who makes the best 1911 .45acp?

[allaroundhunter]

true. I guess I don't really feel the need for a CCW at this point in my life. Maybe it'll take getting held up at knifepoint to make me change my mind. Either way, I think I have a better chance of a meteor landing on me than getting mugged in my neighborhood

Odds of a male being robbed in a year in the US is 1 in ~300. Now, being in a good neighborhood might help, but not enough to make those odds better than being hit by a meteor.

Odds of being hit by a meteorite are more than extremely small....only 4 people have been hit by one since 1920 (and only one was a direct hit). If I was going to be even more detailed, meteors never hit the earth so the chances of one of them landing on you is exactly zero.


You probably weren't looking for exact numbers....but I just thought I would put it a little more into perspective since you seem like an "odds" guy.

[Denezin]

Just about any. You cant go wrong with em usually. Now sizing chart i prefer a commander sizev(4.25-4 inch barrel) or a officers (3.5 inch bullbarrel) is great for ccw. Now for target or competition Govt (5 in barrel) is the best for that application. Hope this helps a little.

[Pilot]

For the money, I believe Colt makes a great 1911. I have two Colts, and a Springfield and prefer the Colts, although the Springfield is a good shooter also.

What's the best? Depends on what you want to spend, and what you want to do with it. Basic, well made 1911? Colt.

[Fishbed77]

Colt...

There may be better - but - Colt makes the best.

If that doesn't make sense to you it never will.
Some people though are going to agree w/it 100%.....

I'm not going to run out and buy a Colt just because a few of you say it's the best. Why are their 1911's better than other brands like Kimber, Springfield Armory or any other company for that matter? Pls give me specifics

OK, I'll bite.

I explained my preference for Colts among the more common production-line 1911s in post #10 of this thread, but I'll elaborate further and give my interpretation of what I think Hal is saying.

Colt was not only was the first company to produce the 1911 (and the company for whome the .45 ACP cartridge is named for), they basically carried the torch for the 1911 design throughout most of the 20th century, well after the various government contracts had dried up and most had lost interest in the platform. There is a lot of history and sentimentality attached to the name and the prancing pony. The higher re-sale value of Colt pistols versus other brands reflects this.

The actual Colt product line (and company) has certainly had its ups and downs, but as of right now, the Colt 1911s being produced are probably some of the best they have ever made. Colt has invested a lot of money in state-of-the-art CNC equipment and a skilled workforce, and it shows.

While other companies outsource overseas (or import foreign-manufactured 1911s) and rely on more and more MIM parts and castings (not that there is anything inherently wrong with either - but they are cheaper by design), Colt still manufactures their pistols in Hartford, Connecticut, employing American labor. They make their pistols of forged slides and frames, and employee only 3 MIM parts in their production-line guns (though I personally find the idea of the nylon backstrap a bit of a bummer, even though I've never had an issue with one).

Their customer service is excellent, and their Colt Custom Shop guys and girls definitely show pride in their work and stay engaged with the internet shooting community.

[Hal]

are you saying Colt because it's your brand of choice, or do you have other brands to compare their 1911's to?

I have a Colt and I also have two Kimbers.
They are all about equal in accuracy - the Colt having had some minor work done on it by Colt's custom shop - smoothed up trigger, beveled the mag well, decent sights - probably a hand fit bushing.
Nothing major..
I paid roughly the same amount for the Colt and each of the Kimbers - $950-ish a dozen years ago.

There's a lot of good 1911's out there. Some are a real good value also.

IMHO - Kimber charges a lot just for their name. I don't feel Kimber is worth the money. - again - IMHO only.
I like my Kimbers, but, were I to do it over again, I'd probably go with Springfield instead.
I feel SA gives a better bang for the buck...
Again - my opinion only.

Fishbed pretty well nailed it about the Colt.
Colt is the original & it's still the best.
In another 100 years, the Colt name and the 1911 will still be used pretty much interchangably, as they were when I was a kid in the 50's/60's.

Back then we didn't call t a 1911, we called it a Colt .45 or just plain .45 for short...
It was assumed that when someone said "I have a .45", that they had a Colt.
You won't find that with any other 1911 - better or worse than a Colt.

[Winchester_73]

Regarding Colt, I think some people would say they are the quintissential example of paying for the name BUT ironically, its also basically the best name. A perfect catch 22...

I would also consider a Dan Wesson. I don't have one but a friend of mine does and I've read nothing but good reviews about them. Also remember that CZ owns dan wesson and CZ makes quality arms. A good company for DW to be owned by.

[Venom1956]

I own two Dan Wessons. I bought a Valor for myself and a PM9 for my gf. I also have experience with a Springfield Operator TRP and a few Colts. I've looked at some nighthawk and Wilsons as well.

