A Couple Of 1911 Questions

[Brendan M]

First question, why does a quality 1911 cost in excess of $1,000 when I can buy an all steel CZ 75b for $500 or less?

Second question, what are my choices for a quality, affordable 1911 in .40 S&W?

I already sent an email to STI telling them I wanted a Spartan in .40. I think they will end up offering one but not for awhile.

I wanted to shoot the Western State Single Stack Classic but I would need a single stack and don’t want a .45 ACP because I don’t want to deal with reloading multiple calibers when the time comes.

Holster and magazine pouches are reasonable thanks to Uncle Mike’s but $1000 for the gun is not something I want to rush a decision on.

[devildogmech]

You dont need to spend $1K on a 1911... IMHO Armscor (of the Philapines) Makes a High quality 1911... They are currently making them in 5" GI Model and a "Tactical" - A GI with some nice added features (Sold under the Rock Island Armory brand)... With some work on your part, one could be a nice entry level weapon. They have also in the past imported doublestack 1911's (para - clones) in 9mm, .40 & .45.

Will one of these weapons help you win right out of the box? Probably not.... Will they allow you to compete? Yes. They are Cast, and have some MIM parts, but for a retail of less than $400..... I have a 5" GI Model and it is a very nice weapon...

Do what I do, Shoot with what you have.... I compete (badly) in IDPA and Steel Plates at the local club with my old handme down BHP... I never win (Usualy come in dead last ) but I have a good time... Witch is what this whole deal is about, right?

JMHO

Billy

[packed]

Do you know the website I can order one from as well?

[R/T Performance]

Springfield loaded's can be had for well under a 1000 and around half that for a used.That 40 thing makes it a alot tougher though

[ihatepickles]

Trying to find a bargain 1911 in .40 is going to be hard, I don't know of anyone making low end .40's. A used Spartan is probably going to be the path if you're stuck on .40.

As far as cost of CZ's vs. 1911s, the 1911's in the +$1000 have features that the CZ's don't, checkered front straps, adjustable sights, polished bluing. Springfield GI's and Milspecs are $550.

[Justsomeguy]

Go here:

http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=24323

and start a thread and ask for Ivan. He is the RIA/Armscor rep. He will be able to tell you where to get a pistol in 40cal. The nice thing about the RIA manufacturers forum there is that both the rep and the president hang out there and answer questions. You will find many people there who have experience with not only RIA pistols, but a host of other types also, and there are answers to all your 1911 questions there.

[Lee Bell]

Second question, what are my choices for a quality, affordable 1911 in .40 S&W?

This afternoon, I'll be talking to my gunsmith about the possibility of fitting a .40 S&W barrel to my Colt Delta Elite 10mm. Like you, I want to shoot a single stack 1911 .40. Perhaps, unlike you, I already have something I'm willing to convert.

BTW, I'll only proceed with the conversion if the barrel can be fitted to the gun rather than the gun fitted to the barrel. I'm not prepared to give up my 10mm. If that's not possible, my next try will be to see if a .45 can be converted or be looking, like you, for one that comes in .40 caliber.

If I can't find it, I'll shoot .45. I'm already reloading a half a dozen pistol calibers, including .45.

Lee

[Signcutter]

First question, why does a quality 1911 cost in excess of $1,000 when I can buy an all steel CZ 75b for $500 or less?

Second question, what are my choices for a quality, affordable 1911 in .40 S&W?

I already sent an email to STI telling them I wanted a Spartan in .40. I think they will end up offering one but not for awhile.

I wanted to shoot the Western State Single Stack Classic but I would need a single stack and don’t want a .45 ACP because I don’t want to deal with reloading multiple calibers when the time comes.

Holster and magazine pouches are reasonable thanks to Uncle Mike’s but $1000 for the gun is not something I want to rush a decision on.

A couple of options here.

Gun Broker usually has a couple of Kimber target II models in .40 up for auction in the neighborhood of $600 to $700. (last time I looked anyway).

STI makes a Trojan in .40. The best price I've seen for these are through Thunder Mountain Custom Rifles. When he has them, they are usually $924.

Taurus is supposedly coming out with the PT1911 in .40 any time now and will probably be priced similarly to their .45 ($490-$520 in this area).

Rebarrelling your 10mm is probably the cheapest route at this point, although, I believe the Delta Elite is becoming somewhat collectable now and you may not want to shoot it heavily.

[Lee Bell]

Rebarrelling your 10mm is probably the cheapest route at this point, although, I believe the Delta Elite is becoming somewhat collectable now and you may not want to shoot it heavily.

Good point. I had trigger work done on the Delta, including the addition of an overtravel stop in the stock trigger. I declined to add a beavertail grip safety because it would require the frame to be modified. Perhaps I'll check on the value of the gun before deciding just how much I want to shoot it.

On the other hand, my standard Delta Elite is, straight from the box, a more accurate, tighter gun than my brand new Colt Gold Cup which, by the way, went back to Colt to have the slide fit fixed and the defective, from the factory, front sight replaced less than a week after I bought it. A month and a half later, when it was returned, it went straight to the gunsmith to have the loose sight that Colt put on it, replaced again.

No more new Colts for me.

Lee