Gurkha Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Hi, Who do you guys think are the companies who make the most reliable 2011 open guns? I'm talking about good track record, consistently building reliable guns from what you have heard, seen and witnessed personally? Lately I have been hearing good things about the stuff Akai is currently making, I have also seen some guys running there stuff without any issues at matches recently. I have no personal experience with their stuff. I am wanting to have one built but I'm a production shooter and reliability is what I am use to. One of the reasons I have stayed away from open is because of all the super unreliable guns I have seen. Let me know what you guys are thinking. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 You are going to hear a wide variety of opinions from Enos members because we all have our favorites. Mine, as you can tell is Infinity Firearms. One of the more expensive brands with the longest wait time. But, that too, should tell you something. And, they hold their value. I just sold a 3 year old Limited gun with nearly 19 thousand rounds through it for $3250. www.sviguns.com check them out.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurkha Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Hi, I have a friend with two Infinity Standard guns and they are amazing, nicest guns I have ever shot. He got his a few years back and the wait times were crazy! What are the wait times like nowadays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Hello: It is the one that goes bang every time. Since it is a mechanical device it will fail at some point. With proper cleanings and maintenance all will be reliable if built correctly. I have seen all different makers 2011's fail for different reasons. Open guns can be difficult to keep running if you don't clean them often and your mags are not correct. Chamber check your ammo as well. Like they say "Rolex or Timex they both tell time". Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerTrace Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Hi, I have a friend with two Infinity Standard guns and they are amazing, nicest guns I have ever shot. He got his a few years back and the wait times were crazy! What are the wait times like nowadays? 12-18 months. Their move to the new factory got them behind and they have been busting their humps to get caught up. I saw my new 5.4" yesterday and the card indicated i should have it in July. It will be a pretty neat design. 5.4" sight tracker, stainless duotone with diamond serrations, aggressive micro pocket grip with Texas Ranger badge engraving in the grip... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Gurkha, I switched to Open from Production so I have first hand experience with what you are going through. In 3 years of shooting Open these are things I have learned. If you think you will find a custom gun, either Open or Limited, that will run like a Glock in Production, you will be disappointed. Like mentioned above, the guns need to be kept very clean. Typical Open guns only run a 7 to 9 pound recoil spring so they need to be pretty clean and lubed well. Mags need to be maintained with new springs pretty often, followers need kept up with for damage, and sometimes the mags need cleaned every time you drop one in the dirt, gravel, sand, grass, mud, etc. AND you have to pay much closer attention to the ammo you feed them since chambers are tighter and much less forgiving. You also have to check all screws ,etc, for tightness before every match. Even loose grip screws will cause a 2011 to start puking. And, don't forget 2011 mags are expensive and you still need a bunch of them! lol That being said, if you can keep up with all of that, custom guns can and do run great. Most customs I see that don't run fail because of any of the items I listed OR, AND THIS IS BIG, the owners tinker with them too much! With an off the shelf Production gun you can do quite a bit of tinkering and get away with it. But customs are built to pretty exacting tolerances and you can't just go out to the garage and put a new part on them. If you pay a guy to build you a gun, then at least talk to him before you start swapping out parts. And many internal parts need to be fitted, they are not drop in parts by any means. I personally don't buy into all of the voodoo associated with Open. A good custom Limited gun is built just as tight and subject to a lot of TLC to keep it going as well. But you do have to keep up with Batteries and cleaning the lens of the scope as well as make sure it is still holding Zero before a big match. My gun builder is Matt Cheely in Michigan. ccgunworks.com He builds them as well as anybody with only top of the line parts. And, yes, It takes work to keep it running. Parts break no matter how good they are. Heck, my slide cracked. It took time and money to get it going again. He had to refit new parts as needed and fine tune everything again. Did I mention how expensive it can be to own a custom? When all was said and done, I could have almost bought a new Glock for what it cost to get it up and running again! BUT, a good gun builder will take good care of his customers. Matt had my gun back to me in less than a week. I think most of the good builders will put you to the front of he line if one of their guns breaks. Matt Cheely will build you a gun in about 6 months currently. He builds them right and his customer service is second to none. When you decide to take the plunge, do yourself a favor and give him a call! CCGunworks.com Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 (edited) OP- Mine, I will not own it, unless it runs. Edited November 