I paid 500$ for my mid 90's era Springfield Armory. It looks, feels like GI issue.
My father in law was drafted out of high school, because he was a farm boy he was put to work running a D6 cat feeding a rock crusher.
The only problem was the Rock Crusher was working on making crushed rock for an air field up near Chosen.
For years he would not talk about that time of his life at all. Eventually he learned to share with other vets.
He mentioned to me that he wanted to hold one again. I did not question why, just went and found the closest 1911 to GI Issue I could.
Next trip when the wifes went off to the bedroom I put it into his hands.
It was like he was using it like a key to unlock old memorys. As he remembered an old friend his face would light up, he would smile. Then before long the tears would come. His whole body would shake. Took him both hands to just hang onto it. He did this for 4 hours or so. Then he thanked me, handed me back the gun. Asked what I was going to do with it.
I told him I won't shoot it much, little more than I need. But it will be kept clean, oiled, and in a special case. It is "Rogers Gun" even if he never carried it in combat. When his grandchildren are ready they will shoot it. Be told the story's I was told. It will be a way to remember a Grandpa as a special man.
One who survived the Frozen Chosen. It will be a heritage of his house.
And when I told him this he cried again. Gave me a hug. Asked what he'd done to deserve me.
You spent your time in H E L L old timer. Anything I can do at this point is long since paid for.
He is still alive, but racked with Parkinsons, and has been unable to see his wife for months because of the Covid.
To be Honest Rogers gun scares me a bit to shoot it. I have to reach down deep, grab a double handful of intestinal fortitude. Then grab the gun and make sure I don't make any mistakes. I guess it is built for a little bigger man than I am. Inside or out.
Sleep well Roger, we've got ya covered from here.
I truly believe we need to get back to basics.
Get right with the Lord.
Get back to the land.
Get back to thinking like our forefathers thought.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you
and give you His peace. Let all of the earth – all of His creation – worship and praise His name! Make His
praise glorious!
Very easy choice, Springfield Range Officer.
Phil
GhostHawk thanks for posting that .
Those men survived a trip to Hell and deserves the respect of all of us.
My uncle was a marine also at Chosin when they were overrun and was MIA for weeks , he was found on a hospital ship where thy could not id him until he woke up . He was saved under fire by other American soldiers strangers also wounded that would not leave him behind .
Amazing men .
The 1920s commercial Colts shot well, milspec had to be loose.
A properly built 1911 target gun will feed empty cases and run for 1000s of rounds with no faults, mine has, even after over 100,000 rounds.
I was able to get a new Kimber for $600. I'ts not one of the fancy ones, but has been working good so far...
Here's my advice. Take it for what it's worth.
1. Get the sights you want. It often requires machining the slide to change sights. If you want adjustable sights then make sure you buy them on the gun.
2. Get the grip safety style you want. Again it often requires machining the frame to switch.
If you could find a used Dan Wesson that has what you want I'd jump on it. BUT...finding one is like winning the lottery. Even more so with what's going on.
Also, don't buy one and start switching out parts. Shoot it first. Shoot it a LOT. Then decide if there's anything needed.
Be aware that 1911 parts are not drop in. Most of them are going to require some fitting.
NRA Benefactor.
Remington R1. Mine is the "Limited" model and was $549 shipped. It's been flawless, and even though I haven't bench tested it at 25 yards yet, it is showing promise at 10 yards off-hand with cheap ammo...
Attachment 265659
"Luck don't live out here. Wolves don't kill the unlucky deer; they kill the weak ones..." Jeremy Renner in Wind River
Another vote for the Ruger SR1911. I have a full size in .45 ACP & an OM in 9mm. Out of the box both have a 4 lb. (very smooth) trigger & excellent sights. In short: no modifications needed. In fact I'm thinking seriously about a LW in 9mm.
My series 70 Colt had many modifications & never quite made it to the point to be equal to the "out of box" SR1911s.
I just smile when I hear someone say the 1911 platform is outdated and unreliable. I know I am listening to someone who has never owned one or who is just not knowledgeable about them. I am a revolver man but the 1911 is one pistol which I have owned several and never found anything to complain about. I had a Colt series 70 that I shot in local combat competitions that would shoot a 1" group easy at 25 yards, most being one hole. My buddy who was a really accomplished bullseye shooter shot a 25 shot group at 25 yards one day after a combat match just to try it out. The group was just one hole with all shots in the hole which was about the size of a 50 cent piece. I envied his concentration as I would never be able to concentrate that well for 25 shots.
What are you planning to use it for? Casual shooting, CC, IPSC, or Bullseye competition makes a big difference in what options you want. Have had a dozen or so 1911's over the last 40+ years and accuracy varied a good bit but only maybe 2 or 3 were capable of 2" from a rest at 25 yards. In terms of mechanical accuracy biggest factor for me was trigger pull and adjustable sights. The fit of barrel, slide and bushing is important, but meaningless if you can't clearly see the sights (and adjust POA to POI) and/or the trigger pull is terrible . One recommendation I have frequently heard was to get a low cost gun and then add options. Disagree with this, as an earlier another poster noted this is not always a DIY project and by the time you buy all the upgrades (and perhaps have to pay to install) you won't save much, if any, money. Buy the best you can afford that has all or as many of the bells and whistles you want. If needed invest in a trigger job by a 1911 smith who knows how to give you a minimum travel, crisp 4-4.5# pull. Only 1911 I kept was a SA Range Officer, excellent sights, tight fit on parts, and a really good trigger out of the box. Only upgrade was a straight mainspring housing (personal preference) and grip tape on the front strap. Did pick up a RIA tactical a while back but used it as a donor frame for a Kimber conversion kit and have never fired it as a 45. Does appear very well made and had all the extras I wanted on a frame with a really great trigger. FWIW the fit of the slide, barrel and bushing was excellent and the low profile sights were easy to see although not adjustable. There are many, many options available today in your price range.
Another vote for the Rock Island.
A few years ago when I had my FFL, someone ran a special on them for $349, so I snagged a couple and gave one to my son. I was shocked at how accurate it was.
35W
The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn't care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.
There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.
NRA Life Member
My 9mm 1911 RI shoots great. Have the Ruger 1911 in 45. Like em both. The RI is less expensive and neither one has the dreaded firing pin safety.
Siamese4570
If your purchase has a terrible trigger, have a gunsmith replace the sear with one from Wilson Combat and stone the hammer legs to fit. It's an inexpensive and very effective trigger job.
#2 on the springfield R/O if it is not a duty gun, for duty you want fixed sights. My R/O from the box went under 2"at 25 yards and fed and functioned with al sorts of leftover reloads. It has yet to miss a lick with anything but dented cases.
Does the Rock Island 45 have a forged frame or is it investment cast? A wrong answer here would be a deal breaker for me.
I agree with Burnt Fingers on most of his post, especially about looking for a gun that already has most of the features you want, and about not changing parts willy-nilly before shooting a lot to see what you need. Alternatively you might start with the cheapest Plain Jane model you can find, shoot it a few hundred rounds, then have it built to what you would then know you want... you could probably do all of this for under your $1000 budget and get exactly what you want.
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |