Good entry level 1911 9mm

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by SATRP

The original 1911 adopted by the US Army was 1911. It's designation was changed t 1911-A1 after WWI due to modifications of the original design.

The change was about a full decade after the end of WW1, but if you're going to talk about authenticity, you should get your terminology correct. The "new" designation was not "1911-A1," it was M1911A1. As in:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...20824right.jpg

Originally Posted by SATRP

Firing spring block is not authentic.

The original Colt Commander did not have a firing pin block. They pre-dated the Series 80 by about 30 years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Commander

[weblance]

Good entry level 1911 9mm

It sure would be nice if we could stick to the original question...

[Hawg]

What about Auto Ordnance? A few mentioned RIA and I've heard they are good but AOs are US made and probably in the same price range.

The West Hurley's were basically junk. They got a little better after Kahr took over but not by much. Having said that one of the very best 1911's I've had was a West Hurley Auto Ordnance but the only things left of the original gun were the frame and slide.

[Tom Servo]

I'm very happy with my Ruger. It's been reliable with every round of factory ammo. Fit and finish are more than acceptable. It has a couple of nice touches like an extra relief cut in the hammer and a plunger tube that's integral to the frame, as opposed to being staked in.

[Nanuk]

Are you sure you want 9mm? It’s like a turbo 4 muscle car... it loses the experience.

Huh???

I had a Subaru WRX which is a turbo 4..... I grew up on hot rods. The turbo 4 does not lose much......

[cw308]

I like the Springfield 1911 Mil - Spec Parkerized.

[MarkCO]

Good entry level 1911 9mm

It sure would be nice if we could stick to the original question...

Yep.

If it were me, I would choose between the SA and the Ruger. The Ruger is in the Target model ($800) in 9mm. SAs are in the same price range, so that might push you to the next step down to the RIA. I don't own an RIA, but I have shot several and they are really budget friendly ($500 to $800 OTD). Get the one that appeals to you as is, which will save you $ on adding parts later. Enjoy!

[Brownstone322]

Originally Posted by Aguila Blanca

And, if you want to be a purist, if the only "authentic" full-size 1911 is in .45 ACP, then the only "authentic" Commander 1911 would have to be in 9mm Luger.

Ha, great point. And it would have to have an aluminum-alloy frame as well. (But since the Commander was never actually adopted by the Army, we could also argue that it wouldn't be entitled to a "1911" label at all, certainly not "M1911," a designation it probably wouldn't have received in 1949.)

The idea that caliber designates any firearm as "authentic" is absurd to me. The military was the only customer for early 1911s, and the military almost always mandates a standard caliber, for obvious reasons. So? Just about everything sold on the commercial market is offered in multiple calibers eventually, also for obvious reasons. Caliber itself is not a litmus test and never has been.

[Quadsport]

All this talk about what is a legit 1991 is crazy! Most don’t want a GI model for carry or range. Let’s face it, if it were not for the great SA trigger, the 1911 would have been dead and buried a Long time ago!!!!

[silvermane_1]

Originally Posted by Quadsport

All this talk about what is a legit 1991 is crazy! Most don’t want a GI model for carry or range. Let’s face it, if it were not for the great SA trigger, the 1911 would have been dead and buried a Long time ago!!!!

Well that's your opinion Quadsport, see the Doublestack 1911s gave a new lease on life/in vogue for the 1911 not to mention the 10mm Auto and various other 45acp based calibers and similar length calibers, but it was in no way going to be "dead and buried".

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by Quadsport

All this talk about what is a legit 1991 is crazy! Most don’t want a GI model for carry or range. Let’s face it, if it were not for the great SA trigger, the 1911 would have been dead and buried a Long time ago!!!!

I have to disagree. The Hi-Power doesn't have a great trigger, and it lives on (albeit no longer by FN Herstal). The CZ-75 doesn't have a great trigger and look how many companies now make clones of that alongside CZ. The 1911 trigger is part of why it lives and thrives today, but I think it's far from the only reason.

[Quadsport]

I see nothing unique about a 1911 without the great SA trigger! It’s just another big, heavy, low capacity pistol!

[FLJim]

[Quadsport]

I love my 1911s! Why do I love the. The great SA trigger!

[223 shooter]

I see nothing unique about a 1911 without the great SA trigger! It’s just another big, heavy, low capacity pistol!

Go post a target out at 50 yards and see what you can do with your small , lightweight, high capacity pistol. Some of the best pistol shooting I have seen was with 1911s.

[Hawg]

All this talk about what is a legit 1991 is crazy! Most don’t want a GI model for carry or range. Let’s face it, if it were not for the great SA trigger, the 1911 would have been dead and buried a Long time ago!!!!

You're funny.

[Mike Irwin]

"Springfield Armory is the oldest manufacturer of military arms in the USA. It was commissioned by President George Washington. SA has almost silently evolved as the preeminent 1911-A1 handgun maker in the world."

The only problem with that is...

Springfield Armory, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, which supplied military firearms for almost two centuries, has NOTHING to do with Springfield Armory, the current manufacturer of rifles and handguns.

The military installation closed as a manufacturer in 1968. It is now operated as a National Historic Site and museum.

Springfield Armory, located in Illinois, is a purely commercial firm that shares only the name with the former military installation.