Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 1911 ranks

Posting this for a couple reasons.

1. I'm bored here in the house
2. Been spending a lot of time looking at 1911's online lately and outside of Ruger/SAA single actions, no other handgun photographs as nice.
3. There isn't a 1911 question on page 1 (my view) of this forum


So question is "What's your rank for a 1911 these days?" - Wilson/Brown/Nighthawk excluded - think sub 2k in price.

I know the opinion on Kimber has gone up and down - recently told that they're pretty good these days. People I like and trust have spoken very highly of Ruger, even put above Springfield.

My personal experiences have been with an early Colt govt model in 38 Super, Colt govt model about 2004?, and a Kimber before the "II" moniker came about. I currently do not have a 1911.

One of the guys in the gun club let me shoot his Ed Brown 9mm the last time we went to the range and I think that it has ruined me for life.

I asked this same question recently of a cousin who used to shoot competitively.

He said best bang for the buck was Dan Wesson.

I am in the process of testing his theory. .

1. Dan Wesson

2. Colt

3. All the off brands.

Assuming an under $2K street price.

The one's I've handled have been very nice for sure. I've not owned a 1911 in 15 years and the itch is starting again. Was a time where the answer was Colt or Springfield and then all else - If you weren't looking at Baer/Brown/Wilson.

Springfield has become Harley Davidson - million different models, no clear difference and they all sorta look the same.

Admit, I do love the look of those Wiley Clapp Commander but other than the Colt name - unsure if it's worth more $$ Than the Ruger Commander.

Springfield is hard to beat for the money!

And I’ve never had an ounce of trouble with the many Kimbers I’ve owned.

The Ruger 1911’s are probably great too. Ruger knows how to build guns that work well & keep right on working.

Best bang for you buck in high end 1911’s is Les Baer. Personally, I don’t think you can buy a better 1911 for your moneys value.

For under $2K the DW is really nicely put together. I just bought a Guardian in .38 Super and it is really finely fitted. A friend who just bought just a Les Baer, about the same gun but in 9mm with a steel frame, held mine and was shocked as it was as nicely put together as his for a grand less...

I've bought a couple new Colts in the last few years and the quality has been very good with all of them...

Kimber...the same...have been happy with all the ones I have bought but one...it was 15+ years ago and when it finally was sent back to the factory they destroyed it and sent a replacement.

I shoot with several people who have SAs and all are very happy...especially those with Range Officers...

I have a RIA 10mm that is as solid as a rock and shoots as well as the guns I have costing 3 times as much...

Hard to go wrong with a 1911 these days...

Bob

I'm a Springfield fan. I have two of them and both are 100% reliable. Back in the 1990s, I did buy one of their "Loaded" models, and it was a disaster from day one. Clearly had a lot wrong with it from the factory. It took a couple of send-backs to get it right, but once they got it right, it stayed right, and they were fast in getting it back, paying for both ways.

I also used to have a Les Baer. Great gun. Sold it only because I had so many 1911s that all worked great, and needed the money.

I have a 1961 Colt Government Model, too, that's 100% reliable, even with 230 grain hollow points. Completely stock, other than some nice aftermarket, double diamond, checkered walnut stocks to replace the original hard rubber ones (which are collector's items) that came on it. The hard rubber grips are put away, even though I've heard that if you store them off the gun they may shrink. Just don't like the looks of them on the gun.

I also have a nice Ed Brown Kobra Carry and (on the other end of the spectrum, LOL) a Turkish replica of a USGI 1911A1.

All my 1911s work. I have every confidence in all of them, although I've never tried defensive ammo with the Turkish gun, even though it seems to be made to work with hollow points.

Colt then Springfield here. Kimber has reportedly been spotty. Haven't used Ruger or Remingtons. Dan Wessons are reported to be very nice.

And just for fun, everyone needs one of these:

Turkey.

Link

[/quote]

I’m EXTREMELY impressed with mine!!!

I just saw one of those on GunBroker for $495 I think...looked pretty nice to me...

..nope...different gun...a SA....

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/862181762

You can usually find these for less than $399

Initially they were $299. Until folks figured how nice they are.
Still a bargain at any thing less than $400

For a period of about 4 years, I would zero my buddy's guns for him. He's legally blind but loves to shoot. Before Washington required all transfers to be papered through the Feds, he bought and sold 1911's regularly. He went through them like kleenex. The only way he could see to shoot was to put laser grips on them, which of course are adjusted using the smallest allen wrench known to mankind. That made me the guy who installed and zeroed his laser grips for him.

Jimmy (my friend) has fairly fine tastes in 1911's, but also traded in the blue collar group as well. He bought, and hence, I shot them all. Ed Brown, Wilson Combat, NIghthawks, Dan Wesson, Springfield, Kimber, Sig Sauer, Ruger etc. etc. Frankly, it was a lot of fun. Additionally, all the guys at my gun club swap guns and try each others' gats. So, I have been able to shoot a few different 1911's--several dozen at least. I have no clue if that's a lot or not, but it has allowed me to form some opinions.

