1911 Cost vs Quality

[Vjornaxx]

I have a Smith & Wesson E-Series - SW1911TA (SKU:108409) and I did a fair amount of research before making that purchase.

In the 1 to 1.5k price range, there are a lot of options and I wanted to know as much as I could about the major manufacturers. I had read about barrel rusting issues in Kimbers. There are stories of extractor tension issues in Springfields. Colt owners speak about poorly fitted triggers. I even read about OldSalt's feeding issue with the early S&W E-Series. The Sig's non traditional slide made holster shopping difficult.

I started to filter searches by time and date and found that most companies' issues weren't really changing in frequency, but S&W's issues have largely gone down in the last 4 to 6 months as they got there QC better and better.

The main features of the SW1911TA that appealed to me were the external extractor which requires no tuning or fitting for the life of the frame, the channeled slide top and serrated sights to reduce glare, and the accessory rail. Also, S&W was doing a hell of a lot for its customers who got lemons. One of the downsides to S&W is that they use a proprietary dovetail cut for the sights which is narrower than standard cuts. That means that unless the sight says that it is specifically designed for the S&W E-Series, it simply won't fit.

As of today, my SW1911TA has 1275 rounds fired (1250FMJ // 25JHP) with 1 failure. The failure was due to the factory mag sitting too low in the well causing the slide to fail to strip a round off the mag. All of my other mags have no issues.

One issue I noticed is that after firing 400 rounds of Winchester White Box, there is slight peening on the breech face. I have since had the breech face smoothed and switched to Federal Champion and the problem has not reoccured in 750 rounds.

Hope this helps.

 

[mcsurgeon]

if it aint a colt, its a copy.

 

[Magnumite]

Okay, just a little friendly return banter...lol...

That may be true, but it took Springfield and the others to improve the pistol.
Colt is still playing catch up.

That being said, you know I like Colt and like their 1911 parts. Well, some of the Colts.

For the question about the custom 1911's. The one off custom 1911 smiths typically start at about +$5000. Typically it comes out to more. And some of those guys are back logged over 10 years. A couple are no longer taking orders. If you decide to go that route one day, make sure you really know what you want in a 1911. Be rough making that purchase, waiting, then finding you don't care that much for it once you got it.
Wilson Combat takes orders on the Supergrade and will customize to order. That pistol starts at around $4500. Then goes up from there.

 

[Boats]

If you were most accurate with the Kimber, then you have answered your own question.

However,

I would go with the Les Baer. In 1911 circles a Kimber is "meh", a Baer is "oooooooh". And Baer makes a better 1911 anyway.

As far as I know and have heard the most accurate 1911 on the market is the Wilson Tactical Supergrade but that accuracy comes at a cost, eg reliability. That gun must be cleaned frequently.

The Baer is a superb mix of reliability and accuracy.

 

[sykesville]

If you were most accurate with the Kimber, then you have answered your own question.

However,

I would go with the Les Baer. In 1911 circles a Kimber is "meh", a Baer is "oooooooh". And Baer makes a better 1911 anyway.

As far as I know and have heard the most accurate 1911 on the market is the Wilson Tactical Supergrade but that accuracy comes at a cost, eg reliability. That gun must be cleaned frequently.

The Baer is a superb mix of reliability and accuracy.

I have never heard anything negative about Wilson reliability. In a 4000 plus dollar gun, I would not suspect reliability concerns. Anyone else ever hear of reliability issues with Wilsons?

 

[MDMOUNTAINEER]

I have a RIA Tac, which has done well, though not shot much.

I have a RIA A-1 which I've shot the snot out of and it shoots great. They crappy GI sights are okay for range work.

I have a Kimber Custom II that I absolutely love. It shoots JHP's just as well as ball. I've been carrying this one a lot lately. It's my current go-to.

I have a Springer Champion Loaded which is still unfired.

All that being said, I have no qualms recommending a RIA for a low end gun. For full disclosure I'm not a 1911 guy. I'm a Glock guy. I appreciate the 1911 design and have a few examples, but I'm not an expert. That cheapie RIA was my entry into the 1911 platform and it has thousands of rounds without an issue. The kimber has at least 4k through it as well and I really am confident enough with that gun to carry it. Which says a lot, because for the longest time I would only carry a Glock. In any event, it is an older model Kimber, and I personally wouldn't buy a new Kimber because of the horror stories.

 

[davsco]

I have never heard anything negative about Wilson reliability. In a 4000 plus dollar gun, I would not suspect reliability concerns. Anyone else ever hear of reliability issues with Wilsons?

yeah i have NEVER heard of reliability issues, that ain't wilson's mantra.

i have a wilson tactical elite which is their very top of the line tactical gun. the one that was more expensive was because of finer finish.

zero issues, this gun is just totally awesome, super accurate and always goes bang. of course, for the ugly price tag, you'd expect nothing less.

funny though, my glocks all always go bang and are reasonably accurate, and have larger mag capacity, and 1/5 of the cost...

but every man needs a nice 1911 in his stable.

 

[Boats]

I have never heard anything negative about Wilson reliability. In a 4000 plus dollar gun, I would not suspect reliability concerns. Anyone else ever hear of reliability issues with Wilsons?

Well, I guess we ain't been talkin to the same people.

 

[Indiana Jones]

I have a RIA Tac, which has done well, though not shot much.

I have a RIA A-1 which I've shot the snot out of and it shoots great. They crappy GI sights are okay for range work.

I have a Kimber Custom II that I absolutely love. It shoots JHP's just as well as ball. I've been carrying this one a lot lately. It's my current go-to.

I have a Springer Champion Loaded which is still unfired.

All that being said, I have no qualms recommending a RIA for a low end gun. For full disclosure I'm not a 1911 guy. I'm a Glock guy. I appreciate the 1911 design and have a few examples, but I'm not an expert. That cheapie RIA was my entry into the 1911 platform and it has thousands of rounds without an issue. The kimber has at least 4k through it as well and I really am confident enough with that gun to carry it. Which says a lot, because for the longest time I would only carry a Glock. In any event, it is an older model Kimber, and I personally wouldn't buy a new Kimber because of the horror stories.

You need to shoot that Springfield and include awesome pictures and a write up! Get on it!

 

[NickZac]

Holy old thread batman!

Personally for a 1911 in the $1,000 range, I like Smith and Wesson.

 

[Biggfoot44]

As to different 1911's being more comfortable , less recoil , etc :

Before there were AR-15s ( certainly before they finally became popular ) , 1911s were THE modular guns. Mainspring housings , grip saftey , trigger , and to extent thumb saftey effect fit to your hand , and thusly control and percieved recoil. All are interchangable. Certain out of the box pistols might have all or most of above in the configurations that suit You.

My first one didn't really fit me. It wasn't until I fired one that did , that the light bulb went on , and I realized what a 1911 is Supposed to be.