Shopping for my first 1911

[churchmouse]

Call Plainfield shooting......they may have one.

 

[DIRTROAD]

Try Indiana gun club they have a lot of 1911's

 

[osbornk]

IMHO, I would stay away from the Rock Island and lower dollar variety 9mm 1911's.

I heard those warnings from people who had never owned one but I bought one anyway. I bought a RIA tactical in 9mm far cheaper than the recommended "brand names". The brand names my be prettier and slicker but they aren't more reliable or accurate. Mine has been flawless and is very accurate. It also has a lifetime warranty regardless of how many owners it has had.

Rock Island Armory also has a Facebook group that is very active. The president of Rock Island Armory participates and gives good advice as do the members.

 

[anthony010]

I have the Springfield RO Champion in 9mm. I got it for Christmas and just had a chance to shoot it last weekend. I was smiling ear to ear. Ran some hollows, reloads, and cheap walmart ammo through without any probs. Cant wait to shoot it again.
The reason I went with the Champ over the compact was because I want to get work done and bobtail the grip later on. I am very happy with the purchase. I bought from Sportsmans Guide but the buds price posted earlier is the best Iv'e seen.

Heres a pic with my other Christmas goodies. The other 1911 is a Shooters Arms Comodore in .45 I picked up as a project gun, and the Scorpion Evo

 

[anthony010]

I would 100% wait, save a bit more and buy a Dan Wesson Pointman 9. You can find used a PM9 for around 1200... New ones run $1400. Imo, buying a proven 1911 with no mim parts will pay off for you in the long run. You also know it's going to perform... Unlike a lot of Ria,SA, Rem, and others I personally have owned.

The Dan Wesson that would better fit the OPs want list would be the DW Gaurdian in 9mm. I was almost ready to pull the trigger on it but decided to buy my Springer and EVO for the same price.But later I will eventually send the Springer off for trigger, barrel, slide and frame work.

 

[Lowe0]

I heard those warnings from people who had never owned one but I bought one anyway. I bought a RIA tactical in 9mm far cheaper than the recommended "brand names". The brand names my be prettier and slicker but they aren't more reliable or accurate. Mine has been flawless and is very accurate. It also has a lifetime warranty regardless of how many owners it has had.

Rock Island Armory also has a Facebook group that is very active. The president of Rock Island Armory participates and gives good advice as do the members.

The brand names do have one advantage through, at least some of them: they're made here in the States. I'll pay the extra money for that.

 

[churchmouse]

I heard those warnings from people who had never owned one but I bought one anyway. I bought a RIA tactical in 9mm far cheaper than the recommended "brand names". The brand names my be prettier and slicker but they aren't more reliable or accurate. Mine has been flawless and is very accurate. It also has a lifetime warranty regardless of how many owners it has had.

Rock Island Armory also has a Facebook group that is very active. The president of Rock Island Armory participates and gives good advice as do the members.

The metallurgy on your gun is inferior to the models you think are over priced. If you have a good one and enjoy it then good on you.
If you are a casual range plinker you should have a good luck with it. I hope you do.
I have been deep in way to many RIA's to ever want to own one. The spec was way off on many of them. When it comes time to put some nice parts in it this usually shows up.

I have seen a few of the newer ones that were fit up fairly well. Shot well and never missed a beat.
But............Aftermarket parts required a lot of work to fit up properly.

It is a good thing that the Pres. joins in on the fun.

Just look it over real well when you exceed 3500 rds.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

I have the Springfield RO Champion in 9mm. I got it for Christmas and just had a chance to shoot it last weekend. I was smiling ear to ear. Ran some hollows, reloads, and cheap walmart ammo through without any probs. Cant wait to shoot it again.
The reason I went with the Champ over the compact was because I want to get work done and bobtail the grip later on. I am very happy with the purchase. I bought from Sportsmans Guide but the buds price posted earlier is the best Iv'e seen.

Heres a pic with my other Christmas goodies. The other 1911 is a Shooters Arms Comodore in .45 I picked up as a project gun, and the Scorpion Evo

Santa was VERY good to you!

 

[88E30M50]

I heard those warnings from people who had never owned one but I bought one anyway. I bought a RIA tactical in 9mm far cheaper than the recommended "brand names". The brand names my be prettier and slicker but they aren't more reliable or accurate. Mine has been flawless and is very accurate. It also has a lifetime warranty regardless of how many owners it has had.

