Thanks. I'm going to keep hunting around then, for something. Any other suggestions for a top quality (or at least top quality under $1500) 1911 that I might have better luck running into here in MA? I know that some of the Colt/SA/SW offerings are solid, I'm just not 100% up to speed on what's what. I guess I'm just going to have try to keep looking and running what I do actually find against the internet reviews.
These are my opinions. I'm not a gunsmith nor am I any kind of 1911 expert. I have been shooting 1911s for a while. Some of these guns I own, some I've fired, some I've handled, and some I've just read about. So take my comments with the appropriate grains of salt.
Production guns
S&W E-Series
I think the S&W E-Series looks pretty solid. The E-series is a Series 70 style gun (no firing pin safety). I don't care for the aesthetics of the scalloped slide serrations, but that is a matter of taste. I also wish S&W would stop using their own sight cut. I don't care for the external extractor, but then I'm a traditionalist. The external extractor requires less tuning, so I can understand why they went with it.
I would take the E-series over the previous S&W 1911s as I'm not a fan of the Swartz style firing pin safety.
The E-series is available new in MA. I've fired the previous version of the S&W and the ones that I handled were solid. I have not fired or handled the E-series.
Kimber
I've got several Kimber Series Is that have worked well for me. The Kimber Series I is a series-70 style gun (no firing pin safety). I wouldn't take a Series II if you gave it to me. The Series II has an external extractor and a Swartz style firing pin safety, but they seem to have had more problems getting them right than S&W. Kimber reportedly went through 3 different external extractor designs and last I heard had returned to an internal extractor.
Kimbers are not available new in MA. You can find some used ones at a significant premium. Having looked at the Ruger 1911, I absolutely would not pay a premium for a used Kimber when I could get a new SR1911. I've owned and carried 3 Kimber Series Is for many years. I have not handled or fired a Series II.
Springfield Armory
The base Springfield Armory has been a typical suggestion as a base for making a custom gun. SA are series 70 style guns (no firing pin safety). They are generally solid. One thing I don't like about them are the square front strap profile (drgrant disagrees with me on this, he prefers the square profile). One thing to look out for is that the lower end SAs come with a two-piece barrel. I simply did not get acceptable accuracy out of that two-piece barrel and had to have it replaced, at significant cost.
A friend of mine had a SA that he sent to their custom shop for significant custom work. It looked very nice. But when I pushed down on the barrel hood, there was significant movement. Shot side by side with my basically stock Kimber, that Springer was noticeably less accurate.
New Springfields are not available in MA. You can find some used ones. I would buy a Ruger 1911 before paying a premium for a used SA. I own a Springfield Armory and have shot another one.
ParaOrdnance
ParaOrdnance are Series 80 style guns. They have a firing pin block that is activated by pulling the trigger. Of the various firing pin safeties, the Series 80 is perhaps the most reliable, but it can have some affect on the trigger feel. ParaOrdnance offers both single and double stack models. They do not have a good reputation.
PO are available new in MA. I recommend against them. I own an early PO 14-45 and it has been very problematic.
Colt
Colts are, of course, the original. You can find used Series 70 and Series 80 Colts. Most of the used Colts that I've seen are older style. That is, they don't have a beavertail safety, extended thumb safety, and newer sights. They are very solid guns, but I prefer the beavertail safety, extended thumb safety, and larger sights. By the time I have a gunsmith add those, I've put several hundred dollars more into the gun.
New Colts are not available in MA, but used Colts can be found. You will pay some premium for the name. Given that you can get all the new features described above on a new Ruger 1911 out of the box, I'd take that over a Colt. I own a Colt Delta Elite.
Dan Wesson
I don't have any experience with Dan Wessons. They are pretty rare. As near as I can tell, they are just another production 1911. I don't think they are the equal of the semi-custom 1911s.
Sig
The Sig GSR is a Series 80 style gun, with a unique slide profile. That slide profile makes it look more like the P-series Sigs. The downside is that it won't fit into many 1911 Kydex holsters as a result. Sig had significant start-up problems with the GSR, with early models being problematic. Sig is having significant quality issues with their P-series guns at the moment.
I don't know whether the Sig GSR is available new in MA. I would not buy one. I have not fired or handled a Sig GSR.
Ruger
Ruger is new to 1911s. The SR1911 is a series 70 style gun. It has the now-standard enhancements - beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, etc. The one that I handled had very good barrel lockup, with no movement at all when I pressed down on the barrel hood. The slide to frame fitting at the rear of the slide looked very nice. I didn't care for the Novak sights, but those are easily changed and sights are very much a personal taste. The trigger feel felt good if a bit heavy. Overall, I was very impressed.
Ruger SR1911s are available new in MA. I have handled one, but not shot one (yet). I think they look great, and pending actually shooting one, they are now my default recommendation.
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Semi-Custom
All of the semi-custom 1911s are not available new in MA and are very hard to find used. All are Series 70 style guns.
Wilson Combat
These are a definite cut above the production guns. They have many different models. They have a solid reputation and if you ever have any issue with one, Wilson will set it right. I found a used Wilson at Collectors in Stoneham several years ago. It was stupidly expensive for a well used gun. It is the best 1911 that I own.
Ed Brown
They have a good reputation. I've never seen or handled one.
Les Baer
They have a mixed reputation. I've never seen or handled one.
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ETA:
STI Spartan
I had a chance to look at eisenhow's 9mm STI Spartan. This was a really nice looking gun, and a heck of a bargain for the price. The barrel lock up was good, the rear slide to frame fit was as good as I've seen, and the trigger was good as well. It also had a very nice, target-style rear sight.
And, after bragging about my Wilson above, it crapped on me on a stage today
![[crying]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/006.gif "Crying [crying]")
. Hopefully it is just my reloads -- I'll need to check my OAL again.
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ETA Again: My Wilson is back working again after replacing the slide stop. I had a chance to shoot a Ruger SR1911 and was impressed.
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There are lots of other production and custom 1911 manufacturers out there. Some good, some probably not so good.
Now, with all of that bloviating done, what do I recommend for someone new to 1911s? Don't waste months searching for a needle in a haystack stupidly expensive semi-custom gun. Get yourself Ruger SR1911 or, second choice, S&W E-series. Shoot it for a while. Decide what you like in terms of sights (or other customizations) on that gun. Otherwise, you are likely to spend a stupid amount of money on something that you might not end up caring for. Don't go out and spend $1500 on your first 1911 -- that would just be pointless.
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