Moving to include 45acp

[William Yanda]

Partially at the urging of my son, I am considering the purchase of a semi-auto in 45 ACP. I've been looking online and spent an hour at the lgs.
Offerings there ranged from the High Point to $1K+ guns. I'm thinking of looking again at an AMT @495. I don't need/wouldn't benefit from the high money gun. Would probably go for a new gun, possibly of offshore origin in the same price range. I understand that reloads may invalidate the manufacturers warranty.
Any thoughts?
Bill

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

my neighbor has a Ruger SR45 he was at the range the other day same time I was , he needed to borrow a screw driver to adjust the sight , I helped him with the sight and he let me take a few rounds
the gun shot nicely seems good I had no problem holding the 10 ring at 10 yards with the sight adjusted

if I was charged with purchasing a budget priced 45 this would be my choice for dependable with good customer service at a fair price http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/21_49_1815/products_id/84871/Ruger+3801+SR45+10%2B1+45ACP+4.5%22

the SR1911 is also nice I have shot that some also it's as a 1911 should be but with a Ruger emblem

[RobS]

This one?
http://www.highstandard.com/index.php/amt-firearms/amt-45

[jcren]

143200I have a rock island that I love. We were shooting clays at 50 yards off hand this weekend. Mind you not hitting every shot, but the gun will out shoot me.

[Bonz]

for a non-1911, you can't beat a Sig Sauer P220

[Sax.45]

Can't go wrong with a Rock Island 1911, The price is in the range you want to pay, Plus there customer service is exellent if ever needed. They have quite a good offering of styles from plane jane GI models to one's with all the bell's and whistles in various cals.

[Freeandcold]

1911s are wonderful. The design does require a little more attention to detail for optimizing accuracy and reliability. Therefore, with a 1911 you generally get what you pay for... Meaning, a little more money "generally" gets you a feature (checkering, pretty finish, ambi safety, etc...), accuracy or reliability (either in function or durability). That being said, there is a point of diminishing returns and I would not argue with those MANY that have bought lower end (price) 1911s and been thoroughly satisfied (while saving hundreds or thousands of $).
When I was in the same boat I strongly considered the Springfield Range Officer - really well thought out features for most at a competitive price with a solid warranty.
If I bought less, I felt I would likely end up "customizing" in short order and likely spend more money and have less of a gun...
I did look at Les Baer and Ed Brown, but for me... at that point in time... I saw the point of diminishing returns.
I ended up with a Dan Wesson Heritage and a big smile on my face...
Decide your intended purpose and how much you are willing to spend and there is likely a perfect new 1911 for twice that amount!

[xacex]

Stay away from that Ruger SR-45 if you ever intend on breaking your gun down to clean it. It is the worse engineered pistol I have encountered as far as design of internal mechanisms. Worse than their mark II .22 pistols. Sure, it works great, but something goes wrong it is a bear to fix and put back together. This is coming from someone who has built his own 1911's.
The High point is not bad for a truck gun. The pins that hold the thing together go through the plastic frame so take that for what it is worth. I have never seen one break or with egged out holes so that is good. People find the magazines on them are not the greatest, but you can modify 1911 mags for them that would be more reliable. There are bricks! If you run out of ammo with one you can use it as a blunt object to pulverize an assailant.
You cant beat a Rock Island, or even some of the other Philippine 1911 manufactures out there as far as bang for the buck in a 45. ATI, and some other are available for cheap on Buds. Nice thing with those is you can upgrade them with standard 1911 series 70 parts if you feel the need.
It might be out of your price range but you can find some decent deals on trade in police glock 21's as well. I have a trade in glock 30 that has been my winter carry gun for a while now, and it shoots cast great.

[twc1964]

+1 on the glock 21. I bought mine at a local cabelas for around 350.00, and im thinking it was a police trade in. A bit of finish wear and a nebraska state police engraving on the slide but still shoots great. I wouldnt trade it off for much else.

[Tackleberry41]

Don't get me wrong I like a 1911, but there are so many other guns out there to look at. I saw a S&W M&P in 45 other day in the LGS for under $500. And of course there is the old favorite glock.

