Grayfox54

Yes, the Colt 1991 will have a plastic mainspring housing. I've never heard of any problems with them, but do admit I don't care for the idea of it. However, I prefer an arched mainspring housing so I would have changed it out anyway. No big deal to me. Runco, I seems to me that you've just about let these guys talk you out of buying the Colt. I happen to like Colts and own quite a few. I have Pre-70 Series, 70 Series and 80 series Colt 1911s. never had a problem with any of them. Frankly, I keep wondering where all these troublesome Colts come from. I've never had one. :shrug: Being the 1911 lover that I am, I also own several other brands as well. So If you've decided against the Colt, I'll make a couple of recommendations. If you're just looking for an entry level gun to get your feet wet, I've heard nothing but good things about Rock Island Armory. Don't own one myself, but I have seen and shot them. They seem to be quite good for the money. I'm a big fan of Springfield Armory pistols and own four of them. They have several models in the under $700 price range that would serve you well. I might add that they have the best customer service in the business. Right now I really think the best bang for your buck is the Remington 1911R1. I bought one when they first came out and have been excedingly happy with it. Admitedly the finish is a bit on the plain side, but they're great shootwers and have the absolute best out-of-the-box trigger I've ever felt on a factory gun. Yeah, I know. I'm still fairly new around here and some of you might be thinking I'm just full of it. I claim no expertise on any guns whatsoever. However, I am a big fan of the 1911 and feel that I can at least offer an informed opinion. btw: This is an old picture. I've added a few more since then. ;)

There are a lot of things to take into consideration.   Is the gun still in production?:  If so, its highly unlikely you'll get what current new ones are selling for. If not, there's a good chance you can make a profit on it.   Desirability: is it a popular model? Will it sell quickly or will you have to wait for the right buyer to come along?   Condition: Condition is everything. The better it is, the more it will bring.   Type of sale: Are you looking to sell locally or on-line? Want to deal FTF or are you willing to ship?    How bad do you need to sell?: Do you need to sell right now or can you wait until you find someone willing to give a higher price?   What's it worth to you?: You need to set a bottom limit on what you're willing to take for it.   You need to think about all these things to determine your asking price.    One way to get a feel for the market is to check on-line sales of similar guns both new and used. Also check completed auctions on sites like Gun Broker. This will generally get you in the ball park. Set your price a little high. You can always come down if it doesn't sell, but selling too cheap is just money lost. 

Yeah, you can get another brand with more features for the money. And the 1991 is the bargin basement version of Colt's line. But in the end, it is a COLT. The gun all the other 1911s want to be.  ;)

True story: My Father-in-law was the head of security for a local grocery store chain. One day back in the late 1970s this guy walks in, grabs a cart and starts shopping. Looks just like any other customer. FIL walks past him and the guy spins around and knocks FIL out cold, takes his S&W Model 10, then procedes to rob the place. BG had obviously done his homework. he knew exactly who to hit and where the cash was kept.  Some 20+ years later FIL gets a call from a buddy in the Sheriff's Dept. " We've got your gun. Want it back?"

I've never had any problems or messages like that with ArmsList. I have no idea what your problem is.  :shrug:

I've got a PSP 25. Its a licensed copy of the famed Browning "Baby".  Mine has never had a malfunction of any kind. It just keeps on shootin'.  :up: I bought this back in the early 1980s. This was long before concealed carry was legal, I was working in a very bad part of townl and I needed something discrete. Back then there weren't any pocket 9s and even small .380s were like a Walther PPK/s.  The only choices you had for really small guns were the tiny .22s and .25s.  These are extremely well made little guns. I think they're even better than the original Brownings. Mine was about half the price of a real "Baby" at the time. But over the years PSP (Presicion Small Parts Company) has evovled into PSA (precision Small Arms) and they now cost considerably more than an original Browning.  Mine is just a plain blue model. But check out the web site and see some of the really fancy and EXPENSIVE versions they make.  :stunned:  

Give the Anniston store a call. They'll tell you what's on the sales floor. If at all possible make the trip and pick your own. You won't regret it. If you must order, go for the Service grade.  Don't forget the ammo. They sell it by the case already in bandoliers and clips. 

I saw one at a gun show. It suffers from the same problem as the .22 version. Namely the rear sight is just a cheap piece of plastic and the appature is too small. On the .22 version these sights are well known for breaking or coming loose. And from what I hear, Citadel's customer service sucks. I do like the idea of it. If I knew for sure that an original M1 sight would fit, I might consider buying one. But the jury is still out on these things, so I'll wait and see. 

The Hi-Power is my absolute favorite 9mm pistol. Spend the money for a Browning or FN. You won't regret it. 

