Which 1911 would you buy for <$1000?

[Boggus Deal #64218]

23 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

Or a couple thousand.  I am not aware of any currently produced 1911 with the original frame besides the Cimarron made by Armscor.

Recently, Colt made a WW1 Commemorative that had all 1911 features. In the last decade or so. But as for numbers, you’re probably not too wrong.☺️

[Boggus Deal #64218]

22 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

I do find it amusing about the magazines.  A few years back, Tripps were all the rage.  I have had very good luck with Chip McCormick, Ed Brown, and some Italian mags.   The only problem I've had would be when one doesn't drop free and I've never been organized enough to figure out which ones.  Ed Brown continues to have their trade-in policy which is a great deal.

Ed Brown magazines are made by Checkmate. And that trade in is a hell of a deal!!!

[watab kid]

On 10/4/2025 at 6:19 AM, Boggus Deal #64218 said:

There’s not a whole lot about a game where you run around on the ground shooting steel targets being chased by a guy with an electronic timer that’s “period correct”. The A1 was allowed because of availability. For every true 1911 and clone  made, there are probably a couple hundred A1 and clones made. 
 

ok , that makes sense , 

[watab kid]

On 10/4/2025 at 12:15 PM, El Sobrante Kid said:

 

Because..... it's a game.

well ok then , i guess im not reading the rules as well as some others - since its a game i guess that explains it all , 

[Longfoot]

On 9/29/2025 at 8:30 AM, Notso Slim, SASS #67301 said:

I'm having to replace my stainless Springfield 1911 in .45 acp that was stolen during a burglary. I have not looked at 1911's in a longtime and I'm confused. I thought Kimber's were top of the line but looking at the prices I'm guessing "not anymore". I want a basic GI style but one will function solidly with having to work on it and I don't want to pay more than $1000. The only competition I might shoot it in is Wild Bunch once or twice a year. Thanks.

Sorry if I missed an answer to this, but, why not a new Springfield 1911 A1 mil spec?

[Pb Mark]

13 hours ago, Longfoot said:

Sorry if I missed an answer to this, but, why not a new Springfield 1911 A1 mil spec?

Yes!  

[Pb Mark]

Found a G.I. 1911A1 clone you might like or hate while surfing the web.  Palo Verde Gunworks (known CAS Gunsmith) has one very lightly used 1911A1 by Norinco with 2 mags, asking $675.  These are now pretty hard to come by especially in this condition and gained quite a good reputation.  Forged and milled parts as far as I know. Might want to take a look at it.  Might not. They are Chicom clones but arguably sad to say, maybe the best ever made.  Others might disagree.

 

Not necessarily this gun, used can be found on the market at various pricing.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Palo Verde is a great fellow to work with!  The Norinco 1911s were very close to a Colt, and folks were upset when an import embargo on anything Norinco-made was imposed back in the (what?) 1990s.  

 

good luck, GJ

[Boggus Deal #64218]

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

Palo Verde is a great fellow to work with!  The Norinco 1911s were very close to a Colt, and folks were upset when an import embargo on anything Norinco-made was imposed back in the (what?) 1990s.  

 

good luck, GJ

1989, 1993 and 2003…. Blame Bush, Clinton and Bush.

But I’m pretty certain the 1993 ban included the 1911s.

[Painted Mohawk SASS 77785]

I know they are chinese but' Norinco 1911 .45 for the money is a  good reliable gun...many race gun builds start with the Norinco full cast frame.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

3 hours ago, Barrel Rider said:

A Kimber TLEll is....

