Best 1911 in the $1500-$2000 range?

[rtruhn]

Get a decent brand S&W, Ruger, Sig, etc... for 7-900 and then get a good gunsmith to do a little magic to it for 3-400 bucks.

+1 for budgeting some solid gunsmith attention. Sam Hatfield in Manassas is a master of the platform and gets by business every time. Welcome to the 1911 waters!

 

[alucard0822]

You may want to ask yourself why the P7 isn't even made anymore while thousands of 1911s are still being built every year.

That's a tough choice, upper end of the good mass production models, but just below the better semi-customs. Would depend mostly on the competition class you were going for IMO.

 

[BerettaMan]

You can get a Dan Wesson Valor around the upper end of your price range. Pair it with some wilson combat mags and you're gtg. I've used mine in uspsa single stack and steel shoots and it's run flawlessly. Very accurate and looks great.

 

[BenL]

In that price range? A Les Baer. If it were my $2K, I would spend it on a Monolith Heavyweight; I like the full length dust cover and they shoot like a dream.

They can be had for right around $1900.

If you prefer something a little more traditional, the Thunder Ranch is hard to beat, also for ~$1900.

...and because they are Les Baer, they'll hold their value, unlike some other manufacturers; some of these manufactures are *very* new to making 1911s.

 

[dirk911]

A lot of great input here! Thanks guys! I'm still torn but will hopefully drop the hammer on something soon if I can figure it out. It's looking like whatever I get will still leave me wanting another one from another manufacture and I'm going to end up with empty pockets and a full vault.. But sounds like a win win situation to me

 

[zoostation]

Colt M45CQB if you can find one. MSRP is right a $2K but you won't find a nicer made gun in the commercial market. Those are basically hand fitted by Colt Custom Shop guys.

 

[bmonast]

I picked up a Les Baer Premier II second hand a few years back and it is wonderful to shoot. Even new shooters (and females) enjoy it. It makes my 1970's era Colt seem like a rattle trap.

 

[Magnumite]

For a few hundred more than TRP Springer, you can get a Baer. Baer personally pisses me off, but in the custom tier there aren't many 1911's which will give you more value for the dollar. Those few extra C notes will get you more machine steel parts than the Springers give you and a good fit. Customer service from Baer is an iffy proposition, hence my aggitation toward him. If you want to run up into the low $2K's Wilson Combat would be a sound choice.

 

[501st]

Dont believe everything you read on the internet. Kimber is the #1 selling 1911,-and produces more 1911's then all 1911 producers combined. And it aint because they put out full page ads either. For every 1 complaint about a Kimber product, you'll probaby get at least 1000 praises. Colts have more then there share of problems, until the gunsmith reworks them.

That being said, I think the OP could get a Les Baer premiere in that price range.

If Kimber is so sure of their product, why is it that they only offer a 1 year limited warranty on their guns, unlike most of their competitors who have some version of a lifetime warranty?

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

If Kimber is so sure of their product, why is it that they only offer a 1 year limited warranty on their guns, unlike most of their competitors who have some version of a lifetime warranty?

If Kimber is such a bad product why do they have a reputation of an accurate 1911, and top out 1911 sales for only having a 1 year warranty? Because they advertise in magazines? Please cut the ******** there. If the product was half as bad as people state they are, they'd go out of business in a hurry.

They are production guns not custom pieces.

I bet if you put a post on here, on who is pleased with their Kimber, you'd get many postive responses.

Im not saying their perfect or the the best, but people believe any ******** they read on the internet, and then claim that is there experience with a product, even though they never owned one, yet even shot one.

The best 1911 in the world means nothing if you dont know how to shoot one to know if its accurate either.

Smith & Wesson no longer offers a lifetime warranty. Remington offers only 2 years. So they are not all lifetime warranty either. Lifetime warranties are to push buyers into buying their product too.

 

[Diesel Kinevel]

If Kimber is such a bad product why do they have a reputation of an accurate 1911, and top out 1911 sales for only having a 1 year warranty? Because they advertise in magazines? Please cut the ******** there. If the product was half as bad as people state they are, they'd go out of business in a hurry.

They are production guns not custom pieces.

I bet if you put a post on here, on who is pleased with their Kimber, you'd get many postive responses.

Im not saying their perfect or the the best, but people believe any ******** they read on the internet, and then claim that is there experience with a product, even though they never owned one, yet even shot one.

The best 1911 in the world means nothing if you dont know how to shoot one to know if its accurate either.

Smith & Wesson no longer offers a lifetime warranty. Remington offers only 2 years. So they are not all lifetime warranty either. Lifetime warranties are to push buyers into buying their product too.

Agreed, I love my Kimber Warrior. It has never faltered as long as I have had it.

-Z

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

Agreed, I love my Kimber Warrior. It has never faltered as long as I have had it.

-Z

Based on my personal experience with mine... I would gladly buy another, and plan on doing so!

Mine has digested 8k rounds with no issues. Still have the orginal factory recoil spring in it with no signs of failure. I shoot mine ALOT!

