This could be tricky...

MoW · February 27, 2005, 09:59 PM

but here goes. Instead of the old which is the "best" 1911 thread, my question focuses more on reliabilty---which of the 1911's do most consider to be reliable ala SIG, HK out of the box? Of course I realize every company has bad eggs, but overall whom would you rely on most. All I ever hear is it's hit or miss with 1911's---doesn't somebody produce a 1911 that for the most part is deemed reliable overall?

Handy · February 27, 2005, 10:13 PM

I'm going to say no. The biggest brands all seem to produce enough lemons that I would never grab a Kimber, Colt or SA out of a gun store case if there was some other non-1911 gun available.

This would lead one to think that maybe the smaller names, like Dan Wesson or S&W might be a better risk, but I think that is just as likely sampling error because they haven't been at it as long. Even the $1000 Sig GSR and STIs get a fair amount of grumbles.

All of the grumbles add up to a startingly higher number than you hear from other product lines. This leads me to believe that the machining and fitting steps of the 1911 design are just more likely to produce mistakes than more modern designs, or that the pressure to keep 1911 prices competitive, despite the design, leads to cutting corners.

Certainly, many will disagree with me, as they have never had a problem. But the reports of problems on this and every other board are very common and way out of proportion to other extremely popular guns, like Glocks, Rugers and Sigs. You are just as likely (or more) to see problems with $700 Kimbers as $300 Rock Island pistols.

My gut tells me that S&W or Dan Wesson might be the best bets, but my head tells me that's just the statistics lying. Pick whichever gun, but make sure you test it thoroughly before trusting that you got a good one.

Ala Dan · February 27, 2005, 10:20 PM

Most 1911's are notorious for problems.

With that said, I'm
going to have to agree with my friend Handy when picking or
choosing other than 1911 style .45 ACP's. I would reach for a SIG
Classic P220A or H&K U.S.P. when duty demands extremely good
reliability. I don't think it gets any better; however, most 1911's can
be made to function flawlessly by a good 'smith.

MoW · February 27, 2005, 10:50 PM

see, this is what I generally hear(unfortunately). Not even the Ed Brown's, Les Baer's, Valtro's etc?...makes it hard to pick a gun if reliabilty is #1 but nobody comes close!

Handy · February 27, 2005, 10:58 PM

The brands you just listed would usually be considered "custom" or semi custom, which is not what I thought you asked about.

I would assume that they would indeed be more reliable, given all the hand fitting attention. I would also assume that those guns should all be similar in reliability, since they receiver similar scrutiny. But again, not such common products.

seb5 · February 27, 2005, 11:06 PM

I've shot 1911's for 30 years and prefer them to all others but have to agree with the above. FWIW I've had better experiences with Colts.

MoW · February 27, 2005, 11:16 PM

Sorry about the confusion Handy, I edited the first post. I meant other then having 1 built custom from scratch which 1911's(if any ) are considered "reliable" as the norm and not exception.

Handy · February 28, 2005, 12:01 AM

I'd go to 1911forums and read the post titles on the Baer, Wilson and Brown forums. See what you can find on a forum that will have the best experience base with these pricey guns.

Like I said, I doubt it matters which of them you go with.

9mmepiphany · February 28, 2005, 12:05 AM

i've done the colt thing, the GI thing, the springfield thing, the star thing, the detonics thing, the kimber thing, the norinco thing and they all needed just a bit of tunning to "run right". but since i grew up with colts, i'd just come to expect it.

i'd heard enough good things about the SW 1911, after their initial teething problem, that i finally picked up a 1911Sc for under $700. i'm pretty happy with it and it hasn't hiccupped yet...but then i don't have many rounds through it yet. it could use a lighter, it is already pretty clean, trigger...but i'm spoiled.

moving up to the semi-custom 1911s i would get an ed brown if i wanted somthing soon or the valtro if i was willing to wait

BigGun97B · February 28, 2005, 12:52 AM

I've had a Springfield Armory Full Size Mil-Spec (traded off) and currently have a SA GI MicroCompact. I've never had a problem with either one of those guns. Zero FTF, FTE. I believe that SA builds a highly reliable .45 that can be counted on if you find yourself in a jam. I'll probably buy another full size SA before the end of the year. Maybe a high cap Para or the new this year high-cap SA.

