Remington R1 1911 Enhanced

[battleop]

I've owned a lot of Scary Black Simi Auto Handguns and Revolvers but I've never bought a 1911.   There are so many that range in price that other than going on price I'm not sure what's good and what's not.      Sportsman has a couple of Remington 1911s on sale right now and I'm thinking about picking one up.   I just don't really know what to look for in a 1911.    The one I'm looking at is the R1 Enhanced target pistol.  Does anyone have any experience with one?  Are they decent guns?  I'm not looking for a self defense pistol (I'll leave that task to one of my Glocks) though I might carry it from time to time.  

 

I'm looking for a decent accurate plinker that I can shoot lead out of.    I load my own ammo so this gun will probably never see factory or max pressure loads.

[mhl6493]

Hickock45 did a review on the Remington recently that you might find interesting.  I think he liked it pretty well...

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_DpHE0h9zk

[Raoul]

I've got one. Great gun.

 

 

[JPR1959]

I'm not sure what price range you're looking at, but there's tons of great 1911s around $800 or so.  My son bought a Sig 1911 I found on gunbroker for $700.  Most Sigs come with front strap checkering and night sights.  I also think the Ruger Night Watchmans are really nice looking.  There's lots of great options out there.  Have fun in your research and shopping.

[DaveTN]

I missed the boat on these. When they first came out they were being sold with a street price of just over $500 ($530 I think was what I saw). As they started to become popular the price crept up. I’ve never got to shoot one though.

I have owned a lot of 1911’s and have settled on two for now. I have a stainless Ruger SR1911 that I think is the best choice based on price. At $659 for a Stainless 1911 that’s pretty hard to beat.

I also have a stainless Smith & Wesson SW1911 Target; it’s my top pick, but it’s going to run over a grand.

There are many good choices out there on 1911’s.

[Grayfox54]

I bought on of the standard 1911R1s when they first came out. These are excellent guns. The finish may be a little on the plain side, but they are very well fit, very accurate and have one of the best out-of-the-box triggers I have even come across. I consider the Remingtons to be one of the best bang for your buck 1911s on the market today.

[tnhawk]

The Remington R1 is a good pistol for the price.  You may want to also consider Ruger and Springfield Armory.

There are many options in the 1911. Comander or fullsize would be better than a compact for your first 1911.

Edited August 23, 2015 by tnhawk

[DaveTN]

I consider the Remingtons to be one of the best bang for your buck 1911s on the market today.

I’m glad to see Remington getting back into the handgun market. They make some of the best rifles and shotguns on earth; hopefully that expertise will be seen in their handguns. They had a set-back with the R-51, but it appears they addressed it quickly.

Any American manufacturer that can produce a quality product and compete with the imports on price given the obstacles they are hampered with; deserve our attention and business.

[bigun]

I bought on of the standard 1911R1s when they first came out. These are excellent guns. The finish may be a little on the plain side, but they are very well fit, very accurate and have one of the best out-of-the-box triggers I have even come across. I consider the Remingtons to be one of the best bang for your buck 1911s on the market today.

I agree 100%. The trigger is one of the best I have ever felt on a entry level gun. I also have a ruger  sr1911 and I really like it. Both of these have a great fit and finish. Just my  :2cents:  worth.

[JPR1959]

Bud's has the Enhanced R1 for $880.  There's several 1911s in the same price range, so your decision will be difficult.  I looked at all of these options last Christmas, so good luck and happy browsing.

[TNWNGR]

Look, I've owned and shot a bunch of 1911's, most were/are Colt's, some parts gun's, a mix of surplus GI pistols and SA. The worst was a stainless steel monstrosity called a Vega. You'll get an occasional new gun that has issues with the more highly refined custom shop guns sometimes being more showpiece than functional.

 

Overall in this market for the money the guns coming out of the Philippines are great. They are marked under a lot of very familiar names as well so with a little research you can cut to the chase, go really basic and fit one out with your preferred sights and trigger. The early release R1 looked good and the price was right but I had no need for one. If you want one fine, if you just want a good 1911 then take some time to look.  

[chances R]

I've had an R1 since they came out.  I have attended two classes shooting on average 600 rounds over 4 days each.  Not a hiccup with factory ammo.  No parts fell off, excellent reliability.  It is not my fanciest 1911, but given the several thousand rounds it has shot it is my most reliable.

[ARO Matt]

I've heard good things but never owned one so I have no first-hand on it.  I do have a few 1911s and 2011.  The 1911 all depends on your budget and what you want out of the gun.  I will say that STI is a great company and they have decent prices.  Their guns are made in Texas except for the Spartan models.  Those are Philippine frames made to STI specs, then assembled in Texas with the other guns.  If you move up the $$ chain a bit you have Dan Wesson 1911s, which are the best out of the box factory 1911s around.  I carry a DW Guardian in .38Super every day (when I'm not going on Ft Campbell anyway).  Moving to the lower end of the $$ spectrum I have heard good things about the RIA upgraded models and the ones I have fingered up seemed pretty nice for the money.  Again, your budget and desires drive your purchases in the 1911 world.

[herr.baer]

I have 2 of the R1's and they both shoot great!!

[ma6907]

I, like several others, have kind of an infatuation with this gun, but I have NO need for it.  If I were buying a 1911 (already have several--I am partial to Colts), and needed one that is not too fancy (like for a glovebox or true everyday carry), the R1 would be my choice.  I agree with the posters on the trigger (having only dry fired it at the counters where I said, "Can I see THAT one".)  As far as out of the box features (again only looking and holding, never actually firing, I personally (just my opinion) feel this is the best bang for your buck in a sub $800 1911.  I think one of the issues is that since it is, basicly, an entry level 1911, most of the people buying entry level 1911s do not realize the upgraded features that this gun has on it.  Difficult to explain to new shooters why some  of the features are so nice.  Ones I have seen have a Tritium front site only (which is nice, to me.  Why would I want the rear sights glowing?), scalloped rear ejection port, checkering that is ALSO on the safety, etc.  Several little features that I don't think entry level (I know I didn't) shooters think about?

Edited August 24, 2015 by ma6907

[chances R]

I will add that I have handled a couple out of the box R1 s   which have had very nice triggers.

[TNWNGR]

I will add that I have handled a couple out of the box R1 s   which have had very nice triggers.

 

All of the R1's I've handled had nice triggers and I can remember back to the dreck the rider less horse company was putting out in the 80's and 90's.

[polecat]

 I've had both the Ruger SR1911 and the R1 and found them both great and reliable shooters. If you can get the R1 basic model in stainless it has one of the best stainless finishes I have seen on any gun including S&W revolvers, Sigs..etc. I like the front checkering on the R1 carry version as well. That said I would also check out a Springfield Loaded and see how you like it. In that price range you can't go wrong. Good Luck!