Best 1911 under $800

[Horvy04]

Ok ok I know a ton of people have had threads of what's the best 1911 or worst for that matter but I am on a pretty tight budget and just want some advice from the people that know the gun far better than I do. I am looking for the government (full size) please correct me if that is the wrong terminology. Any and all suggestions/experiences would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone can point me to a place around Indy that would have the best price. I've been looking on here and found quite a few I like but I need the 50 posts. I don't want to just put random posts, so I'm not sure how long it will take me to get there. Anyways that's besides the point. Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[M67]

For $800 or less...

A Kimber Custom II (most basic) should be around that price, maybe a little cheaper.

I think Sig makes 1 or 2 in that range, but I could be wrong on that one.

Taurus (hate to admit) makes a decently solid 1911. Besides the fact they come caked in grease from the factory.

Surprisingly, Citadels aren't bad, triggers are good, hell they even have a polished feed ramp.

Remington, not bad out of the box but gutting it and rebuilding it would be a good option.

The Springfield Range Officer is getting a lot of hype, don't know if it's true, haven't seen one in months.

Ruger 1911 (but IMO it's just another 1911, just with a warning label).

For $800 you should have a wide range of options.

Personal experience though (besides fingering above mentioned guns) are limited to the Kimber and Taurus. Only shot my Kimber about 1300-1400 rounds, and a Taurus about 15 rounds, zero problems out of either (well, had jams in the Kimber, but that was with a ghetto looking 15 round mag).

 

[Double T]

I paid 500 out the door for my American Classic ii made in the Phillipines by MetroArms. It's on of my favorites, and had a better fit and finish than some of the higher end 1911's in the same shop. Very little machining marks, but they are gone now as they were on one of the slide rails. Gun shoots great, the mags are junk though.

I wouldn't buy a Kimber, series 80 firing pin blocks equate to crappy trigger pulls IME.

 

[Horvy04]

M67/Double T,

Thank you for your input I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out!

 

[Tydeeh22]

a used S&W id recokn'.

 

[M67]

Kimbers don't really use a series 80 style though. Smith, Sig, Taurus, Ruger, Remington do. Kimbers don't use a blade style, just a pin/lifter.

Of those being said, the Sigs and Smiths have good triggers out of the box, 5lbs, crisp, maybe a bend of the sear spring and you're GTG, same with Kimber.

 

[churchmouse]

Springfield Range officer. Period.
I hear the Ruger is nice for a bit less but we have 3 Range officers and many other 1911's
For the money, hands down go with the Range officer. Put a bit more with the budget and get an SA loaded.

 

[wagyu52]

Springfield Range officer. Period.
I hear the Ruger is nice for a bit less but we have 3 Range officers and many other 1911's
For the money, hands down go with the Range officer. Put a bit more with the budget and get an SA loaded.

 

[chris46131]

Ruger 1911 (but IMO it's just another 1911, just with a warning label).

Help me out...what did you mean by that?

 

[TopDog]

Sounds like this is your first 1911. I might offer that you should buy one of the lower end 1911's. Shoot the crap out of it, see if you are a 1911 guy. Get real familiar with the platform, tinker with it, experiment etc. Then start looking for a more high end 1911.

Any of the made in the Philippines 1911's should work. I would suggest a RIA. Not finicky on ammo or mags, will shoot just about anything.

Hate to see a person new to the platform get turned off by one of the higher end models with some finicky issues, ammo, mags etc.

Just my , I grew up with military 1911's (Goverment, GI models) no feed problems no problems with mags, not terribly accurate but you beat the heck out of them and they just kept ticking. Heck you could even commit a terrible sin like slam a slide home on a empty chamber and no damage.

Get a beater and get a real feel for the platform first.

Hint: I see used RIA's on the classifieds all the time for $400 or thereabouts all the time.

 

[the1kidd03]

Springfield, Taurus.....perhaps a little higher end, but used such as Sig, etc.

Springfield and Sig would be at the top of my personal list for that range

 

[sdbran01]

Range Officer +1

 

[Shift Zombie]

Desert Eagle 1911. 3.5lb trigger pull, polished everything, all steel, no plastic, dead bullseye accurate. You can find them for ~700 online. It's well fit, almost no rattle, and I've pushed the crappiest of crap ammo through it with no issues, same for hollow points. . .though I tend to buy Winchester or HST.

 

[M67]

Help me out...what did you mean by that?

They didn't really do anything to make it stand out I suppose. At least with their AR they made it piston.

Their 1911 is stainless, uses injection molded parts, internal extractor, has 3 dot sights (not even night sights), at least it uses a metal mainspring housing (unlike Kimber). I guess after a while production 1911s start looking the same and I wasn't impressed with it

It's nice for a production 1911, just nothing different. They just added a warning lable at the bottom of the frame (unlike Smith who added it to the side).

 

[1911ly]

I paid around $600 for my Citadel and $575 for a RIA and the dealer tossed in a box of ammo. You can find a good 1911 for less them $800.

 

[FERLACH]

I own a Kimber Target and an RIA. Kimber cost 2-1/2 times what the RIA cost. I have shot them side by side, alternating between guns. Kimber has the better trigger and finish, but besides that, I cant tell much differance. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[IncendiaryGunner]

In that price range, the Springfield Range Officer would be my first choice. If it was going to be a often carried firearm, I would also consider the Springfield Loaded (due to the different rear sights). Most of the Range Officers I have handled seemed to be tighter guns, so I would lean towards the RO.

As far as recommending where to buy - you might give Bradis in Camby a call. I cannot say for sure that they will have the best price, but they generally will.

 

[halfmileharry]

I'd go for my second Kimber Custom II IF I were buying another 1911 now.
Don't worry about a thing with them. Most of the talk is from non-owners reading some smack on the net.
Excellent gun, great shooters, dependable as any made, and mine was $745 out the door.
5K+ rds, only 2 misfires due to cheap primers not discharging. All original springs, etc still in gun.
I've had SA, RIA, Colt, High Standard, Norinco, Ruger, S&W, and all worked well.
The Kimbers have been much smoother top to bottom.
I've sold off all the others except the Colt GCNM 70 series and Kimbers.(except for some old GI collectors)

 

[wtfd661]

I wouldn't buy a Kimber, series 80 firing pin blocks equate to crappy trigger pulls IME.

Kimber uses the Swartz Safety which is tied to the grip safety and does not use a series 80 safety system. Therefore it is not tied to the trigger. Kimber has an excellant trigger pull.


For the OP, I would look at Kimber's Custom II, a Colt, or a Springfield. All of them have models that can be found for under your price limit. All of them make outstanding 1911's.

 

[Rob377]

I paid 500 out the door for my American Classic ii made in the Phillipines by MetroArms. It's on of my favorites, and had a better fit and finish than some of the higher end 1911's in the same shop. Very little machining marks, but they are gone now as they were on one of the slide rails. Gun shoots great, the mags are junk though.

I wouldn't buy a Kimber, series 80 firing pin blocks equate to crappy trigger pulls IME.

You've experienced a Series 80 Kimber? Find it and buy it, because it's a collectors item!

Series II Kimbers use the Schwarz safety, which uses the grip safety to deactivate the FPB.