Another 1911 Thread - Need Advice

[lindertw]

...the gun he lent me is his back-up to his back-up…

have you considered asking your friend if he'd sell this particular gun to you? Can't hurt to ask...

[d90king]

All pistols FAIL, that said for me there is no substitute for a well made 1911. Baer is putting out a very accurate (1.5" at 50yds) and a very reliable weapon. I find it odd that LAV would make that statement when his name has been on a combat 1911 for years and he also offers classes on just the 1911 platform..... He might say he thinks there are better options based on what you are trying to use your weapon for but dont believe he would say that they are not great service pistols. I will discuss it with him at class and bring this post up.

[Striker5]

• Do I just need to step up into a $2,000 custom/semi-custom 1911? Life has been pretty good to me. It would not be a hardship for me to spend that much on a 1911. But If I do I need it to be as reliable as any machine can be.

I am in the middle of upgrading my ORM 1991A1 I bought in 1998. I am projecting a cost (including the original price of the pistol and shipping) of $12-1300. Some very basic upgrades (sights, safeties), a de-horning job, and a parkerized finish. i can do without the hand checkered work of art stuff.

I think the big price tags in 1911's come from having work done by a particular master craftsman or having a lot of aesthetic stuff done. "Due to personal preference, I had the mag release milled out of a solid block of platinum".

I think you can get a reliable, fighting 1911 in the 1000-1500 price range. However, I would listen to Larry Vickers or Hilton Yam before I would listen to me.

[Grey]

have you considered asking your friend if he'd sell this particular gun to you? Can't hurt to ask...

I have thought about it but I don’t want to ask. He did offer to loan me a back-up gun at any time once I get my owe 1911. He is a good guy and a great friend.

I spent some time last night looking at the Les Baer website. It looks like the Thunder Ranch gun has the features that I want. This seems to be a pretty straight forward design and well executed. Does anyone have any feedback on the Thunder ranch Special?

[markm]

3. The kind who have been through the cycle of 1911 fandom and have kept or discarded their 1911s according to their needs.

That's me. .... the cycle of buying all the aftermarket mags and gadgetry to try and make the 1911 reliable.
I guess we all have to go thru it sooner or later.

Good overall summary of the 1911 scenario!

[SHIVAN]

A 1911 under $2000 can be a dependable carry/defense firearm. It is not meant for the lowest common denominator, and you really need to be an enthusiastic owner (I used to say "dedicated owner", but LAV gave me a word that fit better).

Think about this for a minute...

You can take a box stock used Kimber or Springfield for around $600. Send it off to a shop that deals with 1911's. I personally like Novak's work and quick turnaround, but there are others, and you can replace all the questionable parts with hardened, hand fitted pieces.

You can get a reliability job, that takes care of many of the issues with tight chamber or rough feedramp, etc.

Get your sights zeroed at 25yds or your preferred zero....with your ammo of choice.

Yet still walk away with a total WELL under $1500, and what will most likely amount to a Glock level of reliability -- or damn close.

You will still need to lube a 1911, and probably clean it every now and then...but I have seen some that didn't need anything to keep running...

I have well over 3500rds on my box stock Kimber Warrior, and up until I took Larry's 1911 Operator's course, I'd never had an issue with it. When I tried to "tune" an extractor without the requisite know-how, I created an issue...

I got that fixed by a competent gunsmith afterwards. Ironically, even though I screwed up the extractor's grip, the gun still did everything fine -- so long as the mag was inserted. When we test fired with the mag out, I got some weak extraction where the empty fell through the mag well.

Long story short, I trust all my pistols equally. Why? I shoot them quite a bit, and if I ever had an issue they got fixed and then they got gone. I've had very few pistol issues, and only the one issue above was 1911 related.

[Alaskapopo]

A properly set up 1911 will run with any modern auto in the reliablity department. My CQB has gone 2000 rounds without cleaning and without a malfunction firing a variety of ammo from lead semi waddcutters to 200 grain Speer JHP's.

1911's do require more maintance. (more frequent cleaning and changing of springs inspecting the ejector/extractor ect) But if properly maintained there is no better combat sidearm. Hence their popularity amount the best of the best. (ie Marine Force Recon, LAPD SWAT, FBI's HRT, ect)
Pat

[BushmasterFanBoy]

Any 1911 will work just fine, provided the pistol is set up right.

This custom 1911 fad gives the impression that the only 1911 that will function well is one that costs over $2,000 or some other arbitrary number. This simply isn't true. The custom 1911 is made for an individual who is willing to spend a little bit extra on a handgun. The individual might have an appreciation for the little details that go into a custom 1911 and enjoys having a well made weapon. Usually the extra hand work that goes into a custom piece will catch any problems with the pistol that may cause function issues.
A huge factory such as Kimber which throws out thousands of pistols, means that each pistol is less likely to receive the look over which is so critical to making sure the 1911 works properly. Naturally many poor examples are put out.


Take for example my Kimber Warrior. It's been shot to hell, been back to Kimber several times (Extraction issues, tight chamber, poorly shaped slide catch), and been shot some more. It works and shoots better than I can shoot it. I don't think it takes anything more to keep running than my M9, you just need to hold the manufacturer responsible for putting out a shoddy product. Make them fix their mistakes, not some high end gun smith.

[Alaskapopo]

Any 1911 will work just fine, provided the pistol is set up right.

This custom 1911 fad gives the impression that the only 1911 that will function well is one that costs over $2,000 or some other arbitrary number. This simply isn't true. The custom 1911 is made for an individual who is willing to spend a little bit extra on a handgun. The individual might have an appreciation for the little details that go into a custom 1911 and enjoys having a well made weapon. Usually the extra hand work that goes into a custom piece will catch any problems with the pistol that may cause function issues.
A huge factory such as Kimber which throws out thousands of pistols, means that each pistol is less likely to receive the look over which is so critical to making sure the 1911 works properly. Naturally many poor examples are put out.


Take for example my Kimber Warrior. It's been shot to hell, been back to Kimber several times (Extraction issues, tight chamber, poorly shaped slide catch), and been shot some more. It works and shoots better than I can shoot it. I don't think it takes anything more to keep running than my M9, you just need to hold the manufacturer responsible for putting out a shoddy product. Make them fix their mistakes, not some high end gun smith.

Anymore I do think you need a high end 1911 to get a good one. Your Kimber Warrior turned out good. My friends had to go back to the factory 4 times before it ran right. With the high costs of shipping a pistol he could have bought a Wilson.
Pat

[Grey]

Take for example my Kimber Warrior. It's been shot to hell, been back to Kimber several times (Extraction issues, tight chamber, poorly shaped slide catch), and been shot some more. It works and shoots better than I can shoot it. I don't think it takes anything more to keep running than my M9, you just need to hold the manufacturer responsible for putting out a shoddy product. Make them fix their mistakes, not some high end gun smith.

This is what I would like to avoid. I had to send my Kimber back a few times and it still never ran well. But to be fare I had to send one of my Glock 21’s back for service, so stuff does happen. But my Kimber experience more of less turned me off to the 1911. My hope is that a higher end 1911 like the Les Baer I shot last weekend will be a pleasure to shoot and to own. It may never replace my Glock 21 or Glock 19 as my primary carry weapons but I would like to have a reliable 1911 in any case.