February 27, 2005, 11:06 PM	#6
seb5 Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2004 Location: NW Arkansas Posts: 477	I've shot 1911's for 30 years and prefer them to all others but have to agree with the above. FWIW I've had better experiences with Colts. __________________ Home is where you dig it

February 28, 2005, 12:05 AM	#9
9mmepiphany Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2000 Location: northern california Posts: 1,092	i've done the colt thing, the GI thing, the springfield thing, the star thing, the detonics thing, the kimber thing, the norinco thing and they all needed just a bit of tunning to "run right". but since i grew up with colts, i'd just come to expect it. i'd heard enough good things about the SW 1911, after their initial teething problem, that i finally picked up a 1911Sc for under $700. i'm pretty happy with it and it hasn't hiccupped yet...but then i don't have many rounds through it yet. it could use a lighter, it is already pretty clean, trigger...but i'm spoiled. moving up to the semi-custom 1911s i would get an ed brown if i wanted somthing soon or the valtro if i was willing to wait __________________ the map is not the territory

February 27, 2005, 09:59 PM	#1
MoW Junior member Join Date: January 27, 2005 Posts: 1,009	This could be tricky... but here goes. Instead of the old which is the "best" 1911 thread, my question focuses more on reliabilty---which of the 1911's do most consider to be reliable ala SIG, HK out of the box? Of course I realize every company has bad eggs, but overall whom would you rely on most. All I ever hear is it's hit or miss with 1911's---doesn't somebody produce a 1911 that for the most part is deemed reliable overall? Last edited by MoW; February 27, 2005 at 11:14 PM.

February 27, 2005, 10:13 PM	#2
Handy Junior member Join Date: August 31, 2001 Posts: 8,785	I'm going to say no. The biggest brands all seem to produce enough lemons that I would never grab a Kimber, Colt or SA out of a gun store case if there was some other non-1911 gun available. This would lead one to think that maybe the smaller names, like Dan Wesson or S&W might be a better risk, but I think that is just as likely sampling error because they haven't been at it as long. Even the $1000 Sig GSR and STIs get a fair amount of grumbles. All of the grumbles add up to a startingly higher number than you hear from other product lines. This leads me to believe that the machining and fitting steps of the 1911 design are just more likely to produce mistakes than more modern designs, or that the pressure to keep 1911 prices competitive, despite the design, leads to cutting corners. Certainly, many will disagree with me, as they have never had a problem. But the reports of problems on this and every other board are very common and way out of proportion to other extremely popular guns, like Glocks, Rugers and Sigs. You are just as likely (or more) to see problems with $700 Kimbers as $300 Rock Island pistols. My gut tells me that S&W or Dan Wesson might be the best bets, but my head tells me that's just the statistics lying. Pick whichever gun, but make sure you test it thoroughly before trusting that you got a good one.

February 27, 2005, 10:20 PM	#3
Ala Dan Member in memoriam Join Date: August 13, 1999 Location: In The HOT, Humid, and Mu Posts: 6,116	Most 1911's are notorious for problems. With that said, I'm going to have to agree with my friend Handy when picking or choosing other than 1911 style .45 ACP's. I would reach for a SIG Classic P220A or H&K U.S.P. when duty demands extremely good reliability. I don't think it gets any better; however, most 1911's can be made to function flawlessly by a good 'smith.

February 27, 2005, 10:50 PM	#4
MoW Junior member Join Date: January 27, 2005 Posts: 1,009	see, this is what I generally hear(unfortunately). Not even the Ed Brown's, Les Baer's, Valtro's etc?...makes it hard to pick a gun if reliabilty is #1 but nobody comes close!

February 27, 2005, 10:58 PM	#5
Handy Junior member Join Date: August 31, 2001 Posts: 8,785	The brands you just listed would usually be considered "custom" or semi custom, which is not what I thought you asked about. I would assume that they would indeed be more reliable, given all the hand fitting attention. I would also assume that those guns should all be similar in reliability, since they receiver similar scrutiny. But again, not such common products.

February 27, 2005, 11:16 PM	#7
MoW Junior member Join Date: January 27, 2005 Posts: 1,009	Sorry about the confusion Handy, I edited the first post. I meant other then having 1 built custom from scratch which 1911's(if any ) are considered "reliable" as the norm and not exception.

February 28, 2005, 12:01 AM	#8
Handy Junior member Join Date: August 31, 2001 Posts: 8,785	I'd go to 1911forums and read the post titles on the Baer, Wilson and Brown forums. See what you can find on a forum that will have the best experience base with these pricey guns. Like I said, I doubt it matters which of them you go with.

February 28, 2005, 12:52 AM	#10
BigGun97B Junior member Join Date: November 27, 2004 Posts: 190	I've had a Springfield Armory Full Size Mil-Spec (traded off) and currently have a SA GI MicroCompact. I've never had a problem with either one of those guns. Zero FTF, FTE. I believe that SA builds a highly reliable .45 that can be counted on if you find yourself in a jam. I'll probably buy another full size SA before the end of the year. Maybe a high cap Para or the new this year high-cap SA.