First 1911 recommendations

[narco23]

Well a little while back I took the plunge and got engaged. My bride to be is pretty supportive of my shooting hobby and typically doesn't mind the expense either. She knows that I have been looking at my first 1911 for a little while and it sounds like she may be willing to purchase it as a wedding day gift.She was hinting around and asking about them and as a joke I tossed out a Wilson Combat 1911 and to my surprise she seemed pretty on board and liked the various customization ideas.

I don't really know a lot about 1911 and am looking for some suggestions or feedback. Right now I am leaning towards a 5" CQB. Are there any upgrades that I should stay away from or focus on? I know it is a quality piece and somethings may simply be user preference. Am I going too far off the deep end by jumping so far in right away? Should I just stick with a Colt and call it a day?

[SeriousStudent]

If I may be so bold?

Go to the search button, and look for threads by the following user accounts with "1911" in the contents or title. They are listed in alphabetical order, just to be fair to them all.

Army Chief
BigJoe
Chuck
Dave Berryhill
Jason Burton
Larry Vickers
Mr. Smith
Rana

I'm positive I'm leaving out some awesome folks, and that is completely accidental on my part, with no malice intended. But I have found these people's advice about 1911's very, very useful.

And then read, read, read.

[Meplat]

As someone who is pretty new to 1911s, my recommendation is that you start with something basic and fairly stock like a carbon 5" Colt or Springfield, put at least a thousand rounds through it, and then go from there. This seems to be pretty universal advice from all the 1911 big shots out there, and I myself am glad I followed it. There are a ton of bells and whistles for 1911s out there, but without a frame of reference and experience with what you're shooting, you might end up spending more money than you needed to and having features that you don't use or may not even like at all.

Going with a simple option like the one stated above will allow you to get a feel for 1911s without the massive price tag that many semi and full custom 1911s command. When you do decide to upgrade your gun, you will be more familiar with it and have a better idea for what you need and want to buy; More than likely the amount it will cost for the upgrades you want will be right in the same neighborhood of what it would have initially cost you to jump into the semi and full custom market, perhaps even less.

Of course, you could buy the Wilson, which is by all means a great purchase, but I personally feel that you would appreciate it more if you had experience and were ordering it to specifics that you really were fixed on and knew you wanted. And remember, if you purchase a good basic 1911 like a Colt and don't you or anyone else monkey with it, you can always send it in to Wilson or any other reputable smith to have the same work done on it, minus their logo.

[narco23]

Of course, you could buy the Wilson, which is by all means a great purchase, but I personally feel that you would appreciate it more if you had experience and were ordering it to specifics that you really were fixed on and knew you wanted. And remember, if you purchase a good basic 1911 like a Colt and don't you or anyone else monkey with it, you can always send it in to Wilson or any other reputable smith to have the same work done on it, minus their logo.

I agree with the appreciation aspect. However, my fiancée is kind of pushing for the custom as. Once in a life time gift from her. I'm not huge on turning an awesome gift down either.

I will keep reading and researching as well. 1911's have always interested me and I want to learn more.

[givo08]

First you need to decide what it will be for. Just plinking at the range? IDPA/USPSA type competitions? Home defense? Every day carry? From there, figure out what features you need.

If you want a competition/home defense gun, i'd strongly suggest 5" model with a magwell. If you want it for every day carry, you can conceal a full size gun, but you may be more interested in a commander 4.25" gun with a bobtailed grip.

I would strongly look at the Springfield Professional (although the wait will be much longer) or Wilson Combat CQB for a semi-custom gun. I would personally stick as close to the original design as possible (barrel bushing, GI recoil spring setup, series 70 design).

[narco23]

First you need to decide what it will be for. Just plinking at the range? IDPA/USPSA type competitions? Home defense? Every day carry? From there, figure out what features you need.

If you want a competition/home defense gun, i'd strongly suggest 5" model with a magwell. If you want it for every day carry, you can conceal a full size gun, but you may be more interested in a commander 4.25" gun with a bobtailed grip.

I would strongly look at the Springfield Professional (although the wait will be much longer) or Wilson Combat CQB for a semi-custom gun. I would personally stick as close to the original design as possible (barrel bushing, GI recoil spring setup, series 70 design).

Looking more HD than CCW and am leaning towards the 5" barrel. From there I am pretty open.

[Norinco]

I don't really know a lot about 1911

Start Here my friend. Where you posted your thread.

https://www.m4carbine.net/forumdisplay.php?f=176

[badness]

Well a little while back I took the plunge and got engaged. My bride to be is pretty supportive of my shooting hobby and typically doesn't mind the expense either. She knows that I have been looking at my first 1911 for a little while and it sounds like she may be willing to purchase it as a wedding day gift.She was hinting around and asking about them and as a joke I tossed out a Wilson Combat 1911 and to my surprise she seemed pretty on board and liked the various customization ideas.

I don't really know a lot about 1911 and am looking for some suggestions or feedback. Right now I am leaning towards a 5" CQB. Are there any upgrades that I should stay away from or focus on? I know it is a quality piece and somethings may simply be user preference. Am I going too far off the deep end by jumping so far in right away? Should I just stick with a Colt and call it a day?

imo, no you are not jumping so far right away. As with the AR world, buy once, cry once. If you buy a "compromise" gun, you'll always be desiring more, then you'll probably end up selling whatever you bought to fund a WC anyway.

Just be extra extra careful when disassembling/re-assembling the gun.....especially the slide stop. You don't want an "idiot" mark on a $3000 gun. However if you're one of those types that look as firearms as nothing but tools, then it wouldn't matter to you anyway.

[my9thtry]

I bought a para for my first, and wish it was a Dan Wesson. If you appreciate the finer things go for it the first time

[Army Chief]

While a Wilson is one heck of a "starter pistol," I would keep things pretty simple, as it is possible to get sucked into a swirling vortex of senseless upgrades for the sake of, well ... keeping pace with other, equally-clueless Wilson owners, if we're to be perfectly honest about it. A lot of these guns never see 500 rounds, which is a shame, because they are true thoroughbreds.

A CBQ or CQB Elite (5") is more than enough gun for the 99th-percentile shooter, represents a good value compared to other pistols in their lineup and is a joy to shoot. For your intial foray into the 1911 world, I would avoid the temptation to go with a non-standard version (compact, subcompact, railed ...), and just focus on competence with the original recipe. In time, you will gain a much clearer understanding of what other variations do or do not bring to the table, and nobody ever went wrong with a full-sized 1911. With proper leather, you will be surprised at how readily it's flat profile lends itself to concealment, even in 5" trim.

Keep in mind, of course, that there is some serious waiting associated with commissioning a new Wilson right now, and if you choose to buy from existing dealer stock to avoid the wait, you'll be more limited as to configuration and could well pay a premium.

Although it doesn't likely conform to your needs (i.e. "once in a lifetime gift"), you might also find some benefit in shopping for used Wilsons. Given that many of them are purchased more for collecting cachet than competence, you can often find near-new guns for a more reasonable outlay, and if anything should ever go awry with the gun, Wilson's will always make it right.

Would I consider a Colt, as well? Absolutely. Even if purchased with the express intent of using it as a base gun for some future custom project, a Colt will always hold its value and should prove more than adequate for the need. Plus, on the intangible side -- and I say this as a guy who owns/has owned multiple Wilsons -- there is nothing quite like having a Hartford original. Even if you start with a Wilson, if you stay involved with the 1911, there will come a day when you realize that you still need a Colt or three. It's simply the nature of the game.

AC