So many varieties

[Kevin]

I'm thinking of a Ruger 1911. I don't actually have a .45 ACP. But back during the last ammunition shortage I bought 45 ACP when I could find it. You know, future proofing my safe.

So I'm looking at Grab A Gun to get some ideas

They have so many different varieties of the 1911.

Some colored with cobalt on the small parts, some engraved, some blue with stainless. One is green framed with a slide that is made to look like a WWII fighter plane, you know the mouth.

Question: I assume the triggers and internal parts are the same?

 

[Kevin]

And a follow up question

Are the engraved Ruger 1911's nicely done? Who does the engraving?

 

[Gator89]

I'm thinking of a Ruger 1911. I don't actually have a .45 ACP. But back during the last ammunition shortage I bought 45 ACP when I could find it. You know, future proofing my safe.

Question: I assume the triggers and internal parts are the same? Yes

Yep

 

[NikA]

Question: I assume the triggers and internal parts are the same?

I think this is true across the Ruger 1911 lineup, but I wouldn't swear to it. Main difference across all 1911s is how drop safety is addressed: not (older/cheaper models); lightened internals (Ruger and others, "Series 70"); slide-mounted firing pin block (Kimber, "Series 80").

 

[turd]

Wow, spend some time reading articles from ALL the real gun magazines. 1911s have been around a long time and there is much info. Seems best to start with a reliable one, easily serviced with parts, etc. As you get to know the caliber and the 1911, you will be able to make changes.

 

[GasGuzzler]

1911's don't have mag wells or beavertails and are Parkerized or blued. I loath stainless 1911's.

Ruger missed out on the selling a lot of 1911 variants in the last couple decades. They could have made a basic one $200 less and it would have outsold the over-priced ones they introduced.

Get off my lawn!

 

[Jim Walsh]

1911's don't have mag wells or beavertails and are Parkerized or blued. I loath stainless 1911's.

One of my favorite 1911's is a plain Jane, no frills whatsoever, parkerized beauty. I will publicly admit to adding a set of Hogue rosewood grips to it many years ago, but I still have the originals.
I'm a big blued steel and walnut fan generally for all firearms but a stainless 1911 can be a thing of functional beauty.

 

[GasGuzzler]

Yeah my basic parked gun now has checkered rosewood Colt grips because I like the way they look. It came with an ambidextrous safety and a full length guide rod I swapped for GI parts. Still has the skeletonized trigger though.

 

[Terry T]

I have a pile of Ruger 1911s. Rugers are a great value - well made, reliable, accurate, and reasonably priced. The one that suits me the best is the light weight 9mm "Commander". That being said, handguns are very personal. What is your intended use? Occasional range time? House gun? Carry? If carry, how fit are you and how big are you? I'm a smaller, nearly 80-year-old, male. In .45acp, I suspect the steel frame guns are better than the alloy frame guns but the alloy frame guns are easier to carry and will last for anyone but a seriously competitive shooter. Just my $0.02 worth.

 

[hittman]

Me too on the Lightweight Commander! Mine is in 9mm ….. best 1911 I have ever owned.

 

[rugerguy]

with so many to choose from, I'd "shop the deal"........and they are out there

 

[SBHRSSSSS]

I have several 1911's. Colt, Norinco, Brolin, Charles Daly. Just got a beautiful Remington R1, and a Colt 1991A1 Compact (basically an Officer's Model). Anyway, I suggest you check out Guns.com. Plenty of choices there, new and used.

 

[ex13F]

I have a few 1911s of different configuration but have to say that the Ruger CMD or full size SR1911 both have most of what the average shooter want without the stuff you don't need. Of the ones I have they are all 5" except one, the Ruger CMD and it's the one I carry. For what it's worth?

 

[Jeepnik]

Funny how the 1911A1 served us just fine until the nannys started complaining and the abortion known as the Series 70. That was such a disaster it only lasted until the early 80's when the next over complicated solution to nonexistent problems, the Series 80 came about.

In a way, the Ruger MK's have followed the same course. The MKI pretty much was the pinnacle. But folks cried because it wasn't a combat pistol. So the MKII was designed. A few years later another genius solved more nonexistent problems with the MKIII. And of course more folks complained it wasn't 1911ish enough so the 22/45 disaster was born. Now we are up to the MKIV and it still isn't as good as the MKI. So what's happened is in the pursuit of excellence the MK Series has become less excellent.

 

[GasGuzzler]

$650 street price does not seem like a reasonable price compared to the market of 1911's that are actually inexpensive. If Ruger would make an option free unit all Parkerized it would be $500 street price and that would be more than reasonable.

I have no use for a MKI other than possible a collecting venture. I do not fancy tapered barrels on pistols and I much prefer the 22/45 grip. I like the MKIII because it has replaceable grips where the MKII does not. So I am opposite on every point above but that's okay. They made a blued bull barrel 22/45 with wood grips and I bought it and replaced the mag safety parts with MKII Volq parts. One of only two new guns I ever bought. The other was a 10/22 with that sacrilegious birch stock and plastic butt plate, barrel band, and trigger housing ... all of which I swapped as well.

 

[wproct]

I have owned a bunch of 1911 pistols over the past 50 years or so. I love the pistol because you can get so many after market goodies and make it to be whatever you want. About 8 years ago I found myself without one and decided I wanted to get one in 9mm. I live a short distance from Brownell's so went over to compare some. It came down to deciding between a Ruger commander sized pistol in .45acp and a Kimber Stainless Target II in 9mm. Both were fine pistols but the slide to frame fit of the Kimber was much nicer than the Ruger. I wound up with the Kimber and I am absolutely happy with the pistol in 9mm. The slide is much easier to rack on the 9mm versus one in .45acp, and that's a real plus to someone with arthritis in your hands. My experience with Kimber is you can buy a basic 1911 or one of their more polished models with a lot of extra features and the action is still pretty much all the same. You will find in the 1911 world that there are a lot of Kimber haters, but I've had good experience with them.