Guest justmarie Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 [ I shoot a local defensive pistol match and IDPA. I shoot a Glock 19 and a Kahr 9 in the back up gun division. I want to purchase a 1911 full size steel taht can take allot of shooting, is accurrate and suitable for competition , and maybe carry. I am new to shooting (3 years almost) and can use some help here. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Welcome to the forum Marie! I've been hearing good reports on the new 1911 from Smith&Wesson. Duane Thomas, who also frequents this forum, did a review in this months Blue Press. I also heard raves from a gunsmith that specializes in 1911s. He said "best out of the box .45 for the money right now". A friend called last night and invited me to try his new one this Sunday afternoon. I'll know more then, but it sounds positive right now. Dealer cost is reportedly in the mid $600 range. If I didn't already have three 1911s........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest justmarie Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Thanks for the reply Sam. I heard that the Smith had a new extractor design that was an improvement. Ihve not had a chance to see one or shoot one. I am in NY state and there are no ranges near me to shoot a new gun--but poeple at my club are generous and will want you to shoot theris--insist you do!--and so maybe someone there will get one soon, first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choltmeier Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I'm gonna chime in and say Kimber. There's not really much I can say that hasn't already been said. Excellent quality. Last time I looked the local shop was selling a custom II .45 new for $625 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Yeah, it seems like no matter where you are, gun people are so cool. I hadn't heard about the extractor on the Smith yet. But, soon I shall behold for myself! I'm in Wyoming, BTW. Here, if you have a back porch, you have a range. My favorite 1911 is a Springfield Armory .45 that I've been abusing for over 18 years. It's my IDPA, USPSA Limited 10, and all around carry gun. If I could only have one, this would be the one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donaflor Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I would agree with respect to the Kimber 1911. While I haven't had it a long time, I am most pleased with its feel. It is currently having reconstructive surgery, adding an adjustable rear sight. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest justmarie Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Thanks to all who replied. This is all new to me, including the forums. So one more thing for tonight..can someone tell me how I go to my control panel and unsubscribe the notices? Luckily I am a better shooter than an computer user! I am checking out some more Kimbers thais weekend. They have a small hands package which includes a smaller grip safety shorter trigger and thinner grips that sounded good for me, and I undertand they just bought mephrolight and I like their sights. Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest justmarie Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 could there be hope for me? I think I actually found where to unsubscribe. It ain't easy being green. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Just cough up the dough now and get a quality, middle of the road 1911: Springfield and Kimber top the list. Make sure you get one with a slide cut to accept BoMar sights. Don't buy one with a slide cut for Novaks - the Novak cut isn't compatible with anything. More free advice: Cast a very skeptical eye upon all used 1911's. Steer clear of all home gunsmithing extravaganza's, fixer-uppers, gunsmiths of unknown pedigree, gun show "custom" specials, fixer-uppers, anything overly "tactical", fixer uppers and you'll probably come out OK. And did I mention not to buy a fixer-upper...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 I finally got to shoot a few magazines full of ammo through a Smith and Wesson. Yeah, I know people claim it's not a real 1911 with that funky extractor and all, but I am very impressed with the pistol. The only complaint I have is the trigger was ovbiously set up by a liability lawyer, way too stiff. I think a person pretty much gets what they pay for. I have had two high end Kimbers (Gold Match) and neither one were as nice as my old (operative word) Les Baer or my custom built stuff. However, for the money a Kimber is pretty good as is the Springfield Loaded. If you want to deactivate the grip safety a series II Kimber requires some extra work. Two other pistols worth looking at that are really nice for the bucks are the STI Trojan and the new Valtro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest justmarie Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 EricW: Thanks and I am not even thinking of buying a used anything. I don't think that the cost is prohibitive, when you figure the life of the product. I'm actually enjoying the looking stage right now, and will get what's right for me when I think I know what that is....and all the free advice helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest justmarie Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Ron: I wasn't thinking of deactivitating the grip safety; Kimber has a smaller grip ssafety to swap out as part of the small hands package. I don't think I'm in the $3000.00 league for Les Baer; Kimber, Springfield or Smith. I'll also check STI (know of them ) and Veltro (new to me) Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Make sure you get one with a slide cut to accept BoMar sights. Don't buy one with a slide cut for Novaks - the Novak cut isn't compatible with anything. Dissenting opinion: Bo-Mars and other adjustable sights break. Fixed sights don't. Heinie makes a nice, fixed target sight for the Novak cut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Make sure you get one with a slide cut to accept BoMar sights. Don't buy one with a slide cut for Novaks - the Novak cut isn't compatible with anything. Dissenting opinion: Bo-Mars and other adjustable sights break. Fixed sights don't. Heinie makes a nice, fixed target sight for the Novak cut. As long as *YOU* don't shoot the gun, my guess is that the BoMars will last forever. I stand by my statement that the BoMar cut is the correct choice (for everyone except tech writers named Erik Warren.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 The MMC adjustables fit the Novak cut, but I'd agree... go for the Bomar-style sighted gun. My vote goes to an STI Trojan. STI makes great guns. Throw a magwell on, get some extra mags, and you're ready to go. Welcome to the Enos-verse, btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rufus The Bum Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Justmarie: The ONLY bad thing I have to say about Kimber is the dang trigger pull. We measured my Dads new Kimber and it was somewhere over 7lbs. BUT, that's because some lawyer is telling to make it that way. It ran 100 percent right out of the box with no problems whatsover. The biggest thing I've found when shooting a 1911 "single stack .45" is ammo, ammo, ammo. I case gage every-round I shoot because I have seen way toooooo many people shooting junk ammo, homemade cast bullets, surplus stuff and crappy reloads. 