I'm shopping for a 1911. Any help?

[TheTman]

I hear nice things about the STI 1911's. Some claim the Spartan is the nicest 1911 in it's price range. I can't say as I've not shot one. Kimbers are pretty tight, my friend has a Kimber Ultra Carry II that will STILL not feed HP ammo reliably. They keep telling him to put more hardball through it until it loosens up some.
But I see I see you are talking 9mm. Those are .45. There are definitely other pistols I'd look at in 9mm before going with a 1911. I think if I was going to get a single action 9mm, I'd go with a Hi-Power. They are beautiful Browning designed pistols, built for the 9mm. But it's not me, so enjoy whichever you decide on.

[Bawanna]

That's actually a great idea Tman, probably why I didn't think of it.

In a 9, if you want a SA the Hi Power would be great.

I love the feel of mine in the hand. Mine's an old Argentine Police gun and still not 100% reliable. I put a recoil spring in it and that helped, think I need some mag springs, just not feeding good.

Still very accurate. I want to get it shooting and then send it to Birdsong for a Black T finish, maybe someday.

[gb6491]

...

Also, I hear the Wilson mags are the ones to get, any others that are pretty good & not $45+
...

IMO, the gold standard for 9mm 1911 magazines is Checkmate's 9FR-794.

9mm 1911s are a joy to shoot: you have the 1911's ergonomics and trigger with a low recoiling (in platform) round.
Regards,
Greg

[O'Dell]

I hear nice things about the STI 1911's. Some claim the Spartan is the nicest 1911 in it's price range. I can't say as I've not shot one. Kimbers are pretty tight, my friend has a Kimber Ultra Carry II that will STILL not feed HP ammo reliably. They keep telling him to put more hardball through it until it loosens up some.

Tell your friend to trash the stock mag and get some decent ones. I bought two KimPro Tach mags for my UC II and all my feeding problems disappeared.

As for the STI, I have an Escort and it had a problem going into battery. It went back and got a new barrel and recoil assy, and now works fine. They said the chamber was undersized and the stronger springs were a running change, but I wasn't especially happy. It should have been right out of the box for what they cost.

[Dirt doc]

A couple years ago I bought a Rock Island Armory full size tactical in 9mm. I had a .45 but wanted a 1911 that was a little cheaper to shoot. The tactical includes the skeleton trigger, beavertail and upgraded sights. I paid $430 for it. It was a very accurate soft shooter that was reliable with 124 grain and heavier bullets but had extraction problems with 115 grain initially. I sent it back to Armscor (on their dime) and it came back completely reliable, with an extra mag and a polished feed ramp.

I found though that when I grabbed a 1911 to shoot, I always grabbed the 45. Since I wasn't shooting it much, I sold it to a family member with the stipulation that I can shoot it anytime I want.

If I was in the market for a 9mm 1911 range gun, I wouldn't hesitate buying another Rock Island Armory 1911.

[Redstate]

Keep customer service and warranty in mind. Springfield is lifetime, and the customer service is excellent. Ruger is also lifetime, and customer service is also excellent. Rock Island (Armscor) is also lifetime with excellent customer service.

[Popeye]

I love 1911's in the chambered 45 acp. However when it comes to full size Steel/Steel alloy pistols chambered in the 9mm round I love those darned Cz 75 series of pistols.

[jeepster09]

What about a Taurus 1911? I know from my experience their customer service is not so hot....but I have heard good about their 1911's?

[Bawanna]

oooooooh shiney. Me want that. Make a great barbecue or Sunday go to Meetin gun.

[DeaconKC]

Okay, buy a good used 1911, let someone else's depreciation work in your favor. Good mags are Kimber's Kim Pro, Wilson's, Mec Gar, Mc Cormick. These are bet your life mags. You can use any cheapie for the range if you want. If you want a SA 9mm, consider the Browning High Power.