Adventurer_96
July 9, 2001, 12:18 AM
Saturday I went to the gun show here in Phoenix to see how much the local vendors were overcharging, er I mean charging for their wares. I was with a friend who knows a bit about 1911's and we both left very educated.
It turns out, I didn't buy a pistol. I know, what kind of person am I, going to a show and leaving empty-handed. I did however pick up some AR-15 mags, and I found a spare mag for my *&* Sigma .380 for less than a million dollars, which was a welcome surprise.
Here's the "important" stuff I learned, though. First, I dont know exactly what .45 I want, or for what purpose. Second, I'm poorer than I thought. Third, I like rosewood grips, checkered or slick. Fourth, there are a lot of manufacturers out there that I don't know who produce .45's. Fifth, I'm going to wait to buy my Beretta 92 for a few more months.
At first, I wanted to find a good condition WWII 1911 mainly for collection, but also for shooting. But, my price range was under $500, so the only one I found was a Frankenstein piece which was well shot. Then, I found the current-production 1911's from Auto-Ordinance and Springfield Armory. I would have bought that Parkerized AO at $400 otd if the guy had only taken cards! But, then I realized that I can order that, or a Beretta, anytime. Better yet, I could just wait for the next show.
I did find an Israeli Arms which was a Commander clone, and it was very interesting, the most comfortable carry .45 I found at the show except for a nice Colt LWC which was out of my price range and the guy wouldn't take cards (someone was looking over me?). This IAI had rosewood grips, and had a nice extended ambi safety and seemed to have had some nice aftermarket parts added to it. Unfortunately, the feed ramp had never been polished and the guy was adamant about his price, plus I'd never heard anything about the manufacturer so I didn't want to shell out $375 for a carry gun on a whim.
So, after hours of scouring the show, I went home empty-handed, although I was VERY close to buying that AO mil-spec model. Hey, I'm from Massachusetts and it has "Worcester, MA" stamped on the right side of the frame since it's a post-KAHR gun. How cool is that?
Today I went to the range with the same friend, and he has a combat .45 built on a Remington Rand base gun with compensator which has had a bit of work done with it. The first 25 rounds I shot were all inside the 10 at 15 yards. He may be selling it in the future, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
A very interesting weekend, my wife has had to put up with my indecision for quite some time. Hopefully I'll have a new toy in a week or so, and then I can decide what will be my carry gun.
Check Six
It turns out, I didn't buy a pistol. I know, what kind of person am I, going to a show and leaving empty-handed. I did however pick up some AR-15 mags, and I found a spare mag for my *&* Sigma .380 for less than a million dollars, which was a welcome surprise.
Here's the "important" stuff I learned, though. First, I dont know exactly what .45 I want, or for what purpose. Second, I'm poorer than I thought. Third, I like rosewood grips, checkered or slick. Fourth, there are a lot of manufacturers out there that I don't know who produce .45's. Fifth, I'm going to wait to buy my Beretta 92 for a few more months.
At first, I wanted to find a good condition WWII 1911 mainly for collection, but also for shooting. But, my price range was under $500, so the only one I found was a Frankenstein piece which was well shot. Then, I found the current-production 1911's from Auto-Ordinance and Springfield Armory. I would have bought that Parkerized AO at $400 otd if the guy had only taken cards! But, then I realized that I can order that, or a Beretta, anytime. Better yet, I could just wait for the next show.
I did find an Israeli Arms which was a Commander clone, and it was very interesting, the most comfortable carry .45 I found at the show except for a nice Colt LWC which was out of my price range and the guy wouldn't take cards (someone was looking over me?). This IAI had rosewood grips, and had a nice extended ambi safety and seemed to have had some nice aftermarket parts added to it. Unfortunately, the feed ramp had never been polished and the guy was adamant about his price, plus I'd never heard anything about the manufacturer so I didn't want to shell out $375 for a carry gun on a whim.
So, after hours of scouring the show, I went home empty-handed, although I was VERY close to buying that AO mil-spec model. Hey, I'm from Massachusetts and it has "Worcester, MA" stamped on the right side of the frame since it's a post-KAHR gun. How cool is that?
Today I went to the range with the same friend, and he has a combat .45 built on a Remington Rand base gun with compensator which has had a bit of work done with it. The first 25 rounds I shot were all inside the 10 at 15 yards. He may be selling it in the future, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
A very interesting weekend, my wife has had to put up with my indecision for quite some time. Hopefully I'll have a new toy in a week or so, and then I can decide what will be my carry gun.
Check Six