2nd to ammo is magazines, don't spend all that money on a gun and buy cheap mags. Buy Wilson or McCormick Power Mags, don't sell your gun short with crappy mags. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 Interesting that no one said hold out for the Sig 1911..? Some of the nicest 1911s I've seen come from SV. But their top models are quite co$tly. If I were in the market for a reasonably priced 1911, I'd go with the STI. Great gun for great value and their customer service is top notch! AND they very generously support the sports! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted November 13, 2003 Share Posted November 13, 2003 My Kimber CDP is right at 4.5 lbs...about where I would want it as a carry gun. This is what it had right out of the box. Perhaps the Custom Shop pistols have more "refined" trigger pulls? Either way, a quick trigger job by a competent smith can fix that in a heartbeat. FWIW...the trigger pulls I have found handling 1911s of various makes and models at the local gun emporiums range from "oh yuck" to "sweeeet". Springfield as a rule seems to be less smooth and higher weight than Kimber. The one S&W 1911 I have handled was very smooth but probably about 8 lbs. But, handling various pistols there seems to be a big variation between them. When I bought my Kimber I had the nice man behind the counter drag all of them out (he had four at the time) and I went through each of them and took home the one with the best trigger pull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest justmarie Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 Just got a Kimber catalog and the trigger pulls are listed in a chart. I will probably order one, not get one off the shelf, but if I do buy at a retail shop then I will be sure to try the various one. Thanks for the tip. I am having fun still looking, for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 My Kimber CDP came with a 4 1/4 lb. trigger pull. Very crisp too. If you start investigating the Kimber threads on Pistolsmith.com, the 1911forum, etc., you will find opinions vary from pieces of junk to greatest gun out there for the money. I had a Gold Match series one that went to the factory for fixing twice before I gave up and had the late Brian Bilby fix the thing. But other guys in our club shoot Kimber and swear by them. You will also find alot of opinions about the Series II safety and all of those MIM parts. The new safety mechanism can be removed very easily so that's not even an issue. MIM will be debated for eternity, lol. FWIW, Dane Burns told me the Kimbers were the best buy for the dollar back when he was offering his Kimber package. Steve Moore also told me the Kimbers are great guns. Both of these guys are top drawer pistol smiths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted November 15, 2003 Share Posted November 15, 2003 justmarie-- Oops, I seem to have come into this thread a little late...... But: I have a Kimber Stainless Target, one that I inherited (bought from friend) barely used and it'd been ported 'n polished 'n beveled in all the right places and a new trigger (among other things) with its pull weight adjusted about 3-3.5 lbs. With all the subtle customizations that were done to this pistol, it came to me in a totally-perfect-fit/perfect-performance condition and I'm enjoying it to say the least. I use it in bullseye indoor competition. It'll simply be my FIRST 1911 but it was a great start--and a spoiler. The 1911 style is so well-balanced for both males and females I just can't say enough about it. I reload light charges for it so it's not an arm-breaker. But then even the big dogs at our range use the exact same light powder loads for THEIR 1911s, so... I'm not wussying myself by ANY means. It's also comfortable and controllable in single-handed use, too--either hand. Now, this is NOT my 'carry' gun, but the shorter-barrel versions of the Kimber certainly CAN be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogmaDog Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 I bought my Kimber Gold Match in 1998, and have been 100% satisfied with it. The trigger is about 4 lbs, and as crisp as anything I can discern, the sight (Kimber's immitation Bo-Mar) works just fine (though it shares the overly narrow rear notch that all commercially available sights seem to have), and it runs 100% with Wilson magazines (the "Shooting Star" mag that came with the gun did suck, though). I have had no problems with it feeding or firing bullets from 155 to 230 grains, loaded from 1.245 to 1.265" OAL (I try to keep it 1.25 to 1.26, though, depending on the bullet I'm using). I had no problem installing a mag well, and it runs fine with a Wilson shock buff. I did discover once while cleaning that the firing pin spring had broken, but it didn't cause any failures. I got mine for just around $1,000, and feel it was well worth it. It's nowhere near even the middle of its service life. Also, Kimber seems to be making a wider diversity of pistols than any of the other major manufacturers...you'd be hard pressed to not be able to find what you want off the shelf (if a single stack is what you want). Good luck, DogmaDog [Edited to fix incorrect figures for OALs] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 The new safety mechanism can be removed very easily so that's not even an issue. So how did you get the rear sight out of the dovetail to do yours without using TNT or a bandsaw? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue edge Posted November 27, 2003 Share Posted November 27, 2003 My Stainless steel Kimber Gold Match, was bought in about 1998 too. No way could anyone ask for a better single stack.It came 2 Pro Mags they Su@ked. 25 yards,plus 5 rounds of ammo, equals a one inch hole. I dont know that the Kimber guns of today are what they used to be, but good luck. blue edge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFDavis11 Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 I find the Kimbers incredible guns (haven't tried the Springfield) but I recommend you be careful with the double stack variety. My mags jam often. Gun shoots great until the bullets get stuck in the mag. I would buy a single stack if I bought one today (and may next year). One thing I personally look for is a correctly funtioning, precise, crisp thumb safety catch. It is an important part of the 1911 design and I recommend avoiding deactivating the grip safety. It's good to learn to shoot the 1911 as designed and beginners should really utilize all the safeties a gun can provide. The thumb safety is a good indicator of the overall quality of the fit of the gun and deactivating the grip safety will give you a slightly better trigger pull but really isn't worth the effort until you learn to shoot really, really well. I would also recommend avoiding the one that requires the paper clip to take it down (the shorter barrel lengths), only because it's a little inconvient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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