I have a budget of $1000 for a 1911 pistol.
What should I buy?
Or should I just save up more $$ and get a really good one?

Coach

I'd think a grand oughta get you a good 911, and lots of ways to skin that cat with a decent budget like you have.

only have real familiarity with Colts, Kimbers and Para Ordnance

but I'd say you should be able to locate any of those 3 for around 1K

lots of good stuff out there these days though, S&W, Ruger, Rock Island


in fact lots of guys here speak well of the RI, and I'd say you could get one of those considerably cheaper than the 1K and use the remaining funds to customize it to your needs and satisfaction rather than the builder.

have fun, a good 1911 is a joy to shoot

Colt; a Combat Elite or an XSE model.

ETA: Colt's back to building high quality 1911's. These newest guns allow the user to "upgrade" the pistol with options like checkering, mag wells, and trigger work as your budget allows and you won't have to be without the gun for months at a time.

I'd much rather have an XSE with $500 worth of well executed work than a $2k semi-custom pistol.

Colt..Springfield

What do you want to do with the gun. Carry? Competition? General range use? If you can't get a 1911 that will do what you want for $1,000 then the 1911 market has gone crazy. You may want one that costs more, but $1,000 should do it. Just remember, unless you already have one, allocate another $500 off the bat for mags, holsters, ammo, etc.

I'd look at the "upper end" Springfields, if wanting a new pistol. Lots of good ones out there, though.

Lots of good 1911's for what you have to spend. Many of them already mentioned. I don't know if a grand will get you a new Colt around here. $1300 would get you a top-of-the-line Gold Cup though. There just doesn't seem to be much differentiation in prices around here anymore, in the Colt's. Likewise, a thousand won't get you an absolute top-of-the-line Springfield but will get you one of their better pistols. I think you can still get a "Loaded" model for that and there are several others that are solid offerings for that same money. The only Para Ordnance that I've owned was a good performer and I wouldn't hesitate to go with one of them. Lots of people around here really like the new Ruger and the prices on them of late are around $650 leaving you money for ammo and gunleather.

springfield, dan Wesson, sti is where my money goes in your price range.

If you don't need competition level accuracy, go with a Springfield Armory Mil Spec.

If your going to carry it look at the Colt Wiley Clapp Commander.

Another possibility is the Taurus offering. It is really loaded up with features.

+1........

Blued Colts go for around $850 wholesale, so getting one for a grand shouldn't be a problem. In fact, Acusport, one of the biggest distributors, has them on sale for $760.

Get a Springfield Loaded and you'll a couple hundred left for ammo........

^^^This^^^

You should buy a Sig.

I'm pretty fond of the Sig 1911s

A prominent Indiana gunsmith who first made his reputation tuning and customizing 1911s thinks they're the cat's ass. So he told me a couple of weeks ago.

My range pard has one. I shoot it a couple of times a month and never failed to be impressed.

Was the 'reputation' garnered from re-milling the boxy, squared off slides to what they should have been to start with?

I had a Scorpion, Nd it was one of the best shooting oistols i've ever had...shoulda kept it

When I have any GUN $$$$ - The first place I go to is CDNN SPORTS on-line.
They sell wholesale and below to the public. All I have to do is make a phone call,
place the order, credit card #, and they ship my handgun (Overnight shipping service - $15.00)
to my pawnshop FFL holder - and I'm good to go. Right now CDNN Offers:

3 Colt 1911's
1 Mitchell
13 Para Ordnance 1911's
6 Remington 1911's
1 Ruger 1911
5 Sig Sauer 1911's (I like the bronze finished SPARTAN, the Nighmare Bobtail, and the Tacops Model.)
2 Springfield 1911's (The Mil-Spec $549)

Most pistols listed under $1,000
Many between $600 - $700, or less.

That nightmare Bobtail is a sweet gun

When I went through this about a year ago I got the Springfield Loaded model. No regrets.

The 1911 Nickle is pretty fuucking nice.

Well, he would certainly do that, though I've not seen many completed examples of his 1911s. The ones in his shop are in pieces.

I had him do a hunting rifle for me and a lot of his work lately has been for law enforcement and former military snipers. You look on the racks in his shop and you will see almost nothing but tactical long guns.

It's funny. Some of these agencies spend serious bucks for a rifle from a nationally known gunshop or 'smith, and it doesn't shoot for chidt. Or it did shoot well at first, and then it went to chidt. He remakes them the way they should have been made in the first place.

Still likin' my Ruger 1911 a lot. Still perfect function and very accurate.

Of all those mentioned so far, I would avoid the Taurus. Too many complaints being reported about their spotty customer service. Too many comparable 1911's from companies with great service reputations.