Thinking about maybe buying my first 1911....Suggestions?

[The_Outlaw]

I am thinking about 'maybe' buying myself my first ever 1911 in .45 acp for my upcoming birthday in June.
I would prefer it in either a 3" or 4" barrel.

I must admit that am a bit confused on which brand I should go with when there are so many reputable brands out there to choose from.
Should I go with; Colt? Kimber? Springfield Armory? Ruger? Taurus? Other?
What say you?
My budget is to spend no more than $999.00 (out the door).

[reb55]

From what I have read, Colt makes the most reliable 3" 1911, the Defender. I carry one daily. It has always worked for me.

If I were to buy a new 1911, I would look seriously at the Ruger, tho I think that is available only in 5".

I had the opportunity to try out a full-sized S&W 1911 a couple of years ago. I was impressed. Smith makes some good-looking shorter models, too.

There are a couple of good 1911-oriented websites. I would recommend checking them out before deciding.

[agrippakc]

Depends on your budget. Do your research and you might be surprised at the can of worms you just opened. For solid "working" guns there are solid 1911s for every budget level.

[cmj0968]

I own a Kimber Pro II, two Para Ordnance(s), and three Springfields, Love them all...
but I tend to carry the Kimber the most. Kimber offers a lot from their custom shop for just a little more $$$. I haven't handled the Ruger but I'd think that it would be up to par with their other models. Stay with a company you know and it would be hard to go wrong. Check your local shooting range for rentals? Try before you buy?

[Nightmare45]

I own kimber, para and colt, everyone is copying colt if that tells you anything.

[wizard]

For your budget you are limiting your options, The 3" Colt defender would be an opt. at about $939 MSRP. Springfield Armory's Micro compact is around $1349. Can't touch a Kimber for what you want to spend. Ruger/Taurus are 5" only. Rock Island armory makes less expensive but are not the quality you would find in others. In a 4.25" Colt XSE about $973 MSRP. The SA ultra compact 3.5" is around $1050 MSRP. You can try looking online at gunbroker.com, You can find them NIB and not get scalped, most of the time. Good luck finding what you want.

[Flanmedic51]

The great thing about 1911's besides the nostalgia, etc. is that no matter which one you end up buying initially, replacement parts for a 1911 are abundant and the gun can nearly be rebuilt if you chose to do so. The more economical Taurus is what I've been looking at and if there is something that I end up not liking on it, it can be replaced/changed out...that simple. It would be a huge bummer if you bought a Kimber for huge $$$ and you ended up not liking it...food for thought. Good luck!

[KimberRB]

I have the Kimber CDP Ultra Carry and love it. I did have the Taurus 1911 at one time and it was a total piece of junk. Not saying all of the Taurus 1911 are bad just the one I had right out of the box was just not good. But the Kimber has been a good shooter from the get go. For the money I think I would stay with Kimber Colt or Spring Field all good guns.

[longslide10]

You might want to take a look at Remington R1 1911 Enhanced. They list at 940 msrp and look like a high quality piece and I believe has previously produced them for WWII. They also have a basic model up to a centennial model.

http://www.1911r1.com/Products/Firea...-enhanced.aspx

If your not dead set on a 45 cal they also come in the more powerful 10mm from Colt, Kimber, Dan Wesson etc

[longslide10]

Oops my bad, just reread your OP and discovered you wanted a 3" or 4" bl