What 1911 brands to avoid?

[nightstryke]

While I've got a 1911 mine is an American Tactical Imports FX45MIL which means it's a Philippine made A1. Anyways, I've shot old former Military Service 1911's as well as other Colt's and a few others, the only brand I personally would avoid is Springfield Armory and that's only because of what Springfield Armory and Rock River Arms did to the people of IL and look how that turned out with "Assault Weapons Ban." So yeah, no Springfield Armory for me.

 

[Pappy]

like dsj said, I am surprised about the kimber remarks, My neighbor bought one and it is a great gun. maybe because its over 8 years old and they aren't as good now? I only have one 1911, A Para USA Officers elite. I hear many not so good things about them to, but mine has been flawless after one hiccup when it was brand new. it's my edc ccw for over 9 years now. it had all the features I was looking for. the only problem I had is that the EGW HD extractor broke after 30-40 rounds, Para sent me a new one, but I didn't use it. I drove down to WC and bought their "bulletproof" extractor, 9 years later still going strong
patience is the key when looking to buy a gun above your "budget", just keep saving up and wait until you have the money, then you can get the gun you want instead of settling for one you can "afford" now. The waiting sucks, but you will be glad that you waited when it's all over.
When I wanted to buy my 1st AR15, The ones I liked, I couldn't afford, and I didn't like the ones I could afford, So I decided to make my own instead of buying one I bought 1 part at a time until I had all the parts. it took me six months but when it was finished I had all the good parts I wanted and didn't have to remove/replace parts I didn't like. With the 3 caudle polygonal rifling 18" barrel I bought, it is a tack driver and still one of my favorites. I have built myself 4 AR pistols and just finished another rifle with a 16" polygonal rifled barrel. both my rifles are .223 Wylde, all of my pistols are 300 blackout.

 

[Airdale26]

I'm back in the market looking for a 1911 - do you have any countries or brands you avoid?

I've been checking out other forums and even /r/1911; I've seen several folks suggest staying away from Kimber or Taurus.
I would appreciate your feedback as I start down this path again.

One looking to purchase or acquire a 1911 frame there are lot of choices. One need to do their due diligence. First one should consider what you like to spend There are good reliable, functional 1911 frames thata are low or moderate costs. There high end unit as well.
Consider the use, Daily carry, Range only, home defense, competition, collector etc.

RIA, Remington, Sig, Ruger Colt, Kimber, Rock river are US made
There are High end Wilson, Le Baer, Nighthawk, and other others.

One you determine the the right 1911 frame you like you maay wish to consider full frame or compact as options.

Finally look in the Talk groups and forums as you have here as read the comments by those that used them and see if they like or dislike.

It all gets down to cost, appearance, and intended purpose. Just an opinion.

 

[mrowan]

My first 1911 was a Kimber and after sending it back a few times to make it function properly and giving up, I sold it and bought a Nighthawk. The Kimber would stove pipe at least one round every magazine. I now have 4 Nighthawks and they have run flawless from the start. I know it is a premium brand, but my frustration with Kimber drove me there. I am sure there are many other brands, as members have indicated that work great.
I prefer all steel firearms. Just my thing.

 

[nightraker]

I have a number of 1911s from various makers but haven't shot them enough to really make a recommendation. The exception is my 70's Gold Cup but good luck finding one. I can 2nd a prejudice against cast MIM parts but my machine shop experience was when CAD/CNC was a new idea. I hear good things about Production semi-Custom brands like Dan Wesson or a Springfield TSP. I lust after double stack 9mm 2011s from Springfield, Stacatto or Wilson.

All that said, I'd look at more affordable models with really visible sights and slick triggers in Commander length and alloy frames for a CCW life preserver and fun practice range toy.

 

[Imaduckin]

No but they look kind of cool. I'm going to the gun store / range today. I will see if they have any. I have the P365, a Glock 43x and sometimes carry the Smith 642 revolver. I'm always open to something better! Thanks!

I also carry a S&W 642 now, Arthur in the hands is making slides difficult

 

[johnk568]

Hi,

Your question left out alot of details. Now my experience has been with several different manufacturers. I own/have owned Colts, Remingtons, RIA, Sigs, & Springfields. I have them in 9MM and .45ACP and .22LR. Each one has it's purpose and I use all of them.

 

[Whit]

Sorry to see all of the negative thoughts on Kimber. I have a Kimber and it has been nothing short of flawless, but I have had it for more than 15 years. No failures to feed or fire, no matter what type of ammunition I have run through it. It was one of the higher end Kimber's and fairly expensive at the time, so I suppose that the saying is true: you don't always get what you pay for, but you never get what you don't pay for. I also have a CMP surplus 1911, a real mix-master when you look at it closely, that will run 230 grain fmj's all day long without a hitch.

Same here dhawk, my Kimber Pro Carry 2 has been on my side for over 10 years.Never any problems that wasn't cheap ammo related.

 

[CharlieOfan]

I don't care for Rock Island, and especially not Taurus. I have two Colt's, a 1918 vintage US Army and a 1930's vintage Govt. Model, both parkerized and not very collectible but fun to shoot. And since Colt pistols are priced higher than I want to pay, I haven't bought any others.

I mostly have a bunch of different models of Para-Ordnance pistols. But that's just me.

I like the Tisas USA 1911-A1 models and the Commander version, very much. And I've bought a few Caspian Officers Model/Compact receivers,
and used various uppers to make my own custom pistols including a Jonathan Arthur Ciener dedicated 22LR pistol and a Colt Combat Cdr. upper, purchased from a friend to make my own Colt-type "CCO".

