Purchasing higher end 1911's in the Carolinas

Crazy Carl said:
I gotta concur with the recommendations to check out Dan Wessons. Had a Wilson CQB Compact. Great pistol & everything you'd expect from a Wilson, but after I shot it side by side with my DW CBOB, I sold the Wilson. At the time, the "consensus" on most 1911 forums was that the DWs were too tight & that the s/s guns liked to choke. I ran over 2500rds of everything I could find through it, to include dirty-ass reloads with W231 & 230gr LRN, to see how just how long it'd run without cleaning. The closest thing to maintenance that gun received during my little experiment was a drop of oil on the barrel link & on each slide rail after each range trip. I finally felt bad & cleaned it. Gun never did choke.

I bought it for carry & IDPA, but sold it after learning my F-d up back won't tolerate that kinda weight all day long & that I'm just not a competitive/match shooter. I do still have my Pointman-7, however & that one will be buried with me.

If you can get your hands on one, the CZ 1911A1 is a steal. A bud was so impressed with his first that it's become the basis for a full-house custom & he bought a 2nd, just to have such a kick-ass "milspec"/GI-ish 1911A1 in the arsenal.
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CZ Custom makes a spruced up 1911A1 that is pure sex:

https://czcustom.com/new-firearms/cz-pistols-custom/czc-cz-1911-45-acp.html
 
Ooohh, Mongo like! For that kinda money though, I'd rather get the DW 10mm Bruin or a tricked out 97B.

I'm still kicking myself for not buying one of the 1911A1s when I could. $700 on post (Bragg).
 
James said:
I think the FBI SWAT/HRT thing was a fad mostly due to an infiltration into the Firearms unit by some IPSC guys. Pretty sure they all have Glock 17s now.
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Not sure how a contract that ran for almost 20 years could be a fad (i.e., FBI contracted with Springfield Armory's Custom Shop for the Professional 1911s from 1998 until recently).

In case anyone is interested in reading about the FBI's rigorous specifications and selection process for the HRT 1911 (and the impressive performance and pedigree of Springfield's Professional 1911 model)--https://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=459534.
 
James said:
The decision makers at the time were 1911 nostalgists/IPSC enthusiasts and it also seemed cooler to some (many at first) to have a 45 as opposed to the standard issue guns...similar to the guys holding on to their 10mm Smiths years after the FBI moved to Sig/Glock. There was no real advantage or basis to select these guns over the standard issue Glock 22s. Many agents who were authorized to carry the 1911 stuck with/went back to the Glock 22/23s long before the issue 1911s were retired around 2015. 15-17 year service life is a relatively short time frame in the 100+ years of the FBI (80+ if we go back to when they technically began issuing guns). Fits the definition of a fad fairly well to me but definitely room for debate.

But the bigger point I was making is that the Glock 17 is also good enough for FBI HRT/SWAT...so were Smith 459s, Hi-Powers, Sig 226s/228s, Smith 19s, and maybe another I forgot. I don't know that it means anything...especially considering that they rely primarily on their long guns.
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The thing is the FBI said the 1911s were more accurate than 17s or the hi-powers, and they wanted 45 for stopping power. That's coming from the FBI not me or some other 45/1911 nut job. They tested this and then put out request for custom 1911s. The FBI was literally looking for the most accurate 45 available and the Springfield professional 1911 was the answer. There is a IPSC connection without a doubt and thank God there was so now we can brag about how great of a 1911 the professional is over nearly all pistols ever made.

Also if you mention the G word in a 1911 thread you are committing hate speech and should be banned. Wink wink.
 
James said:
It is hard not to mention the Gword as that actually is the gun that put the impressive Springfield out to pasture :(
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The answer to this is the Springfield was replaced but not out performed. Cost might have something to do with it.

The FBI's statement was the 45 is the best performer with the lowest recoil.

I'm almost always joking, but I can't hide my love for all things JMB, hell I thought about converting to mormon.
 
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If budget is no object and you have an armorer to maintain your firearm, a high end 1911 is a no brainer. Those 2 things defeat all things offered by cheap striker fired guns. Fortunately for the makers of cheap striker fired guns most humans don't have those two advantages. :D
 
Really? There are plenty of cheap Rock Island 45s that are just dead nuts reliable.

I have (too many) 1911 and 2011 platform pistols in 9, 45, 22LR, and 460 Rowland. Mostly 9 and 22, neither of which are supposed to work very well. Other than a Springfield that came with a tight chamber that I had to finish ream, they have all shot good (and some very very good) and been reliable. Even the GSG 1911-22s once the pot metal guide rod was replaced.

Some were relatively cheap. Some were not. No armorer here except me and I don’t even clean them until I am embarrassed by what I see when checking the clear chamber. Which reminds me... several must be overdue for new recoil springs.

Glocks are not perfection, and as designed, 1911s are very reliable, but also not perfection. Maybe more amateur smiths screw them up. And some of it comes from high end guns that are so tight new that they need a few hundreds rounds to break them in. Mine haven’t needed that though - my only new ones were two STIs, no play at all but smooth and ran great out of the box.

If they are as bad as some portray them, why do top action and precision pistol shooters mostly use them? They certainly can’t afford to lose because of reliability problems.
 
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Just to close out this thread...or not...
DW blued Valor with S&A mag guide added, Cool Hand G10 grips, and trigger adjusted from 5lbs to 4lbs.
Ready to dance.
fullsizeoutput_a26.jpeg
 
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fieldgrade said:
Justy to close out this thread...or not...
DW blued Valor with S&A mag guide added, Cool Hand G10 grips, and trigger adjusted from 5lbs to 4lbs.
Ready to dance.
View attachment 66575
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Boy you got a pretty gun. Well done. Does that have the Heinie Straight Eights or did you switch them out for some different for competitions?
 
CZfool68 said:
Boy you got a pretty gun. Well done. Does that have the Heinie Straight Eights or did you switch them out for some different for competitions?
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Straight Eights. I *might* end up changing out the front to fiber, but it will stay stock for now.
 
fieldgrade said:
Justy to close out this thread...or not...
DW blued Valor with S&A mag guide added, Cool Hand G10 grips, and trigger adjusted from 5lbs to 4lbs.
Ready to dance.
View attachment 66575
Click to expand...
I was going to suggest a Springer Pro, but I also have a Valor and I'm not sure I can "justify" the difference. Congrats and enjoy!
 
CZfool68 said:
It really like the Straight Eights, but a FO front is more visible in daylight.
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I’ve got fiber on the rest of them. This one will actually be a backup to the Fusion for now, as far as match shooting goes.
 
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