Been out of the sport for ~10 years, what are the best 1911s currently?

[colbyzg]

Mostly just plinking but maybe an event here and there. I have a Springer, but I'm looking to expand the collection. Looking at Wilson. Still quality? Anything new I should check out? Thanks!

[Grayfox54]

How much are you willing to spend? 

You say you have a Springfield. Excellent guns. That's what I generally recommend. You could go with one of their fancier models.

Best bang for the buck? I like Rock Island Armory. Good guns and affordable.

Super accurate? Wilson, Ed  Brown and Les Bauer come to mind.  But they're expensive. 

Collectable? Can't go wrong with an older Colt. I'm not real fond of their current stuff though. 

[Tom B]

Older Kimbers are nice. And Sigs from what I hear. I happen to like Dan Wessons a lot, they are a great value.

[gary_boom]

Just my 2 cents but Wilson sets the standard, I’ve never owned one, some call them semi custom . There are truly custom one gun one smith guns that have a waiting list of years. I lusted after a Wilson QBC on the classifieds here a month or so ago you may check it out.

[colbyzg]

2 hours ago, Grayfox54 said:

How much are you willing to spend? 

You say you have a Springfield. Excellent guns. That's what I generally recommend. You could go with one of their fancier models.

Best bang for the buck? I like Rock Island Armory. Good guns and affordable.

Super accurate? Wilson, Ed  Brown and Les Bauer come to mind.  But they're expensive. 

Collectable? Can't go wrong with an older Colt. I'm not real fond of their current stuff though. 

 

Thanks for the info! I'm not firm on how much I'll spend. For the right deal I'd say $3-5K, but I'd prefer closer or under 3.

I've owned an RIA 9mm which was actually fantastic and I only sold it once I got the SA. I've also owned a Taurus, which was fine, and a Kimber, which I had tons of issues with (feeding issues, stovepipes, etc.), so I probably wouldn't go that route again.

I've looked at Wilson and Ed Brown, but not Les Bauer much. I'll do some research on them. Appreciate it.

[colbyzg]

2 hours ago, Tom B said:

Older Kimbers are nice. And Sigs from what I hear. I happen to like Dan Wessons a lot, they are a great value.

Oh, forgot about SIG's 1911s. I'll have to look at those too. Haven't heard a lot of feedback on them, but I don't think I've owned or shot an unreliable SIG yet.

Dan Wesson is another to add to the list, thanks!

[colbyzg]

27 minutes ago, gary_boom said:

Just my 2 cents but Wilson sets the standard, I’ve never owned one, some call them semi custom . There are truly custom one gun one smith guns that have a waiting list of years. I lusted after a Wilson QBC on the classifieds here a month or so ago you may check it out.

Definitely going to keep a close eye on the classifieds. There are a couple guns I'm hoping pop up, but a nice (9mm, hopefully) 1911 is at the top of the list.

[ken_mays]

Tisas is gaining a good reputation by delivering well built 1911s at a budget price.   Disclaimer: no firsthand knowledge personally

[kwe45919]

No one here has said Staccto or Nighthawk yet.....super surprised on that. If your willing to pay, put Les, Wilson, Nighthawk, Stacato and Dan in a hat. What ever you draw out I'm sure you'll be very happy with.

[Snaveba]

2 hours ago, ken_mays said:

Tisas is gaining a good reputation by delivering well built 1911s at a budget price.   Disclaimer: no firsthand knowledge personally 

 

had to do it 

Edited January 14 by Snaveba

[ken_mays]

16 minutes ago, Snaveba said:

 

had to do it 

Thank you for the 10 year old information

[Choatecav]

4 hours ago, ken_mays said:

Tisas is gaining a good reputation by delivering well built 1911s at a budget price.   Disclaimer: no firsthand knowledge personally

I'm gonna echo Ken's message and suggest you start out economically yet with quality.  I bought a TISAS 1911 A1 and I have put it through it's paces.  It is not only accurate, but it eats anything you can throw at it.  Furthermore, I took it out with some of my old 1911's from WWII and also some newer ones.  It works with all of the single stack mags from others and even accommodates the slides from the classic Colts and Remington Rands from the war.  You can get one for less than $400 and you will love it.  Then.... you can branch out to more expensive "name" brands if you wish.  