Not sure how I feel about hi point, I have a 9mm carbine. But the pistols can be junky. They work, thats usually not the issue. I was hanging out at the range my friend worked at, guy came in said his 45 was all over the place, 12in groups would have been conservative. A hi point, just would not group at all. Next one might be fine, but you generally have to buy to find out.

[runfiverun]

my favorite 1911 is made by norinco.
if you can find a used one they are well worth picking up. [they don't import them no-mo... thaaaanks Bill]
my second favorite one is made by auto-ordinance.

they are both plain jane MIL-SPEC pistols and shoot like it. [except the norinco is waay over built]
the ain't 1" guns but are reliable and accurate enough to pick off water bottles and pop cans at 25 yds easy enough.

[mold maker]

Yep 1911s have been in production for over 100 years, by every major gun maker, and more new makers ever year. New prices starting at $380. and the sky is not the limit. Everybody ought to have at least one.

[RobS]

Don't get me wrong I like a 1911, but there are so many other guns out there to look at. I saw a S&W M&P in 45 other day in the LGS for under $500. And of course there is the old favorite glock.

Not sure how I feel about hi point, I have a 9mm carbine. But the pistols can be junky. They work, thats usually not the issue. I was hanging out at the range my friend worked at, guy came in said his 45 was all over the place, 12in groups would have been conservative. A hi point, just would not group at all. Next one might be fine, but you generally have to buy to find out.


The 45 hi points can have large groove diameter bores.......shoot a .453 or .454" boolit and things come together nicely. I loaded for a friend and .452 boolits just didn't do it.

[Joni Lynn]

If I were looking for a 1911 and wanted to spend as little as possible for as good a gun as possible I think I would first go with RIA, then Ruger, Springfield Range Officer and then Dan Wesson. There are other guns in the RIA range, some even made by them.
Best wishes on finding one you will enjoy that will do what you want it to do.

[Joni Lynn]

One of the reasons I single out RIA in their price range is the reputation they have for excellent customer service. You may never need it but if you do, it's nice to know they are going to back up their product.

[Tom W.]

I loved my Colt GM when I had it, but my Glock 30 will shoot anything I put in to it, and it is so easy to fieldstrip...

[DougGuy]

The Ruger 1911 is a great value backed with solid workmanship and materials and Ruger customer service is second to NONE. My LGS keeps a stainless Ruger 1911 Commander in stock for about 700.00 and if I didn't build an Auto Ordnance 1911 with some WWII parts I would buy the Ruger.

Any really decent 1911 is going to run you around 700 at the low end. There are cheaper ones, but again, you get what you pay for. I wouldn't go out and buy the cheapest 1911 I could find for a carry gun, I would buy the most practical 1911 I could find and then make SURE it is utterly reliable even if I had to tweak some things like the extractor, ejector, trigger, etc. For my money, I would buy the Ruger Commander length 1911.

I have a Kahr CW45 for an edc at this moment but should I need to replace it, either my parts built WWII era 1911 A1 or a new Ruger Commander would be my choices.

[pretzelxx]

XDm are nice if you want a higher capacity at a good price!

[gwpercle]

You can get a brand spanking new Rock Island Armory 1911 Standard G.I. 45 for around $450, maybe even less, I have an old AMT Hardballer, it's one of the ones that works fine, but, not all do, some people have had problems . It might be a gamble.
Before I would spend $450 on a used AMT, I would spend that money on a new RIA ( they even have nickel finished ones) any problems and the factory is there for you.
Unfortunately AMT is gone, no parts and no service.
Gary

[Deep Six]

The FNX-45 is a nice option. Polymer frame, but single/double action with a real hammer. Best in class 15+1 capacity and still fits an average hand. 4.5" barrel and accessory rail. Plus it's an FN and runs like a switch watch. Mine is worth every penny of the $700 I paid for it.

[runfiverun]

nice to see you post Joni.

the Lady knows 1911's bout as good as anybody I know, and far better than I ever will.

[Treetop]

I now own two Rock Island 1911s and frankly I don't see how they produce such nice pistols for the price! Mine are both 5" tactical models, one in .45 Auto and one in 9mm. I probably have close to 4K rounds through them collectively with absolutely NO malfunctions of any kind.

