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1911 recomendations


chestnut louie

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I love my Remington R1 enhanced in stainless steel. I have done nothing to it but shoot it and it’s never failed to go bang after many many rounds. Also had a Rock Island that was a great gun but I let it get away from me. Both is those should be in that price range.

 

BD

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18 minutes ago, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

Solid well made relatively basic 1911. Excellent company to do biz with.

 

Springfield

Mag Research

 

Phantom

I’ve been window shopping for a 1911 as well and have been leaning heavily toward Springfield. I completely neglected to consider magnum research. Not sure what I was thinking. Maybe it’s that 45/70 bfr I shot recebtly that made me forget and their autos. I’m going to have to check them out. Not even sure if they are California compliant though. I believe the Remington are not, but I could be wrong. 

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37 minutes ago, chestnut louie said:

Question,

 

I am looking at buying a 1911 and want to know what you think about the Ruger SR 1911 and why.  What else is available in the $700 to $800 price range.

Thanks

 

Chestnut

I got a buddy that tried to use the Ruger SR1911 for Wild Bunch and it was real picky about ammo. He ended up getting something else. I love my Springfields!

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1 hour ago, Redwood Kid said:

I’ve been window shopping for a 1911 as well and have been leaning heavily toward Springfield. I completely neglected to consider magnum research. Not sure what I was thinking. Maybe it’s that 45/70 bfr I shot recebtly that made me forget and their autos. I’m going to have to check them out. Not even sure if they are California compliant though. I believe the Remington are not, but I could be wrong. 

The Colt Competitions are nice as well.

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If you are ever going to be interested in Wild Bunch competition, and are not wanting to buy a second one, then you should ponder which of the gun-type categories you might shoot in for WB.   The Traditional group of categories require a "mil-spec" or "government" model - very close to what was issued for the Punitive Expedition, WW I and WW II.    The Modern group of categories are more close to a "current" carry type 1911, but not a current "race gun", either.    Check the WB rules found on the rules page for all the details.

 

But, most folks find a Ruger SR1911  to be a very reliable gun.   There really is NO reason that it cannot be easily tuned to shoot the Wild Bunch power factor lead bullet ammunition.

 

In general if any 1911 is "real picky" about ammo, it is NOT PROPERLY TUNED!  A great tuneup can be done for $300 or so, and is normally WELL WORTH spending money on, on the lower-end guns.

 

For the less than $800 gun category,  all of these can be made to run very well.  You won't get a lot of the modern features (commander hammer, beavertail grip safety, extended controls, fancy checkering on frame, night sights, maybe not even adjustable sights) at that price point.

Springfield Mil Spec

Ruger SR1911

Remington R1

Used Colt Series 80 Government

Most of the Armscorp 1911s from the Philippines (EMF, Cimarron, Rock Island are several of the importers of this line)

 

You do mostly get quality that you pay for, because there are so many manufacturers out there.  Whatever you do, get the highest quality magazines that you can afford.  And if you can't afford Tripp, McCormick, Wilson, Colt or Springfield (or similar high quality) mags, IMHO, you shouldn't be buying a 1911.  Excellent magazines are highly important to getting a 1911 to run perfectly.

 

Good luck, GJ

 

 

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1 hour ago, Flash said:

I got a buddy that tried to use the Ruger SR1911 for Wild Bunch and it was real picky about ammo. He ended up getting something else. I love my Springfields!

Can't speak for ammo loaded for WB, but I've never heard any reports from my customers saying that the SR1911's were ammo picky.

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14 minutes ago, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

The Colt Competitions are nice as well.

All colts are off the roster, or I wouldn’t even be having this conversation. I’m glad I got one before they dropped off. 

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I have had good luck with my stainless Springfield Armory Mil-spec.  It is a pretty basic 1911, but a good gun to shoot as is or upgrade.  The only thing that needed to be changed to shoot traditional in wild bunch was blacking out the three dot sights.  I have changed a few things and replaced some parts to meet my taste (I shaped the fit of the grip safety and the back of the slide and frame, beveled and polished the mag well, added a flat mainspring housing and ivory grips, etc.).  One of the nice things about a stainless gun is that you can work on it without refinishing.  I like to fiddle and tune and a 1911 is perfect for that.

 

I shoot a 230 grain round nose and it has never, ever bobbled.  There are a number of good guns out there, pick one that meets your taste and budget.

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1 hour ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

OP is in Maryland.  We can be glad he doesn't have to run under CA restrictions. 

I’ve heard Maryland laws are even worse than California. 

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Know a few Ruger users.  They seem to work.

