Who makes a nice American made milspec 1911?

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  • TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,168
    Sun City West, AZ
    I know a store that was a Kimber stocking dealer...they dropped Kimber due to too many problems with them.

    There's a number of great quality 1911-platform pistols made today. Colt's offerings are among the best they've ever made. But while they aren't coming with the fine Royal Blue finishes they used to...as far as accuracy and reliability goes they're better than ever. Everyone loves the handwork that was present (and often necessary) in older handguns but CAD/CAM manufacturing makes much of that unnecessary today.
     

    JaeLess

    Member
    Nov 20, 2020
    42
    I had a old Ballister Molina 1911 that was made in Argentina.... Prior to it getting stolen, I used to shoot the hell out of it. It was as stock of a 1911 you could get and was like 200 bucks.
     
    Jul 1, 2012
    5,711
    The BM isn't really a 1911 though, more like a Star Model P. But yeah it's a good solid gun.
    Now it's hard to find a nice unmolested original one for less than $600-700.
     
    Feb 28, 2013
    28,953

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,593
    Glen Burnie
    Those are lookin good :D
    A friend of mine was asking me the other day who I thought made a good 1911.

    Springfield. I know opinions vary, but it's the first name that comes to mind these days for me, especially for the more budget minded folks who aren't looking to spend a lot.

    To be fair though, I don't own one - I have a 1941 vintage Colt, and two Dan Wessons, so....
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,593
    Glen Burnie
    I have read that most Springfield 1911 parts are made in Brazil. Still good quality, but not exactly (North) American-made.
    Quality is quality, no matter where it's made. I know that there was once a time where "American Made" really meant something, but I think that the gap has decreased over the years, and date I day that they're are some American companies that have slipped in recent years in regard to quality and QC.

    With that said, if you really want American Made quality, you're going to pay the price in other to get it.
     

    ezracer

    Certified Gun Nut
    Jul 27, 2012
    4,761
    Behind enemy lines...
    In spite of all the modern manufacturing processes, many modern firearms can't hold a candle to their 60 year old counter parts. S&W is a perfect example
    Pick up a new S&W revolver and cycle it. Then pick up an oldie and notice the difference.

    The reason...craftsmanship. Today these things are cranked out on CNC machines and put together by "assemblers". Also, many firearms today are produced to much tighter tolerances. WW II 1911's were quite "loose" by todays standards and were not as finicky.

    I would like to think that the really high end 1911's like Baer, Wilson, are produced with more attention to detail with "gunsmiths" used for assembly
    for more hand fitting.
     

    TheOriginalMexicanBob

    Ultimate Member
    Jul 2, 2017
    32,168
    Sun City West, AZ
    That's right. Correct me if I'm wrong but Springfield 1911's fall into that same category. I believe some parts are made in Brazil..right??

    Unless things have changed the Springfield 1911's raw forgings are imported from Brazil and finished and assembled here to the specific model being made. I understood the 1911s made by Remington were full of parts imported from India, RIA pistols are made in the Philippines and probably others as well.

    None of that means they are poor pistols in any way...just not "Made in the USA" unless being finished in the USA by an American company makes them that way. Some are made of forgings...some are made of castings...some are all forged and some have MIM parts. There's good forgings and bad forgings...good castings and poor castings. None automatically means a part or entire gun is better than another.
     

    Bisleyfan44

    Ultimate Member
    Jan 11, 2008
    1,758
    Wicomico
    OP here. Ended up deciding on the Sprinfield Milspec Defender. Parkerizing is good, well fit, nice gun. Only thing that bugs me a little are the sights. Not correct, but more useful and easier to see so they're close enough.

    This will be used in the HD rotation which kept me from digging into CMP/period Colts in case it ever (hopefully never) has to be forfeit. And at the price, I feel you get a lot of gun with this.
     

    trickg

    Guns 'n Drums
    MDS Supporter
    Jul 22, 2008
    14,593
    Glen Burnie
    No love for Les Baer huh?
    I'm sure there's plenty of love for a Les Baer, but I was under the impression that the OP wasn't looking to get into that kind of money, and was looking for something a bit more budget minded.

    IMO, the best bang-for-the-buck 1911s are Dan Wesson - they are American made, no MIM parts (at least not that I know of) and seem to be the point where quality meets price - that's why I now own two of them. However, they don't really offer a Milspec. The closest thing they seem to be offering at the moment is the A2 model, and it has some aspects that are a bit different - different sights (Novak) and a slightly different tail to the gun than the original. Higher MSRP though - nearly $1400, which is a street price of what - $1000-$1100?

    I've got no regrets about getting my Dan Wessons or the money I spent on them - the quality is absolutely apparent when you pick them up, the slides are like butter, the triggers are light but firm, crisp and clean, etc. The downside is that they ran me $1500 each, give or take, but they are heirloom quality guns that will last for decades if they are properly cared for. And for those for whom it's important, they are American Made.

    OP here. Ended up deciding on the Springfield Milspec Defender. Parkerizing is good, well fit, nice gun. Only thing that bugs me a little are the sights. Not correct, but more useful and easier to see so they're close enough.

    This will be used in the HD rotation which kept me from digging into CMP/period Colts in case it ever (hopefully never) has to be forfeit. And at the price, I feel you get a lot of gun with this.
    HA! I started my post above earlier today and got sidetracked, only finishing it a big ago.

    I think you did well with the Milspec Defender - it's not 100% - sights a bit different, the slide serrations are slightly angled, it's got a bevel at the ejection port, etc, but it's got the right basic look, and I bet it's a great shooter out of the box - most of the differences are for a functional reason.
     

    Magnumite

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 17, 2007
    6,561
    Harford County, Maryland
    While not mil spec ‘correct’, the Mil Spec Defender has improvements where improvements are needed. Better sights and enhanced barrel fit will pay dividends in the shootability and on target performance. I ordered two from my FGS when they can get them.
     

    Cold Steel

    Active Member
    Sep 26, 2006
    801
    Bethesda, MD
    Like the title says, who makes a decent American made milspec 1911? I have 1911s that have factory "upgrades" or "features" and they are accurate and reliable. I just can't warm up to them, to me nothing has the feel of an authentic 1911 in milspec, plain jane form.



    Ask these guys.

    Twenty points to the one who can correctly identify where where this photo came from. It ain't all that hard.

    Regarding the topic, I'm a bit miffed at the nostalgia associated with this stupid gun. I went to a website the other night and saw some beautiful grips for this gun. It carried some astounding grips, but alas, the best grips were for the 1911.The grips for my Browning Hi-Power were crappy...okay, not crappy, but not great! Mediocre. So I look again, and even the ones on sale were crappy.

    Ticks me off that I can't get the grips I want. My Browning Hi-Power is a much better gun than the Colt 1911. Even my S&W 645 is better than the 1911 in that it's a 1911 double action.

    So tell me where I got it!

    --
     

    Darkemp

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 18, 2009
    7,808
    Marylandistan
    Don’t think I heard anyone mention Ruger? Haven’t seen many unreliable Ruger firearms ever. Have held their 1911’s always thought I may pick one up someday- disclaimer I do have or have owned a bunch of different Rugers over the years.
     

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