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

[Snaveba]

1 hour ago, Choatecav said:

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

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

Until I get obsessed with something else. 
 

Maybe that is my consistency, I’m always obsessed with something. 

[gregintenn]

A 70 series Colt Gold Cup National Match serves as my black tie 1911 at this time. It is a pretty nice firearm, but I expect there are better options out there today.

[colbyzg]

4 hours ago, DJTC45 said:

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.

Yeah, the next one will be my fifth or sixth over time. I currently have the SA Range Officer, which I love. Just want a new toy.

[colbyzg]

Double post.

Edited January 17 by colbyzg

[Burnman5000]

On 1/14/2024 at 1:04 PM, kwe45919 said:

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.

Ill say it. My Nighthawk Custom is a champ. Its hopefully an heirloom piece to pass down to my son, but I love shooting the thing myself. 

 

 

[colbyzg]

Just now, Burnman5000 said:

Ill say it. My Nighthawk Custom is a champ. Its hopefully an heirloom piece to pass down to my son, but I love shooting the thing myself. 

 

 

That's beautiful! Similar to what I'm looking at.

[DBTN]

For 1911 or 2011 Chambers Custom or Charyn Precision. You get more customization with a Charyn.  These two are definitely in the buy once cry once camp.  After that Nighthawk and then Dan Wesson.  If you are ok with a 2011 then the Staccato P is the best bang for the buck.

 

 

 

 

 

[DJTC45]

Chambers is a good one for sure but his wait times are probably a year or two right now as with most top smiths. I liked my two NightHawk's and my Wilson CQBE, I've probably got close to 20,000rnds + down it and all I've had to replace were the springs and an extractor. Gun Crafter by Alex Zimmerman is another good 1911. If your looking for a custom built one PM me I know a local builder that is great, he builds 1911's and 2011's just as good as Chambers and few other top smiths plus he personally knows most of them. 

[Tom B]

Not sure if anyone mentioned Ed Brown. I recently picked up a stainless EVO and its fantastic.

They are semi-custom, made in batches.

[DJTC45]

Ed Brown is another good one, I bought a used Special Forces mod. on here about six years ago. It was a great gun, I should've kept it but I got talked into selling it to a coworker.

[ken_mays]

When you're looking at semi-custom 1911s, it all comes down to the features you want, the appearance, and the price you want pay.  In other words, it's mostly personal preference.  For the purposes of this post I'll talk about the $2000-5000 range.

I've owned Wilsons but never could warm up to them.  They were well built, reliable and accurate, but I didn't really get much enjoyment from shooting them, so I sold them.   I also never had to call their customer service for anything, but I know a few owners who swear by Wilson because of the high amount of hand-holding they do for their customers. 

I've heard much the same about Nighthawk, but I've never cared to own one, so I don't have first hand experience.

Les Baer is known for building very tight and accurate 1911s with a more traditional appearance.   They are priced a bit below Wilson and Nighthawk and they offer a bit less fit and finish.

Dan Wesson makes a very solid production 1911 and they are probably the best bang for the buck currently going, but they can have the occasional issue, and the customization options aren't really there like they are for the semi-customs.

STI/Staccato is about the same as Dan Wesson, a high end production gun.  They are generally well built and they do a consistently great job fitting their barrels for accuracy, but despite their high price tag, they don't really get the amount of hand fitting and finish that someone like Wilson does.

On the far end of the spectrum you have Infinity, who'll build you a 1911 or 2011 and give you a large number of options to select.  You pay for the privilege, but they also hold their value remarkably well.

Then there are dozens of custom shops out there, which are a whole other subject.

As far as my personal preference, most of what I shoot are Infinity, Les Baers, and random custom guns that I have accumulated or built for myself. 

[colbyzg]

6 hours ago, ken_mays said:

When you're looking at semi-custom 1911s, it all comes down to the features you want, the appearance, and the price you want pay.  In other words, it's mostly personal preference.  For the purposes of this post I'll talk about the $2000-5000 range.

I've owned Wilsons but never could warm up to them.  They were well built, reliable and accurate, but I didn't really get much enjoyment from shooting them, so I sold them.   I also never had to call their customer service for anything, but I know a few owners who swear by Wilson because of the high amount of hand-holding they do for their customers. 

I've heard much the same about Nighthawk, but I've never cared to own one, so I don't have first hand experience.

Les Baer is known for building very tight and accurate 1911s with a more traditional appearance.   They are priced a bit below Wilson and Nighthawk and they offer a bit less fit and finish.

Dan Wesson makes a very solid production 1911 and they are probably the best bang for the buck currently going, but they can have the occasional issue, and the customization options aren't really there like they are for the semi-customs.

STI/Staccato is about the same as Dan Wesson, a high end production gun.  They are generally well built and they do a consistently great job fitting their barrels for accuracy, but despite their high price tag, they don't really get the amount of hand fitting and finish that someone like Wilson does.

On the far end of the spectrum you have Infinity, who'll build you a 1911 or 2011 and give you a large number of options to select.  You pay for the privilege, but they also hold their value remarkably well.

Then there are dozens of custom shops out there, which are a whole other subject.

As far as my personal preference, most of what I shoot are Infinity, Les Baers, and random custom guns that I have accumulated or built for myself. 

Thanks so much. That was super informative! Had never heard of Infinity. 

[ShamGlock]

I own an Ed Brown Executive Elite, 2 of the Les Baer PII, a Nighthawk TRS Custom, a Dan Wesson Valor,  and a Staccato P. I have also shot several Wilsons.

I'll say that all of these are great guns and you won't go wrong with any of them, it kind of depends on what you are looking for. The Dan Wesson is certainly the best value of the bunch, in terms of price to performance and finish. The Ed Brown and Nighthawk are just outright fun to shoot with, and the fit and finish of those two are amazing. But when I want a gun that I can take out and absolutely drive nails with I grab my Baer with the 1 1/2" guarantee and let it rip. The gun itself isn't a classic 1911 beauty, and it comes from the factory in a cardboard box, but man does that thing just run. It's incredibly tight, well built, and I have never had the first issue with it on the range.  They have a few idiosyncrasies but they are just great guns overall.