20, 2014 by a matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I own a STI TruBor, 9mm major, tuned by Brazos for the past 7 years. If I keep it clean and change the springs and my ammo/mags work - the gun always does its part. And, you can have your own in one week - just call Brazos and they'll ship it to you, right now. Buy your 2 - 140 and 1 - 170 mags at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike cyrwus Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I only really trust the .45acp or .38 sup ones with ramped barrels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gurkha Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Hi Everyone, Thanks for all the advice. Sarge, I really appreciate your detailed explanation. That really puts everything into perspective and a lot of that makes sense in relation to the types of people I see having major problems with their open guns at matches. At least in regards to the guy I personally know and how they take care of their stuff as well as how much "tinkering" they do. Shit, I really want to try open but it sounds a little intense and very expensive! Maybe I should just stick with Production... I'm going to have to think about everything for a while and see where my priorities lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickd1 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 just get a sti and shoot the shit out of it,yes clean it but come on guys you don't need to be fussing with it all the time,get the mags working and just shoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I have seen guns from all custom smiths fail. But I would give the nod to Bedell for long term reliability. I have had bedell guns at 50k and 60k that were still great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I want to try open but it sounds intense and very expensive! I have two left hands and ten thumbs - and my STI TruBor, worked over 7 years ago by Brazos, just keeps running. I had a gunsmith replace my springs for me a few years ago. Proper ammo, proper mags and lots of lube - it RUNS and RUNS like an energizer bunny. Bet you can buy a used TruBor right now for $2,000??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I'm running a trubor style gun, it was about $1500 to build and had runs awesome. So it's not always necessary to spend huge money on an open gun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B45C22 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I have to disagree with all those claiming how finicky open guns are. I have 4 and they all work. You have to figure out what mags work with each, and what length the rounds need to be, but after that, they should all work. I have two with nearly 10K rounds through them both, never changed a spring or even taken the bottom end off on one of them, and neither have ever had an issue. If you are constantly swapping springs or tuning mags, then that could be the issue. Get a formula that works and stick with it. Bedell would be my vote as well for reliability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turkeypoker Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I agree. Bedell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I'm running a trubor style gun, it was about $1500 to build and had runs awesome. So it's not always necessary to spend huge money on an open gun $1500 is about the going rate for the parts to build one. The key is knowing how. If you don't then you buy and pay the price for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I tend to agree with what sarge said, but don't let it daunt you. we typically shoot for 25 seconds or less, then wait an hour to shoot again. my routine is after I shoot a stage I go immediately to the safe area (my gun has slide cuts, barrel ports and a comp so it does get dirty), I run a quick check over the important scews (grip, cmore mount, cmore etc), give the cmore lense a wipe, general check over the gun. then go to my bag and unload all my mags, check they are clean and not been damaged from the prior stage. clean if needed. That only takes about 3-5min max. then I'm back with the squad resetting targets and helping out. Yes, they need a fair bit more love than the average production gun, but it's nothing to worry about. once you have a routine it's easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigstick0000 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I have had svi, brazos,and a couple of other open guns. I finally settled on a Cameron gun that is as good as it gets. It runs like a fine tuned race car. My backup believe it or not is a barsto custom that they built for me . This gun is right there with my Cameron. Just phenominal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I run a Cameron's too. Really nice, really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry625 Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 Bedell! Just got mine in 2 weeks ago,...can't say enough good things about it, feeds my hand loads great, I didn't have to change anything and it is LASER accurate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 feeds my hand loads great, I didn't have to change anything and it is LASER accurate! Which is what any quality build should do right out of the box! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazykj03 Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 listening Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Mine, thank you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwx40x40 Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 Triangle Sports have always run well for me. Thanks Benny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now