These were all cast boolit handloads. 200 gr, H&G 68, 5.5 gr of WW 231 in the .45 and the 358242 120 gr. using HS-6 powder (can't remember the powder charge right now, but it was somewhere near the middle of the published range for that boolit in the latest Lyman cast boolit handbook.

Both my pistols were low to mid $400 each from Bud's. At first I didn't like the FLGRs (full length guide rods) but they do provide much smoother cycling even though they are slightly more difficult to field strip. Hope this helps, Tt.

[GhostHawk]

Love my Springfield Armory 1911. But, if I had to start from scratch, Rock Island Armory is where I would start.

Those guys have been building pistols one at a time since WWII, they earned that reputation for being solid and good to deal with.

[Tackleberry41]

The 45 hi points can have large groove diameter bores.......shoot a .453 or .454" boolit and things come together nicely. I loaded for a friend and .452 boolits just didn't do it.

Guess it makes sense..sort of. Its a cheap gun so making it shoot the vast array of off the shelf .451 sized 45 ACP ball ammo probably would be a pretty stupid idea, when it can be built to only really work with custom sized hand loaded ammo.

[RobS]

Guess it makes sense..sort of. Its a cheap gun so making it shoot the vast array of off the shelf .451 sized 45 ACP ball ammo probably would be a pretty stupid idea, when it can be built to only really work with custom sized hand loaded ammo.

No reason to be condescending. It should have shot jacketed ammo decently. You didn't mention the use of jacketed bullets and I thought you were taking about cast boolits................possibly a .002 or greater out of spec barrel. I've had other manufactures that have out of spec barrels too and not a problem as I shoot cast in all my firearms anyway. I had a Ruger P89 45 and it had a .452 groove diameter and I have a Rossi Lever action also with a .452 groove diameter so it happens.

[BigAl52]

Keep an American at work buy the Ruger 1911 and don't look back. Great gun and good customer service. Al

[Char-Gar]

The 45 ACP is a wonderful cast bullet round and very easy to reload for accuracy and reliability in an autopistol. reloading the round gives some folks fits, mainly because they try and reinvent the wheel and are not willing to stick to the techniques and components that have been tested and refined by over 100 years of experience.

There are a number of good handguns that chamber the 45 ACP round and a fellow should get the one that tickles his fancy. However if a person is neutral about make and model, I would most strongly suggest a good basic 1911. Why? Because this is the pistol designed around the cartridge and it is full of tradition, history and experience. It is the natural home of the round.

I find the prices of high end 1911s to be staggering. These pistols are loaded down with so call improvements, but I doubt that many are actual improvements. They are like electric windows and power seats on cars, they might add a little convenience, but they don't improve the basic notion of an automobile. When it comes to 1911 pistols, John Browning got it right the first time.

I started shooting and reloading for the 45 ACP round in 1961 with a USGI Remington-Rand 1911A1. I learned how to make the thing work for me in spite of the itty bitty sights and the less than wonderful trigger pull. Those GI sights are as accurate as any, just slow to use. The GI trigger was brought to acceptable limits with the use of a trigger shoe.

I still favor basic 1911A1 designs and currently have a Colt Government Model and a Norinco 1911A1. I have had several Norincos and they have all been well made solid, reliable pistols. Sadly they are no longer imported into the US, but are around on the used market.

I have not owned, but have handled and shot the Rock Island, Remington, Taurus and Ruger low end off shore versions. I have also had a Springfield GI. They all seem to work well for me. If I was going to get into the 1911 madness, and wanted to get a good reliable low end pistol, the Rock Island would be a good choice.

For fun here are my two 1911 pistols..the Colt and the Norinco.