I wanted to do WB but not spend very much.  Bought a new Taurus pt1911  for less than 500 new.

The thing has run round nose, flat nose, 180g  to 230g never hiccupped.

 

Definitely in the modern category but has run and run

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If you can find a Springfield Armory GI model, that is a perfect 1911 for Traditional WB. They are no longer made but you can occasionally find one used in the $400 to $500 range. SA has excellent customer service and warranty policy if you need it. 

 

I see plenty of Ruger 1911s being used. That probably tells us something.  ;)

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12 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

...Most of the Armscorp 1911s from the Philippines (EMF, Cimarron, Rock Island are several of the importers of this line)...

 

Mine is the Armscorp from Cimarron.  I chose it because it is the only one with the original 1911 (not A1) frame.  That feature is absolutely not required for WB but was important to me, and it has been flawless.

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1 hour ago, dutch van der linde said:

I really like my Remington R1 enhanced 1911. I got the double stack version 15 rounds of 45 acp goodness. 

 

Nice, but not legal for WB.

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I ended up getting a remington R1. Out of the box it was a nice gun and a great GI Milspec if you're after that traditional gun. It locks up nice, very accurate (although mine shot literally 6 inches low ootb)

 

I ended up completely redoing mine (mostly because I can) and found a few quibles:

1) Its a series 80, so it has the series 80 parts unfortunately instead of a titanium firing pin and extra power spring

2) It has completely proprietary front and rear sight cuts and there are no aftermarket drop in rear sights and only dawson fiber front sight. You can fit an LPA series 80 colt sight, but be prepared for A LOT of file work on the sight to get it to fit.

3)The rear grip safety pin placement is a little off compared to the other guys so if you're looking to beaver tail this eventually it requires a bit more cutting.

 

All in all, unless you are looking for a GI issue, i'd go with an R1 enhanced single stack as they can be had pretty dirt cheap and do not have the above issues (other than still being series 80, BOOOO)

 

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12 hours ago, Redwood Kid said:

All colts are off the roster, or I wouldn’t even be having this conversation. I’m glad I got one before they dropped off. 

Private party transfer only...If already here in state...

 

Texas Lizard

 

Lots of good things off the roster...

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15 minutes ago, El Cubano said:

Its a series 80, so it has the series 80 parts unfortunately

 

Parts are commercially available to blank out the series 80 firing pin lock system....;)

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11 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

 

Parts are commercially available to blank out the series 80 firing pin lock system....;)

 

I know, and I did, but the parts aren't cheap (in relation to the price of the gun) if you want to do it the right way and replace it with the titanium firing pin, series 70 firing pin stop, and new spring

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12 hours ago, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

Can't speak for ammo loaded for WB, but I've never heard any reports from my customers saying that the SR1911's were ammo picky.

Yes, it was reloads that were giving him trouble. His gun would jam with his reloads for Wild Bunch. The funny thing was that I could shoot his ammo with no problem in my Springfield Mil-Spec all day but his Ruger would jam like crazy. So he sent it back to Ruger and when he got it back it did the same thing so he sold it and got something else and is shooting that now with no problem. So....

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1 hour ago, Flash said:

So....

So, his Ruger had a tighter chamber or forcing cone than your Springer.  And the driving band on his reloaded ammo was probably slightly proud  of the case mouth.  That's main reason reloaded lead bullets fail to chamber, leaving the gun just an eighth inch or so out of battery.   Also can happen when using a poorly designed round nose bullet that does not reduce the nose diameter fast enough. 

 

A 1911 is designed with a VERY short forcing cone between chamber and rifling.   You have to watch (sometimes even ream) that area if a gun is not feeding lead ammo, especially RN designs.

 

I'll wager Ruger sent his gun back without changing anything, because it was already in spec according to their manufacturing standards. 

 

As said before, it is quite possible to tune away this kind of problem to make gun run good ammo.   There is NO 1911 manufacturer I know of that guarantees that cast bullet loads will run well in the gun as sold.   The "guarantee" that is usually offered is that it will run FMJ ammo just fine.   And some manufacturers are even jumping on the "Use of reloads of any kind will revoke your warranty" bandwagon.  Hmmmph, Bah Humbug.

 

Good luck, GJ

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17 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

So, his Ruger had a tighter chamber or forcing cone than your Springer.  And the driving band on his reloaded ammo was probably slightly proud  of the case mouth.  That's main reason reloaded lead bullets fail to chamber, leaving the gun just an eighth inch or so out of battery.   Also can happen when using a poorly designed round nose bullet that does not reduce the nose diameter fast enough. 

