Help Me Choose a 1911 Pistol

[BWH]

Does anybody shoot any of the Dan Wesson 1911's?

They are badass.... but all these addicts spend their money on Africa.

 

[William W.]

How much do you want to spend for your 1911?

 

[William W.]

I would suggest a 1911-like double stack CZ Shadow Target II - retail from Grabagun from CZ's custom shop.

 

[Heeler75]

They are badass.... but all these addicts spend their money on Africa.

Well, I'm one of those addicts also... In August I'm heading to RSA for the 3rd time.

But Dan Wesson sure has some lookers. I really like the Bobtails - Commander Classic and V-Bob. The Pointman 7 in .45 ACP is nice also.

 

[BWH]

Yeah..... know the feeling. If money was no object the Wesson or the Wilson would be high on list. You can get a Kimber for $750.... Ruger & Remington for about $600. Great values!

 

[Philip Glass]

Tell us more about this Kimberly! She sounds nice!

Darn auto correct features!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Phil, it's also very easy to change tool heads for other calibers. I have five other calibers that I load for and use the Dillion for. Also, out of all my 10 mm pistols I like my Kimber's the best and I shoot them the best but a lot of people like the Glock pistol. They are a lot cheaper. By the way, the next Dillion press I get I think I'm going to get the 650, it's a very nice press . I have the 550 B right now and there's nothing wrong with that one but I'll just have 2 presses mounted .

I had to be up on the north side of town today, so it was convenient to drop into Dillon. I was thinking the 650 too but after talking to one of their guys, I'm leaning to the 550 now. The 650's biggest advantage over the 550 from what I can tell is the automatic indexing.

But that comes at the expense of a more complicated machine that is harder to switch calibers for. And while I know they make high quality equipment, more parts means higher likelihood of broken parts. They have their "No BS" lifetime warranty to cover that of course, but there's something to be said for not having to use it.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Well I made it to an indoor range this week and touched off a Glock 40 in 10mm. Recoil is not bad, but significant enough that I don't think it was the best suited for shooting league my son and I want to shoot in. Just no way to quickly get back on target with that caliber.

Well one thing led to another and well it's not the 1911 I was initially thinking of, but came across a good deal for a Sig. The one thing I'm sure of is my old eyes will benefit greatly from a red dot optic and that is kind of what sealed the deal. So getting this one in 9mm:

https://www.sigsauer.com/store/p226-rx-full-size.html

 

[lcq]

So I find myself with more rifles than I really should have. It's been a fun run over the last 7 years when I started adding to my 2 or 3 rifle collection. Africa to blame for that along with kids coming up of age. I still have a couple more rifles to develop loads for. But after that, I'm not likely to buy more.......or at least that's what I'm telling myself at the moment. Honestly though with various 7mm's, 30 cals and three rifles primarily for Africa, I think I've got us more than covered.

So now what? Well my 14 year old has an interest in shooting. But he wants more than just shooting holes in paper and I must agree, it's time for a change. The local shooting club that I'm a member of has various handgun shooting leagues and I think it would be a hoot having done a little of this in the past.

My one and only handgun is a .357 S&W revolver which is primarily a camp gun and is dreadfully ignored. I'd like to add a 1911 or two to the armory. First thought is a .45 for me and a 9mm for the lad. But.......I haven't a clue. I can load and make the 1911's go bang, but that's about as far my knowledge goes.

The boy for whatever reason would like to have a Glock. I know they're well made and very reliable, but geesh they sure aren't visually appealing. For me, I'm thinking more along the lines of a Kimber, Colt, or Springfield.

What do you guys suggest?

too bad you weren't in Canada you can get a Norinco 1911 for $350 Cnd (about 250 US). I miked mine and it was a 100% clone of a Colt 1911. Unfortunately no Norinco in the US

 

[ArmyGrunt]

There are about a dozen Norinco 1911s on gun broker right now. HUGE variation in prices from one to the next. All look to be like a WW2 copy, so slim chance he'd get a red dot mounted

 

[lcq]

There are about a dozen Norinco 1911s on gun broker right now. HUGE variation in prices from one to the next. All look to be like a WW2 copy, so slim chance he'd get a red dot mounted

I thought it was prohibited to import Norinco into the US

 

[ArmyGrunt]

That I cannot speak on. I imagine that's due to a fairly recent ban, not unlike the one to stop those evil AKs... One of the listings had "pre ban" in the title, and none looked newish

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I thought it was prohibited to import Norinco into the US

I think it still is. But if the guns made it into the country legally, you can certainly resell them. What I see on GB is they're all used.