 

[501st]

If Kimber is such a bad product why do they have a reputation of an accurate 1911, and top out 1911 sales for only having a 1 year warranty? Because they advertise in magazines? Please cut the ******** there. If the product was half as bad as people state they are, they'd go out of business in a hurry.

That may be why they have issues, Kimber's fixation on such tight tolerances. Not much point in an accurate 1911 if it experiences issues due to such tight tolerances.

Also your sales comparison flawed. Who sells the most AR-15's? Likely Bushmaster. Who sells the most hamburgers, likely McDonalds. Is anybody going to say that either makes amazing products? No. Everybody knows that they compete on price and have done lots of marketing.

Who wouldn't want to own the gun used by LAPD SWAT teams, or (up till recently) MARSOC? Wouldn't a company that essentially only makes 1911's (aside from a small rifle endeavor) supposedly garner more interest that others that make other guns other than 1911's.

Same thing with the going out of business spheel. Look at Kel-Tec, they seem to have various QC issues and product availability isn't that good, yet they continue to exist. According to your line of thinking, they should have gone out of business.

They are production guns not custom pieces.

I bet if you put a post on here, on who is pleased with their Kimber, you'd get many postive responses.

Im not saying their perfect or the the best, but people believe any ******** they read on the internet, and then claim that is there experience with a product, even though they never owned one, yet even shot one.

The best 1911 in the world means nothing if you dont know how to shoot one to know if its accurate either.

Smith & Wesson no longer offers a lifetime warranty. Remington offers only 2 years. So they are not all lifetime warranty either. Lifetime warranties are to push buyers into buying their product too.

Look, plenty of user accounts are out there. It shouldn't be too difficult to look through them, and come to a conclusion. Based on the research I did, Kimber didn't really offer anything over their competition that made them the compelling choice.

And about Smith and Wesson, you aren't exactly correct about that.

Smith & Wesson’s Lifetime Service Policy begins after the warranty
period has expired. Smith & Wesson will repair, without
charge, for the lifetime of the original owner, any Smith &
Wesson handgun purchased on or after February 1, 1989, and
any M&P15 series rifle, that is found to have a defect in material
or workmanship. Eligibility for this Lifetime Service Policy
requires returning the Product Registration Card within 30 days
of purchase. The Lifetime Service Policy covers functional
defects; it does not include the firearm’s finish, grips, magazines
or sights. The Lifetime Service Policy is in addition to and not an
extension of the Smith & Wesson Warranty.

 

[Bafflingbs]

Wiley Clapp edition Colt. Mine has been 100%

 

[rbird7282]

Consider an HK P7 and ammo with the change instead. You'll be buying far better pistol and spending let money. The 1911 design is outdated and overrated. Also, if selling the P7 at some point (blasphemy), you'll make money. Unless you are buying a Govt. issued 1911, you're likely to lose money later if you buy and then decide to sell one of these other 1911 copies.

Nonsense.

 

[davsco]

as noted above, les baer.

also check out STI. they are very well known in competition for their double stack 1911's (2011's) and they also make 1911's.

 

[trbon8r]

View attachment 109086

That's a tough choice, upper end of the good mass production models, but just below the better semi-customs. Would depend mostly on the competition class you were going for IMO.

Where is the picture of my long gone stove-pipe-amatic G21 when I need it?

 

[bpm32]

For a few hundred more than TRP Springer, you can get a Baer. Baer personally pisses me off, but in the custom tier there aren't many 1911's which will give you more value for the dollar. Those few extra C notes will get you more machine steel parts than the Springers give you and a good fit. Customer service from Baer is an iffy proposition, hence my aggitation toward him. If you want to run up into the low $2K's Wilson Combat would be a sound choice.

Absolutely agree with everything here. A lot of people who aren't into 1911s would think it's crazy for a $2000 pistol to be a great value, but just good quality parts for a 1911 are going to be $1000-1200. And even then the 1911 is an old design and it relies on A LOT of handfitting. A fully custom gun will take a gunsmith something like 24-40 hours, a little less for a semi-custom. The fact that Baer can do most of that plus some extras like hand-checkering the front strap is impressive.

All this isn't to say you can't get a good 1911 from a company like Kimber for half the price, it's just that for the price they charge they have to cut a few corners on parts, which will be cast (like the sear and hammer, so they probably won't hold a good trigger job) of plastic (like the mainspring housing, which doesn't matter). Also, the barrel fit to the slide, bushing, and slide stop won't be as tight, so the accuracy won't be as good.

 

[Magnumite]

Plus many Kimbers will exhibit barrel bump and its attendant issues

 

[GUNSnROTORS]

Springfield trp. Great sights, g10 grips match grade trigger and can be had for around $1300. Take the rest of you budget and use it for a nice holster and ammo. If you want something a little diffrent Dan Wesson builds a nice 10min 1911 but im not sure if they are still making them since Cz took over the Dan Wesson line.

Very hard to find when I got mine. Paid full suggested retail. No regrets, though.