lightweight Govt. Model and the Wilson I bought back in 1999. One of my favorites was a Springer Ultra Compact I had in the 90's, for such a short barrel (3 5/8") it was incredibly accurate. Unfortunately it was stolen out of my wife's car at Six Flags in '96, I did get it back after it was recovered from an idiot bank robber in Birmingham. That asshat ruined it, it looked like it had been dragged behind a car and it was rusted & pitted all over in just the one year it was in his possession so I sold it. That being said, the one pistol that stands head & shoulders above ALL the others is my Wilson. It's no safe queen either, I've carried that gun almost everyday since I took delivery on it in June of '99 after waiting 6 months for it to be built. It's the Protector Compact model with a 4" barrel, the only thing I wish I had done differently would be to have ordered it with a lightweight frame, now that I'm older and have screwed up my back royally the weight combined with having to wear my belt a little tighter to keep it from pulling my pants down puts quite a strain on my sciatic nerve. I herniated my L5/S1 disc in '94 and didn't take that into consideration when I ordered it. It's still the best shooting & most accurate 1911 I've ever owned. I do really like my Colt XSE Govt. Model too but it's harder to conceal due to it's length, I'm only 5'8" 170lbs. Anyway, here's the Wilson wearing Sambar Stag grips.