1911 questions

as some of you know my dream gun is a 1911 right now im looking at a rock island tactical! they also have a match grade but the biggest differnce between the to is a 1 pound difference in the trigger and the sights the tactical as 'combat sights' the match has 'target sights' i really want the target sights but im not firmilular with the combat sights will someone post some pics of theres and likes and dislikes of them! also iv been doing some part pricing it is most difently cheaper to buy the tactcal and build up to the match than to buy the base and try to build up b/c the base is 349 the tactical is 400 and the match is 600 with the base i would have to buy a trigger a beavertail a safety a hammer all kinds of stuff the tactical all ready has the nice trigget hammer safty beavertail for just 50 more the tactical has a 51/2 trigger the match has a 41/4 trigger how is a 51/2 is that a good trigger? thanks

actually there is a lot more difference in the pistols than just trigger and sights. match pistols have match barrels , barrel bushing, more accurate slide rails better trigger lighter trigger springs. it will take you a lot more to make a combat a match than you think and probably would be cheaper to go that route in the first place.

I would advise to stay away from the base model as the features are comparable to the Springfield GI I used to own. I disliked the very small and hard to use sights and the grip safety would dig into the web of my hand when I did a lot of shooting. For the money I would choose the tactical. It has the beaver tail grip safety and much better sights. I dont think you will notice much difference in the trigger pull between the tactical and the target model. Besides you can always get a trigger job done on it for 60 bucks or so. I also dont see much use in getting the target model since it does not have match barrel and has the same barrel as the Tac model. Also for the average shooter target sights are probably not going to do much more for you then the Tac sights.

You'd prolly be happy with the tactical. I doubt Rock Island really spent the time on the "Match pistol" to make it a real match pistol and worth $200 more....other than a few different parts.

I had the adjustable sights on a 1911....But, Nothing beats a good set of Novak style combat sights...no snags on holster or clothing, nothing to adjust once POI is verified.

I would not go the GI route and then start swapping out parts....1911's are very picky on parts and generally take alot of work to get them "just right". I guess you could say there is no such thing as a "drop in" part, as far as the 1911 is concerned. You could always upgrade the sights later if you really want adjustable sights.

If you can find one... The Metro Arms American Classic II is a step up from the RIA Tactical for only a few bucks more.

as far as that all goes do you really just have your heart set on a rock island? A match pistol of any brand and a combat pistol were meant for different purposes what Hawcer and RemMan said is right. If you want a pistol to just chunk lead the base model will do that. If you want a match grade pistol thats a different can of worms. A combat pistol is made with lots greater clearances for a reason accuracy is sacrificed for function a combat pistol is intended for very close up work and function is more important than accuracy so the GI who has been crawling through the mud wants a side arm to function he can probably hit a man a few feet away "its intended purpose" . A national Match pistol has a different purpose in mind and hence a lot tighter tolerances in almost every part of the pistol. Can you take a plane Jane combat pistol and make it a national match? with enough custom gunsmithing yea probably is it worth it? probably not when you can go buy a Colt gold cup for about 1100 or a Kimber and several others for a fraction of what you would end up with in a accurized combat pistol.

Dart, We need to get together so I can let you take my PT1911 for a test run. I have a feeling it has what your looking for straight out of the box for the most part. I can get you a really good deal as well. I know I can still get them through my source under 600.00. The last one I bought, then had to sell it unfired for financial problems, I believe was 595.00 out the door...

Let me know when your available, I will load some swaged 45's and some casts and we can go to the range in Bland and you can shoot it until your heart is content....

Deal?

I was waiting for DW to bring up the Taurus 1911...So I didn't mention it. They are another good option for affordable 1911's.

LOL, I know he has his heart set on a 1911. I have been inticing him for a while now over mine. I am always trying to nudge him in the right direction. RI are nice don't get me wrong. If you do get a RI, the beaver safety is a most definate as they have a history of hammer bite. The RI I shot became miserable as every time I pulled the trigger, I could feel the bite in the web between my thumb and finger. You start flinching and then decide to just not shoot it.

I guess i could back off the Taurus 1911. I just can't help it. I love this handgun so much. It is so smooth, flawless. I mean, well, a man just can't say enough good about it. The only negative I can say is that I do not like ambi safety. Easy fix, one day I will get a wilson combat safety and switch it out. Then for me, it is a perfect handgun. Full size and I CC it all day. Did I mention how much I love it?LOL...

Now you are talking me into one DW,lol....there is a small gun shop north of me and the old guy keeps about every model of the PT1911 in stock and at good prices....I might just have to head up that way with some trading material and see what kind of deal I can get.