 

[dchamp]

Not suggesting anything is wrong per se. I just know the Glock I shot today was shooting 4" or so left and an inch or two low of point of aim at roughly 20'. I'm certainly know crack pistol shot, but the grouping was respectable. The PMC ammo may have contributed to this. But it made me wonder what I'd do at that point.

Chances are it's your trigger press and you are anticipating recoil. The Glock trigger takes a little time to get use to but when you do there is not a better sidearm except for maybe a 1911 IMHO, just saying.

I have no clue what kind of shooting league you are talking about, as I do not do competition, but from a defensive handgun perspective there are a couple of things to consider. 1. I would not use target sights, they will hurt your hands when performing malfunctions and reloads. 2. If using a 1911 get one with a ambidextrous safety. If you or your son shoots left handed it is a must. Even if you're right handed there may be times when you need to shoot with your support hand. 3. If you both are just starting then get full size hand guns. This will help in getting better faster IMHO.

I have owned and shot a Colt Series 70 for over 40 years and love it dearly but I carry a Glock 30(.45ACP) or 19 (9mm) and own several more. I started both of my sons in serious training with good instructors when they were 14. They both started with my 1911 that's when I started using the Glock. That was 17 years ago. My oldest son now has both 1911s and Glocks but my youngest has only his Kimber 1911.

I see their making 9mm 1911s now and hear they are sweet. You can always get one in each caliber. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the major reputable manufacturers.

 

[dchamp]

Oh almost forgot, be sure to get a good Gun Belt, a Holster preferably Kydex, Magazine Carrier and spare Magazines.

Also I don't don't get why so many people think the Glock is ugly. I think it is one of the better looking handguns on the market. I always thought it had a understated elegance. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[mdwest]

Norinco used to import A LOT of stuff into the US during the 80's and 90's.. tons of SKS, AK47, etc.. also lots of TT33 and TT54's back in the day...

I remember their 1911's coming into the US for a few years during the early 1990's before they got "banned" in 1993.. A lot of them were sold here and I am sure are still available on the secondary market..

I never owned one.. but played with a few at gun shows, etc.. when they were still getting imported.. I didnt think they were "bad" per se.. but certainly not on par with even the "cheap" production options from US manufacturers.. for the money they were pretty ok it seemed back then though..

I did own a Norinco SKS at one time... it functioned flawlessly.. It was more of a "toy" than anything else though.. it served no practical use for me.. so I ended up selling it off a couple of years after I bought it..

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Phil, it's also very easy to change tool heads for other calibers. I have five other calibers that I load for and use the Dillion for. Also, out of all my 10 mm pistols I like my Kimber's the best and I shoot them the best but a lot of people like the Glock pistol. They are a lot cheaper. By the way, the next Dillion press I get I think I'm going to get the 650, it's a very nice press . I have the 550 B right now and there's nothing wrong with that one but I'll just have 2 presses mounted .

Nothing like contradicting yourself.....bought a 650 this week for the auto indexing feature. Had to build a raised platform to make everything work together. A carpenter I'm not.

 

[larry4831]

Nothing like contradicting yourself.....bought a 650 this week for the auto indexing feature. Had to build a raised platform to make everything work together. A carpenter I'm not.

View attachment 179269

That's why right now I still have the 550 B

 

[larry4831]

Nothing like contradicting yourself.....bought a 650 this week for the auto indexing feature. Had to build a raised platform to make everything work together. A carpenter I'm not.

View attachment 179269

Hell you got the hard part done, you got the thing all put together, however, I was not aware that you had to build a platform for one. I think I could do that but hell I didn't know that, I have the 550 B I do believe there's a video you can get to help you along for like a mere $25 or something like that.

 

[larry4831]

Good looking machine though Phil, I think I'm going to have one here someday. I'll get the guy I bought it off of to come over and help me set it up.