1911 45 acp

Help Support Ruger Forum:

I have been a dedicated revolver shooter Al of my life. I own everything from NAA 22 lr to BFR 475 linebaugh. I have settled on the 44 special in a Ruger Nm flattop as my all time favorite.

I am now ready to try a 1911 45 acp and give it a fair chance. I called a trusted friend and asked advice on what manufacturer to look to for an all steel 5" model. H his text was only one word, "RUGER". So it begins.
In case you're interested. The Seller is taking offers. It is posted in the vendor section. We guarantee a risk-free transaction.

 
Even if you don't like them, you should own a 1911 and a Beretta M9 or 92.

Both were milestones and are iconic in their own way. I think it's valuable to be familiar with both. Practically and from a historical perspective.
 
Even if you don't like them, you should own a 1911 and a Beretta M9 or 92.

Both were milestones and are iconic in their own way. I think it's valuable to be familiar with both. Practically and from a historical perspective.
Agreed...

I own three 1911's (one as close to GI as it can be)
Beretta M9
Sig M18
Sig P226 and G19 just to cover that NSW nitch
Still looking for a S&W MOD 39 that's not astronomically priced or beat to death

To be honest though...The M9 and M18 were only purchased so my Son could become one with them before he enlisted.....scoring less than Expert is not acceptable to those raised in this old Navy Ordie/SAMI's shack! ;)
 
Myn sole foray into centerfire autos was with a Colt Gold Cup .45 ACP. This gun, I was told, ad been set up for "hardball ammo". I didn't keep it long as brass kept disappearing in the tall grass/brush/leaves. I had a hot 185 gr. JHP load that was a JimDandy varmint load out to about 75 yards of so. That pistol functioned flawlessly and was hair splittin' accurate. But a New Frontier became available and so it went...............

Bob Wright
 
As to what brand to buy ... that is your decision. Personally I own a Philippines (Armscor in the Philippines) "Charles Daly" and have never had one problem.
The bottom one. The top is a Browning 380

zrKZLQml.jpg
 
Last edited:
I've owned 5. The first was a Norinco put together by my gunsmith. The second was a Kimber, the third a Rock Island, the forth a Remington, & fifth a Springfield. All were shot with the H&G 68 or H&G 34 & fed like a hungry bluetick. I still have the Remington as it was Lee Jurras' personal carry gun. The Springfield is the one I shoot most & I would change nothing about it. Fits my hand great & hits everything I point at. I have a video of the Kimber should you care to watch.
 
I've had Colt's, Kimbers, Rugers, and a couple of low end Franken1911's..... Get the Ruger....they are awesome and have the best warranty in the business.....
 
You're about to have some fun transitioning from revolvers to the 1911 world! The Ruger 1911 acp is a great place to start—solid, reliable, and well-built. It'll be a different feel from your revolvers, but the .45 ACP has its own charm. Enjoy the process, and let us know how it compares to your Ruger .44 Special!
 
RIA here. I got mine when they were still cheap. Removed the billboard lettering myself and swapped to a GI safety (ambis are fat and clunky) and an original style guide rod system. Kept the skeleton hammer and trigger. Already had the Colt grips when I got it with only 51 rounds fired.

1911a1.jpg
 
Getting older and thinning the herd I've sold several guns in the past 4-5 years including four 1911's ( one was a Colt) but kept the three that I shoot the best and have proven themselves reliable, all three are 5", unmolested, stainless and chambered in 45ACP.....Springfield Armory Mil-Spec, Ruger SR1911 and a S & W 'E' Series.

I never have cared much to punch paper and I only shoot at the different diameter circular steel plates provided at 25 yds......luckily all three like my load of 5.2 grs. of W231 under a Zero brand 230 gr. FMJ (not plated) bullet.

If I were to sell two and get down to just one 1911 I would keep the S & W 'E' Series simply because I feel that I shoot it the best of the three.

'e' series.jpg
 
Well let's see, Ruger is the premier casting manufacture in the country, they have it figured out and their cast frames are probably stronger than most forged frames. Ruger has always made very durable, serviceable weapons and still do, they don't make junk! If you are a Ruger guy anyway then what's the question? You can spend more money if that's what you want to do, hell that's easy but I don't think you are going to get a better gun than Ruger makes. If you really need a 1911 that will shoot 1 inch groups at 50 yards you're looking in the wrong place and you'll need A LOT more money!!!!!
 
Ruger's SR1911 failure is not offering Parkerized pistols. If they did, I might have one. No desire for a stainless 1911 or one with a rail or magwell.
I agree.....Had Ruger offered a carbon-steel 1911-A1 clone along with what I call their "fluff models", I would have bought at least one years ago, and then a second if the first proved to be satisfactory. As it happened though, they did not, so I spent my money elsewhere.

