Originally Posted by
Army Chief
1. If you're serious about a high-performing 1911, set a budget between $1,500 and $2,500.
2. Go look at as many different guns as you can in that price range; especially those from Ed Brown, Springfield Armory and Wilson Combat.
3. Recognize that, because they are rather expensive, most 1911 owners will have a favorite manufacturer, which will normally correspond to whatever model they bought/own.
4. (See #3 above.) This means that most owners won't really be qualified to offer insights -- beyond the anecdotal -- into brands other than the one they chose, simply because of limited experience and exposure.
What follows is merely my opinion:
5. It is extremely difficult to beat Wilson Combat in a $2k class gun, both because of the pistol you'll get for the money, and the legendary support you will continue to enjoy after the sale.
6. The basic CQB from Wilson's shoots better than a 95th-percentile shooter pretty much any day of the week, and good deals on used ones can often be found with a bit of patience. This model gets my vote for price : performance ratio; especially in a lightly-used example. It has everything that you need, and nothing that you don't.
Disclaimer: I am a moderator on the Wilson Combat board at 1911Forum; however, there is a reason for this -- and I didn't accept the role until I had several years of WC ownership (various models) under my belt. Wilson's is the benchmark gun in this class.
AC