1911 Swap Possibilities/Suggestiions

[zoid 24]

I do love my Kimber TLE RL II. It's my favorite gun to shoot. But after my personal

research I've noticed not all 1911s give the same shooting experience. There are a

lot of offerings and I don't have the budget to have more than one 1911. If

I want to try something else, then this one has to go.

 

So far I've considered selling/trading my Kimber for the following brands:

 

- S&W

- Springfield Armory Loaded Series, or other higher end models

- Colt

- Sig Sauer

 

Any thoughts or suggestions on this? Any other brands you'd suggest looking into?

 

Also,let me know if you think it's not really going to be a big difference going

from what I have to what I listed and not worth the effort selling/trading.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

I have the SA TRP, but I've shot the Sig TacOps 1911 and it is a great gun for under a grand. The Sig Scorpion is on my short list from Santa as well. I'd keep the Kimber and build a nice 1911 collection from there.

[Pew Pew Plates 358]

S&W is the best.

 

SA has lots of QC issues and I would never own one knowing that I have worse than a 50/50 chance of having to send it back

 

Colt is nice, but not very popular anymore. They are good pistols. I think slightly overpriced for what they are

 

Sig I have no first hand experience with, but I have heard no negative. I'll let someone else chime in on these

 

 

You are welcome to try my S&W 1911 pro in Bridgewater sometime. send me a PM if you want. Kimber to S&W is a no-brainer

[zoid 24]

S&W is the best.

 

SA has lots of QC issues and I would never own one knowing that I have worse than a 50/50 chance of having to send it back

 

Colt is nice, but not very popular anymore. They are good pistols. I think slightly overpriced for what they are

 

Sig I have no first hand experience with, but I have heard no negative. I'll let someone else chime in on these

 

 

You are welcome to try my S&W 1911 pro in Bridgewater sometime. send me a PM if you want. Kimber to S&W is a no-brainer

 

Just might take you up on that. It's at the top of the list right now of all the contenders.

I've heard so many good things about them.

[autoxnyc 4]

What's your budget?

 

Colt is overpriced but they are nice. They don't have any guns right now that comes with lot's of bells and whistles.

 

Sig is not in the same league, AFAIK they are mass produced and have mostly MIM parts.

I personally don't have much experience with S&W but I hate the way they look esp with the external extractor.

 

You should really take a look at Les Baer and Dan Wesson Valor.

 

Baer starts out between 1k to 2k and are really well made. They are a little rough on the external details like checkering and such when compared to Wilson or Brown.

The Valor has pretty much everything you want, comes with some Ed Brown parts and is highly regarded.

 

Not all 1911s are the same and you can definitely tell a difference. From the factory I think Wilsons have the nicest trigger, and Browns has the nicest fit and finish.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

I like Springfield and S&W. None of my Springers have given my problems that were directly related to the gun itself. The ones that burped on me got cured by using better magazines (Wilson or Cobra Tripp). S&W makes a quality product right now. If you like thier look and are cool w/ the external extractor then I say get one.

[axeman_g 128]

 

 

Sig is not in the same league, AFAIK they are mass produced and have mostly MIM parts.

 

 

The SIG I just purchased has three parts that are MIM, Disconnect, Slide Stop and Ambi Safety. Many people argue that SIG has some of the best fire control parts in production 1911s, most of the parts are from Evolution Gun Works.

[Ray Ray 3,566]

The SIG I just purchased has three parts that are MIM, Disconnect, Slide Stop and Ambi Safety. Many people argue that SIG has some of the best fire control parts in production 1911s, most of the parts are from Evolution Gun Works.

 

Yeah, Sig 1911s are not crappy by any stretch of the imagination.

[zoid 24]

What's your budget?

 

Colt is overpriced but they are nice. They don't have any guns right now that comes with lot's of bells and whistles.

 

Sig is not in the same league, AFAIK they are mass produced and have mostly MIM parts.

I personally don't have much experience with S&W but I hate the way they look esp with the external extractor.

 

You should really take a look at Les Baer and Dan Wesson Valor.

 

Baer starts out between 1k to 2k and are really well made. They are a little rough on the external details like checkering and such when compared to Wilson or Brown.

The Valor has pretty much everything you want, comes with some Ed Brown parts and is highly regarded.

 

Not all 1911s are the same and you can definitely tell a difference. From the factory I think Wilsons have the nicest trigger, and Browns has the nicest fit and finish.

 

The Dan Wesson is really nice. I just did some research. To get

that though it'd be a two gun sacrifice. I thought about doing

something like that, trading in a couple for a REALLY nice gun.

 

Worth it? Debatable.

 

Ed Browns are kinda out of reach at the moment.