[Blackwater]

A friend of mine was the chief instructor at FLETC in Brunswick, Ga. where they train all the feds to shoot. He told me that in their testing of various guns, which they were called upon to do from time to time, that the Ruger SR-45 was the absolute most indestructible pistol they'd ever tested. He said they're a little "clunky" feeling in the hand, and not the most accurate, but still plenty accurate enough, and if you're on a tight budget as so many of us are today, they can be had at very reasonable prices, which might be a big attraction. I'm not a fan of DA autos, so I've never owned one, but thought I'd pass along his assessment in case it might be useful to you. Some good comments above, too, and anything 1911 will always hold my respect, and the lower priced ones will do VERY well for 95+% of what we really need to do with one. Lots of options, and FWIW, I'd try to stretch to get the one that felt best in my hand, pointed and handled best, and was still in a price range I could reach. With guns lasting as long as they do, stretching my dollars to get one I really liked and felt good with has always worked out well in the long run, but the really spendy ones really don't offer NEARLY As much advantages as their prices would indicate, except in the narrowest and most limited applications. FWIW?

[stubbicatt]

I'm going to be "that guy" for a minute. My input on Ruger customer service is that it is quite poor indeed.

I purchased a full size SR1911. It shoots just fine, and overall I am pleased with the gun. As purchased, however, it would not allow one to clear the action by retracting the slide and ejecting a live round out the ejection port, which is the right way, and the way the owners manual instructs one to do. I placed 2 calls to Ruger customer service, they admitted they are aware of the problem, but will not take action to remedy it. They say, remove the magazine, pull the slide back and jiggle it until the loaded round clears the extractor and tumbles out the magazine well.

This is not acceptable.

I had this issue addressed by my gunsmith, and it will now allow one to clear the arm by pulling the slide back and sending the round out the ejection port. Love the pistol now, and it is a keeper. But I do NOT care for Ruger customer service, and for that reason I would recommend purchasing a 1911 from another maker.

YMMV

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Wow! You got lots of advice, almost all of it good. Seems like it's running heavily in favor of the RIA 1911. Oddly, although I've got lots of .45s that's the one that I don't have, but so many distinguished panelists have recommended it I wouldn't hesitate to buy one. There are/have been literally dozens of 1911 .45 clones, and it's been my experience that all shoot well or can be made to do so. Since there is such agreement in that area I'm not going to go over it again, but I'll address a couple of other options:

First, you might look at the EAA Witness. They're currently making them with poly frames, but they made an all-steel version in .45 ACP also. You might still find a new one, but might also find a nice used one in that $400 price range. They are high quality, reliable, limited a bit by a 10-round mag (but then our beloved 1911 runs 7 or 8). The only criticism is that, like everything based on the CZ-75 design, some find it a long reach to the trigger when the pistol is un-cocked. It can be carried "cocked and locked" though, which solves the problem. Unless you're the nervous type.

Already mentioned, the CZ97B. Quite a lot like the Witness in design, same pluses and minuses, a little heavier in the balance area because it has a full length dust cover. High quality gun.

No one mentioned Para-Ordnance P-14, P-13, P-12 series of pistols. The number indicates the amount of rounds in the magazine. The grip is thicker because of the high capacity magazines, and with average-sized hands I'm able to manage them nicely--but it takes getting used to. Here you have the reliability of the basic 1911 design with more ammo. What's not to like?

My very favorite--the Para-Ord LDA. I bought mine when they first appeared and still had a spur hammer--which is useless as you can't maintain it in the cocked position, nor can you actually thumb cock the hammer. They redesigned that out of the gun. I just like mine a little better than the later model because the hammer looks good. But--talk about smooooth.....and if you're a double action revolver shooter you'll like the trigger pull.These come standard or high capacity--so one can be found to fit your hand.
143263

One last comment, about the AMT Hardballers. I've had a pair for years, again purchased when they were new on the market. At that time they were made entirely of one grade of stainless which tended to gall itself in use if the parts weren't properly lubricated. The recommended lube was white lithium-based grease mixed with 30 wt. motor oil about 4:1. Enough to turn the white grease brownish, but not liquefy it. Great stuff, and still use it today for most of my lube needs on all my firearms. Later in production they used three different grades of stainless and largely eliminated the problem, but I've never experienced the problem with my earlier pistols and have used the homemade lube faithfully. So don't get scared away from a Hardballer at the right price.

