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Which 45 ACP is the "Ruger" of dependability?


bgavin

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Howdy bgavin.

 

I've owned Kimber and Springfield and I've found complete reliability in both of those brands.

 

At present, I have 2 Kimbers (.45)  and 1 Springfield (10mm) and would trust either one with home protection or in the woods facing

a hog.

 

Choosing the right bullet is a good way to help ensure reliable functioning, along with good magazines.

 

..........Widder

 

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+1 on the GOOD magazines. Ruger, Sig, S&W,  SA, Remington, ATI and Taurus [!] have all got good reputations with shooters. If you pick up a Rock Island, swap the springs out for Wolffs and it will run great.

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Springfield, Kimber, Sig, Taurus, RIA, Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer, STI, Ed Brown, Colt, Ruger, Remmington................the list is almost endless; all make adequate to excellent and reliable 1911's. Most issues with 1911's have to do with magazines - get good magazines that work with your gun. Wilson and Chip McCormick mags have worked most reliably in most 1911's I have owned but not all. Different guns from different makers may show a preference for particular mags. Buy mags, resell those mags your gun doesn't like or use them with another gun that likes them and keep and buy more of those your gun likes. I have Springfield (which I had customized), a Kimber made for carry, and a Taurus stock. All have shot fine and are reliable. 

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Already listed,, Wilson, Nighthawk, Ed Brown. If you don't have that  kind of money,  Kimber.

 

Magazines:  Tripp     More failures due to magazines than anything else.  If your pistol won't run with Tripp magazines get it to a gunsmith.

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Split decision  in my mind 

I have 2 and,a very pleased with both.

1. 70 series Colt LW Commander 

I've had this one over 40 years,as it always functions perfectly. 

2. Kimber stainless match ,functions perfectly out of the box and is one of the most accurate  guns I own.

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I have the Commander and Gov't model in SS.  Never a problem with their magazines or Wilsons.  I carried a Colt Gov't and Commander  in LE for 2 decades, they never let me down.  Ruger built it right for the money.  All my .45's are defense weapons.

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I just got my Kimber last week. Time will tell I guess. I also bought 2 used no name 7 round filthy mags from him and they both ran fine in the gun. Only fired 3 mags full so far due to thew cold out side, but so far so good. No hiccups yet, but lots to learn about 1911's I imagine. I found mine on Gunbroker and then went to the web site of seller and got directly for $70 less on the gun and $10 less on shipping. They got it to me in 19 hours from PA to VT.

 

https://www.eurooptic.com/Kimber-Custom-LW-45-ACP-8rd-Black-Pistol-3700597.aspx

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My thoughts were leaning entirely toward self-defense... apologies for being vague.

Years back, some guy showed up at the range and made a big deal of letting everybody see his new Glock, and the fancy clamshell case carrying it.
He was in the lane next to me... pulled the trigger... it went "click" and no bang.
He shuffles stuff around, changed magazines, etc, pulled the trigger and it went "click" and still no bang.

Me being a wheel gun bigot, I leaned over and whispered, "Bet you're glad you weren't betting your life on that..."
He slunk away and left.

I have nice GP100 and SP101 in 357, with speed loaders.
But I'm wondering if these are less effective in a surprise visit from ANTIFA to my house.
My only jam fail-to-fire  was my beloved 870 pump picked up a rock or other chunk of ?? at the range, and jammed up solid.
That would totally suck in a defensive posture.

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I've had many 1911's. Finally settled on a Ruger SR1911 with Tripp magazines. The only issue with it was the early ones had front sight problems as Ruger initially outsourced them. Mine disappeared during a WB match. Ruger fixed it with their own inhouse sight. Utterly reliable. Had a Norinco that I used for WB Traditional. It worked fine, but my eyes got tired of the tiny (military fixed) sights, so I sold it.

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Every Colt 1911 I have owned since 1976 has worked flawlessly and fed every type of factory ammunition I have fed it.

The only failures I have ever had have been from cheap magazines, Colt factory and every Wilson or other premium magazine has worked

well, and that's all I use anymore. 

