Looking for a new .45 Auto

[Sprouticus]

I bought Ruger SR1911 this past spring, and have put about 500 rounds through it so far.

I have been impressed to say the least, I have had no problems at all with it.

Another plus is that it is very accurate, my scores in my Wed. night league have gone up quite a bit since last year.


If you look around on gunbroker for a while, you will often see them sell in the low $600 range.

 

[Door Gunner]

The 1911 pistol is an old friend. I'm retired Army and carried one in Vietnam every day. Lots of discussion on tolerances, which one is better than the other, and so forth. Even the old ones in the military were manufactured by many different companies. Most 1911's are far more accurate than their owners are capable of placing a shot, unless they have been well schooled in marksmanship. My suggestion is to purchase the one you can afford and spend some time on the range with your new acquisition with the mindset of learning to relax while firing it. Let it rock in your hand when she goes off until you have adjusted to not squeezing your hand on the grip in anticipation of it's firing.

 

[Fuego]

I got a great deal on a used TISAS 1911A2.

It is reliable, and shoots as well as any other 1911 I have ever fired.

Probably the best $200 I ever spent recently. I did replace the grips with GI issue brown plastic.

When considering a .45 auto, the newer designs dis-assemble for cleaning much more easily than the old 1911 design.

On the other hand, the newer designs are a real pain if you go further than basic field stripping!

 

[Rev. Chad]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I went to the shop today and had decided to get the Ruger, but then I saw the had gotten a Ruger P90 in on trade. For the same price I got the P90, along with a .400 Corbon barrel and six magazines. I guess I am going to have to get reacquainted with a P90, had one almost 17 years ago.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Take a look at Metro Arms also they have a great selection . I have have a American Classic model got in 2011 It never had 1st bit of trouble . Was shooting mags of mixed brand of HP Starting 2 mag .

 

[corton93]

Although RIA's have been hit or miss with some people, I have always had great luck with mine. A lot of features for the money. I bought a Ruger American in 45 right after they came out. It was great in terms of reliability, but I really did have the same problems a lot of others had. The top of the grip under the slide is really squared off and it beat my right hand thumb knuckle to death. To the point where I ended up selling the gun 3 days later. Now mind that I shot 300-400 rounds that day, I shoot with my thumbs really high and tight, and I have big hands (I wear XXL gloves) just my observation. Good Luck deciding

 

[seeker_two]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I went to the shop today and had decided to get the Ruger, but then I saw the had gotten a Ruger P90 in on trade. For the same price I got the P90, along with a .400 Corbon barrel and six magazines. I guess I am going to have to get reacquainted with a P90, had one almost 17 years ago.

Wow! Looks like you made the best choice of all.

 

[Pilot]

I second this. Get a CZ 97 and be happy. I prefer the B version with Saftey to the decocker model.

My CZ-97B is by far my favorite .45, even over some high end 1911's I have. It is totally stock but I may get some CGW parts at some point, but it is very impressive out of the box.

 

[I6turbo]

My CZ-97B is by far my favorite .45, even over some high end 1911's I have. It is totally stock but I may get some CGW parts at some point, but it is very impressive out of the box.

Pilot,

I've posted a few times about the CGW Ultra Lite Kit, but I'll recommend it again here. It's only about $50 or so delivered, so not too big of an investment to give it a try. I loved my 97 B straight out of the box, but after trying the Ultra Lite kit in my 85 Combat, I tried it in the 97 B and it made an already great gun even better, IMO. I'd never really been much of a .45 guy until I got the 97 B, but I think it's an awesome gun and I love shooting it.

On the subject of .45s, here are some photos I've posted before showing the relative size of the 97 B and the 1911 and how they fit my hand. Just in case anyone is interested... or has read (bogus, IMO) internet accounts that paint the 97 B as some kind of gigantic gun that dwarfs a 1911.



97 B is actually a little thinner than the 1911 through the grip:


Aligned under the beaver tail where the web of your hand fits:


Note the amount of overlap of the thumb and middle finger, and how my thumb contacts the non-contoured 1911 grip on the side of the thumb:

 

[bannockburn]

I6turbo

Thanks for the side by side comparison; very informative and good to know.

 

[Pilot]

I6turbo,

Thanks for the heads up on the CGW kit, and the 1911 comparison pics. I do not find the 97B too large, but I also have large hands with long fingers, and the CZ's fit me very well. However, I also have friends with smaller hands, and they also love the CZ's including the 97B.

BTW, I also have one of the more recent production 97B's with the FO site and aluminum grips. It feeds everything, and is extremely accurate.

 

[stchman]

If the two choices are an RIA 1911 or a RAP in 45, the RAP all the way. I owned a RIA 1911 and got rid f it, uncomfortable to shoot. I own a RAP in 45 and it is a nice pistol.

 

[tipoc]

Actually the CZ97 is bigger than the 1911. You can see that in the pics above.

If the thick rubber stocks on the Kimber were as thin as the wood stocks on the CZ you'd be able to see more clearly the difference in the width of the grip frame...thinner on the 1911.

You can also see it is taller. 5.25 for the 1911. 5.9 for the CZ97.

38 ozs for the 1911 compared to 41.3 for the 97.

It's useful to pick up both side by side. The 97 is an excellent gun but larger by a bit than most 1911s.

Three extra round in the mag also make a difference.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/custom-ii-two-tone-a

http://cz-usa.com/product/cz-97-b-45-acp-black-aluminum-grips-fo-front-sight-10-rd-mags/

tipoc