Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns REAL classic 1911 reproductions?

So there�s a bunch of 1911 makers who are making a �basic� 1911, or something some would call a �classic�. But here�s what kills me, they�re not classics; the features are all wrong. Most have at least a lowered ejection port, often flared. High profile sights, beveling of the magazine well, flat mainspring housings, long triggers, and the post-WW II style safety�seems to be somewhat the standard configuration for a �basic or classic� 1911. And hell, I bought one because I couldn�t have it any other way.

Now I�ll give props to Kahr/Auto-Ordnance; theirs is probably the closest. The FP block is a nod to the lawyers, but the Series 80 style is damn good, and it�s basically invisible. Their choice of trigger sucks, but other than that, their gun is pretty much right. And these days, they�re pretty good guns. I'd like to see some other makers put the same effort in.

Colt�s has made reproductions of their WWI & WW II pistols and those were friggin AWESOME!! But just try to lay hands on one. I think Colt�s dressed them up in a red and white stripped longsleve, Mr. Magoo glasses, and named them all Waldo.

I would love to see a new line of Colt�s; The Classic Line.

WW I 1911�s. Maybe even a special run of �Black� 1911�s from time to time. Military with subdued finish, commercial with fine finish & Nitre Blued highlights. Mags should be two tone with a lanyard loop on the bottom. Grips should be plain, straight grain walnut.
WW II 1911�s. Gray zinc Parkerized with them ugly brown plastic grips, but for goodness sake, do the early style parts; checkered MSH & Trigger.
Pre-War .38 Super: Okay guys, this is the one that gets me all hot & bothered. So much, that I�m doing my own right now to my .38 Super 1991. Blued with Nitre Blued highlights like the old Commerical Colts. Has to have the checkered MSH & trigger. Magazine should be two tone.

If need be, I�ll re-locate to CT and be their custom shop guy making all these cool guns.

One of the sleepers out there are Sistemas, the Argentinian 1911A1's made under a license from Colt. They ARE 1911A1's except for markings - and the variations of markings are very attractive, especially the Air Force versions.

Not only are these guns made to 1911A1 specs, most I've seen were carried a lot more than shot - or maybe they sat in some officer's drawer. Mine has some wear on the original finish, but is otherwise very tight. It even has the matching serial number magazine, which is hard to find.

The Sistemas are a time capsule as to what a Colt 1911A1 was in its day as far as fit & workmanship, without spending huge bucks for a mint original Colt. Which reminds me, I need to shoot mine

Tex - You're right, but have you checked prices on those lately? They're not cheap anymore. I had a Systema Colt back in the late �90�s�barrel was shot out when I got it. Put a new barrel in it, and it was a great gun for several years. Ended up selling it to one of my mom�s friends�turns out he was terminal cancer, and he killed himself with it. Never found out what happened to the gun�he was a good man; we really missed him.

Oh, and by the way�you�re right, the markings are cool; LOVE the crests.

I paid $650 for mine a few weeks ago. A mint example though, can push over a grand, especially for the more rare variants.

Nice job!! They are REALLY sweeet 1911's. They have a bit of 1911 and a bit of A1. 1911 hammer and sights, A1 frame, MSH, trigger, & grip safety. Very cool variant. How defined is the crest on yours? Most were fairly shallow.

I bought one of those WWII Colt Reproductions when they first came out ($900.00). I sold it a couple of years ago. As is so often the case when I sell a gun, I'm sorry I did it. It was completely reliable. I still have my very minty Remington-Rand 1911-A1 and a very sweet pre-Series 70 Colt Government Model to satisfy my "classic" 1911 cravings.

Two guns I tried like heck to get my hands on and just couldn�t get one�The WW I reproduction and the bright stainless .38 Super; neither could be had.

I came across a couple of the WWI Repros, but both had problems, i.e., the slide didn't match even with the frame in the back. It was pretty glaring. Otherwise I would have bought one.

I must be the oddest dude on the planet. I have no desire to have or own a real classic.

Any real classic I would have finds itself in the custom shop el pronto.

Maybe it's because I'm a south paw and we all know how nutty a south paw is.

That's how so many USGI 1911s and A1s got ruined.

This thread and your post bring up the ache I feel for having long ago sold a near-mint National Match (pre-Series 70) which had been tuned by Pachmyr. Nearly as foolish, I sold a nickel plated 9mm series 70.

The Argentine 27's are fantastic. Colt set up the factory...the tooling...and maintained inspectors on site to insure the guns were to spec colt maintained in the US. Fantastic gun...one piece milled triggers...nice guns all around and half the price of Colt commercial from the same era....and its every bit the gun the colt is....

Too busy last night, but I'll try to get a photo of it tonight.

Not at all. I like the looks and idea of "classics" as sometimes less is more. The problem is, IMO the older 45 autos didn't shoot worth a damn at more than five paces or so, unless tuned.

You know, you hear that over and over and over, but it's just not true. I think it exists because most didn't know how to shoot a semi-auto back in the day, and eons ago GI Colt's were compared against what were essentially match grade revolvers. Trust me, at 100 yards you really wouldn't want someone who knows what they're doing to shoot at you with an old GI 1911.

Not trying to brag but at age 19, Ft. Jackson, SC, March 1972, I was given a rattle trap of an old 1911A1 that shot several inches away from the point of aim. It was a range pistol and issued to all new troops being trained and qualifying on the .45 so God only knows how many rounds had been through it. But using Kentucky windage I was able to put 30 rounds into a group about 5 inches across at 15 yards (i.e. 45 feet), rapid fire, into the center of the silhouette target. IIRC �rapid fire� meant we had 10 seconds to fire 5 rounds.

Tuned .45�s are X-ring accurate, they have always been so since they were a required pistol in NRA 3 caliber pistol matches, but even in plain GI form they can still hit what you�re aiming at.

and when they were new, they weren't loose and sloppy, and shot pretty darn well.

I got to fire a Colt "Black Army" new production pistol a couple of years ago. Very well made pistol. I understand the finish they used was much tougher than the original.
The first 1911 I ever shot much was an ancient commerical Colt made for the mexican navy. Couldn't use the 1934 mexican ammo grampa still had in the gun. About a third of it wouldn't fire. But the SWC handloads I had for my Colt Gold Cup would routinely shoot 5-7 inch groups, that's all seven rounds, at 25 yds. That in spite of the really crappy, heavy trigger and hard to see sights. E

RUINED! RUINED! NEVER! Rebuilt the way they were suppose to be built.

That's the way I say it. Of course, when I was in the old .45's we had had seen better days. The match guns were another matter.