 Not a legal Traditional category pistol AT ALL!  Sounds like (to me) the OP wants a Trad type gun.  good luck, GJ

[El Chapo]

On 10/1/2025 at 9:46 PM, Griff said:

... the Philippines.  Armscor...  AKA Rock Island.  and various other brands from several importers.  You'll also find their parts in several other brands of 1911s.   10 or 12 years ago I won a Taylor's Tactical 1911 as a door prize.  After getting a minor action job and reconfiguring the ramp to feed all of the different .451/2 bullets (about a even ½ dozen in the 45Auto, 45Colt and C45S from 160 to 230 grains) I load, it's been flawless every time I taken it out.  So much so, that a year later I bought another identical pistol to have a backup... just in case.  So far, it hasn't been needed.  They're in the safe right along side a Colt Gold Cup, a Colt 1911A1 military issue, a Colt Combat Commander, a Rock Island GI model and a custom gun I built on an Interarms frame from the 1970s.  I mostly run Chip McCormick Shooting Star mags... but have a few others that I will run.  I experienced a failure to feed once... solidly based on limp wristing the gun. Most magazine problems can be traced to bent lips or follower.  I carried military issue magazines for nearly 30 years until I had to re-align the lips every couple times I used 'em.  I never mastered the technique to re-harden them.   

 

Rock Island is not Springfield Armory.

 

Zero SA guns are made in the Philippines.

 

Contrary to the prevailing opinion, Colt is junk and has been for a long time.  Twice the price, too.

 

Tripps are great magazines.  I've been using them for decades.  There are others as well, but all my competition guns use Tripps except for my wild bunch magazines because modern magazines are not allowed.  

[Kingsley]

I use Tripp mag's in the traditional category.  Where did you see that "modern Magazine's" were not allowed?  And what defines a Tripp as a modern mag?

 

CC

[Griff]

45 minutes ago, El Chapo said:

Rock Island is not Springfield Armory.

I know that.  When you said "SA", I read that as "single action".  I don't have a clue where Sprgfld Armory has their guns made.  But... many makers have components made by Armscor.

[Shawnee Hills]

On 10/9/2025 at 1:07 AM, Painted Mohawk SASS 77785 said:

I know they are chinese but' Norinco 1911 .45 for the money is a  good reliable gun...many race gun builds start with the Norinco full cast frame.

The Norinco frames are forged, not cast.  That’s what made them so popular for race gun builds in the IPSC days.  

[El Chapo]

1 hour ago, Griff said:

I know that.  When you said "SA", I read that as "single action".  I don't have a clue where Sprgfld Armory has their guns made.  But... many makers have components made by Armscor.

 

My STI Spartan was made by Armscor, it just has American trigger components and it's excellent.

[Pb Mark]

1 hour ago, El Chapo said:

My STI Spartan was made by Armscor, it just has American trigger components and it's excellent.

When the original Spartan was manufactured, folks from STI were at Armscor supervising the entire build, using the STI fire control parts, Armscor chrome lined barrels.  Cast frame, extrusion slide.  Excellent tack driver of a parkerized finished 1911.  One accurate tool.  Turned over to Armscor later on.  An adjustable sight competitive bullseye target pistol.  Have one, love it minus the big SPARTAN on the slide lol.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

5 hours ago, El Chapo said:

There are others as well, but all my competition guns use Tripps except for my wild bunch magazines because modern magazines are not allowed.  

 

Magazines for WB 1911s cannot use an "extended" (padded) base plate that projects from the frame by more than 1/4".  Legal added pads must be made of leather.  There IS no "modern"  1911 single stack magazine that I know of (other than the base plate addition).  So, as long as a 1911 magazine meets the base plate restriction, and is not extremely heavy, it's good to go.

 

Tripp standard 1911 magazines are quite legal for Wild Bunch - I have quite a collection of them. 

 

good luck, GJ

 

 

[El Chapo]

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

 

Magazines for WB 1911s cannot use an "extended" base plate that projects from the frame by more than 1/4", and is made of leather.    There IS no "modern"  1911 single stack magazine (other than the base plate addition).  So, as long as a 1911 magazine meets the base plate restriction, and is not extremely heavy, it's good to go.

 

Tripp standard 1911 magazines are perfect for Wild Bunch - I have quite a collection of them. 

 

good luck, GJ

 

Thank you.  After 23 years shooting every other kind of competition there is that allows 1911s, I didn't know the rules.

 

Virtually nobody is using or buying GI style magazines in any kind of competition besides this one.