I'd say for the price DW are superior to Kimbers in the same bracket, in materials used. The Springfield TRP preformed quite well but I prefer the looks of my guns.

If you stick with Colt, Springfield, Dan Wesson I can say you should be pretty happy.

[Kilibreaux]

Talk about an open-ended question!

With everybody and his brother making 1911's these days...

[Officer's Match]

I've had and still have a bunch of Colts. That said, I really don't hold them in particularly high esteem as 1911's go. I had a Taurus PT1911 that shot circles around all but one of my Colts. Now maybe it was a very fortuitous example of a PT1911, but it did out perform most of my rampant pony's at 1/3 their price.

[5RWill]

IMO... custom smiths... For the amount put into a Springfield Professional, nighthawk, Brown, Baer, and Wilson; you could just go get a slide and frame give it to a smith and build exactly what you want. Not that there is anything wrong with going semi-custom they're great guns.

[bac1023]

Look at the guide in my signature.

The "best" depends on your price range.

[Strafer Gott]

Better is the enemy of good. Making things "better" can sure change them.
The Kimber left, but the Colt remains... mine.

[seant]

Wilson..........they are the best

[bac1023]

Originally Posted by gaseousclay

are you saying Colt because it's your brand of choice, or do you have other brands to compare their 1911's to? I only ask because orionengnr linked a pretty lengthy discussion over at the glocktalk forum and one of the users posted a ton of photos of his personal collection of 1911's, of which many brands/price points were represented. seemed fairly objective to me. I'm not going to run out and buy a Colt just because a few of you say it's the best. Why are their 1911's better than other brands like Kimber, Springfield Armory or any other company for that matter? Pls give me specifics

That is the guide in my signature.

As I mentioned, the best 1911 depends on your price range.

The $5000+ customs are the best, but most don't have a budget for one. The semi-custom builders can give you great quality in the $2000 to $3000 range.

I'm surprised how many votes there are for Colt in this thread. I'm not sure what those people are comparing them to, but they aren't even in the ballpark, as far as I'm concerned.

Have a top smith work on one and then you'll be there. I have two custom Colts built by Ted Yost and Mark Morris. The only things left of the original guns are the slide and frame and even they have been straightened and refinished. They are no longer Colts.

[bac1023]

Originally Posted by seant

Wilson..........they are the best

They're one of the best semi-customs, I'll give you that.

Step up to the full custom world and you'll see a whole new level of 1911 quality from an attention to detail standpoint. Other than the Super Grade, Wilsons are built in an assembly line fashion.

The Wilson Super Grade series is close, but for that kind of money, I'd go to a top smith and have a 1911 built to my specifications.

[Rifleman1776]

I am surprised at the positive comments about Kimber.
We see many comments here by folks who are very unhappy with Kimber and their customer service.
I have talked with some gunsmiths recently who have very low regard for Kimbers.

[drail]

Les Baer. Wilson. Ed Brown.

[Smit]

The best 1911 = the one in your safe.

[blueglass]

ultimately, it depends on your budget, like most things - heck, you can build what you like if you've got the cash...but for off-the-shelf purposes, baer & springfield are good choices in my opinion - you can get a good amount of customization done by the manufacturer if you so choose...s&w are ok too.

[Fishbed77]

I'm surprised how many votes there are for Colt in this thread. I'm not sure what those people are comparing them to, but they aren't even in the ballpark, as far as I'm concerned.

For the most part, they are comparing them to other mass-produced 1911s in a similar price range (SIG, S&W, Kimber, Springfield, etc.). And I agree - in this price range, Colt is my first choice, based on my personal experience. Keep in mind that the Colts coming out of Connecticut today are a far cry from the Colts of 10 (or even 5) years ago in my opinion. Colt has really stepped up their game as of late.

All bets are off compared to the more-expensive "semi-custom" pistols like Wilson Combat, Ed Brown, Les Baer, though.

[HisSoldier]

DW

[darkgael]

Kinda what I expected.
"Best" threads are usually all over the place.
Best is a dangerous word.....what does it actually mean as far as a firearm is concerned? Reliability? Accuracy? Affordability? Appearance? Customer Service? Et cetera.
To give a truly accurate response, a person would have to have experience with every type and brand of 1911. Some of you guys come close, I know, but...

Lots of really fine 1911s available. I like Colt. Why? Because it is the one that I own.
Pete

[Co Th G]

Without a doubt, Kimber builds the worlds finest 1911 pistol.

Here's your proof right here!

http://www.kimberamerica.com/1911

Now, If what they claim isn't true, shouldn't Kimber be brought up on charges of deceptive advertising?

[Rifleman1776]

That Kimber ad sure is pretty and well done. Very convincing.

[10mm4ever]

At 500 or less, Rock Island. At 1,000 or less, Springer RO.