Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Want to buy my first 1911....suggestions ?

....huh, I thought that they were castings brought in from Brazil.

You're thinking of Ruger's. Many cast parts.

....No I'm thinking of Springfield. Rugers are from Pine Tree Castings and almost entirely cast parts. Springfields are from IMBEL in Brazil, however I thought that they were also cast. Of course, I could be wrong. Are you sure they're forged?

Seen lots of Springfields with FIBRAZIL on 'em.

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Gunner

....you're right....did alittle internet research and found that they're forged not cast.

I used to care whether a gun was cast or forged but I no longer do. I was talking to Joe Chambers (Chambers Custom Pistols) and the subject of cast vs forged came up. He said that he's seen plenty of cracked 1911 frames but never one that was a cast frame. Anecdotal evidence is always "iffy" at best, but still it's there.

, RAH-JAH that.

Gunner

When Colt left the Philippines they left all there machinery there and is now called Rock Island Armory.

Hard to beat Rock Island Armory for cost and being deadly accurate. Triggers are darn good and when you consider your buying a Colt with a different name ups the anti for cost and quality.

I would buy a Colt.

Huh????? What are you talking about?????

I think he is thinking if the Ballister Molina (sp?) of years gone by.

I really think the Ruger 1911 is the best bargain on the Market, for the Money.
I think Sprortsman's Warehouse has them on sell for $599, IIRC

Not a thing wrong with the Rock Island pistols, either. Just not fancy.

For another 300 bucks over the Ruger, the SpringField Range Office or Target Loaded Model has just about every feature a 1911 owner could want.

I also wouldn't hesitate to purchase a S&W or Sig Saur 1911. Both good guns, IMO.

Spend the most you can afford to spend on your first 1911, and you will never regret it. Also, it's easy to sell a good 1911 if you don't like it. I own a bunch of them and they are still my Favorite Semi Auto.

1911's are Kinda like Lays Potato Chips, nobody can quit after buying just one.

How much do you have to spend? As with most things you get what you pay for. Nothing wrong with the cheaper ones, they will go bang very well. As the price goes up you get more features and a better "tune" IE accuracy, trigger, sights etc. I have seen a lot of folks but the cheap ones, then have the trigger tuned, add a bunch of parts to get it where they want it. In the end the have a cheap one with $500 to $1K invested and it is still a cheap one. Spend as much as you can afford right away. You will not be disappointed.

Whatever model you decide on, learn to take it apart and lube it properly. A good set of sights are a big asset as well...

Springfield's 1911 receivers are from IMBEL; who buys their forging from Taurus.

I wasn't aware that Colt had manufacturing in the Philippines???

RIA's are made by Armscor Precision. When I was an Armscor employee in the '80's and visited the production facilities in the Philippines, there was no 1911 manufacturing facility ran by either Colt or Armscor. We made various .22lr rifles, bolt & semi auto. A copy of the High Standard Flite King shotgun. A very loose copy of the Colt Detective Special in various forms. And oodles of very good quality ammo (the .22lr was made on Eley machinery and VERY good). What's more, the manufacturing processes used in the making of the RIA's is very different since they make extensive use of castings, and "old Colt's" were entirely machined pistols.

Now there was another section where much repair was done on various USGI military arms. If there was a whole other facility, I was never made aware of it.

Just my observations...maybe you know something I don't (quite likely).

BS

From Rock Island's own website.

"HISTORY



Humble Beginnings

Armscor can trace its beginnings all the way back to 1905, when the first Squires, Bingham & Co. headquarters was established in the Philippines. After years of trading clothing, firearms, ammunition, and other items; the company was eventually bought and renamed �Sportsmen�s Headquarters� in 1930.

After a decade of business, visionary entrepreneur Don Celso Tuason bought the company at the start of WWII. In 1952 his company was renamed �Squires Bingham Manufacturing Inc.� and helped rebuild the post-war Philippines by obtaining the first firearms manufacturing license from the government and opening plants across the country.

In the 1960�s he saw his eldest son, Demetrio �Bolo� Tuason, had a strong interest in the business and started grooming him to take the reigns of the company. Not much later, his two younger sons, Carlos �Butch� Tuason and Severo �Conkoy� Tuason joined the business as well.

The Armscor brand that the world knows and loves didn�t come into existence until 1980 after Squires Bingham Manufacturing was reorganized and renamed �Arms Corporation of the Philippines.�

North American Expansion

In 1985, Armscor Precision International opened its first United States office in Pahrump, Nevada. A short while later, Armscor acquired the Rock Island Armory brand, a leading M1911 manufacturer and developer.

The future looks very bright as Martin Tuason, the third generation of the family, prepares to lead the company forward.

With an unprecedented focus on customer service and satisfaction, Armscor is rapidly becoming a driving force in the American and worldwide firearms industry. Today, the company exports to over 50 countries on 6 continents.

Building the Brand

In 2011, the big news was Armscor�s opening of brand new production facilities in Stevensville, Montana. But a more noticeable change is the updated brand look and simplified structure of the company.

The restructuring of the business resulted in Armscor becoming the official ammunition producer of the family owned company that�s �Right on target. Right on the Price.�

As a result, Rock Island Armory is now the sole producer of firearms in the Armscor family under the tagline of �Solid as a rock.�"

Ruger Commander

old colt
made in 1918

I would LOVE to see some proof of that as SAI/IMBEL has been producing and marketing 1911's a LOT longer that Taurus has.

I think folks were thing of the Argentine Model 27, not the Ballister Molina (a clone of the 1911 but not exact) These were made on machinery bought from and setup by Colt. I have one and it is actually a very good 1911 A1 and is appreciating in price. So much so that I decided not to modify mine and bought a Springfield Armory Loaded instead. I might suggest the used market, one can find some decent already sorted out 1911's for less than it would cost to do it yourself.