[TXGunNut]

Haven't bought a new 1911 in quite some time so this thread is quite interesting as I'm thinking of adding a LW Commander to the stable. I'm leaning towards the SR1911 but several posts have given me food for thought.
Good thread, thanks OP and thanks for all the thoughtful responses.

[xacex]

A friend of mine was the chief instructor at FLETC in Brunswick, Ga. where they train all the feds to shoot. He told me that in their testing of various guns, which they were called upon to do from time to time, that the Ruger SR-45 was the absolute most indestructible pistol they'd ever tested. He said they're a little "clunky" feeling in the hand, and not the most accurate, but still plenty accurate enough, and if you're on a tight budget as so many of us are today, they can be had at very reasonable prices, which might be a big attraction. I'm not a fan of DA autos, so I've never owned one, but thought I'd pass along his assessment in case it might be useful to you. Some good comments above, too, and anything 1911 will always hold my respect, and the lower priced ones will do VERY well for 95+% of what we really need to do with one. Lots of options, and FWIW, I'd try to stretch to get the one that felt best in my hand, pointed and handled best, and was still in a price range I could reach. With guns lasting as long as they do, stretching my dollars to get one I really liked and felt good with has always worked out well in the long run, but the really spendy ones really don't offer NEARLY As much advantages as their prices would indicate, except in the narrowest and most limited applications. FWIW?
I am going to repeat what I said earlier. Do not get a Ruger SR-45 unless you are an engineer. Even then it will make you shake your head when you take it down to clean. Besides the Mark II pistol it has been the worse I have had the displeasure of working on. And they are not indestructible. The spring mechanism for the slide stop is a bad design destines to make your gun a single shot. Stick with 1911's for reliability, and design. RIA or others as stated, and the Glock if you want a reliable polymer pistol. BTW, I have not taken my Kahr aprt yet, but it appears by all account they are clones as far as function of a Glock. Might save some money there.
I am not singling you out Blackwater, I just have first hand dealing with that Ruger, and hate it.

[A pause for the COZ]

Another vote for a Rock Island Armory 1911. For as cheap as you can get them. You will be hard pressed to find a better deal.
I have had my standard Gov model for 4 years now and have literally thousand upon thousands of rounds through it.
Eats every thing I put into it, Has no issues with any brand of bullets or primers.
Its just a good solid working mans gun.

http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d66/Kelly2215/100_7677.jpg

[Whiterabbit]

Bill, I also don't care much for the 45 acp round and do not own any gun chambered for that cartridge.

But if I did, since it surely would be a one-and-done situation to check the box, it would be a 1911A1. All Steel. The design was right when it was first used, why meddle with success.

On the other hand, when ditto 223, I chose M16A1 or as close as I could get. When it's not a matter of ballistic interest or shooting function, History trumps all.

[Tackleberry41]

No reason to be condescending. It should have shot jacketed ammo decently. You didn't mention the use of jacketed bullets and I thought you were taking about cast boolits................possibly a .002 or greater out of spec barrel. I've had other manufactures that have out of spec barrels too and not a problem as I shoot cast in all my firearms anyway. I had a Ruger P89 45 and it had a .452 groove diameter and I have a Rossi Lever action also with a .452 groove diameter so it happens.

Wasnt trying to say anything in particular, just that seems a bit..short sighted for a company to chamber a gun in 45 ACP, with an almost .454 barrel. The guy in question was using whatever stuff he bought at the gunshop, standard jacketed ball ammo.

[Bill*B]

Most shooters about my age love the old 1911 platform because it is so familiar - as one writer said "picking it up is like shaking hands with an old friend". However - it is a 100 year old design. If you can afford its hefty price, by all means look at the Sig P220. Takedown is much simpler than the Colt, and to my mind (Now, don't flame me here! It's just my opinion!) that double action trigger and the decocker lever make it safer to handle.

[RobS]

I'll second the notion of an EAA Witness. They are easy guns to field strip and pretty easy to disassemble. They are built well by the Italian company Tanfoglio however the possible issues with EAA customer service should not be over looked. EAA imports and does not have the best customer service if things break down.

[Bigslug]

The two main categories of handgun are:

1. 1911's.

