Posted on 06/25/2006 2:20:07 PM PDT by MistrX
I am considering the purchase of an M1911.
Kimber makes a nice .45 for the money. They're not cheap, but they're not $2500, either.
An STI or a Kimber is a good make...a decent 1911 will run you 1,000 and 1,300.
If you are going for bargain basement...you could probably pick up a Colt 1911 for around 700-800, but they tend to jam.
In Hoc.
Springfield makes a beauty. It's my favorite .45.
I carry a Springfield Champion, it's a little larger than
a colt officers model, I have never had any problem with it
when using factory ammunition. I did have some with a lot of hand loads a friend made, the oal was just a tiny bit long.
Good luck, get a .45 while you can.
You're not going to encounter any true Colt 1911 antiques as shooters. They're for collectors. The 1911-A1 has receiver improvements over the 1911, but some people like myself prefer a 1911 mainspring housing to the -A1 style.
If money is no object, Strayer-Voight, Sphinx, and even SIGARMS-USA have a 1911 clone in match condition, priced accordingly. S&W also makes a 1911-A1 clone in stainless.
Perfectly decent "GI" 1911 patterns can be had for lots less in price made by Springfield Armory and Rock Island Armory. Colt even made a clone of their wartime service pistol named the 1991-A1 a few years back. If you get into the more common 'Series' models of Colts, do your research first.
At the daily briefings during the invasion of Iraq, General Tommy Franks had a Kimber .45 as his sidearm.
IMHO, Springfield's basic 1911 is vastly superior to Rock Island Armory's.
What a fun thread!
I have had great luck in the past with Star PD's if you have need of light and small. Some complain about the frames on the early ones but they are reasonable and rugged.
Check out the Springfield GI .45. It is nearly identical to the service pistol issued to US troops during WWII, and has gotten a lot of good reviews. The parkerized version can be found for under $500.
Now that the variety of pistol has been established, does anyone want to comment on the load? Pretty much anything in .45 is going to hurt...
Hornady TAP Ammo - 45 ACP+P 230 GR TAP - FPD
Depends what you want to do. Loads range from subsonic with the energy of a 9mm to hot loads with the energy of a 41 mag. Making the .45 ACP one of the most versatile rounds.
Of course there have been a number of changes to the 1911 over the years, but the most notable way to tell the difference between a 1911 and the 1911A1 is that the 1911 has a flat backstrap and mainspring housing. That is the way the gun came during WWI. It was changed to a curved mainspring housing shortly thereafter, to improve "pointability" as I understand. Most of the current crop of 1911's use the original configuration. Having shot both, it is purely a matter of personal preference and either produces fine results.
Rethink your options.
If you are intersted in home defens, nothing beats a shotgun.
If you want decent power, and easy recoil, get a Mossberg in .410, with pistol grip. Costs around $300, max. It kicks like a .22, and has the power of a 44 mag (much higher than a .45). Your aim does not have to be as true, and the racking sound will scare the heck out of anyone.
Load it with #4 buck. Think of spraying the target.
I'd take that against anyone with any hand gun in my house.
Very, very tempting.
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