acaixguard

Not quite sure what you are asking? But I think you are comparing apples to oranges. The Tactical Elite seems to fill a more specific role. It's built with a cone barrel, and is no doubt built to very high standards. When getting into 1911s at the level of the Supergrade, you aren't only paying for tight fit and accuracy. A SG is not going to perform THAT much better than a CQB, and definitely not even noticeable for the average user. What you do pay for though, is more attention to detail. Things like hand polishing of all internals to remove tool and burr marks. All lines on the gun are made to be straight and true. There are little things one looks for at this level. Basically, extra time spent making sure the gun is as perfect as possible. Don't think this necessarily translates to a higher functioning pistol. At this level, you are paying for some degree of aesthetics, and pride of ownership.

Check around on Gunbroker to see what similar used Glocks are going for. I have seen Gen3 Glocks in great condition go for mid 300s. Then again, this was 2-3 years ago, so not sure if anything is different. Also, I may be speaking from another perspective, because I can get Glocks for low $400's with the blue label pricing. I just personally wouldn't pay as much for a Gen 2. Not because they are worse pistols, but mostly because the rails on the dust cover is a desirable feature for me.

Very easy to change all these parts yourself even if Glock won't. If it comes with standard sights, then try to knock a few bucks off the price. I personally wouldn't pay more than low 300s for an older Glock with standard sights.

Any reason why you are considering the XD over a Glock, M&P, PPQ, or the new HK VP9 (not sure if you are dead set on a .45, as the last 2 I listed don't have that option)? These are pretty much the most highly regarded polymer striker fired pistols today. The XD, while fine as a range gun, is not in the same league as a serious defensive use pistol. The reasons are plenty, but the standout one is that they are considered a lower quality pistol than the others. What also bothers a lot of people is the stupid grip safety. Offers none of the ergonomics you find on a 1911, and is a hassle in the end. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why one would design a pistol that prohibits racking the slide without first pressing the grip safety down.

The 1911 in 9mm sure does shoot nice. The problem is, there is no 9mm 1911 that is quality out of the box within the OP's budget of $850.

If you are seen with a folding knife clipped in your pants pocket in NYC, you can be arrested on the spot for it. I was once stopped on a subway platform by NYPD about what was clipped in my pocket. It turned out to be a flashlight, but they informed me if it had been a knife, then I would have been in trouble. This wasn't always the case. Pretty sure you can thank Bloomberg for this one too. Check out what happened to this kid... http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/06/12/knife-trouble-in-a-new-york-minute.html

Take a look at the Glock 17/19, Walther PPQ, or M&P9. All of these guns will greatly benefit from better sights (especially the Glock), so definitely plan about $50-100 in your budget for that. In my opinion, the M&P really could use the Apex kit too to make the trigger more user friendly. If you can wait a little bit, check out the new HK VP9, which should be hitting stores sometime this summer. From all reports, this pistol has the potential to be the best out of the box 9mm there is today!

First, let me say I should've been more clear when I said I couldn't turn the bushing by hand on my Pro. What I meant was, there's pretty much no way you could turn it with the gun in battery. After taking the upper off and pushing the barrel forward, I was able to turn the bushing, albeit it took a good amount of finger strength. My Pro came with a bushing wrench, and it has yet to make contact with my gun. Pros are known to be super tight across the board, and I was still able to avoid using a wrench. Maybe this just means I have very strong fingers? Turning a bushing where the bushing is fit tightest to the barrel (typically at the end) does contribute to more wear, according to the Springfield Custom Shop. Doing it a couple times may not do much, but repeatedly doing this is not good. Ok, good point on the FLGR. I haven't touched a 1911 with a FLGR in over 10 years as they are purposeless for my tastes, but I digress. When I typed up my first post above, I didn't give much thought into how FLGR's work. And yes, with a standard plug, you need to be careful with the spring tension as you pull the slide off. Not a big deal though, as reassembly with the plug going in as the last step requires care that you don't loose the plug under spring tension. Regardless, you need to take precautions by pointing whatever can be launched by the spring in a safe direction. When I'm pulling the slide off the receiver, I have some type of soft padding under the hand that's holding my spring assembly in place. In conclusion though, I have no use for a bushing wrench. First, I won't have a 1911 with a FLGR. Second, I likely won't want a 1911 that is so tight that I can't get the bushing out by hand when the spring tension is removed and the barrel is forward. If you have a FLGR, or just feel the need to use a wrench, then rock on, but I was addressing the concern of how it is possible to get a bushing off even a tightly fit 1911.

How tight are your 1911s? That would strike me as overly tight if you can't turn the bushing with the spring out and the barrel as far forward as possible. If that is the case though, use the wrench when the barrel is sticking well past the bushing. The tight fit is typically in the front of the barrel, so that's where you don't want to crank the bushing around. Yes, people have been removing the bushing as the first step in 1911 disassembly for years. I still maintain this is not the ideal way to do it though, especially with the number of custom 1911s out there today. The point is, there is a better way where you can not only elimininate/minimize the use of a bushing, but also preserve the match fit, so why not make a habit of using that method.