I'm usually a skeptic regarding any of these "wannabe" brands, but this one made a believer out of me.  

Oh, and no..... I am not getting any kickback from Tisas for this endorsement.  

[Sleep profit]

CZ shadow 2. In orange.  Any 3-5 thousand dollar 1911 will be awesome can’t really make a wrong decision 

[gregintenn]

I keep reading high praises of the Rock River offerings, but have no personal experience with them. Their Basic Limited model sure looks good to me!

[Dirtshooter]

Look at Para-Ordnance, double stack or single stack.

[LangdoniousRex]

For $3k you could custom order a Cosaint Arms. I'm eyeing them to built a 2011 in 10mm since no one else really does one and used STIs easily go for $4k+ 

[scatman]

Tisas are okay, my buddy bought one last year, I would go with a Rock Island over a Tisas for the price. My Rock Island has yet to jam, whereas my buddy's Tisas likes to jam after 100 rds down the pipe. Fitment of slide to lower on the Tisas is also a little loose for my taste, causes the slide to jerk left or right during firing which makes recoil go all over the place. 

[colbyzg]

Thanks everyone for the input! I think I'm leaning Nighthawk, but I need to go out and touch some different manufacturers and models.

[deerslayer]

If you go with a Wilson, be prepared to be on hold for a half hour any time you need to talk to someone. 
 

If I had 3k to spend on a 1911, I would save half of it and get a Dan Wesson.  

Edited January 16 by deerslayer

[tnhawk]

On 1/14/2024 at 8:14 AM, colbyzg said:

Mostly just plinking but maybe an event here and there. I have a Springer, but I'm looking to expand the collection. Looking at Wilson. Still quality? Anything new I should check out? Thanks!

I have a few pistols from Springfield.  Good reliable pistols with good warranty.  My last few 1911s have been from Dan Wesson.

[gregintenn]

5 hours ago, scatman said:

Tisas are okay, my buddy bought one last year, I would go with a Rock Island over a Tisas for the price. My Rock Island has yet to jam, whereas my buddy's Tisas likes to jam after 100 rds down the pipe. Fitment of slide to lower on the Tisas is also a little loose for my taste, causes the slide to jerk left or right during firing which makes recoil go all over the place. 

While I own and really like a Rock Island, neither it nor a Tisas could ever be qualified as "best" for anything except maybe price.

[colbyzg]

5 hours ago, deerslayer said:

If you go with a Wilson, be prepared to be on hold for a half hour any time you need to talk to someone. 
 

If I had 3k to spend on a 1911, I would save half of it and get a Dan Wesson.  

Damn, when you put it like that...

[Snaveba]

If I had 3k to spend on a 1911, I would get a Tisas and 2-3 lever guns 

[DJTC45]

I've owned probably 20 1911's and 2011's give or take. 1911's were NightHawk GRP, NightHawk w rail(can't remember the model), Gun Crafter Frag, six Les Baer's, two Custom Built Wilson Combat CQBE's, Springfield Armory from the std. model to the Operator Full Rail and half rail models, I only have one 1911 in 45acp and that's one of the CQBE's. I've had seven Staccato's but I've downsized to just two of those, C Single Stack 10rnd 9mm, and the new CS Double Stack 16rnd 9mm. As far as to what 1911 brand you want I would go with a reasonably priced one that has a good set of sights, if it were me I'd have to go with a Springfield Armory Garrison mod. and buy a 500-1000rnds. of ammo and go shoot it, also either one of the cheaper 1911's that are mentioned above are good starter guns. Then if you enjoy the 1911 platform go ahead and upgrade to a semi custom or full custom that way you don't have $2500-$3200+ in something you don't like. Just my opinion good luck in your search.

[Choatecav]

11 minutes ago, Snaveba said:

If I had 3k to spend on a 1911, I would get a Tisas and 2-3 lever guns 

Snaveba, you're nothing if not consistent.....................

Love it............