the next one on my list

[mkmckinley]

That said, I haven't been able to handle a STI Spartan yet, and yes the Rock Island Armory's appear to be impressive...after dry firing several Colts and a Springfield, and two RIA's the least expensive $399 RIA had the cleanest trigger of the bunch...go figure.

And I am a trigger snob.

I can relate to that. I have had a trigger job done on just about every gun I plan on hanging onto. I had the chance to talk to a great 1911 gunsmith at Shooter's Supply on Bragg Blvd. in Fayettville, NC and get a little free education on 1911's. The thing with a good 1911 trigger job is that it has an expiration date. With good tool steel parts it's going to last a really long time but not forever. Crappy parts can start to change noticeably within four-digit round counts. I'm assuming Colt still uses tool steel for the hammer and sear which a decent gunsmith should be able to turn into something amazing for less than $50.

If a manufacturer uses soft steel or even MIM it won't hold that trigger feel for very long and your gunsmith will have to put in brand new parts if he does a trigger job. You can't polish a turd. Another thing to consider is that if a manufacturer uses MIM on something critical like a hammer or sear they may not have been very careful on any other part of the gun, either. You can get a good pistol with MIM in it but you have to stick to good companies that stand behind their products.

You might be able to save a little buy getting a decent MIM gun with a great slide to frame fit, barrel lockup etc and slowly add tool steel parts as you get the money and motivation. The only downside is that a gun like that won't hold a lot of the value that you put into it. Another thing is that you want to find a decent smith that will be around for awhile and will fix any issues that crop up with his work for free. Another option is to find a used Wilson or Baer or something with the features you want. That's going to hold its value very well and will have manufacturer support.

[mkmckinley]

That said, I haven't been able to handle a STI Spartan yet, and yes the Rock Island Armory's appear to be impressive...after dry firing several Colts and a Springfield, and two RIA's the least expensive $399 RIA had the cleanest trigger of the bunch...go figure.

And I am a trigger snob.

I can relate to that. I have had a trigger job done on just about every gun I plan on hanging onto. I had the chance to talk to a great 1911 gunsmith at Shooter's Supply on Bragg Blvd. in Fayettville, NC and get a little free education on 1911's. The thing with a good 1911 trigger job is that it has an expiration date. With good tool steel parts it's going to last a really long time but not forever. Crappy parts can start to change noticeably within four-digit round counts. I'm assuming Colt still uses tool steel for the hammer and sear which a decent gunsmith should be able to turn into something amazing for less than $50.

If a manufacturer uses soft steel or even MIM it won't hold that trigger feel for very long and your gunsmith will have to put in brand new parts if he does a trigger job. You can't polish a turd. Another thing to consider is that if a manufacturer uses MIM on something critical like a hammer or sear they may not have been very careful on any other part of the gun, either. You can get a good pistol with MIM in it but you have to stick to good companies that stand behind their products.

You might be able to save a little buy getting a decent MIM gun with a great slide to frame fit, barrel lockup etc and slowly add tool steel parts as you get the money and motivation. The only downside is that a gun like that won't hold a lot of the value that you put into it. Another thing is that you want to find a decent smith that will be around for awhile and will fix any issues that crop up with his work for free. Another option is to find a used Wilson or Baer or something with the features you want. That's going to hold its value very well and will have manufacturer support.

[Redhat]

I have a S&W I bought used ($450) that has been absolutely reliable. I use it for a range gun.

I also have a '70 series that I got used years ago. It had problems thanks to the previous owner "polishing" it. Lulily I had access to a top notch 1911 g-smith who was able to salvage it. I don't shoot it much anymore, but after he worked it, it was %100.

As you have stated, you are looking for an affordable range gun so I would look at a basic model from SA GI/Milspec or Colt 1991.

I would highly advise getting one with a beavertail grip safety if you can so you can shoot without the annoyance of it biting your hand.

[mkmckinley]

That said, I haven't been able to handle a STI Spartan yet, and yes the Rock Island Armory's appear to be impressive...after dry firing several Colts and a Springfield, and two RIA's the least expensive $399 RIA had the cleanest trigger of the bunch...go figure.

And I am a trigger snob.

I can relate to that. I have had a trigger job done on just about every gun I plan on hanging onto. I had the chance to talk to a great 1911 gunsmith at Shooter's Supply on Bragg Blvd. in Fayettville, NC and get a little free education on 1911's. The thing with a good 1911 trigger job is that it has an expiration date. With good tool steel parts it's going to last a really long time but not forever. Crappy parts can start to change noticeably within four-digit round counts. I'm assuming Colt still uses tool steel for the hammer and sear which a decent gunsmith should be able to turn into something amazing for less than $50.

If a manufacturer uses soft steel or even MIM it won't hold that trigger feel for very long and your gunsmith will have to put in brand new parts if he does a trigger job. You can't polish a turd. Another thing to consider is that if a manufacturer uses MIM on something critical like a hammer or sear they may not have been very careful on any other part of the gun, either. You can get a good pistol with MIM in it but you have to stick to good companies that stand behind their products.

You might be able to save a little buy getting a decent MIM gun with a great slide to frame fit, barrel lockup etc and slowly add tool steel parts as you get the money and motivation. The only downside is that a gun like that won't hold a lot of the value that you put into it. Another thing is that you want to find a decent smith that will be around for awhile and will fix any issues that crop up with his work for free. Another option is to find a used Wilson or Baer or something with the features you want. That's going to hold its value very well and will have manufacturer support.

[BBossman]

"If you treat your guns like you treat your lawnmower, buy a glock"-Ken Hackathorn

I thought that was a Vickers quote...

[Jason F]

All joking aside, I bought a STI spartan for my first and only 1911. It had so many issues that I couldn't diagnose that I said thats it for me and went with glocks. If you don't know a 1911 in and out and can't completely maintain a 1911 then you are probably in store for a disapointing purchase. Especially if it is your only handgun.

Maybe.... And this is partially true.

But I now own my 3rd, 4th, and 5th 1911's (I'm prepping #5 to give to my brother for Christmas), and none of them have required major alterations, maintenance, or tweaking other than regular springs, etc. (I owned 2 others previously, and those two also ran like tops and really didn't require much in the way of extra care or treatment beyond my Ruger or Glock).

And I'm dealing with Kimbers- 3", 4", and 2 5" models. So I'm not dealing with $2k+ customs, nor $400 bargains.... just $700-1000 "middle class" guns.

[Jitterbug]

With good tool steel parts it's going to last a really long time but not forever. Crappy parts can start to change noticeably within four-digit round counts. I'm assuming Colt still uses tool steel for the hammer and sear which a decent gunsmith should be able to turn into something amazing for less than $50.

I never really considered that regarding the previous comment I made about the stellar trigger on the RIA, so a good point to consider for sticking with the higher quality class of gun...so thanks for that.

[glockkid88]

I thought that was a Vickers quote...

well I heard Hackathorn say it on an episode of tactical arms and have been dying to tell someone that. The real deal is that I was not involved enough in my earlier years of shooting to delve into the world of the 1911 and learn to maintain and work on my own pistol. A good friend to me who I really respect once told me that unless I was willing to put in the time to learn the ins and outs of the design, it probably wasnt the right handgun for me. I took his advice and kind of abandoned the design. I do respect the guns though as I have shot a few that ran like new tops and were a lot more accurate than I could shoot them. Maybe someday I will get into the 1911 again.

[cdunn]

S&W has a couple 1911"s for under 1k,I have a 1911pd with about 3000+/- rounds through it and its been perfect.