Rock Island Armory also has a Facebook group that is very active. The president of Rock Island Armory participates and gives good advice as do the members.

It's not that the RIA 1911s are all bad out of the box, but that you stand a better chance of getting a problem pistol with an RIA than with higher end pistols. That's changing somewhat though, as RIA improves their processes.

With 1911s, as price climbs, you tend to gain two things. First, materials improve as the price goes up and second, the chance of a bad pistol making it out of the factory decreases. The thing that screws a lot of guns up is tolerance stacking. If a manufacturer has a 1.000 +/- .008 tolerance for a part for example, and it mates to a series of other parts that have similar tolerances, on average, things even out. For every part that's .005 over size, there is most likely another part that's .005 undersize and the overall tolerance stack stays reasonable. But, if the luck of the draw finds a pistol that has all of the parts leaning in one direction, it can push the limits of the design to function. Now, if a manufacturer holds their tolerances to a higher level and has a .004 +/- tolerance overall, the chances of a complete pistol being totally skewed in one direction is lower, so they tend to see fewer issues in the field. All of this is just to illustrate a point though with made up numbers. The point is, if a manufacturer loosens their tolerance limits, they fail fewer parts. If they build 10,000 pistols, they may see a larger number of pistols with issues, but they cover that with a strong warranty to keep customers happy.

If a manufacturer better materials and has tighter tolerances, they fail a larger number of parts which raises costs, but they see fewer issues in the field and don't need as strong a warranty because they expect every pistol to work. The pistols cost more to produce, but people are willing to pay more for them.

All manufacturers have their place in the market.

 

[churchmouse]

I have the Springfield RO Champion in 9mm. I got it for Christmas and just had a chance to shoot it last weekend. I was smiling ear to ear. Ran some hollows, reloads, and cheap walmart ammo through without any probs. Cant wait to shoot it again.
The reason I went with the Champ over the compact was because I want to get work done and bobtail the grip later on. I am very happy with the purchase. I bought from Sportsmans Guide but the buds price posted earlier is the best Iv'e seen.

Heres a pic with my other Christmas goodies. The other 1911 is a Shooters Arms Comodore in .45 I picked up as a project gun, and the Scorpion Evo

I have a Champion in .45 and just brought a Scorpion home tonight.

 

[saintnick81]

I have it narrowed down to 2 guns. Springfield RO Champion 9mm and Kimber Pro Carry II 9mm. I have not been able to handle either gun locally. I have handled a SA RO, not the champion, and it felt great. Both guns are within my budget. Right now I am leaning toward the SA but I do like the look of the Kimbers, both stainless and two tone.

Just not sure if I am being seduced by the name and the looks on the Kimber. I just want to get the most for my money, sub $800.

Is there anything else i'm missing? I handled a RIA and I just did not care for the fit and finish.

 

[VERT]

There is a some Kimber hate on INGO but I think your two choices are the best in that price range. My decision would be the same as yours.

 

[saintnick81]

Ordered the SA RO Champion today from my LGS! Now the waiting begins. Thanks for all the advice and guidance.

 

[VERT]

Ordered the SA RO Champion today from my LGS! Now the waiting begins. Thanks for all the advice and guidance.

Cool! Guy that works with me and another shooting buddy of mine both want one of those. Seems to be a sought after pistol.

 

[LCSOSgt11]

A commander sized pistol in all steel is a good compromise. A Colt Combat Commander is a good choice. A Colt CCO is also a possibility. With regard to caliber, that is your choice. A 9mm will never grow up to be a .45 ACP. The difference in recoil is negligible. Sure, you may find cheap 9mm ammo. I have found cheap .45 ammo too. A .45 goes in as a .45. A 9mm has to expand some to become .45 caliber.

Food for thought. The most fun is the shopping. Good luck and have much fun.

 

[Skullglide]

I just picked up my new RO 9mm PI9122LP.

 

[VERT]

I just picked up my new RO 9mm PI9122LP.

Don't believe you. No pics, no gun, can't mention it on INGO.

 

[saintnick81]

I just picked up my new RO 9mm PI9122LP.

I handled the full size RO the other day. Nice feeling gun, just decided I wanted the shorter barrel. I like the stainless.

 

[churchmouse]

There is a some Kimber hate on INGO but I think your two choices are the best in that price range. My decision would be the same as yours.

Only for the newer ones.

 

[churchmouse]

No 100% sure if sig makes a 9mm 1911 but if they do id go for that

He already ordered and the sig is not a real 1911.