Posted on 04/08/2011 11:10:41 AM PDT by TNoldman
I am looking to get a 1911 45 ACP for recreational shooting, home defense and sometimes Carry. I currently have a .357 Taurus snub nose that I carry with .38 +P Personal Defense Ammo.
I would like an older, used Military Pistol and am leaning toward a M1911A1. I am not interested in modern day knockoffs at this time.
Anyone out there please advise pros and cons of the various vintages of 1911's. Is there a preferred Manufacturer?
Try to find a Colt series 70 or earlier. Classic lines and just cranky enough to have character.
Or one of the Springfield Armory Milspec (semi repro) guns.
You need to go to a gun store/indoor firing range that will allow you to fire several different models. I prefer the Kimber Warrior but YMMV.
Stay away from Auto-Ordnance...
The purists would say to get a Colt...
I just shot my new (to me) Springfield 1911-A1 USGI model for the first time last night. Very nice piece.
If you’re just looking for a plinker, brand doesn’t matter too much. The Rock Island Armory models made by Armscor in the Philipines are pretty decent and the price is good at around $500. Get into a Colt or Kimber and you could be talking $2000 - $3000, depending on configuration and model.
Good luck
They were going to let you buy your issued pistol when the Army switched to 9mm, but I believe Clinton had them melted down.
The purist in me favors the Colt's however.
This probably isn't what your looking for, but Springfield makes original styled 1911A1s. The GI, Mil-Spec, and Loaded. Going from fewest to most features. I have a loaded Loaded strapped to my hip as I type this. For the features, a very nicely priced gun. Got it used for around $650.
“They were going to let you buy your issued pistol when the Army switched to 9mm, but I believe Clinton had them melted down.”
Isn’t it a crying shame that we couldn’t have Clinton melted down when his term expired?
My father has a WWII vintage Remington-Rand 1911 that has always been incredibly reliable. Those, and some others made under contract by non-firearms manufacturers like Singer, etc. are a bit rare and kind of pricey, though.
That being said I carry a Kimber Royal II and given an infinite amount of money would carry and compete with an SVI.
I'm a computer geek, so I'd love to have an IBM M1 Carbine.
I’ve had several 1911s and the one that has the best ergonomics and handles best is the Colt Commander.
Same barrel length. Nice, heavy slide that eats up recoil. Same standard magazines. Great balance and a trigger that breaks nicely at just under a pound and a half.
Just sayin’.
While shooting on USMCR rifle team, our big bore weapon was a NM M1. When we changed to the NM M14, we were directed to take our rifles to the scrap yard to be destroyed. We all called our elected officials and Hdqrs. MC to purchase them and were denied. I almost cried watching them being destroyed. On another note, I have a Springfield Armory 1911A1, and it’s outstanding.
I have found that most any 1911 pattern pistol will function reliably with round nose FMJ military style ammo. With a .45 I do not believe you really need any other. That is why the military chose it in the first place.
I like that she can shoot the nine which is better suited for her frame, but she can pick up my .45 and be comfortable operating it if she needed to.
Neither pistol cost us more than $800.
True enough. The only problems with hardball are the potential for overpenetration and ricochet, which are of minimal consideration on a battlefield, but can be definite problems for household and personal defense.
Yep....what you said. Throw a 18# recoil spring in it.....
All of them. Mine started out as a Springfield milspec, one of the first in their milspec batch. But if it is 1911, and 45, you basically can’t go wrong :).
Semper Fi, Mac!
I LOVED my M-14, but have since discovered the beauty of my AR-15.
They wouldn’t let me bring my M102 home with me, though.
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