 

  

11 minutes ago, Pb Mark said:

When the original Spartan was manufactured, folks from STI were at Armscor supervising the entire build, using the STI fire control parts, Armscor chrome lined barrels.  Cast frame, extrusion slide.  Excellent tack driver of a parkerized finished 1911.  One accurate tool.  Turned over to Armscor later on.  An adjustable sight competitive bullseye target pistol.  Have one, love it minus the big SPARTAN on the slide lol.

 

They must not have been supervising mine because originally, it had a slide with the firing pin hole that was so crooked it had off center primer strikes.  Fortunately I got a new slide for it before STI went under and they fit a barrel to it, so I now have the most well-fit Spartan ever made.  I know I'm well into 5 digits of how many rounds it has shot in competition, and I'm pretty sure I used it in the 2014 Single Stack Nationals and I know I also used it in the 2019 Western States Single Stack.  I'm hoping to shoot that match again in 2026.

[Joe LaFives #5481]

https://www.armscor.com/firearms-list/m1911-a1-fspgi-standard-fs-45acp-8rd

 

"...becoming one of the only company in the world to make firearms and ammunition in USA and another country"

[Joe LaFives #5481]

https://www.springfield-armory.com/1911-series-handguns/1911-mil-spec-handguns/

 

"The Springfield Armory 1911 is manufactured at two different facilities: the Springfield Armory in Geneseo, Illinois, and the Ronson Manufacturing Corporation in East Hartford, Connecticut."

 

"some components are sourced from overseas partners. This is a common practice across the industry and helps to maintain competitive pricing and access specialized expertise. "

 

"N prefix frames were manufactured in Brazil and say Imbel on them.
NM prefix frames are forged in Brazil but machined in the USA."

 

All that said.  My "loaded" doesn't say Brazil on it, my Mil Spec does.

[Painted Mohawk SASS 77785]

On 10/17/2025 at 3:09 AM, Shawnee Hills said:

The Norinco frames are forged, not cast.  That’s what made them so popular for race gun builds in the IPSC days.  

Yep your right , I'm wrong.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

On 10/16/2025 at 10:39 AM, El Chapo said:

Contrary to the prevailing opinion, Colt is junk and has been for a long time.  Twice the price, too.

Not my experience or opinion. 
 

I’ve also had great success with Chip McCormick mags. 
 

YMMV. 

[watab kid]

thisthread has convinced me - im not shooting wid bunch , i thought it was a period correct catagory , now i understand its not , you can shoot a WWII handgun but not a shotgun of that vintage - have fun guys , i get it , im out , i gave away the items [holsters and such] to a frioend that thinks he wants to , 

 

im not mad , just disappointed , im not mad at anything SASS or fafiated , i just expected more somehow , 

[El Sobrante Kid]

17 hours ago, watab kid said:

thisthread has convinced me - im not shooting wid bunch , i thought it was a period correct catagory , now i understand its not , you can shoot a WWII handgun but not a shotgun of that vintage - have fun guys , i get it , im out , i gave away the items [holsters and such] to a frioend that thinks he wants to , 

 

im not mad , just disappointed , im not mad at anything SASS or fafiated , i just expected more somehow , 

 

First, I'm sorry that you won't get to enjoy shooting a WB match. But you have to remember, it's a game. And as such the people that run it choose to make some accommodations that they think will make it more affordable and easier on the shooters, and to attract new shooters. The restrictions are far more numerous than the accommodations. I don't see how this is any different than all the accommodations that SASS makes.

[Whitey James]

What category in SASS is truly period correct?

The Spirit of SASS is to PRETEND to be a cowboy from books and movies we have all read and seen like we did as children with cap guns.

I don't recall ever seeing John Wayne shooting steel targets and dragging a cart full of guns around behind him.

This sport will be aging out soon so we had better enjoy it while it lasts.

 

[Don Jorge]

Wild Bunch is Pre WWI era, not WWII era, I believe.

[Joe LaFives #5481]

5 hours ago, Don Jorge said:

Wild Bunch is Pre WWI era, not WWII era, I believe.

