So I've recently picked up a hankering for a 1911. I know, I know, it's not for carry or even HD, I just want one because it's a classic design. Blame pic related for finally breaking me down on wanting one.
More importantly, I'm going for a GI model. No Kimber or Stainless Steel bedazzling up in here. My two top contenders are currently the Colt Government Model and the Auto Ordnance 1911A1. There's a significant price difference between the two but obviously one is the Colt brad (and has inconspicuous three dots). Thoughts?
If you're looking for a budget GI 1911, I believe the Rock Island Armory 1911 is fairly reliable, although a little unpolished compared to 1911s twice its cost.
Justin Turner
Is that price difference what you think a pony rollmark is worth? Because that's really all you're paying for, their guns aren't bad quality but really overcosted to comparable models. Colt is like the Apple of firearms, they markup all of their shit to ridiculous levels because they know people will pay for the name. Personally, I'd only buy a Colt 1911 if I was looking for a price-no-object barbecue gun, without any newfangled features but a purdy looking finish.
That’s what’s causing my hesitation. I know Colt is just a brand and may not bring more features or quality, but what I’ve heard about the government model seems genuinely good.
Note: I’m not necessarily on a budget. I CAN spend $700 on a gun if it’s worth the cost, but if a $500 one does everything exactly the same, I won’t spend more.
Only two sticking points for me on a GI 1911. 1. GI sights are not great. 2. GI trigger can be rough.
Ethan Perez
I feel like you just mangled three perfectly good inside jokes for no reason.
Noah Sanchez
I don't have any personal experience with RIA (or any 1911 for that matter), but my dad owns one of their 1911s and every time I go shooting with him it jams in some way. I don't know whether this is because of the gun or the ammo he uses (which comes from a box of 500 rounds he bought cheap at a gun show from "some guy who reloads") but he did get the cheapest .45 1911 he could find. He insists he loves it though, so maybe constant jamming is a feature of 1911s. I know the one he was issued in the 80s was a falling apart relic from WWII, so maybe he's just impressed it hasn't exploded yet.
Grayson Nelson
Yeah, your dad bought a super cheap 1911 and shit-tier secondhand ammo from a rando dude.
1911s have a jamming meme about them but if you get a good one and decent ammo, it's way less of a problem. (Kind of like how everyone memes about Glocks exploding).
Aaron Gutierrez
In that case, I'd say just go with the Auto-Ordnance or something in that price range. The Government is good, but it's not better than guns that are $200 cheaper. Use the savings to buy extra mags or ammo.
Levi Moore
I'm leaning that way tbh. Thanks for the input, m8. Anyone know what it's like to change the sights on a 1911? Might be one of the few things I mess with.
Brayden Perez
I have one. Only problem I ever had was during break-in I got some light primer strikes with cheap ammo. The gun shop also stopped selling that brand so I think it was just the ammo.
Chase Young
Ive heard of poor quality on the auto ordinance one. Specifically Slides that are cross threaded on the tap so the sights just barely stay on in the box and fly off after you shoot the first shot. If you want full GI spec then a RIA is the way to go. Don't even think about getting an ATI as those are known to have incorrectly heat treated extractors that will blow out the side of the gun during the first mag. If you want something that is a little bit more, but the best gun for your money with non-milspec features, I would highly suggest a para or a Taurus
I just avoid Springfield out of principle. They make a good 1911, so I hear.
Sebastian Cooper
Can you elaborate on why you avoid springfield? I'm curious as to why the avoidance.
Tyler Torres
has he tried different magazines with it? 1911s are really picky about what magazines they'll take.
anyway, if it were me looking for a 1911, i still think you get the most bang for your buck with RIA. maybe just get a slightly higher end model if your dad's has issues?
Jeremiah Kelly
Anti gun cucking in Illinois some kind of limit on total guns you can buy per year and ass rape gun shops and other manufacturers other than SF and rock river arma. I don't live there but fuck giving them more money after that shit.
If you want just buy used at a pawnshop or similar no more money to them amd you get an affordable and good 1911.
Owen Price
so it's because the company is based in Illinois?
Bentley Powell
Springfield and Rock River Arms were caught lobbying for anti-gun laws in Illinois with the caveat that they would get an exemption and their competition wouldn't. So fuck 'em.
Camden Ramirez
oh damn. that's fucked up. yeah fuck those guys.
Jason Moore
So I looked up the Paras and apparently they were totally rad and I would’ve loved one…but Freedom Group bought them and of course dumped their carcass on the side of the road to rot so…. I ain’t buyin’ a Taurus. Back to the drawing board.
Landon Adams
I have an RIA 1911, not the GI but the step up. Has ambidextrous safety, better sights, but no rail. Got it used. Would 3 point jam all the time. Called RIA and their dude Ivan said ship it back and they'll fix it. He polished it up, sent it back, no shekels besides shipping to them involved. Now it works great.
Ethan Diaz
I just picked up a Cimarron M1911 in the WW1 GI style configuration. I got it in the high polished blue version for a steal but the parkerized version is usually only around $540 retail. Ian from the forgotton weapons channel on YouTube along with his annoying friend Carl did a review on it on their other channel InRange if you wanted to check it out.
James Parker
Where do the Norinco ones fit in all this?
Cooper Gray
My friend has a RIA M1911 and its a beast, it takes whatever is put through it (ammo wise) and hasn't really jammed up at all. BUT that's all factory ammunition, cheap aluminum and value pack Winchester from Wal-Mart. Relodes from some random dude are a totally different story. Also the one thing it's finicky about are the magazines. He got an RIA mag with it and it works flawlessly, but the ASP and SIG mags he bought consistently fail to feed, and fall out of the mag well while firing. And when I tried the SIG mag in my pistol it ran perfectly. So the newer mags can be kind of picky. What I do is just run surplus GI mags for the most part. They are old and ugly but they always run for both my friend and myself.
Plus they add that classic look to the pistol that you don't get when you have a big ass plastic bumper at the bottom of your mag.
Eli Ortiz
Built on old colt tooling. Don't expect a colt finish though.
Luis Davis
The Chinese love to repeat that meme about everything from pens to radios but I have yet to receive any kind of confirmation outside of "just trust us goylo"
William Allen
Been there and seen em made. Fuckers wouldn't sell me mothballed SKS tooling I suspect they repurposed for type 81 production.