In the sub-$2000 market, for looks and functionality, I would have to say Kimbers are my favorite. I know, I know, it's cool to hate Kimbers, and everybody knows an uncle's neighbor's barber whose son's dog-groomer had a Kimber that literally exploded on the range the first time it was shot. But...in my experience, Kimber 1911's work extremely well. I personally have owned 5 or 6 (I think) and currently own 4 of them. They run just fine and make nice jewelry when everyone is passing around their guns at the range. I carried a 4" alloy model ever day for a couple years. I'd trust my life to any of them.

The other brand I always liked was Ruger. Wow, talk about a meat and potatoes 1911 that you couldn't find fault with--here's your huckleberry. I've shot the 5" and the commander. A friend of mine still owns his 5" and loves it. It came from the factory with some really nice grips and a usable trigger. He bought it new for under $725. He uses a mish mash collection of mags and the gun doesn't care.

Brands I've not liked include Ed Brown and Colt. The Ed Brown was finicky about ammo and the trigger would have been fine if it were a sub-$1,000 gun, but I couldn't see any reason to pay Ed Brown prices for what it was. The Colt Gold Cup Trophy was a mechanical hairball from the start. My buddy sent it back to Colt twice before they got it sorted out. But...the Ed Brown and Colt were data samples of 1 each.

I've always been a Colt guy, but last fall I bought a Ruger Target SR-1911, and it surely is well done. I compared it to the SA Range Officer and liked it's sight picture a lot better, the rear sight notch is wider and thus better for my eyesight. The triggers were equally good, though the Ruger's was a fuzz better in the two individual pistols. I've owned one SA, and it was a nice pistol, but felt "funny" because the radius on the frontstrap was different than Colt's. Rugers match the Colt radius, and feel better to me.

I still have one Colt left, a Custom Shop 1991A1, and it's a good pistol, but the Ruger matches it 100% so far, with my Wilson and McCormick magazines. For the money, the Ruger would be hard to beat. I wish I could afford a Dan Wesson, but I cannot, and think the Ruger is at least as good as a new Colt. I like adjustable sights on my pistols, this Ruger beats the hell out of the Gold Cup '70 series gun I had in the '80s.

Neither of the two guns I now own would shoot with an old Colt GM gun I had built, but that smith has gone to his reward now, and I don't trust anyone else to work on one. I really like 1911s, and feel kinda nekkid with only two on hand, but these two will do.
I paid $800 for the Ruger, new. I'd buy one of those and spend the rest on ammo or components, and magazines. Lots of magazines.

Got one for $299.00 last month. Several hundred rounds through it. No failures.

I’m EXTREMELY impressed with mine!!![/quote]


I very much like that idea as 1911 #2 and some tools from Brownell's to play with...

My one and only handgun is a Sig 1911 Stainless Target the kids gave me for retirement. Since I planned on only shooting cast in it, I sent the barrel to Doug Guy for throating. Turns out the chamber wasn't concentric with the bore. Doug was able to take out most of the mis-alignment but there is enough left that I've not been able to shoot PC bullets in it. Lubed bullets work fine so I've not replaced the barrel yet. Got a couple thousand rounds through it with no failures other than a couple that weren't crimped correctly. It should of been sent back when it was new but I didn't know till after the work was done.

You can get a few models from Baer right at the $2K mark; under that, IMO, Dan Wesson is the best of the bunch by a goodly margin.

Fitting is very very good, triggers are outstanding, all fitting is very close, all sharp edges are all broken enough so as not to cut yourself in them, accuracy is as good as any. Finish is very, very nice.

After that, depending on specific model, IMO, is S&W, Colt, Springfield & Kimber with the 1st three about being a tossup............Sig makes decent stuff too, but some of the slide configurations are not 100% to typical 1911 design.

MM

I’m EXTREMELY impressed with mine!!![/quote]

I really like that.

For me
1.) Les Baer
2.) Dan Wesson
3.) STI (used or new old stock 1911)
4.) Sig
5.) Springfield
6.) everything else

I’ve never owned a STI that was reliable.

Les Baer for the WIN!!!

I really like that.[/quote]

Buy one! It’s only money! 🤠

Sub 2K , and having never owned a Les Baer, it’s Dan Wesson and nothing’s close.

What criteria are you all using to establish the rankings and how are you measuring that criteria?

Kimber.makes brand new 70 series pistols without the "II" moniker

Dan Wesson is a damn Good 1911. The valor is discontinued now I believe ,but was their top tier for several years. Their are several like new or possible NOS available. They are better than a Kimber IMO.

