Buying my first 1911 - The Firearms Forum

rowdyredneck · 03-04-2012, 11:05 AM

I'm finally going to take the plunge and buy my first 1911. I've pretty much narrowed down my choices between the stainless Kimber Gold Match II and the Springfield stainless Trophy Match. I know this is largely a matter of personal preference, but I was curious what you guys would recommend and why?

limbkiller · 03-04-2012, 03:35 PM

Buy the SA and forget the Mimber. The SA comes with a lifetime warranty and the Mimber 1 yr. SA has a custom shop and Mimber doesn't. The trophy match is a better gun. Have problems with a mimber and they will tell you to shoot 500nrds before you call them again. SA sends a tag to send it to them to be fixed. Not even a choice IMO. For the price we pay for guns today they should run straight from the box.

Hawg · 03-04-2012, 03:36 PM

Whut limbkiller said.

Shooter45 · 03-04-2012, 04:36 PM

I've been shooting 1911's for many years both for fun and competition. I've owned many Springfield and Kimber 1911's and never had any problems with any of them. Both are good 1911's in my opinion and I have never used a warranty on any pistol. No need.
When I work on a 1911, it's because I want to change something to make it shoot a tighter group than a factory pistol is going to.
I own the 1st Kimber Custom Target 1911 to arrive in my area. It will group with my Les Baer Premier II at 25 and 50 yds. I did some fitting and a trigger job on it but it grouped well before.
I don't own any stainless 1911's for a good reason.
There have been some fitting problems with Springfield lately so inspect it closely before buying. I hear the tales about Kimber but haven't had one on my bench that was problematic. I'm thinking mostly thay are not torn down and cleaned before firing or bad mags. Just because the 1911 is new doesn't mean it doesn't need to have the factory anti rust goop cleaned out.
Buy what you want because it's your money. If it has a problem, fix it. It's a 1911 and it will work.
It's your money and your choice. Good luck.

old semperfi · 03-08-2012, 03:34 PM

i quit buying 1911s a few years back.i now build my own and i like it better that way.in order to answer your question you have left out some critical info.ae what is it to be,a target gun that is given special diet of your favorite ammo or a highly reliable 1911 for defense that will not hiccup with almost any ammo. old semperfi

rowdyredneck · 03-08-2012, 09:50 PM

It will be mainly a target gun. I debated for a long time whether to go with adjustable target sights or combat sights. I like the smooth, clean look of the combat sights but I don't care for the sharp corners of the target sights. I think for the type of shooting I intend to do they would work better though.

76Highboy · 03-08-2012, 10:56 PM

I think they are both great pistols.

zakar4evr · 03-17-2012, 03:36 PM

From a very good friend of mine who got me into the 1911 pistol.He states that the new springfield range officer is the best production to purchase from the box,no mim parts,good quilty forged steel,like the dan wesson cbob when it first came out,cost around $800-$900 dollars and you can pick up the range officer for around $750.00 or try to get Ken Hackathorn to build you one,if you want to wait about 3 years about the wait time for one of his.Enjoy it,sure is fun buying a nice new 1911,hope you have many good years with it....Zakar...

zakar4evr · 03-17-2012, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old semperfi

i quit buying 1911s a few years back.i now build my own and i like it better that way.in order to answer your question you have left out some critical info.ae what is it to be,a target gun that is given special diet of your favorite ammo or a highly reliable 1911 for defense that will not hiccup with almost any ammo. old semperfi

Got a good friend who is doing the same thing old,he has bought six 1911 colt full size and he has done all the upgrades himself.He is really having a lot of fun and doing a great job to by the way.I believe you two have a good idea,think I'm gonna try to start doing the same.Thanks to you and those out there like my friend,who give us with lessor knowledge the confidence and fortitude to take a chance....Zakar...

hogger129 · 03-17-2012, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shooter45

I've been shooting 1911's for many years both for fun and competition. I've owned many Springfield and Kimber 1911's and never had any problems with any of them. Both are good 1911's in my opinion and I have never used a warranty on any pistol. No need.
When I work on a 1911, it's because I want to change something to make it shoot a tighter group than a factory pistol is going to.
I own the 1st Kimber Custom Target 1911 to arrive in my area. It will group with my Les Baer Premier II at 25 and 50 yds. I did some fitting and a trigger job on it but it grouped well before.
I don't own any stainless 1911's for a good reason.
There have been some fitting problems with Springfield lately so inspect it closely before buying. I hear the tales about Kimber but haven't had one on my bench that was problematic. I'm thinking mostly thay are not torn down and cleaned before firing or bad mags. Just because the 1911 is new doesn't mean it doesn't need to have the factory anti rust goop cleaned out.
Buy what you want because it's your money. If it has a problem, fix it. It's a 1911 and it will work.
It's your money and your choice. Good luck.

