1911 Heirarchy

[HiredHand]

Different people have different definitions of accurate and reliable.

I would add to those two; ergomonic.

How accurate is accurate enough? How reliable is reliable enough? How comfortable is comfortable enough?

I think that when a 1911 is held, it should be an extension of yourself, it should be melded to yourself like Tony Stark and his suit of armor. No stock gun is going to give you that.

True 1911 operators are skilled pistoleros. They know what the platform's capabilities are, and they are good enough shooters to where the stock platforms are limiting their abilities and performance.

This is similar to dedicated glock operators that know what some mods can do for them, and their shooting.

Folks (and Im not talking about you, Neil; just in general) that look at a custom gun as 30 hundred dollar bills, and look at the aspect of modifying their glock as possibly hurting its value, or their idea of what a gun should look like, just simply dont get it; they are more collectors, or general gun enthusiasts, or are deluding themselves as to their (and their guns) potential.

Good question, Neil. I was in your shoes about 8 years ago. Im pretty deep in the rabbit hole now!

Absolutely.

 

[RickN]

The best??? Ballester Molina!!!

I could afford it and it goes bang when I pull the trigger, and it shoots as accurate as the 45s I fired in the service.

 

[ninefan]

[Broken External Image]

 

[HiredHand]

 

[Dr. Barry Greyson]

Ninefan...


ROFLMAO.......What a great cartoon...

Barry

 

[BadgeBunny]

best depends on who you are talking to...
Wilson & Les Baer makes some might fine 1911's...

kinda partial to my Colt 1911 Gold Cup...

This ... I have fired several Wilson 1911s. Don't recall ever firing a Les Baer but so many guys at the range let me shoot their guns I might have and forgot.

Also, STI makes a sweet 1911 (IMHO) but none of them are as good a shoot as my Gold Cup.

 

[Chocobo]

Own at least one from each different company and keep the one you like the best if you can afford it. That should be your best 1911. I've owned Wilson, Nighthawk, Baer, RRA, Springfield Pro, Ed Brown and other production brand. They all makes great 1911. My favorite is the Ed Brown so to me Ed Brown is the best. RRA also makes some very fine 1911 for the price but they stopped making 1911 and don't know if they will again. I also like the gen I Kimber. Before Kimber went to Gen II they make some really fine 1911 especially the clarkamas ones. I also just got a Springfield TRP operator, it shoots just as accurate as the Pro I got. STI and Colt are great 1911 makers also. The worst I've owned is pre-CZ Dan Wesson. But a lot of other people likes them. I've never really owned a fully custom 1911 from a well known gunsmith so I don't know much about that category. But I know Dr. Greyson does a fine job and his trigger is crazy amazing. Everybody shoots differently so everyone will have different opinion on which company makes the best 1911. Some will fit your hand better than the others. Some people don't like the FPS but some don't mind. The best 1911 just depend on what you like and what fits your hand better and which shoot more accurate for you. But one thing for sure is to go with quality parts. Just my 2s.

 

[n423]

Wilson,Les Baer,Kimber,Colt




but I like my 1970's Colt Combat Commander Nickel that I bought new.

 

[patrickcudd]

General Consensus goes something like this:
1. Full Custom builds. ie. Something from the workbench of Yost, Harrison, etc. These are guns built to order from reputable 1911 gunsmiths. Many choose to use Caspian or Colt frames and slides as a base for builds.

2. Semi Custom. These are high quality, pre-built guns that generally have the same quality as custom guns but without the uniqueness of having your own "build". ie. Ed Brown, Wilson, Nighthawk, Springfield Custom, Les Baer, etc.

3. Production. These are the rest. These do not have the scrutinized, hand fitting of Semi Custom builds. There is a great amount of diversity in the overall quality of what is considered a "production" 1911. Compare a Dan Wesson CBOB to a Taurus 1911 for instance. Huge difference in quality. Still, both are considered "production".

This is the best statement I've seen.

I've owned Colt 1911's, Kimbers and a Wilson, so that is all I can speak on. I would rate Kimber above the Colts, and there is not even a comparison to the Wilson.....it is that much better.

I've never owned one of the full house customs from Yost, Chen, Harrison, ect., but from what I hear from people who should know, there is the same amount of difference as jumping from a production to semi-custom. I cannot imagine how this is possible, but my wallet will not allow me to even think about it at this time.

 

[thayton]

I love my Gold Cup and after shooting it for 40 years it kind of fits my hand. Barry has tinkered with it a bit also. It's a lot more accurate than I am.