2. Other. Nothing wrong with branching out into "Other", but it's still "Other".

One of my officers won a Rock Island and brought it to me to detail inspect for giggles. Well made and shoots well. They definitely have a good thing going that I don't think can be topped for the price.

A trap many fall into is the perceived "need" to build/own 1911's with sniper rifle tolerances. Once you pause for a minute and ask yourself "What is this thing actually FOR?", you get over that fairly quickly.

[101VooDoo]

As much as I love my 1911s, the Springfield XDm is a outstanding gun for the price.

[TXGunNut]

....A trap many fall into is the perceived "need" to build/own 1911's with sniper rifle tolerances. Once you pause for a minute and ask yourself "What is this thing actually FOR?", you get over that fairly quickly. -Bigslug


DING DING DING DING DING!!! We have a winner! OTOH it's amazing the accuracy that can be wrung out of a 1911 by a talented 'smith and an equally talented pistol shooter.

[Char-Gar]

....A trap many fall into is the perceived "need" to build/own 1911's with sniper rifle tolerances. Once you pause for a minute and ask yourself "What is this thing actually FOR?", you get over that fairly quickly. -Bigslug


DING DING DING DING DING!!! We have a winner! OTOH it's amazing the accuracy that can be wrung out of a 1911 by a talented 'smith and an equally talented pistol shooter.

Methinks you have misconscrewed the intent of Bigslug post! The idea being that the 1911 is what it is, and often the dollars spent to tune it to a high degree of accuracy is not money well spent.

In my simple estimation a 1911 pistol is a companion pistol for the soldier, peace officer or brush popper, good for miscreants and anything with teeth and fangs that try to eat you. If can be pressed into service to add protein to the stew pot when needed. In it original configuration, it is a whale of allot of fun to shoot as well.

It got fixed up for target shooting back in the day when target shooting required the use of "The Service Pistol". Somewhere along the line, folks got the idea, that unless their 1911 wasn't turned up to high grade target/race gun accuracy, it just wan't good enough to own. This is utter and complete crapola.

Anyway, that is what I read into BigSlugs post. An unimproved "service grade" 45 Automatic (1911) is a wonderful friend in whom you can trust with your life and the life of those you love. Today these low end service grade 1911s come with much better sights and often a decent trigger pull out of the box. These are truly shinning times for Ol Slabsides.

[9.3X62AL]

Full agreement with both BigSlug and Char-Gar on the 1911-series pistols. I'm not sure which half of the equation I am more enamored with......the system itself, or its cartridge's abilities. A toss-up, I'd say. 104 years old, and still as popular as ever.

[Bonz]

and of course, something on the higher end of the 1911 line, the Kimber Super Carry Pro (4" barrel)

143359

[Char-Gar]

and of course, something on the higher end of the 1911 line, the Kimber Super Carry Pro (4" barrel)

143359


In have never seen one of those in the flesh..err metal..but I have thought those might be a darn nice carry pistols for the fellow with lots of money, but they are too rich for my blood.

[Char-Gar]

Full agreement with both BigSlug and Char-Gar on the 1911-series pistols. I'm not sure which half of the equation I am more enamored with......the system itself, or its cartridge's abilities. A toss-up, I'd say. 104 years old, and still as popular as ever.

That is pretty much my thinking on the matter. The pistol is a great design and the cartridge is an amazing thing. The cartridge is capable of fine accuracy and enough power to do what we 99.5% of what we want a handgun to do. That and the 38 Special are the best balanced and most useful rounds out there in the shooting cosmos. Throw in a 44 Magnum for the other 0.5% and I am done.

[Moonie]

We have several RIA 1911's in the family. I have a compact that I carry daily. All run great.

[Bigslug]

Anyway, that is what I read into BigSlugs post. An unimproved "service grade" 45 Automatic (1911) is a wonderful friend in whom you can trust with your life and the life of those you love. Today these low end service grade 1911s come with much better sights and often a decent trigger pull out of the box. These are truly shinning times for Ol Slabsides.