[Daedalus 19]

I currently have one Springfield (GI), Three Dan Wessons (Valor, CBOB and CCO) and one (ECO) on order and a STI Off-Duty. All are .45 ACP and not one of them has had to go to the factory or a gunsmith for repair. I did send the slide of the Springer back for a sight upgrade (my aging eyes, nothing wrong with the gun).

 

The Dan Wessons are my favorites so far as build quality, components and accuracy. The STI is a solid gun but does not have he following of Colt, Wesson, Baer and Wilson. I personally think they are a well kept secret and a great buy right now. The Dan Wessons used to be that way until they were 'discovered', then the prices went up a lot.

 

Springfield Armory is a good 1911 but not in the same class as the other two brands I run. There is nothing wrong with it, it goes bang every time and no issues, but it isn't made to the same tight tolerances.

 

A lot depends on why you want the pistol? Bullseye shooting, plinking, collecting, carry, etc.

[hiker88 22]

Have you considered building one up from a good 1911 base? You can get a Springfield GI and slowly build it up (find a good gunsmith) with features that you want on a 1911.

[Maksim 1,504]

Under $700 - BUL M5 (Also sold as the Magnum Research Desert Eagle 1911)

Under $1k - S&W, Sig etc.

Under $1,200 - S&W Pro Series

 

Over that, the sky is the limit.

 

I like STI's, but the base STI's still need to be upgraded, as the fit and finish aint all there.

 

I really like the Colts, The new Special Government ones are fantastic. played with one in FL and was really fascinated, especially since it is a Colt. (I am going through a Colt stage).

 

http://www.coltsmfg.com/Catalog/ColtPistols/ColtSpecialCombatGovernment.aspx

 

Kimbers and Springfield seem to be having issues.

 

Dan Vessons seem nice.

[Bully 749]

Not for nothing, I did a bunch of looking at 1911's recently. I don't have one, so take this all with a grain of salt, but the Ruger is supposed to be a really nice gun for 7-800 dollars. Nice looking, all American made. Good shooter. Nice intro into that part of the world. Really hard to find.

 

Good luck with your decision. I'll be checking in on this thread to see what you pick up.

 

C

[tt-33 8]

why get rid of it? its your favorite Id worry more about what works for me than what others say.unless something is wrong in your opinion keep your money you will lose about 50% when selling and need new permits .

[71ragtopgoat 23]

why get rid of it? its your favorite Id worry more about what works for me than what others say.unless something is wrong in your opinion keep your money you will lose about 50% when selling and need new permits .

+1 I have a Kimber Pro Raptor and it is a great gun. I would not sell a favorite gun unless the offer was to good to pass on. plan on losing at least $300 on the kimber.

And just bide your time and try and save the amount you need.

[2Alpha 6]

I do love my Kimber TLE RL II. It's my favorite gun to shoot. But after my personal

research I've noticed not all 1911s give the same shooting experience.

 

I don't know how the shooting experience would be different, other than if yours doesn't run reliable, which it probably doesn't being a Kimber.

[zoid 24]

 

A lot depends on why you want the pistol? Bullseye shooting, plinking, collecting, carry, etc.

 

 

I'd buy it to shoot the hell out of it. It'd be my USPSA Ltd 10 and Single Stack gun. I'd

also use it for static and knock down steel. And of course a regular range gun. I really

like shooting the 1911 platform so I'd try to use it as much as I can. I reload for 45ACP so

can afford to shoot more of it.

 

I'd love to keep all my guns and not have to sell/trade to upgrade or exchange. But just don't

have it like that right now. I know I'd take at least a $300 hit. I'm still in the early phases

of my shooting experience so I'm in that wanna-try-everything mode.

 

Don't worry one day I'll find a real nice gun my parents will like and settle down.

[BigHayden 77]

The SIG I just purchased has three parts that are MIM, Disconnect, Slide Stop and Ambi Safety. Many people argue that SIG has some of the best fire control parts in production 1911s, most of the parts are from Evolution Gun Works.

 

All three of these are easy to replace. The disconnector and slide stop should be drop-in, and the thumb safety requires a little fitting, but you can do it yourself if you take your time and understand what you're trying to accomplish with the file before you begin.

 

I'm still going through my Kimber Compact Stainless II and I'm replacing all the MIM and plastic (yes, Kimber uses plastic on some of their 1911s) stuff with higher quality pieces. So far I've done (from Wilson Combat) a round butt mainspring housing, Bullet Proof mag release, and Bullet Proof guide rod (removed the FGR), along with (from Ed Brown) single side thumb safety, slide stop, and memory bump grip safety. I haven't gone through and replaced the trigger stuff yet, but I think I may do either Ed Brown or C&S stuff (sear, sear spring, disconnector, hammer). I've also replaced the sights with Trijicons, the trigger with a solid aluminum piece (medium length of pull), and the grips with slim cocobolos. By the time I'm done, the only things Kimber on the gun will be the frame, slide, and barrel.