I'm looking to get my first 1911 and am torn between several.  Which would you suggest I go for?  

Springfield Range Officer Stainless 

Springfield Range Officer Loaded Elite 

Kimber Stainless II

Smith & Wesson 1911 E Series M1911

Dan Wesson PM45

I'm leaning towards the Dan Wesson and have seen it for sale at $1300 which seems like a reasonable price.  I'm wondering for that kind of money am I missing out on something else where I can get more for the money?  I most likely won't be using it for anything but range shooting (I'd love to shoot outside of a range but that seems to be impossible in NJ).  Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Dan Wesson 

All are great pistols that will serve you well.  That said...

In the unlikely event that something should go awry, the customer service of the companies is pretty different, according to the LGS manager that I have dealt with.

Springfield Armory has solid CS
Kimber has upped their game and their CS is very good
Smith and Wesson is middle of the road
Dan Wesson is shockingly not good

For me, CS is important.  If I have an issue or question I like getting answers directly from a company and skipping the bitch fest that comes from posting online.  

I'm a big fan of Springfield Armory pistols.  Great guns that can sometimes use a touch of refinement.  Many of their guns make awesome base guns for upgrading.  They are reasonably priced and most are series 70 (no firing pin safety/block).  My 9mm Kimber has been awesome thru roughly 5500 rounds.  Just a spring swap.  However the Swartz style safety (it's a firing pin block kinda similar to a series 80) is a pain in the neck to work around.  I have no direct experience working with or on a Smith and Wesson or Dan Wesson 1911.  

Good luck.  

I love my springfields too but I feel the DW is a bit of a notch up.  The S&W custom shop guns are really quite nice as well.  I have a boat load of Kimbers (uhhh the boat sank though) and I’ve enver had issue with any of them, fortunate?  Maybe but I think their stuff is really nice.

Nighthawk....

The Dan Wesson would be my choice.

Here's a twist if your gonna spend $1300 on a single gun look a 2 RANGE OFFICERS , in standard models one in 45 ACP & one 9mm almost the same money and have the best of both worlds. I own a SPRINGFIELD M C OPERATOR in 45 and a couple years ago a 9mm RANGE OFFICER . Never had an issue in either one , real 1911's are 45 but the 9mm are an absolute blast to shoot , bonus a lot cheaper to feed.

You can't go wrong with a Colt.  I do like the Kimber raptor 2 stainless

Dan Wesson.  Have a PM 9 and love, love, love it.

My second choice would be the Smith and Wesson.

If your budget tops at around $1300 then I would get a Springfield TRP. TRP stands for “THE Right Pistol”. 

40 minutes ago, BullzeyeNJ said:

If your budget tops at around $1300 then I would get a Springfield TRP. TRP stands for “THE Right Pistol”. 

This guy has great perspective on 1911's.  Trust me on this.

21 minutes ago, Bully said:

This guy has great perspective on 1911's.  Trust me on this.

Can't argue with that. Love my TRP....

One other thing to consider is what features you want on the pistol. For example if you like front strap checkering it is much cheaper to start off with a gun that has that work done from the factory. Same with sights and finishes. most things can be added by a gunsmith, but will cost a lot more afterwards. So a Stainless II looks to be a cheap option, but when you compare it to a TRP, DW or even other Kimber models you see that the higher priced guns come with much more.

5 hours ago, bhunted said:

Can't argue with that. Love my TRP....

Agreed

I would personally buy the Kimber,   https://www.kimberamerica.com/stainless-target-ii

 

2nd Springfield RO Target would be my 2nd choice.  https://www.springfield-armory.com/products/1911-range-officer-elite-target-45acp/

On 3/24/2019 at 10:39 PM, machine626 said:

I'm looking to get my first 1911 and am torn between several.  Which would you suggest I go for?  

Springfield Range Officer Stainless 

Springfield Range Officer Loaded Elite 

Kimber Stainless II

Smith & Wesson 1911 E Series M1911

Dan Wesson PM45

I'm leaning towards the Dan Wesson and have seen it for sale at $1300 which seems like a reasonable price.  I'm wondering for that kind of money am I missing out on something else where I can get more for the money?  I most likely won't be using it for anything but range shooting (I'd love to shoot outside of a range but that seems to be impossible in NJ).  Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

Thanks!

Go for a less expensive model, buy some extra mags, but more importantly more ammo so you can get the feel for it...

SA GI milspec model....rock solid performance and accurate as hell.... so much so my kimber tle just usually sits....

https://www.springfield-armory.com/products/1911-mil-spec-45-acp/

 

https://www.m1911.org/prodte30.html

https://grabagun.com/springfield-pb9108l-1911a1-auto.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We neve heard back from the machine, Must have broke down. 

1 hour ago, tony357 said:

We neve heard back from the machine, Must have broke down. 

Or waiting on 626, maybe his birthday. 

If you want an amazing 1911, @FreedomSportsLLC Has a like new in box Dan Wesson classic for $1100. Just wow

It's actually $1,150 but it is a beautiful gun.  Dan Wesson Bobtail Commander with less than a box of ammo through it.  Like new with an extra set of G10 grips. 

 

 

This is going to be interesting thread, Buyer with one post and a seller with 2 posts. 

3 hours ago, tony357 said:

This is going to be interesting thread, Buyer with one post and a seller with 2 posts. 

Seller is a forum vendor and it appears @Maksim has personal experience here. 

The 1911 is a hell of a platform.

 

6 hours ago, tony357 said:

This is going to be interesting thread, Buyer with one post and a seller with 2 posts. 

 

3 hours ago, Rob0115 said:

Seller is a forum vendor and it appears @Maksim has personal experience here. 

Haha yes. Forgot to mark Todd a vendor for some reason. 

I just saw the gun in the shop on Friday and was wowed. For some reason nicer than other Dan wessons I have seen.  Smooth as glass. Was tough not to buy it. 

38 minutes ago, Maksim said:

I just saw the gun in the shop on Friday and was wowed. For some reason nicer than other Damn wessons I have seen.  Smooth as glass. Was tough not to buy it. 

On 3/29/2019 at 9:51 PM, Maksim said:

First of all, watch your language.

 

Do I have to report this post?

I have nothing of value to add here, as I went with a Sig 1911 TTT...but there are some purdy 1911s in here...and of that list, I'm not sure if you can actually go wrong...

I'd agree with the recs for the Dan Wesson. Don't own one, but handled one at a show and man oh man...the slide was like butta. The action put my Remington's to shame, and I'd still consider the Remington a pretty nice 1911 for around $700.  

1 hour ago, Maksim said:

 

Haha yes. Forgot to mark Todd a vendor for some reason. 

I just saw the gun in the shop on Friday and was wowed. For some reason nicer than other Dan wessons I have seen.  Smooth as glass. Was tough not to buy it. 

I could not pass up pointing that out, it is funny as Hell, I don't care who you are.