At that time Ruger would only sell 20 round mags to law enforcement. So maybe it was a bit more than 10 years ago. I don't remember exactly when I had it.  :screwy: I did shoot mostly Russian surplus ammo. Back then you could get a full case of the stuff for about $80. But I did run some Winchester and I think Federal through it. Not much of an improvement for accuracy. I never handloaded for it because ammo was so cheap.  As I recall, the rifle would shoot 3-4 inch groups at 100 yards which is considered pretty normal for the Mini-30.

I had one maybe 10 years ago. Decent rifle, fun to shoot. No tack driver, but accurate enough for a defensive rifle. No issues with the rifle itself, but I ended up selling it because I couldn't find any decent mags for it. The only magazine that worked was the original factory 5 rounder. I tried just about every brand of 20 round magazine made at the time and none of them were reliable. The gun simply would not go through a 20 round magazine without a jam. Often several times.  Hopefully they have cured these problems by now. But I wouldn't buy another one. 

I get the notifications no problem. But Midway has started shipping a lot of stuff by standard parcel post. I'm not sure if that has tracking.  It also takes much longer. Where I used to get my orders in three day, it now takes a week or more. 

Check into Civilian Marksmanship Program Garands. Its the best deal out there for these great rifles. I made the trip to the CMP South store in Anniston, Alabama some years back and it was well worth the drive. They will loan you bore and chamber gauges so you can hand pick the one you want. I found a nice rifle that gauged out as a Service Grade, but was marked as a Field Grade due to a dirty and oil stained stock. It cleaned up very well and is a great shooter. I also got a M1 Carbine from CMP a few years ago. However, I think those are all sold out.

Another vote for a used 2nd or 3rd generation Smith & Wesson. Excellent guns which are often overlooked these days. One of the best bargins in SA/DA autos to be found.

I sorta have a thing for 1911s and own quite a few. My first choice would be an older, used Colt. But that's out of your price range. A very close second is Springfield Armory. Since you're looking for a target/plinking gun, the Range Officer is an outstanding choice. Many here are recommending RIA and with your budget, its definately worth a look. I've never owned one, but I've also heard nothing but glowing praise for them. 

Another big fan of Springers here. Just might be time to add one more.  :up:

The locks did originally come about as part of the Clinton administrations deal with the gun makers. However, it was proved that any such agreement would not stand up in a court of law. The majority of internal locks on guns today are the direct result of over zealous lawyers and liability laws.    Go over to the Smith & Wesson Forum and do a search. You'll find a number of recorded incidents where the internal lock enganged itself. Most often this happens in lightweight guns in fairly hard kicking calibers. But there are a few stories of it happening in guns you wouldn't normally expect it to. You will also find tales of the lock malfunctioning and locking up the gun to the point where it had to be disassembled in order to fix it. In fact, complaining about the Lock as well as a few other changes S&W has made got so bad that the Admins had to make it against the rules to even mention it.  There is also a guy over there who sells an item called "The Plug". It plugs the hole in the frame once the lock is removed.   Ruger also has a lock. As mentioned, its under the grip and I've never heard of any problems with it. Taurus has a lock built into the hammer. A small key is inserted just below the hammer spur and lets a spring loaded spur pop up that prevents the hammer from moving. I have heard of one or two problems with this lock. However, it seems to be very rare and there's no real proof of it happening. As much as I love my Springfield 1911s, they too have a lock. In their case its built into the mainspring housing. Very easy to get rid of by simply changing the mainspring housing which I normally do anyway. So I don't worry about it.    I've been shooting and collecting guns for about 40 years now and its safe to say that I have "a few". None of my guns have internal locks and none ever will.

.22LR to .45/70 Gov't.

I'm a 1911 guy. If not that, then it'll be a S&W wheelgun.

In the target/action/plinking catagory you can't go wrong with the Browning Hi-Power. Why not buy a classic? Makes one hell of a carry gun too. 

  They just cut the cylinder so that the .32 cartridge headspaces on the case mouth same as in an auto pistol. Works great.

Some years back my best friend gave me a Nagant as a Christmas present. It came with the holster, lanyard and tool kit. I believe he gave around $65 for the whole set. The ammo was extremely hard to find at that time. So I spent $25 for a .32acp cylinder.  The last gun show we went to we saw them priced at $250 for just the revolver.  :screwy: On the bright side, ammo is much easier to find these days.  :up:

When I first heard about it and saw pictures I had high hopes for the R51. I really wanted to like it and probably buy one.  Then I saw one at a gun show and as soon as I picked it up my hand and brain both said "NOPE!". Lost all interest right then and there.  :down:

The guy is a prepper, anti-governement, anti-obama, very vocal and posting on the internet about it. Any of these things are perfectly legal BUT, it will get you on .govs radar. Once you've been noticed, its only a matter of time before they come knockin'. This guy has already been found guilty no matter if he did anything illegal or not.. 

I haven't watched any of the so-called comedy movies or TV sit-coms in years. Nothing but lewd, vulgar or suggestive stuff that I find to be too stupid to be funny. Just further evidence of how far our society is sinking.