A vintage 70 series Colt is not a bad option either.

Dan Wesson, Springfield. I would look at the Fusion Freedom series also

I like the Letterkenny profile pic.

Same here... Currently own at least four - and all function perfectly to date..

Dan Wesson is all you need to know below $2000.00

I like my Sig Tac-Ops.

Colt Series 70

Original or reintro?

I'm holding out on purchases of any type till CV19 is in the ground - just thinking out loud or I'm gonna go nuts.

No clue how some retired people sit in their houses all day

Fit
Finish
Reliability out of the box
Acuracy
Sights (and how easily they can be canged to something else)
Trigger pull out of the box (weight, takeup, overtravel, smoothness)

Got a Ruger that’s very nice. Good fit, finish, trigger, and accuracy for the cost. I shoot it often.

Replays of Packer Super Bowl victories - and cheap whiskey...

Dan Wesson is the consensus. Last year a LGS ran a nice sale and I left to buy a Dan Wesson. They didn't have the one I wanted and the one they had I didn't want. I handled a bunch of $1K 1911s and went with a SIG. The trigger on mine was the best of the bunch and looked to be very well done. I've shot it quite a bit over the past year and it's very accurate and I've not had one jam or failure of any kind. I did replace their 2 piece short guide rod with a Wilson one-piece.

Now you're talkin'. Been retired 9 years, I've been practicing for home isolation for years. I've got this, tho I do miss skeet/trap shooting.

Stillness.

Colt and Springfield here.

I love that knife next to the Springfield.

Either

Les Baer
Dan Wesson
Nothing else even comes close.

Buy one! It’s only money! 🤠[/quote]

Can't buy guns in PA right now.

If I could own one in Kali, I would.

What are wwii era colts going for these days? I ran across a '43 the other day, pretty clean.

I remain very impressed with the Remington R1 as well. Bought one used from a friend who needed money several years ago, expecting to be underwhelmed. It is a really good pistol - reliable, accurate with a very nice trigger.

Still getting along with my 1946 Remington Rand 1911. Still goes bang with every trigger pull. Pretty much original except for some new springs.
If it comes to Covid-19 Armageddon, it will be on the front line.

Thousands

I love mine

The first 1911 I owned was a Taurus, and it was actually a good pistol. Since then, Springfield's, RIA's, and a Kimber - all are 1911's, all good.

Mike Holmes

So would it rank above a Baer, Dan Wesson, S&W, Colt, Springfield, Kimber?

MM

2 Kimbers on top 2 Colts on the bottom, all shoot very well and are dependable, Rio7

I’m EXTREMELY impressed with mine!!![/quote]

That's quite a bargain on a very cool 1911.

Damn. Now I want a Colt 1911 after reading this.

What caliber ?????? Of course I have one in 45 but shoot my 38 super and 9mm much more often
You might need more than one new Colt

After a breakfast visit with RJM and seeing some of his handguns, I got an education on how a 1911 should point and feel, my Colt Talo 38 Super had flat diamond grips and a flat mainspring housing from the factory, RJM surmised that pistol grip was much to small for my hand and the angle 'point' was wrong, and with the way I shot it he was exactly right.

I immediately took it to my 'Smith for a stainless arched mainspring housing, ordered a set of Gaboon Ebony grips, and a set of correct height TFX sights, rolled up a shop door and had a seat on the slab, braced pistol off left knee and fired 10 rounds into roughly 3 inches at 20 yards, was aiming at the 'c' on a saucony running shoe box of Wifes, impacts landed right on top of the sight and were centered very nicely, that pistol has NEVER shot that well.

Carry load with 125gr Barnes at 1341 fps shot better than the cheap practice loads I put together with 124gr plated bullets, so yes, you need a Colt 1911, maybe several, they're great fun, that 38 Super is on duty and sitting right here this morning.

Gunner, you must have got that from a pretty classy guy!

Why yes, yes I did, got some good advice from another gentleman with class mentioned in that post.

No idea. My gun suits me.

Of all the 1911s I have worked on there has not been a brand that really sticks out as better than another...
All this it pre Dan Wesson so can't speak for them..
I will say when cutting sights or a flattop and such...
The Colt steel was always the most consistent...
They used to rave about those cheap Norinkos to build off of ..I did one for myself to learn how to customize them...
The steel is the worst stringy crap out there..
The gun turned out great and is one of my favorite ones to shoot...

But the OP's question was about ranking available 1911's below $2K....................not which gun you have & like the best.

Just sayin'.....................entire thread has taken a sharp right from what his question was to what you have & like, not what might be "best" in that price range.

If you've only ever had & handled one, then that opinion doesn't go very far to addressing the question.

If you've had a dozen & comment accordingly, then that would carry a bit more credibility.