He's referring to the use of 1911A1's in Traditional

[watab kid]

8 hours ago, El Sobrante Kid said:

 

First, I'm sorry that you won't get to enjoy shooting a WB match. But you have to remember, it's a game. And as such the people that run it choose to make some accommodations that they think will make it more affordable and easier on the shooters, and to attract new shooters. The restrictions are far more numerous than the accommodations. I don't see how this is any different than all the accommodations that SASS makes.

i get that , as i pointed out , im not mad , just disappointed , i understand about all the rules and i understand its a game , i just had envisioned it was a period correct game  for those that enjoyed the late half of the era , WWII is not that period at all , im ok just shooting my stuff of that period at our local range and not diving into this - again not mad at all , 

[Longfoot]

On 10/20/2025 at 3:47 PM, watab kid said:

thisthread has convinced me - im not shooting wid bunch , i thought it was a period correct catagory , now i understand its not , you can shoot a WWII handgun but not a shotgun of that vintage - have fun guys , i get it , im out , i gave away the items [holsters and such] to a frioend that thinks he wants to , 

 

im not mad , just disappointed , im not mad at anything SASS or fafiated , i just expected more somehow , 

What aspect of the Traditional Category prohibits you from participating in the manner you would like to?

 

A 1911 or 1911A1 with 7 round mags and G.I. controls fits the rules.

 

Winchester 1897 or Winchester Model 12s are legal.

 

As are any main match rifle .38 or greater in caliber.

 

And, by the current rules, there's accommodation in Modern for any pump shotgun with wood furniture, and just about any 1911 sans fiber optic front sight and extended 10 round mags.

 

What does your imagined sub-category look like?

[watab kid]

6 hours ago, Longfoot said:

What aspect of the Traditional Category prohibits you from participating in the manner you would like to?

 

A 1911 or 1911A1 with 7 round mags and G.I. controls fits the rules.

 

Winchester 1897 or Winchester Model 12s are legal.

 

As are any main match rifle .38 or greater in caliber.

 

And, by the current rules, there's accommodation in Modern for any pump shotgun with wood furniture, and just about any 1911 sans fiber optic front sight and extended 10 round mags.

 

What does your imagined sub-category look like?

i understand all that , again im not complaining simply stating my choice , no intent to provoke any pro or con , i was under the impression without spending enough time looking into it that it was far more traditional realm , i think its great that the rules are open enough to allow participation by as many as possible , 

[El Sobrante Kid]

Hi Watab Kid, reading back through your various comments on this subject brought up a question that I do not know the answer to; the level of period correctness that you are referring to is generally limited to reenacting groups. But those groups do not have shooting competitions/events. My question, do you know of any groups, widespread or otherwise, that adhere to that level of period correctness. and also sponsor some type of shooting event? Thx

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

Since VERY few 1911s of the pre-WW I design (the time frame of the Wild Bunch movie and several others of the Mexican revolutionary period) even exist, and AFAIK, none are currently manufactured, an EXACT period correct pistol would be effectively UNAVAILABLE to any new shooters wanting to try the game.

 

I think you miss the point of a competitive game - that the organizing body (in this case the Wild Bunch arm of SASS) gets to set the rules and if needed to modify the rules.  Which is still being done.  With current emphasis on making the game MORE available to shooters, restricting to a very specific historical exactly-period-correct pistol for the Traditional category(-ies) would be a disaster to attracting new folks.

 

May I suggest we stop rocking a boat which (I believe), in most participants view, does not need to be upset.  

 

Good luck, GJ

 

 

[El Sobrante Kid]

I don't think that WK is trying to rock the boat. I think that he has said he is just disappointed that he did not find what he was expecting. No harm, no foul there. My question is... is there ANY organization that adheres to that level of period correctness, and also has organized shooting events.

[Boggus Deal #64218]

5 minutes ago, El Sobrante Kid said:

I don't think that WK is trying to rock the boat. I think that he has said he is just disappointed that he did not find what he was expecting. No harm, no foul there. My question is... is there ANY organization that adheres to that level of period correctness, and also has organized shooting events.

H3G