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7 Costly 1911 Buying Mistakes to Avoid (Buyer's Guide)

Yeah, there is a point of diminishing returns on “new” 1911’s. A $1000 one may be better than a $500 one, but a nice $1000-$1500 one will realistically do anything a custom makers $5000 one will. At a point you’re buying “name” ,not any performance difference the average mortal will ever notice. Makes a super spiffy barbecue gun but….
 
I had a young man show me his newly purchased 1911 from a very well known name assembler of said guns. Cost him about $3600, almost 15 years ago. Oh my goodness, was it pretty! I asked him how tightly it would group at 25 yds, to which he replied "it's my carry gun, I don't practice at that distance." He said it would group 2 inches at 15. I replied so will my XD, and I've got over $3000 left for ammunition.....
 
Well I will add my 2 cents. For some firearms that a person might not be familiar with - bring someone who is. If I am shopping for a certain something I will try to bring along someone who knows more than me about that product. It always is useful and makes a visit more interesting, plus, you can learn something. We all have knowledge/experience gaps. If I want a nifty 1911 that has a larger price tag - I'll ask around first since I don't know everything there is to know on that type. Same can be said with almost any firearm (or other product) type.
 
While I can’t see spending thousands of dollars on a 1911, but, if you have the money to do so, and it’s what you want and like, then who is to say you can’t. I myself wouldn’t, but that’s just me, after all, it’s your money, unless you’re married, then it’s….well you know……😬
 
I've got 4 Wilson Combat guns. I've got two Dan Wesson and two Sig Sauer guns. Even a couple Rock Island Ultra guns. Like shooting them all.

A Dan Wesson Guardian in 9mm is my favorite to shoot. Unfortunately, it's my wife's favorite as well.

Two of my Wilson Combat guns my wife bought for me.
 
Annihilator said:
While I can’t see spending thousands of dollars on a 1911, but, if you have the money to do so, and it’s what you want and like, then who is to say you can’t. I myself wouldn’t, but that’s just me, after all, it’s your money, unless you’re married, then it’s….well you know……😬
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i really try to hold the cost of a quality 1911 to under (at todays prices now) under the $2,000 price tag.

yes, i had some (to me) very good quality 1911's from the Turkish makers, as well as the Philippine makers.

i think (in my opinion) that a 1911 is a gun that "nearly commands" a discriminating buyer that wants to advance his (or her) collection for quality fit and finish and an accurate shooting gun of a higher caliber such as 45 ACP.

i do not see just anyone buying a 1911, and expect pinpoint accuracy out of the box, without having rented out, or borrowed such a gun for that first range visit.

they are heavy, the ammo is or can be expensive, but give so much pleasure, once a newby takes the time to get to know what to look for, and in the end, what to expect.

would i stop a newby from buying a 1911..??

nope, but if he or she had questions and i was able to lend some help, i will try to be of such help.
 
I think this is all a matter of how much the difference in cost matters to the person versus the technical, quality, and desired or percieved differences in the pistols. I currently have a SA TRP Operator and a Wilson CQB Elite. I have had a slew of others over the last 50 years from Colt, Kimber, SA and others and these two seem to hit my sweet spot. They are probably the last ones I will own.
The Wilson cost close to twice the cost of the SA. There is a difference that is noticeable in the way they shoot and feel and a slight improvement in accuracy with the Wilson. But, I still like the SA quite a bit. To me the cost is not that big of a factor.
I also have a .45ACP HK USP Tactical that is quite a different pistol but I like it as well and it also shoots very well and has the advantages of holding more ammunition and taking a suppressor.
All three of them have been virtually 100% reliable.

45s and Tanto.jpg
 
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Yes, there is only so much you can do mechanically to the 1911.

For me, I have 2 Les Baers and I’m more than happy with their performance and capabilities. Like @Old_Me , my price tolerance of the platform pretty much tops out at +/- $2500.

I’ve shot Alchemy, Wilson, TRPs, and some tricked out customs built by lesser known gunsmiths, but at the end of the day I’m happy with the Les Baers.
 
That only so much you can do mechanically to a 1911 is the real difference in a top notch gun and all the others. Proper barrel fit so the lugs aren't damaged over thousands of rounds, slide to frame fit that's smooth and consistent, and a bushing fitted so it minimizes barrel lockup variation. Those things take a lot of skilled people time. I guess one of the advantages of the 1911 design is that even a poorly made pistol will still shoot. I was lucky in picking up a Rock River Arms 1911 in their first year of production. It's been a amazing pistol over it's 25+ years of service to me.
 
BruceMc said:
That only so much you can do mechanically to a 1911 is the real difference in a top notch gun and all the others. Proper barrel fit so the lugs aren't damaged over thousands of rounds, slide to frame fit that's smooth and consistent, and a bushing fitted so it minimizes barrel lockup variation. Those things take a lot of skilled people time. I guess one of the advantages of the 1911 design is that even a poorly made pistol will still shoot. I was lucky in picking up a Rock River Arms 1911 in their first year of production. It's been an amazing pistol over it's 25+ years of service to me.
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True. Pick up a bullseye pistol built by a bullseye ‘smith to feel the difference at the next level.

Those of us mere mortals can make do with what’s available in the OTC world.
 
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