I suppose I can elaborate a little. It's been my experience that even frosty-bored GI guns with half the finish worn off them - so long as they haven't been Bubba'd - are capable of tighter groupings than 90% of the people that ever pick them up, and that many of the loudest complainers are sufficiently lacking in basic pistol fundamentals that the upgrades are more of a crutch for bad technique than anything else. No, a child of the '40's won't hang in an NRA Bullseye Pepsi Challenge against a Les Baer, but how many of us need it to? A dog food can at 25 yards is almost never a challenge for the gun. For most of the chores we put it to, I'd rather have a little looser gun that works.

[TXGunNut]

I may have not fully understood Bigslug but I think it was my post that was a little confuzzling. My duty gun for many years was a Series 70 1911 with most of the IPSC tricks of the day (late '70's), mainly to improve handling, reliability and target acquisition. Highlights were a trigger job, polished feed ramp, beveled mag well, S&W revolver sights, Gold Cup ejection port and an Armalloy finish. It has evolved a bit since then but it is no better than most of today's 1911's. Yes, the 1911 as issued in WWI is a fine piece of work but a 1970's era Colt was a kit, not a firearm suitable for carry. The early 1911's had tiny sights and the ejection port was a bit hard on brass but it was indeed a serviceable gun.
My old warhorse served me well, except when I made a foray into Bullseye shooting to improve my 25 and 50 yd PPC scores. I elected to shoot my IPSC gun, my PPC Open gun and a Ruger MKI in more than a few 2700 matches and sure enough, my PPC scores improved. I was shooting against and learning from some pretty salty shooters with equally salty pistols. As you may have noticed, a match barrel/bushing and slide fitting was not on my laundry list of upgrades. This old warhorse was built for speed and dependability, not accuracy. After awhile it held me back but I didn't care; I hadn't set out to be a BE shooter. A 1911 built for 2700 matches is a wonderful thing but it's not a carry gun. I don't think bad guys are much interested in alibi rules, lol.
Most of today's 1911's are much better than what was available in the early 80's, matter of fact I'm thinking a Ruger SR1911 may very well be my next 1911 if ya'll don't talk me into a RIA.
My apologies to the OP; it seems we have derailed, kidnapped and abused an excellent thread. I'd like to know how the selection process is going and as always I'm looking forward to a range report. I've carried a 1911 for some time but I haven't been shooting mine much lately. This thread is an excellent look into the 1911's available today.

[DougGuy]

I got the urge for a 5" Gubmint model with all WWII era appointments. I hauled some machinery from another state and earned a WWII Remington Rand slide and I found a complete Auto Ordnance frame on GB for right about $300 and couldn't turn it down. I wanted to build one exactly as a US GI armorer would, grab a slide, frame, barrel, a handful of internals and springs and assemble a working pistol.

The only two things I did during assembly besides check stuff for burrs and fitment, was to file and tune the extractor, and I throated the HS barrel so it would shoot cast. I hated even doing those things because would the battlefield armorer have done this or not? They might have bent the extractor so it was more or less correct but they wouldn't have filed and radiused it nor would they have throated a barrel. I also had to lap the slide to the frame as modern 1911s have seen improvements in frame dimensions as opposed to WWII era production. Okay so I can live with that much deviation from an as-issued GI .45 just like our boys would have got. It has a terrible trigger, but it is accurate, functions flawlessly and does not rattle too bad at all.

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/1911A1/20150609_135931crop640_zps8jlaettg.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/1911A1/20150609_135931crop640_zps8jlaettg.jpg.html)

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/1911A1/20150609_135950crop640_zps7ldnwgdv.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/1911A1/20150609_135950crop640_zps7ldnwgdv.jpg.html)

First 8 round string of fire for this pistol, fired two hand standing from about 10yds:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/1911A1/HS-LongThroat_zps8rbolkau.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/1911A1/HS-LongThroat_zps8rbolkau.jpg.html)

Happy 4th of July/Independence Day to all..