I actually never said it's the WRONG way. The method I described above is the correct way to strip a FITTED 1911. A base mil-spec 1911 does not have a tightly fitted bushing/barrel, and can easily be turned by hand in battery, without any loss of fit. Stripping a 1911 by removing the top end first is advisable for any 1911 that is fitted tight enough that it is difficult to turn the bushing by hand. Also, don't make assumptions. I absolutely have seen a barrel bushing that cannot be turned by hand. I have a Springfield Professional model, which was extremely tight as delivered by the Custom Shop. Not only was it virtually impossible to turn the bushing by hand, but even racking the slide was very difficult.

Watch how Larry Vickers disassmbles his Wilson Combat Supergrade in this video, from 7:18 - 7:43 http://youtu.be/-hC52vKNmT0?t=7m18s

You do NOT need a bushing wrench to field strip a 1911, no matter how tight it is. The correct way to strip a properly fitted 1911 is to remove the entire slide assembly off the receiver. To do this, rack the slide about halfway, so that the slide release notch in the slide is even with the slide release. Hold the slide in place (still under spring tension), and pop out the slide release. Then, carefully ease the slide forward, while cupping your hand in front of the receiver. Slowly remove the slide off the receiver, using your cupped hand to catch the recoil spring and guide (assuming you don't have a full length guide rod). Use care during this step so that the recoil spring and guide don't shoot out from the bottom of the slide. Once your upper is off the receiver with the recoil guide and spring out, let the recoil spring plug fall out, move the barrel out of battery and forward a few inches, then turn the bushing by hand and remove the barrel and bushing from the front of the slide as one unit. Putting it back together takes a little practice, as the tricky part is putting the slide assembly on while keeping the recoil plug and guide rode in place and not letting it shoot out from under. This method of field stripping is more important on a custom 1911 with a match fit barrel and bushing. Using a bushing wrench to turn the bushing while a 1911 is in full battery can cause premature wear to the barrel-bushing fit. By the way, this is the way that the Springfield Custom Shop instructs for disassembly of their custom 1911's.

Same here!

Good find! Gonna get any work done on it?

Regarding the benefits of a butt plug for the Glock, watch this video (starting at 6:01)...

To me, there's no such thing as a perfect gun out of the box. I shoot Glocks because they offer some key characteristics I desire. On my Glocks, I do the following... Steel sights (10-8 RB1's) Vickers mag release Vickers slide release Butt plug OEM minus (-) connector OEM smooth face trigger for my G19 Full grip stipple job with undercut trigger guard Apex FRE extractor I also have the Guardian trigger by glocktriggers.com on my G17

Count me and BullzeyeNJ in!

No comparison...go with the PPQ! Any reason you aren't considering a 9mm though?

Not true. My first 1911 was a Kimber Gold Match, and this was the Series I back in their heyday. It was pretty accurate, but it had its share of issues. Slide stop notch was out of spec, so it would not lock back on the last round with many mags. The plunger tube was loose, so the only thing holding it in place was the grip. Had to have that staked. Not as big a deal, but it came with a plastic MSH, which is something you should not see on a 1911 that's marketed as higher end. Also, it was not completely reliable. Kimbers have pretty good frames, slides, and barrels (or did...not sure about today), but their small parts and overall fitting left a lot to be desired. For my money, there are several other 1911s I would look at first.

"Where's your iron curtain now, motherf**ker!" hahaha

Being one who used to have a gun in every popular caliber, my vote is to stick to one caliber, specifically, the 9mm. Performs as well as you can expect out of a handgun, easier to control, and cheaper than the bigger calibers. That said, if there's a specific gun you want that works best in a different caliber, then knock yourself out. All of my semi-autos are 9mm now, except for one .45. The only reason I have that is because I still enjoy a good 1911, and 1911s generally work best in .45 ACP.

I briefly had an Inforce APL with a Raven Phantom LC holster for a G19. That setup worked. I only got rid of the APL cause I wanted to "upgrade" to the X300 Ultra. Not sure who else makes a more "traditional" holster for this setup though.

Bloodshark by Tracker Dan Here's some more info on it... http://www.store.trackerdan.com/products/the-bloodshark http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?87435-Tracker-Dan-Bloodshark-Article

A handheld light is mandatory, while a WML is a good option to have. HE covered most of the bases. In a situation where there's a bump in the night and I'm not sure if it was because of one of my kids, I am using my handheld first. If I'm sure everyone who is supposed to be in my house is there, that means the source of the noise is likely someone who is at least slightly less important to me than my family. In that case, I will have my WML with good trigger finger discipline, and a handheld within easy reach in my pocket. Remember, a WML is not a laser that's used to aim just before taking a shot. A WML is for identification. The order is, light up area, identify who/what is there, and only if there is a threat does my trigger finger go inside the trigger guard.

Some tools that I rotate between...