DGW
 
Last edited:
After my uninformed introduction to the 1911 with a friend's Dad's WWII military souvenir and then buying a Colt series 70 it's amazing that I still like the old war horse. I couldn't hit anything with either. I must have forgotten my early experience and bought the first stainless Combat Commander that I saw. Luckily by then I belonged to a gun club and older shooters taught me the ways of the 1911. This led to a collection including 38 Super, 10mm and of course 45 ACP. If I were looking for another I'd be buying Ruger or Colt. The latest versions of either have been top notch and I like the internal extractor of the original design.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    143.8 KB · Views: 36
  • IMG_20170220_090916772.jpg
    IMG_20170220_090916772.jpg
    109.4 KB · Views: 32
  • IMG_20200216_113259305.jpg
    IMG_20200216_113259305.jpg
    306.3 KB · Views: 33
For the money you can't beat Tisas. They are all forged parts. I have a few of them along with other brands , including 2 Ruger 1911s in 45acp.
On a 1911 site , a guy there just bought a new Colt , biggest POS I ever seen. Everyone on the forum agreed it was crap. I also have one RIA 1911 in 10mm. The Tisas beats it in every way. If you want to stay with American , Ruger is the way to go. Springfields are not American parts. There frames did come from Brazil. Now I was just told they buy frames from Tisas. I don't know if that is true , just read it on another forum. I have a little of everything in 1911s. From Tisas to Wilson. 9mm . 10mm and 45acp.
 
hands down imbel frames sold to military contracts world wide have a better reputation than turk knockoffs. but either way, I'm pretty sure sa went back to all U.S. frames and parts in their 1911s few years ago. and I believe it was the p35 turk frames sa was using, not 1911

for the record - I'm not opposed to turk guns, bought a few shotguns while stationed in antalya, but they copy everything or just about, and don't rank with the original models and other duty grade brands

as far as hobby plinkers go, yah I'm sure they're just as reliable as any other entry level 1911 out there. however there's good reason top tier military units, sf, and many other gov agencies worldwide choose what they do

as for ruger, yah they have an awesome market niche but not necessarily the go-to brand for everything. first off for me, lack of blued steel frame 1911 is a deal breaker, don't care where they're made, ain't havin it

same issue with s&w, for a while it was almost nothing but black alloy or stainless until finally bringing back the 'classic' line of old models in blued steel. but still nothing blued in the xl magnums is a deal breaker for me. that and the 'hole' 🤨

colt reintroduced the python in stainless only at first but didn't take long for the demand for blued to get their attention and they started blued offerings this year

anyways, wouldn't be fitting for me to post without a picture of something 😬

certainly not the top of the heap but definitely rates. read for yourself the rigorous testing they underwent to be awarded the contract

performance of a genuine CRG serial hard fit custom for $2500 is damn hard to beat, U.S. frame and all. for comparable models probably add $1-2k or more. although I'm mostly just plinking with it, the pedigree cool factor is high. unlikely carry for me, I have a colt clw for that ;)

IMG_20160822_4658.jpg


bonus pictures of a couple of turks just to share my support for DEI :)

the ata auto and another o/u I bought were off the shelf in the store. I custom ordered the huglu from a catalog. I was in the store drinking tea when it was delivered on a bicycle :LOL:

IMG_20150516_171602.jpg


IMG_20150516_171504511.jpg


IMG_20150516_171526066_HDR.jpg


business cards from the store

Antalya-Turkey-contacts.jpg
 
Last edited:
Sir, I would highly recommend that whatever brand you buy, get one with adjustable sights. You can more easily adjust the sights for any ammo you are using than with fixed sights. My favorites are Springfield Armory and Kimber.
 
"Myths die hard as well as people think the .45 acp is the superior stopping round as compared to the 9x19 and this has proven with modern bullets not to be true at all. In actuality the .45 acp is inferior as it has less penetration, less capacity, more recoil, a more loping trajectory, less comfortable to carry, less concealable, ammo more costly, less reliable with expanding bullets and people generally shoot the .45 acp less accurately because of its higher recoil. Recovery time between shots is less as well. These numerous reasons are why the 9x19 was and still is the most popular law enforcement and military caliber in the world."


Nothing like damning with faint praise. Yes, the 1911 is not a lightweight gun. I have a Taurus PT99, what I like to call the Brazilian Beretta. It's slightly larger than the 1911 but much heavier. That thing on a belt holster makes it like my pants are struggling to fall off. The only other 9MM I own is an S&W 6906 which is about the same size as my Colt Combat Commander yet weighs more than a full size 1911 when both guns are fully loaded with full magazines. My Commader runs 8 shot Wilsons with one up the spout vs the 6906 with 11 in the magazine and one up the spout. Back up mags for the Commander are 10 shot Wilsons. My 1911s have been worked on by one of the greats when it comes to "making them right", the late great F. Bob Chow. BTW. the guns he did both serial to 1948.
I'll agree that the 9MM is a bit easier to handle regarding recoil but I've played with the 1911 .45 ACO since I got my first one back in 1954, a rattly old USN stamped Ithaca. I'm not all that fond o that double action first shot that most newer guns come with. That about the only good thing I can say about that Taurus PT99 I havd or the PT92 as well. Mine can be run exactly like the 1911, condituin one cocked and locked. I've heard Taurus may have switched to the way s&w uses their safties which is bass ackward in my not very humble opinion.
However, I agree with the late great Elmer Keith who said, "I prefer to let a man scratch his own fleas in whatever manner he chooses."
Paul B.
 

Latest posts

Top