+1

hogger129 · 03-17-2012, 05:34 PM

Also if you're doing mainly target shooting, why not give the STI Spartan a look?

glocknut · 03-17-2012, 05:47 PM

Kimber does indeed take a few hundred rounds to break it in.... but that's not as bad as a Dan Wesson i had. It sprayed like an old man with prostrate issues until it had about 1500 rounds thru it. It must have had a burr or something?

The best 1911s i ever owned were Colts.... I never did get around to trying Sig Sauers 1911s. The grips that come on sigs felt weird so i never bought one.

mike
gn

Captain Jack · 03-17-2012, 07:04 PM

I would go with the best because your only gonna chase the adiction for better and better you will save alot of money buying the best from the start smith wesson performance center 1911 45 cal black or stainless i have black if you havent shot one your missing something accurate accurate gun smoothest triger i ever felt in my opinion nothing comes close to this gun except something with add ons tinkerd with but out of the box i`m still waiting to see something of this quality in a 45 i also have the sw 1911 9mm pro sieries stainless nice gun acurate good triger but not like the pc sieries and for carry i like my colt pocket lite

Captain Jack · 03-17-2012, 07:10 PM

dam how do i resize my posts this happens every time i post a pic ? sorry people

JLA · 03-18-2012, 10:21 AM

Cap't Jack..

Right click the file on your computer and chose open with paint, then on the toolbar you will see the word image, click it ans select stretch/skew and reduce the horizontal and vertical percentages. Do it equally or it will look funny.

For example, I just reduced yours to 60% of its size. The trick is to reduce it until you have a gray border on the right and bottom margin within the paint window. that tells you its small enough to fit on here without scrollbars.

berto64 · 03-18-2012, 02:35 PM

Whatever you buy, if it is stainless steel make sure you keep the rails lubed well.

I use a light coat of a graphite/grease made by Gunslick. This will help prevent galling of the slide on a long day at the range. SS firearms may have a tendency to gall or bind if not sufficiently lubed. Just my $.02 worth.

Old Guy · 03-22-2012, 11:53 AM

I too would go with the Springer. I have a Springer and have had to use the warranty due to a safety issue. Springfield was excellent in their service and for the original owner has a fantastic warranty. Kimber only has one year. I am not a gun smith so warranties matter to me.

velocity101 · 03-30-2012, 05:36 PM

I don't like the Springfield 1911 mostly because of the insane grip that it originally comes with but it's pretty accurate. I am not a fan of Kimber, I'd rather get Sig 1911.

Shooter45 · 03-30-2012, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by velocity101

I don't like the Springfield 1911 mostly because of the insane grip that it originally comes with but it's pretty accurate. I am not a fan of Kimber, I'd rather get Sig 1911.

Insane grip ??? All 1911 frames are the same. Explain as I'm stumped by the comment.

RunningOnMT · 03-30-2012, 09:13 PM

Never having owned either my comments will probably be of little help, but I know one thing about Kimber. A few years back they advertized that they were the exclusive 1911 of Marine Corps spec ops. Then suddenly the USMC dropped them due to problems encountered in the field. It seemed like after that you started hearing a lot of complaints about the reliability of Kimber. It seems as if when stories like this start to spread among novice shooters that opinions are expressed which blur the lines between fact and fiction.

The truth is that the Marines were using their Kimbers in the sandy dusty conditions in the middleeast. Apparently the Kimber tolerances were so tight that it's performance was effected by this environment. Now with my admittedly very limited knowledge, I would think that since you want a 1911 for target use, a pistol with tolerances that tight would be exactly what you want.

You often hear competive shooters say that their target pistols are more finnicky than your everyday 1911. My entry level Para is extremely reliable. Does that make it better than a Kimber? With my level of expertise I can't in all honesty make any recommendations but if I could afford one, I'd own a Kimber in a heartbeat.

Fast Forward · 03-30-2012, 10:48 PM

I have a basic 1911 Smith and Wesson in stainless shoots great and eats everything I feed it

tnhawk · 03-31-2012, 07:15 PM

I've never had a probloem with my Kimber or any of several Springfields. I'm more comfortable with SA as they have excellent customer service.