This one is mine. I can't remember if I ever posted a pic of it or not. I may have a thousand times tho LOL

ok iv got alot to repley to lol! thank you all for your repleys ok first i want the tactical (any brand) b/c i want the skeletling trigger hammer and the safty beaver tail i know theres alot of inernal stuff different as well but that is the three parts i want the most! then there is the sights i do not want the old gi colt sights i want target sights but the combats ones will work! as far as RIA im not set on that brand but however im set in that price range! lol about 400 is my max i dont trust the firestorms armscore dont have anything i like! the one i want is the RIA tactical two tone ...
and i will look unto the metro arms see if i like them and yes dw i would love to take the tauras for a test drive lol thanks again everyone!

I can't wait until they start to import these...

I almost bought an American Classic. Kinda looks different than the 2 you posted. It was between that or the Taurus. I went with Taurus has I have heard of them and did not hear about the American Classic. My dealer was trying his hardest to sell me the American Classic. He thinks I am dumb. He went as far to tell me that they are produced in the same factory as the Colts are. While I don't 100% know for sure, I kinda let that slide down my back and just chucked it up as him telling me anything to make a sell......

They changed them a little ....they used to have really ugly orangish looking wood grips. They are imported from the philippines...I don't think that is where Colts are made. They used to have another version called a Firestorm, but they dropped that name due to the confusion with the cheaper LLama Firestorms. They are supposed to be equally good as a Taurus, but a little more affordable...but you can't find one anywhere....so that makes the Taurus a little more pleasing.

i have a llama i would put side by side with any out of the box 1911 on the market (hell i have shot les baers that didnt shoot as good) an my uncle picked it up back in 1991 for 185.00 at wal mart

I came a ace to trading for a PT1911 a couple of months ago, but the guy thought he had a gold mine, he let me shoot it and it was a very nice gun.

Travis wrote:i have a llama i would put side by side with any out of the box 1911 on the market (hell i have shot les baers that didnt shoot as good) an my uncle picked it up back in 1991 for 185.00 at wal mart

Yeah...I have one too,It is dependable and shoots ok. The craftsmanship just doesn't quite reach the level of other 1911's out there...plus the LLama's are not mil spec, so upgrading or finding replacement parts is almost impossible.

You all aren't helping me cope with my own WANTS for a 1911, I stopped looking around on the internet at different models, prices, and pictures because the pain was just too much for me to bear!

Now here you all go posting pictures and talking specs, now I'm finding myself daydreaming about a 1911 all over again. Damn you all to hell!

BTW- Does anybody want to buy a Glock 20 10mm??
The going price is the same as it would cost for a Springfield 1911 PX9 109LP Loaded Full Size Parkerized with 5" Stainless barrel.

yea i saw some llamas at a local gun store i was wondering if they where any count? i saw a web site said the newer ones where better than the older ones the new one are made in phillipins same as RIA and metro arms amd armscore

i found the one i want i love this gun im gonna start saving my pennies maybe i can get it soon!
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=206133575

Nice, that is exactly the one I have except mine has the all steel frame and no the aluminum one that one has.....

i have a another question has anyone ever built a 1911 kit before?? i found one it is gi 1911A1 all gi parts for 225 and a rock island frame for 89 so id have around 315 bf shipping in it my question is it says gunsmithind skills required are these kits something the back yard gun smith could put together or should i really get a real gunsmith to put it together? i am capable of fileing sanding drilling and so on but if they must be put together by a gunsmith i dont think it would be worth it money wise but if i could in would most definitly be worth the savings plus iv always been a do it yourselfer.. my worry is headspacing it says the slide and frame is finished some say they need finishing and fitting this one dont thanks for any advice!

http://e-sarcoinc.com/451911autobuildkitlessframe.aspx
here is the kit it doesnt say gunsmith required just say you must be knowledgable here is the frame
http://e-sarcoinc.com/frm-rockislauto1911parkerizedframe.aspx

Yes, I've built my own...I even had to finish the incomplete machined frame. I'm sure you would be able to put one together, but beware....not all parts are "drop in" as they may be listed. They are a finicky weapon and take patience to get them to work correctly. That mil-spec parts set might fall right together and work great....but don't expect it to and don't expect super accuracy out of it either. At least in building your own, you'll know everything about it and somewhat know how to change parts when or if you decide to uprgrade.

thank you my thoughts exactly.. i thought i could id like to see if i could iv always wanted to gun smith iv even thought about taking classes!