 

[Mike D]

Mike, that's one GOOD lookin' Colt!

 

[Master Gunworks]

Personally, I think the Taurus leaves a bit to be desired. Kimber, I think is priced higher than the level of quality they are providing. Ruger actually doesn't make a bad 1911 for the money. There are a lot of decent 1911s out there.

 

[langshan]

I'm back in the market looking for a 1911 - do you have any countries or brands you avoid?

I've been checking out other forums and even /r/1911; I've seen several folks suggest staying away from Kimber or Taurus.
I would appreciate your feedback as I start down this path again.

It depends on your budget. I have 4 1911's. Para Commander is my favorite. I also have an ATI(avoid if possible, but it was my first 1911), and 2 rock island's which I am pretty happy with. I would love to get a Smith&Wesson enhanced 1911.

 

[wiper1015]

I'm probably not the one to ask about new 1911s. I look to the 1911 for projects.

 

[Pierre]

The first 1911 I used was an old USMC rattletrap from the civil war (only kidding) it worked and was accurate at 25 yards. Let's put it this way, I wouldn't want to stand in front of it. Just like the C-rats they fed us from the 1940's no one died.

 

[GoldenClays]

I'm back in the market looking for a 1911 - do you have any countries or brands you avoid?

I've been checking out other forums and even /r/1911; I've seen several folks suggest staying away from Kimber or Taurus.
I would appreciate your feedback as I start down this path again.

Good

Evening Turkey - I woudn't necessarily avoid Kimbers, but I personally wouldn't buy another one. I haven't found any troubles with the the Taurus 1911 if it's in 45, but do not buy the 9mm. A friend of mine has stated, and I've heard from other people. that they are unreliable for carry. Kimbers do not like to be dry fired, at all. I have had experience with a broken firing pin after 5 shots. Anyway, If you are just starting out, and want to go cheap, the Tisas GI Model 1911, I believe made in Turkey is a good start. The second one up would be the Metro Arms, American Classic II full size 1911. It's one of the best 1911's I own, and it's very affordable, accurate, and has all the features of 1911's and performs as well, if not better then the 1911's I own that are twice the price. The Ruger Commander is fine aand will last you a lifetime, along with the Springfriend Range Officer Model or the Ronan. Hope this helps you out.

 

[BlackFoot87]

I have 4 1911's. My first was a Remington 1911-R1. Good solid gun, then I picked up a Cimarron, that was made in the Philippines I believe. Fun to shoot. After thinking I'd never be able to afford a Colt, at the time, I chanced upon a Colt Mark IV series 80. It has almost no finish left, the left side of rear sight has a ding in it. There's even a tiny dimple in the front sight. It honestly looks like it was found at the bottom lake. I looked it up and it was manufactured when I was high school. I took it all apart and cleaned it all up and polished the feed ramp. It's the most accurate one I have. I can hit 6 inch steel targets at 30 yards all day. It's my favorite to take to the range and ends up being my go to carry gun. It's digested every round I've put in it. I liked it so much I ended up saving up and getting WW I 1911 edition colt put out a few years ago. I agree. You really can't go wrong with Colt.

 

[dennishoddy]

Have you tried the Sig 938???

I love carrying the baby 1911 Sig P-938.

 

[p269]

have had 1911 pistols from colt, kimber, sig sauer, rock island, sti, and coonan (not a true 1911) all of them have been good pistols. Do not know about other brands .

 

[Buck Buck]

Well you Turkey you.
You didn't make this easy. No price point, no intended use, just what to avoid. That leaves a whole bunch of choices to rank.
So, we all have our opinions and we ass-u-me everyone else does too.
Others have made similar comments, and I also would not buy Tisas, or anything from Turkey. They are just too close with both Russia and the radical Muslim elements in the Middle East.
I WOULD get -
Forged, Stainless Steel, .45 cal Only - add a few quality Wilson Combat 500 series magazines! And then be prepared to spend some money on parts and/or tuning as you desire.
Colt, Springfield, Sig Sauer, and Dan Wesson are all durable, good quality, reputable, and more or less affordable.
Some are 'tighter' than others, and some 'looser'. The original .45 had enough room to just run, in almost any conditions. Very comforting when you're at war! Maybe NOT precise, repeatable, or so great, if you're competing! (If you insist on shooting 9mm in a 1911, go straight to Dan Wesson and do some reading there on the differences).
Dan Wesson's high quality, production line guns are at MY top end $ wise. You can go higher-priced if you want; I just feel you exceed the price/ benefit ratio. For an extra $2,000, do you really get double the benefit in the $4,000.00 + pistol?
The more expensive customs can be better. So nothing wrong if you just want a Ferrari and can afford it - but funding a women & children's shelter or a homeless soup kitchen might make you happy too - just sayin'.

 

[cxm]

I probably should add that I bought a Tiash (which I probably mis-spelled) right after they hit the U.S. market. I liked it a lot.

Smith & Wesson makes the frames and slides for a number of other makers which (if I recall correctly) made SIG parts at least when the SIG 1911 was new, could have changed, but if so I have not heard about it.

Recently I noticed EAA is the importer of the Girsan 1911 which seems to have been a good choice. I am however extremely put off by EAA's abysmal customer service. Some years ago Mrs. CXM bought one of the EAA clones of the CZ97 and it went north almost immediately. Getting EAA to solve the problem was a real mess. Eventually it was sort of fixed(on the last trip to EAA service dept. other than the fact the trigger system didn't work right. I finally figured out the problem was a part put in the gun incorrectly and fixed it myself. We promptly sold the gun.

Anyway, a word to the wise for what it's worth.

FWIW

Chuck