[oldfart1956]

Bill if you're going for the 1911 do shop around. Prices change and deals come up regularly. I've posted the Remington R1 at $399/TuarusPT1911 at $399/Citadels for an astounding $299/Rock Islands at Sarco now for $365 if memory serves. Check out the TISAS as well. Hickcock 45 was doing a 1000 round test on one of those on YouTube. Right now the market is flush with good affordable 1911's. Most of the problems with them seem to be magazine related and there's a load of different magazines out there. Note the difference between series70 and 80. I like the 70 series for simplicity but have 80 series as well. Finding better sights can be a challenge. Sight cuts run wild and no one seems to know for sure what fits what. The rest of the parts run puddy much standard. Better fit&finish costs a bit more as should be expected. Pick a good round nose 230gr. mold and gitter done. Audie...the Oldfart

[William Yanda]

Thanks all. Still looking. Shopped Bud's and saw the Police returns, S&W M&P45 for $379 delivered. Didn't look so attractive compared to new with the Retired Military discount. $130 difference between new and a "takes yer chances". So, as stated, still looking.

[betschet50]

I have a RIA that I bought for 450 and it's one of my favorites I here people saying there gun never jammed up with this gun it's the truth. I run reloads and factory ammo all round nose 200 to 230grn my pet lode is 230grn round nose with 4.7grn 700x I have ran thousands of these rounds thru it with good accuracy.

[robertbank]

Partially at the urging of my son, I am considering the purchase of a semi-auto in 45 ACP. I've been looking online and spent an hour at the lgs.
Offerings there ranged from the High Point to $1K+ guns. I'm thinking of looking again at an AMT @495. I don't need/wouldn't benefit from the high money gun. Would probably go for a new gun, possibly of offshore origin in the same price range. I understand that reloads may invalidate the manufacturers warranty.
Any thoughts?
Bill

Bill I love my 1911's but to be honest for the money the most accurate, reliable 45acp firing pistol I own is my CZ 97B. It weighs just over 40oz. has a larger grip than what some might find comfortable but for the money the gun is an amazing piece of kit. The only change I would consider would be better sights. Other than that the gun is capable of shooting with the best 1911's for a fraction of the price. It does have a large grip though and mine really prefer 230 gr RN cartridges. The gun should be able to be bought for around $600US or less.

For bush carry though I still carry a Norinco Gov't Model. It has never had a FTF with every bullet design run through her.

Take Care

Bob

[trickyasafox]

I'll second the notion of an EAA Witness. They are easy guns to field strip and pretty easy to disassemble. They are built well by the Italian company Tanfoglio however the possible issues with EAA customer service should not be over looked. EAA imports and does not have the best customer service if things break down.

Another vote for a Witness. I own a number of 'budget' 1911s- mainly RIAs and love them all. However for the money, the witness is nice. also it is one of the few witnesses that come in 10 round configuration, making them obtainable in NYS, which as indicated by your handle, is a concern.

[robertbank]

Another vote for a Witness. I own a number of 'budget' 1911s- mainly RIAs and love them all. However for the money, the witness is nice. also it is one of the few witnesses that come in 10 round configuration, making them obtainable in NYS, which as indicated by your handle, is a concern.

The EAA Witness is a clone of the CZ design. Customer service aside the gun has a solid reputation up here, though named and sold under the Tanfoglio name.

Take Care

Bob

[kysunfish]

XDm are nice if you want a higher capacity at a good price!

Or XD service model

[William Yanda]

I finally pulled the trigger.....on a used Girsan 1911 GS. With transfer and adding it to my pistol permit, I have under $400 invested. There are several features I like. The front strap and the spring housing are both ribbed. It is a metal frame, rather than plastic. And, the slide is dovetailed for the sights. I tried it with Winchester and Federal Ball ammo and experienced no difficulties. At 15 -20 yards, shooting at a paper plate with a 1 inch dot in the center, I could cover my first 8 shots with my hand. Bad guys look out. An additional magazine is on my to get list, maybe later better sights.
Thanks to all who responded, your input is appreciated.

[DougGuy]

Good for you William! I had the bug this month too I guess, in addition to the 5" WWII GI edition I posted earlier, I got the necessary components to replace a treasured old Commander I had built years ago that got away.

Haven't taken it out for the first string of fire but so far it's certainly ready to go..

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/1911%20Commander/NewCommanderJoined1024_zpse3kkxuw9.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/1911%20Commander/NewCommanderJoined1024_zpse3kkxuw9.jpg.html)