03-04-2012, 11:05 AM	#1
rowdyredneck V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 215	Buying my first 1911 I'm finally going to take the plunge and buy my first 1911. I've pretty much narrowed down my choices between the stainless Kimber Gold Match II and the Springfield stainless Trophy Match. I know this is largely a matter of personal preference, but I was curious what you guys would recommend and why? __________________ "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!" ~Adolf Hitler, 1935 Fear the government that fears your guns! -->

03-04-2012, 03:35 PM	#2
limbkiller Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: georgetown,ky Posts: 20	Re: Buying my first 1911 Buy the SA and forget the Mimber. The SA comes with a lifetime warranty and the Mimber 1 yr. SA has a custom shop and Mimber doesn't. The trophy match is a better gun. Have problems with a mimber and they will tell you to shoot 500nrds before you call them again. SA sends a tag to send it to them to be fixed. Not even a choice IMO. For the price we pay for guns today they should run straight from the box. Last edited by limbkiller; 03-04-2012 at 03:37 PM..

03-04-2012, 03:36 PM	#3
Hawg Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 1,559	Re: Buying my first 1911 Whut limbkiller said.

03-04-2012, 04:36 PM	#4
Shooter45 Administrator Join Date: Feb 2001 Contributor Posts: 8,752	Re: Buying my first 1911 I've been shooting 1911's for many years both for fun and competition. I've owned many Springfield and Kimber 1911's and never had any problems with any of them. Both are good 1911's in my opinion and I have never used a warranty on any pistol. No need. When I work on a 1911, it's because I want to change something to make it shoot a tighter group than a factory pistol is going to. I own the 1st Kimber Custom Target 1911 to arrive in my area. It will group with my Les Baer Premier II at 25 and 50 yds. I did some fitting and a trigger job on it but it grouped well before. I don't own any stainless 1911's for a good reason. There have been some fitting problems with Springfield lately so inspect it closely before buying. I hear the tales about Kimber but haven't had one on my bench that was problematic. I'm thinking mostly thay are not torn down and cleaned before firing or bad mags. Just because the 1911 is new doesn't mean it doesn't need to have the factory anti rust goop cleaned out. Buy what you want because it's your money. If it has a problem, fix it. It's a 1911 and it will work. It's your money and your choice. Good luck.

03-08-2012, 03:34 PM	#5
old semperfi Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: i live in southern indiana,old country boy at heart Posts: 1,506	Re: Buying my first 1911 i quit buying 1911s a few years back.i now build my own and i like it better that way.in order to answer your question you have left out some critical info.ae what is it to be,a target gun that is given special diet of your favorite ammo or a highly reliable 1911 for defense that will not hiccup with almost any ammo. old semperfi

03-08-2012, 09:50 PM	#6
rowdyredneck V.I.P. Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 215	Re: Buying my first 1911 It will be mainly a target gun. I debated for a long time whether to go with adjustable target sights or combat sights. I like the smooth, clean look of the combat sights but I don't care for the sharp corners of the target sights. I think for the type of shooting I intend to do they would work better though. __________________ "This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future!" ~Adolf Hitler, 1935 Fear the government that fears your guns!

03-08-2012, 10:56 PM	#7
76Highboy Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Meridian, Idaho Contributor Posts: 6,968	Re: Buying my first 1911 I think they are both great pistols.

03-17-2012, 03:36 PM	#8
zakar4evr Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 35	Re: Buying my first 1911 From a very good friend of mine who got me into the 1911 pistol.He states that the new springfield range officer is the best production to purchase from the box,no mim parts,good quilty forged steel,like the dan wesson cbob when it first came out,cost around $800-$900 dollars and you can pick up the range officer for around $750.00 or try to get Ken Hackathorn to build you one,if you want to wait about 3 years about the wait time for one of his.Enjoy it,sure is fun buying a nice new 1911,hope you have many good years with it....Zakar...

03-17-2012, 05:34 PM	#11
hogger129 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 4,064	Re: Buying my first 1911 Also if you're doing mainly target shooting, why not give the STI Spartan a look? __________________ Samuel Adams once said, "among the natural rights of the colonists are these: first, a right to life, secondly to liberty, thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can."

03-17-2012, 05:47 PM	#12
glocknut Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: THE FORUM MASCOTT... Posts: 12,482	Re: Buying my first 1911 Kimber does indeed take a few hundred rounds to break it in.... but that's not as bad as a Dan Wesson i had. It sprayed like an old man with prostrate issues until it had about 1500 rounds thru it. It must have had a burr or something? The best 1911s i ever owned were Colts.... I never did get around to trying Sig Sauers 1911s. The grips that come on sigs felt weird so i never bought one. mike gn __________________ Where O where are you tonight? Why have you gone and left me alone? I searched to world over and a thought i found true love... You met another and PTThhh you were gone....

