Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns You know how it goes...

You do your research on a polymer hi-cap .45, you pester the clerks at gunstores over and over, looking at the S&W M&P, all the different variations of Springfield XD's and Glocks; you post questions on 24hcf, you read online reviews of everything under the sun, yada yada ad infinitum.

And you decide, okay, the M&P it is! You get your mind ready for it, you psych up for the hit to the debit card, you walk in the store with head held high, ready to say in a firm, manly voice, "I'll take it!"...

...and find that they just got in 4 brand spanking new Ruger SR1911's yesterday! Well, what's a fella to do?

BUY ONE, of course! You had to ask?! Okay, I took a whole night to think about it before I went to the store 7 minutes after it opened this morning. Some one had already put one on lay away but I looked over the other three and made my pick. Trigger pulls, everything was the same on them so I got the one with the best looking grips.

Two hours later it is cleaned and freshly oiled and I'm at the range with a double box of my favorite Winchester white box 230 gr. FMJ blasting ammo. First rounds were high and right (almost standard with fixed sights and me being left handed) and it was a heck of a time drifting that rear sight properly. Kept hitting it too far left, then too far right, then too far left... Still a bit off but it shoots close enough. 100 rounds went through both mags without a hitch. No failures of any kind.

Trigger is a bit heavy at 5 1/2 pounds and it had just a touch of creep out of the box, but after 100 rounds and mucho dry firing it breaks nice and clean now. I adjusted the overtravel down to minimum while still leaving enough for reliable operation.

It's been too long since I've had a 1911, I forgot just how neat they were. This one has all of the good stuff like lowered ejection port, beveled mag well, straight checkered backstrap and none of the doodads. No full length guide rod, no firing pin block, just a good, straightforward 1911.

With that trigger weight it's not a target gun (yet), but it does the job. I sure do like this pistol!



Finished the day with my obligatory 30 rounds offhand at 15 yards, 6 o'clock hold. Still need to drift that sight a bit to the left but it'll do.



And what the hell, I can always get an M&P some other time...

You said that right - ain't NOBODY standing in line for an M&P. :^) From what I've heard and read, I think the Ruger may just be the best buy in a 1911 right now.

Looks like a shooter

Good choice My SR 1911 trigger also got appreciably smoother with dry firing and shooting.

Good deal Sir, I hope you enjoy a long life of shooting with your new gun.

Hot damn!! Fine shoot'n!!

Lets see that new Ruger!! Pics! pics! pics!

Good choice, and a 1911 is going the right way. Congratulations are definately in order!

Somehow Jim, I knew where you were going with this before I got to the third paragraph.

Congrats! I know you're gonna love it.

Snagged one of those Rugers just before Christmas. Love it!
Has just about everything I want in 1911, but more importantly, nothing I don't want.

Enjoy it! I am.
Now if I can just get it away from the son.....


Pete

That's my take as well. Apparently Ruger consulted with Gunsite and I think one or two other authorities on the design, at least that's what I read in the recent Handloader article on this.

So many 1911's to choose from these days with so many variations it'll make your head spin. I had a Kimber Custom Target when they first came out (the first edition, not the II) and it was great. I love Kimbers but they have about 157 different flavors and they are spendy. S&W makes a bunch of different models, Springfield Armory, even Colt. They're all good but it seems you either got a "series 80" style, something loaded with melted edges, bells and whistles out the ying yang that may or may not actually enhance reliability or accuracy, or a basic GI no frills model. I wanted another 1911 but nothing just seemed "right".

This one seems just right. I think Ruger hit a real home run with it. They tweaked enough of JMB's original design without spending any money on excess. It has the good stuff to enhance reliability and shootability - lowered port, beveled mag well, extended beavertail grip safety, extended magazine release, extended safety, checkered original 1911 style backstrap, good trigger, Novak three dot sights, well fitted bushing and barrel (they are machined together and kept together though the whole manufacturing process), longer "commander style" ejector for positive ejection and maybe one or two other little niceties I'm forgetting. They did away with the series 80 firing pin block - it has a titanium firing pin and strong firing pin spring - and use the original plug and short guide rod.

Visually it looks great. Nice brushed stainless finish with the controls in blue steel makes for a very pleasing look.

So you get a full size 1911 that works and looks great. Workmanship is excellent, it's not super polished inside but I don't see any rough edges or tooling marks. It's not a super tight target gun, it rattles a little bit when you shake it (but only just a little bit) - it's a 1911 that is meant to be used as John Moses intended.

And finally, they did this for a real reasonable price. I probably paid more than these will go for in a year, but looking at what they are actually selling for on gunbroker and then adding shipping and FFL fee, I did okay. Certainly it was a good deal less expensive than the cheapest basic Kimber Custom II and I think it comes with more and better features.

Not going to say these are head and shoulders above everybody else's product because I haven't used everybody else's product, have only owned two Colts (Colt Gov't Model and a Series 70), and the Kimber Custom Target before this.

But if someone is looking for a good high quality 1911 made right (and made 100% in the USA if that matters) and without costing an arm and a leg then I can certainly endorse this one without reservation.

Jim I live in southern Idaho I am looking for a ruger sr1911
just wondering where you saw them. Saw one at the gun show today but he wanted 899.00 for it seemed a little steep.

They were at Sportsman's Warehouse in Meridian.

Your thoughts pretty much match mine, Jim. However...



I wouldn't be too sure about that...

The lack of forward slide serrations was a biggie for me. I have no use for 'em and prefer a clean muzzle. I'm not overly fond of the looks of the trigger - but that's an easy switch. Other than that trigger, it's petty much the way I would choose it to be. That 18.5lb recoil spring has to go though.

But the way mine cycles everything (fmj, hp, swc) from three different mag styles I've tried so far, it's hard to argue with success.

thanks Jim in the process of getting the last one

Good choice in a 1911. If I were in that market right now that would be the one for me too. Seems to be a really good value.