 

I've had Gov't models, officers models, various permutations, but still prefer the 5" Gov't model.  If you want, a competent

gunsmith can make the trigger nicer, and replace the stock bushing with a match grade to improve the accuracy a bit,

but frankly as a reliable self defense weapon out of the box I'd go with a Colt in a heartbeat!

 

There are many good ones out there, I just have a 45 year history with Colt 1911's and trust them a lot.

 

SC

 

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SR1911 and a RIA 1911 in 10mm - flawless operation.  I also have a very old 1911 for Auto Ordnance and another from old AMT in .45 ACP - all of which go bang when I pull the trigger, extract, eject and load the next round without fail.  I have had the two .45 ACP for over 13 years and would never trade or sell them.

I may have been lucky and got "good" ones, but they are like the old Timex commercial - "they take a licking and keep on ticking" so what's not to like.

 

The Ruger took a box of shells to break in - I named it the Katzenjammer - after the first 50 rounds - it is unstoppable.  The RIA was a winner from the get-go,  I named him Slick - no break in needed.

 

STL Suomi

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I carried a Colt .45 as my TO weapon in the Marine Corps. It was a flawlessly dependable firearm even in the most horrific conditions.

 

I use an exceptionally and completely dependable Les Baer. I have fired thousands of rounds through it during dry fire and live fire practice and in many years of NRA bullseye competition without a hiccup.

 

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The only issues I have ever had with my old school Springfield 1911 were related to magazines, or the "accessory du jour".  It is back to 99% stock (have an extended safety) and functions just as JMB intended.

 

Dont discount the Glock because some yoyo was using bad ammo or forgot to put the firing pin in it.  Glocks are known for always going bang when you pull that trigger.

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+1 for Kimber.  My ultra carry has been ultra reliable from day one.

 

I run a Ruger SR1911 for Wild Bunch.  It too has been flawless.  When I first started reloading .45 ACP I did have a few failure to chamber issues, but those proved to be my poor reloads and not the Ruger.  Once I started gauging every round, that issue disappeared.  

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I have owned a lot of 1911s , over the years , I feel Kimbers , Les Bauers , and all the rest of the designer guns are way over priced , 

 

 all get gone through before carry , I got a Commander in 38 Super , ripped it apart and , built it the way I wanted it before it even got the the house 

 

 RIA s make a good starting point on a build 

 

 Chickasaw 

 

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27 minutes ago, Crazy Gun Barney, SASS #2428 said:

Dont discount the Glock because some yoyo was using bad ammo or forgot to put the firing pin in it.  Glocks are known for always going bang when you pull that trigger.

Yep, I carry either one of my 1911's or a Glock 19 or 43x

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I've had two Kimbers, a Colt, Springfield, Remington, and several Rock Islands. The Kimbers were... troublesome. No experience with the higher priced pistols, but, like Chickasaw Bill, I expect the extra thousands don't get you much more than a status symbol and bragging rights. To each his own.

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I have had good experience from a S&W Doug Keonig Performance Center 1911 with 20k+ rounds through it.  When I shot IPSC, Les Baer and Wilson were the best production 1911s.  STI were usually custom-built and were reliable if the shooter stayed with a proven load.

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Howdy,

Once a 1911 gets some years on it the springs can get tired and yes even break.

So dont let that self appointed range expert tell you magazines are your problem.

If you arent married to the idea of a .45 shooting a 1911 in 9mm is quite fun.

Take some pieces of paper and write the name of each brand on one and put

them in a hat.  Pick out one. Now which one do you hope it is?

Throw away the paper and go buy that one.

Best

CR

 

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Anytime I get a used gun, I replace the springs, either factory or Wolff.

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Howdy

To answer direct I would say Springrield or Colt.

When you buy you get the company to support the 1911.

And Springfield is darn good.

They dont just  have employees they have 1911 wizards.

ymmv.

Best

CR

 

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Springfield Armory.  From the Range Officer series on up through the Loaded, to the TRP and to the Professional.  I don't have a Professional, but I have or have had the others.  Love my Marine Corps Operator (Loaded series) and my two TRP models (10mm and stainless 45 non operator).

 

 

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