JMHO

MM

Here's my ranking in order and based upon the limited number of 1911s I've owned:

1. Newer production Colt Series 70 Gold Cup. These have been great, and I love the fit and finish and look. For me the hammer needs a little work not to bite on the traditional gun (x2, sold the first one when I bought a Wilson or Ed Brown, can't remember which. Regretted selling the Colt so sold the expensive gun and bought another Colt. The first gun was pretty much a one-ragged-hole gun at 25 yds).
2. Ruger 1911 (have had 4 or 5 of these and loved everyone. Have had 9mm, 10mms and 45s). Never have sold one, but have re-homed a couple to friends needing a good pistol.
3. Wilson It is a great gun but the top two meet my needs for less money (x1 that I can remember)
4. Ed Brown--fine guns, but I always thought the fit and finish was not nearly as good as Colt and a little more finicky than the Colt or Ruger (x1 or 2, can't remember).
5. Kimber--Purchased probably 15 years ago.Mine was blued with adjustable sites and a really beautiful pistol. Never could get it to function as well as I wanted but got frustrated and didn't try super hard. Newer ones may be better. At least as accurate as my first Colt mentioned above. Would probably try another if not for my Colts and Rugers (x1)

The Rugers, Wilson and Ed Brown all seemed the same regarding accuracy but the Rugers have been a little less ammo sensitive from a function standpoint and much cheaper. My expensive 1911s have come and gone. I would probably buy a Ruger if looking today.

I have always had Colt and a Rem Rand.

My good friend has a Wilson Custom Combat 45.
Got to shoot it some, it is the nicest thing I have ever handled/shot.== Damm!

Out of my price range tho

Also well out of the price range specified by the OP............................

MM

1. Les Baer and Dan Wesson for me are neck and neck for different reasons. LB makes a solid old school, no frills 1911. Old school bluing is nice, though not as nice as Colt used to do, and holster wear shows quickly. Arry mine quite a bit and it looks all the better with use. Not crazy about the fact that the buyer does the last 10% or so of the slide and bushing fitting by firing 500 rounds without cleaning. Also not a fan of the mags they ship with the gun or of 3 dot sights, but that’s just me. If the OP does decide on LB, i recommend checking with Crazy John in Coeur d’Alene.

DW is IMO the opposite - modern machinery does most of the work and very little hand fitting required. Solid guns though, with no MIM and high quality parts with tight tolerances. Tack drivers, just like the Baers and IME, Wilsons. I find the 20lpi front strap checkering bites my hand. I prefer the finer checkering of the LB. i much prefer the Heine (and later In-house Heine style) straight 8’s on the Wessons, second only to the wilson battlesight for my eyes. Both have thin grips standard, again a contrast of old school wood vs modern VZ’s. I like them both but prefer the wood as it doesn’t catch on my shirt as much when IWB.

3. Ruger SR1911 - inasmuch as i have been carrying and training with Wilsons, LB and DW’s for years, a Ruger 10mm is my “Perfect Packin’ Pistol,” to borrow from John Taffin. It is just indestructible, open carried in the snow, rain and sleet, usually on an El Paso Austin on my hip or, more recently, in a Diamond D chest rig when I am in the woods. The trigger was a little gritty but cleaned up easily some light stoning. Other than that, she is a tack driver, and comfortable to shoot even with heavy hardcast loads. The bull barrel and integrated titanium ramp are big pluses. I bought and sold one of the early .45 SR1911’s, but for me, the 10mm is a keeper.

I've owned and shot a bunch of different 1911's. If you are excluding Wilson/Brown/Nighthawk then Les Baer is a no brainer. They work very well, and are very accurate. You can find used ones under $2k pretty often. Baer's hard chrome finish is gorgeous; whoever does it for them does a remarkable job getting a nice luster on the hard chrome.

I just bought a Colt Special Combat Gov't in .38 Super, getting a pretty screamer deal on it, and the fit & finish is very nice. I have several other Colts, and they do a nice job. Colt will do parts in machined barstock, that other companies make in MIM, so that is a plus.

I think the Dan Wessons and Rugers are nice, but I've not owned any of them.

Just purchased a new Colt Competition stainless in .38 Super... Thing is tight...only sloppy part is the grip safety...has a little more play that I would like but it works...

https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=1012612

This last Saturday I run a few rounds through my Sig, love it. I have a TLR 1 mounted on it, it’s a pleasure to shoot.

I guess I’m in the minority on the Les Baer love. I had one of the Commander size concept models- don’t remember which one. It looked nice, but I did not shoot it nearly as well as my Kimber CDP. I sold it and a Series 70 Combat Government to a buddy. Kept the Kimber to go along with a Ithaca rebuilt at Augusta and a Sistema. The Ithaca is special to me because my wife’s grandmother worked at the Augusta Arsenal.