 

A 1911 is designed with a VERY short forcing cone between chamber and rifling.   You have to watch (sometimes even ream) that area if a gun is not feeding lead ammo, especially RN designs.

 

I'll wager Ruger sent his gun back without changing anything, because it was already in spec according to their manufacturing standards. 

 

As said before, it is quite possible to tune away this kind of problem to make gun run good ammo.   There is NO 1911 manufacturer I know of that guarantees that cast bullet loads will run well in the gun as sold.   The "guarantee" that is usually offered is that it will run FMJ ammo just fine.   And some manufacturers are even jumping on the "Use of reloads of any kind will revoke your warranty" bandwagon.  Hmmmph, Bah Humbug.

 

Good luck, GJ

So...you are confirming what I originally stated,. It was picky about what ammo it used because the ammo shot in all other guns we tried it in but not the Ruger.

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5 minutes ago, Flash said:

So...you are confirming what I originally stated,. It was picky about what ammo it used because the ammo shot in all other guns we tried it in but not the Ruger.

Nope.  I said I'd wager it would shoot any factory FMJ load.

 

When you start talking his reloads, such bets are off.

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I shoot a Ruger SR1911 in Wild Bunch. Had issues early on with my reloads, 2-3 failure to feed per match. Tightened up the crimp has fixed that.

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8 minutes ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

Nope.  I said I'd wager it would shoot any factory FMJ load.

 

When you start talking his reloads, such bets are off.

I would have to agree to disagree when the loads shoot in all the other guns at the range that day. I would call that picky. So you don't. I do.

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3 hours ago, Texas Lizard said:

Private party transfer only...If already here in state...

 

Texas Lizard

 

Lots of good things off the roster...

There are, but some folks feel that because it’s off roster, it’s now made of gold and price itbas such. Still, I have gotten some decent deals off roster ppt

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I have a Ruger SR1911 that I use in Wild Bunch. It's the best 1911 I've ever owned (have had a bunch including a Colt made in 1916). Works great with my reloads (4.5 Bullseye under 230 RNL bullet). Only problem with it was that mine was an early one that had "The infamous front sight issue." The earliest batch of SR1911's used a non-Ruger made front sight that would break off when used hard. A new front sight from Ruger cured the matter. Only change I've made is to add an Extended Wilson Slide Release that I had in my parts bin, as WB loves mag changes.  

 

I second the Tripp magazine suggestion. The Ruger mags are fine, but the Tripp's are head and shoulders above everything else I've tried. Ed Brown has recently come out with a WB legal mag for $20. I might try a couple as they usually make really good stuff.

 

Final comment - When WB started, Bomar slide cuts were not legal, so I sold my tricked-out Springfield and got a legal one. As soon as I did, the powers-that-be changed the rules to allow Bomar sights. Am still irritated with the matter. 

 

Church Key

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Rugers 1911's are one of the best bang for the buck 1911s in my opinion. 70s series, really good triggers normally, good finish and parts, little loose which i prefer in a 1911. Never have had any failures with them and I only use 230s. I do wish more models had front serrations.   I work with them everyday.  I carry a lw commander most days and guess what... its a ruger. I bought a colt lw commander wiley clapp edition with a national match barrel to carry and after shooting 2 mags i packed it back up and sold it. one of the worst 1911's ive ever handled. shot awful, look and felt decent at best. I've been sponsored for 3 STI's and still own two (spartan* my wb gun, sentinel premier* my everything else gun) and prefer those to this day, but i'd have absolutely no problem using a 800$ ruger over most high dollar crap people fall for now days. With a few cheap changes they can get any job done.

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Come out to the WB match at Thurmont and check out the variety of 1911's that will be there. April 13. A bunch of us shoot the Ruger SR1911 with great success ( not necessarily hitting all the small targets) functionally. Other models will be there and you can get all the options you need to make a desicion.

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My son has a Ruger 1911, I have a stock Colt Govt. series 80. His Ruger gets the nod on the trigger, my Colt gets the nod on operating the slide. Very subjective, YMMV. For Wild Bunch, I don't think the difference amounts to anything. I prefer the beavertail on the Ruger. The Ruger has to be shot in modern category, my Colt can be shot in both, provided I black out the sights. I choose not to.

 

I do know this for certain - all bets are off when it comes to feeding 1911s with reloads. Learned that from a book about 1911s, and found it supported by my experience at the range.

 

I bought my Colt because I wanted a manufactured by Colt gun. All my others are replicas and I wanted something "original" as it were. Got it used (but could have passed for new) for less money than any of the others new. Again, YMMV.

 

My 2 cents, nothing more. 

 

 

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