03-17-2012, 07:04 PM	#13
Captain Jack V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: wakefield ma. Posts: 79	Re: Buying my first 1911 I would go with the best because your only gonna chase the adiction for better and better you will save alot of money buying the best from the start smith wesson performance center 1911 45 cal black or stainless i have black if you havent shot one your missing something accurate accurate gun smoothest triger i ever felt in my opinion nothing comes close to this gun except something with add ons tinkerd with but out of the box i`m still waiting to see something of this quality in a 45 i also have the sw 1911 9mm pro sieries stainless nice gun acurate good triger but not like the pc sieries and for carry i like my colt pocket lite Attached Images __________________ DADS AGAINST DAUGHTERS DATING DEMOCRATS If you`re not catching FISH or shooting DUCKS then you don`t know JACK

03-17-2012, 07:10 PM	#14
Captain Jack V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: wakefield ma. Posts: 79	Re: Buying my first 1911 dam how do i resize my posts this happens every time i post a pic ? sorry people __________________ DADS AGAINST DAUGHTERS DATING DEMOCRATS If you`re not catching FISH or shooting DUCKS then you don`t know JACK

03-18-2012, 10:21 AM	#15
JLA TFF Moderator/Host Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Heart Of Texas Contributor Posts: 17,319	Re: Buying my first 1911 Cap't Jack.. Right click the file on your computer and chose open with paint, then on the toolbar you will see the word image, click it ans select stretch/skew and reduce the horizontal and vertical percentages. Do it equally or it will look funny. For example, I just reduced yours to 60% of its size. The trick is to reduce it until you have a gray border on the right and bottom margin within the paint window. that tells you its small enough to fit on here without scrollbars. Attached Images __________________ It takes 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 3 for proper trigger squeeze. The latest caliber or gear is no substitute for experience and skill. Rifles and cartridges don't make hits -- shooters do. Fact of life: After Monday and Tuesday, even the calendar says WTF!

03-18-2012, 02:35 PM	#16
berto64 VMBB Admin Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Owyhee County, Idaho Contributor Posts: 7,388	Re: Buying my first 1911 Whatever you buy, if it is stainless steel make sure you keep the rails lubed well. I use a light coat of a graphite/grease made by Gunslick. This will help prevent galling of the slide on a long day at the range. SS firearms may have a tendency to gall or bind if not sufficiently lubed. Just my $.02 worth. __________________ Be who you are & say what you will, Those that matter won't mind and those that mind don't matter. I'm a bitter clinger, One Nation Under God.

03-22-2012, 11:53 AM	#17
Old Guy V.I.P. Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Beaufort County, NC Contributor Posts: 343	Re: Buying my first 1911 I too would go with the Springer. I have a Springer and have had to use the warranty due to a safety issue. Springfield was excellent in their service and for the original owner has a fantastic warranty. Kimber only has one year. I am not a gun smith so warranties matter to me. __________________ Old Guy ___________ NRA Life Member GOA Life Member

03-30-2012, 05:36 PM	#18
velocity101 Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Posts: 13	Re: Buying my first 1911 I don't like the Springfield 1911 mostly because of the insane grip that it originally comes with but it's pretty accurate. I am not a fan of Kimber, I'd rather get Sig 1911.

03-30-2012, 09:13 PM	#20
RunningOnMT Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Akron, Ohio Contributor Posts: 4,720	Re: Buying my first 1911 Never having owned either my comments will probably be of little help, but I know one thing about Kimber. A few years back they advertized that they were the exclusive 1911 of Marine Corps spec ops. Then suddenly the USMC dropped them due to problems encountered in the field. It seemed like after that you started hearing a lot of complaints about the reliability of Kimber. It seems as if when stories like this start to spread among novice shooters that opinions are expressed which blur the lines between fact and fiction. The truth is that the Marines were using their Kimbers in the sandy dusty conditions in the middleeast. Apparently the Kimber tolerances were so tight that it's performance was effected by this environment. Now with my admittedly very limited knowledge, I would think that since you want a 1911 for target use, a pistol with tolerances that tight would be exactly what you want. You often hear competive shooters say that their target pistols are more finnicky than your everyday 1911. My entry level Para is extremely reliable. Does that make it better than a Kimber? With my level of expertise I can't in all honesty make any recommendations but if I could afford one, I'd own a Kimber in a heartbeat. __________________ "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"

03-30-2012, 10:48 PM	#21
Fast Forward Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Chaska Minn Posts: 529	Re: Buying my first 1911 I have a basic 1911 Smith and Wesson in stainless shoots great and eats everything I feed it Last edited by Fast Forward; 03-30-2012 at 10:49 PM..

03-31-2012, 07:15 PM	#22
tnhawk Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Southwest Tennessee Posts: 21	Re: Buying my first 1911 I've never had a probloem with my Kimber or any of several Springfields. I'm more comfortable with SA as they have excellent customer service.