Which 1911 to buy

It comes with a bushing wrench and it is a favorite for sturdiness and reliability. It has no loose parts, and has one of the easiest recoils. Recommended as a great gun for a beginner since it is supposed to work flawlessly straight out of the box. The most useful feature of this gun in the green fiber optic front which helps in an accurate target acquisition and fast switching between targets. The two eight rounds magazines keep you in the game, while the skeletonized trigger is crisp and precise.

The only downside of this gun can be the grip which is made from polymers, and some might consider cheap-looking, but has no impact on the superb performance. It is difficult to find this pistol these days. But if you are willing to search the used market or ask around, you may be able to find this. If you are really keen on this model, it may be worth the search. A step up, but this is where the real quality comes into play.

These are the kind of s you can get and keep for years. Not your typical. You can buy it and shoot it on the same day, no break-in period needed. This one scores high on safety, featuring a large beavertail grip safety against slide cuts. The thumb safety is ergonomic, offering an excellent firing grip with the thumb on top not under the safety lever.

The sights, front and rear are dovetail-mounted in the slide, yet some adjustable sight would improve that a bit. The three-white dots, a standard option which comes in handy during night-time enhances accuracy. The gun might seem too sharp on the edges; it could use some rounding. It also has a pronounced recoil, more than the. One of the few models with an ambidextrous thumb safety , and the standard extended beavertail grip.

The Loaded. You can attach lights, red dot, and lasers. The only downside could be the fact that it uses seven rounds mags instead of 8. Good features still run in the family with a few modern twists, including white dot sights and a lowered ejection port for extra reliability.

It also has a great recoil spring system, long trigger, and a flat mainspring housing like the Colt legend. The grips consist of elegant checkered rosewood adorning the solid carbon steel frame. This pistol requires a bit of strength to use effectively as the trigger is pretty stiff. The XSE only carries 7 rounds in the magazine which limits it a bit.

Either way great design and functionality. This Colt Government model is a solid choice, and makes our list of best pistols for good reason. These are usually highly customizable and enjoy the finery nuts of bolts of design and craftsmanship. Some justify the price tag by manufacturing and precision, others by uniqueness and brand. In this price range, you can expect some pro toys.

It is available in. Features a beautiful combat matte black finish with no glare and at this price tag, you should take advantage of all the additional modifications you can add to it.

Despite the high ticket, the CQB Tactical is frequently out of stock. I suggest bookmarking the product page at at Buds and checking it from time to time, or visiting the Wilson shop below. This 3-inch barrel piece of purple jewelry looks like a toy but is as accurate and extremely reliable.

This pistol is also ready to shoot right out of the case. The 9mm or. Considering its target market, the slide cycle is notably heavier than other popular handguns for women , and the grip could be improved. The antique feeling of this piece can make enthusiasts forget about the price. The look is achieved through a proprietary chemical process applied to the steel. These are not the only Cabot innovations you can find on this piece.

Cabot really made a name for themselves with the Vintage Classic Serrations are inserted on the rear of the slide for the same reason. The producer believes in the product so much it offers a lifetime guarantee. Since this is a customizable product, you can go wild and mix patterns, engravings, and grips to make it match your imagination.

A beautiful for anyone who is a firearms collector in your family. This is it. Probably the top-of-the-market available as of the day this article was posted. They create unique, hand-crafted, custom made s. This is an eye-catching pistol featuring ivory grips, 14K gold front sight and most likely will be part of a collection. Of course, you can shoot. The rear sight is a Heinie Pro, and the gun features a design with a smooth recoil spring plug with a thick barrel bushing, and this is just an example.

The Turnbull VIP 2 is not for budget shoppers. So with all of the above choices, and all the different types of s on the market, how do you make your choice? You might be finding yourself at this point now.

When it comes down to making your choice, it can all be a bit overwhelming. In this section, we will give you the factors you should give consideration before making a decision on s. Basically, you want to simplify your decision as much as possible. You can do this by pinning your decision on a few key factors.

If you can think of the type of you want, you narrow the field significantly and can focus on the best one for you. Of course, we have divided our above list by price, and this is an excellent place to start.

But you need to keep in mind that we divided our list by price because it is typically associated with quality. Usually, the more you pay, the more you can expect. So by settling on an ideal price point, have an idea of the types of features you are actually willing to pay for.

Next up, we will evaluatesome of these features. Be aware that although popular, Novak-style sights will loosen eventually. They must be checked and even installed with some Loctite. Fixed rear sights work for everyone except serious competition shooters. Look for a front sight with a roll-pin to prevent any movement. A ledge on the rear sight for one-handed charging looks good on a feature list but is seldom used.

Fiber-optics sights work great during the day, but are useless at night. Practical shooters should look for night sights. Also, have a look at the slide top. Slide top milling and serration will give you some extra front sight height for faster sight acquisition. Up front, grasping grooves aren't popular with traditionalists though you'll see plenty of pistols sporting them.

If you need to clear a malfunction in a hurry, you will be grateful for all the leverage and purchase you can get on the slide. Some shooters also like to "over-hand" press-check by running the slide from the front. There's no right or wrong way, but there are shooters that will always keep their hands as far away from the muzzle when given the choice.

If that's you, then you can pass on the front grooves and save a few bucks. These work on a stock gun, but once you get into any beavertail grip safety, the spur hammer is a no-go.

The beavertail gets in the way of the longer hammer. Contemporary designs use a rounded, commander-style hammer. Skeletonizing looks cool and saves weight, but be aware that a lighter hammer speeds up movement and improves lock time. Both are good, if the rest of your pistol is set up for it.

A good hammer and sear are EDM machined out of tool steel. If you do swap your hammer, make sure you replace the sear along with it.

Ambidextrous safeties are generally meant for lefties. Despite their name, they rarely work or hold up as well when used by righties. It's a novel design machined out of billet steel that is stronger where traditional safeties often fail.

Also, make sure you have no burrs or sharp edges on your safety. Get one that feels good at the shop or be prepared to have a gunsmith take the edges down. Your thumb will thank you. The exaggerated horn allows a higher grip without the danger of the slide tearing railroad tracks down the webbing of your hand. There are a lot of good s out there, which can make picking a great one difficult.

Hopefully, one of the guns on this list tickles your fancy and can find a home in your safe. Matthew Collins is an active contributor here at GunBacker. The latest firearms reviews, gear reviews and safe shooting tips for responsible gun owners. Search Go. Share Our Stuff. The Daily Ammo. Subscribe to get our latest content by email. Related Content.

Best Modern Lever-Action Rifles. Men like Bill Wilson, who founded Wilson Combat, became masters at expertly tuning the more than 50 parts of the Competitors at the World Shoot, and even those in small town combat pistol matches, were willing to drop lots of dollars for even the smallest competitive edge. Ultimately, some competition-driven modifications found their way to carry guns.

You can now get a any way you want it. Are these enhancements and custom treatments to the GI-style worth the money? Yes and no. As the popularity of the skyrocketed in the last part of the 20 th century, low-cost versions became available to meet the demand. Due to poor quality control and the use of less-than-ideal materials and parts, these bargain guns gave s a bad reputation.

This pushed consumers to high-end variants and to custom gunsmiths. Where this pistol is lacking is in the inclusion of many of the upgrades gunsmiths like Bill Wilson made popular.

The sights are small and hard to see.