New .45. NEED help!

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inthelineofire

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Hi all-

I am looking to purchase a new .45ACP in the near future and would like some advice from anyone and everyone. Experience, photos, everything is appreciated. I love shooting the 1911 (do not own one) and am strongly considering one of those in the commander length. I know the 5" would be more accurate, but I prefer the 4" barrel. Probably a Kimber or Springfield. However, I am looking for an ACCURATE .45 and something that will last. I will probably use it for target shooting, and carry in the future. Price range under $1,000. So, what is the most accurate, most reliable .45 I can get in that price range?
 
Dan Wesson Bobtail Then a Colt Commander. I don't care for a springfield and I will never have another Kimber. In a 5" I would go with a $500 American Classic change the grips to something nicer. Mine has been perfect right from box . Good fit finish and accurate.
Their will be a Commander size American Classic I understand next year in US
 
Like MICHAEL T, I'll never own another Kimber as long as I live. Had one and it totally fell apart. The factory had it more in 5 months than I did. I have had several SA pistols and always found them to be good values. I've since moved to a lot higher priced 1911's but I still have an Ultra-compact that shoots well.

I don't own either, but the review blogs say Dan Wesson and Fusion both have good 1911's for the money. Check the Fusion Firearms website before you buy. You will probably find something to your liking.
 
My Kimber is the best handgun I have ever owned. Remember that when you sell many more units than your competitors, you will see a higher number of problems in your guns. This does not mean a higher RATE of failure than any other gun. I use mine for everything and I would carry it to war tomorrow if I were allowed to.

The problem with buying a commander-length gun is that the industry takes advantage of the fact that it is a bit of a specialty market, and they pretty much always cost more. I won't pretend to know enough about it to say that they cost the same amount to manufacture, but shooters looking for commanders are usually looking for more specialized features, so the ones that are available aren't usually base-model guns. They come with extra features which raises the price.

If I were looking for another 1911 I would give a good look at the STI Spartan. My dad just got a SA Mil-Spec which is great. My Kimber will shoot 2" at 25 yards over a sandbag. I'm not sure what kind of accuracy you are looking for, but that is significantly better than I can shoot.
 
No MIMber's here. STI's are the best bang for the buck. Quality entry level gun and superb semi-custom guns. SIG-GSR's are solid also.
Start with a five inch and then look at something smaller and lighter to carry: So you'll actually carry.
 
If I was going to buy a .45 right now I think I'd look at the Springfield XD .45. I've never heard anything negative about them and if it's just as good as my XD .40 I think this would be an excellent choice.
 
I would buy an SW1911. The base models should be under 1000. Out of all the 1911's I have shot, they are the most dependable in that price range.
 
Nobody has suggested it, so I will, I would look into Taurus, mainly the PT-145 millenium pro, not a .45 ACP, but it is my CCW and has not given me any trouble for the last 5 years. Hey, look into their PT-1911 if you want a 1911 style handgun, I've shot one of those too, handled very well for me and was pretty accurate.
 
My Kimber CDP & my Taurus PT1911 have both been flawless. The Kimber is almost 3 years old with ~1000 rounds thru it and the PT1911 is about a year younger with about 700 rounds thru it. Price wise the PT1911 is pretty hard to beat. Mine was $513.00 out the door.
 
It's not a 1911, but probaly the .45 that'll last the longest is the Ruger P90. They are accurate, too.
Click to expand...

ab so lutely.

not so long ago when i was a patrolman, i found myself carrying my P90 more often than my M1911A1. if for no other reason than ease of stripping / cleaning and i didn't want to put a lot of holster wear on my Colt.

if it's possible for a (relatively) 1911-based semi to be more easily stripped and cleaned WELL, my dollar goes to the Ruger P-series.

in regards to accuracy, at qualifying distances (read: useful distances) i shoot at least as well my P90 as i do with my GI1911.

granted, if you ever tried to take either one away from me i'd disagree with you with the other.
 
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First thing to consider is that a Commander size 1911 has a 4.25" barrel. Many manufacturers (Springfield, Kimber, and RIA for example) use a 4" barrel. Some "design liberties" have been taken to get a 4" barrel to perform properly and they are not always successful. Personally, I feel the 4.25" barreled pistols have better proportions than the 4" models.

Colt, S&W, Sig, and Dan Wesson (I'm sure there are others) all make a true Commander (4.25" barrel) sized 1911, in your price range, and I would start my search with them. You really need to at least handle each pistol, even though they are all 1911's you can usually feel a difference between each manufactures models. Some will feel better in the hand than others.

My choice would be the standard blue Colt Commander model #04691. It has good sights, and the thumb and grip safeties I prefer. Colt small parts are usually better than those used by the competition. You should be able to find them for around $800. They are typically a great value because they are often overlooked since they don't have a lot of the "eye candy" (extended safeties, fancy sights, front cocking serrations, etc.) many of the other 1911's are wearing.

Edit: I agree that Ruger has some good value in .45ACP pistols. I have a Colt Combat Elite and a S&W 4506, but I would like to add a Ruger P345 or P90 (or both) to my collection. Either would be lighter than the two .45's I currently have.
 
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Ditto NONJATAINT; I have owned a S&W 1911 for over 7 years, with thousands of rounds of ball, HP and mostly handloads. I have never had one single problem with this pistol; totslly reliable, accurate, great trigger and beautifully finished (finished inside as well as the outside). I am sold on S&Ws powerful external extractor; it never fails to cycle properly. S&W has just introduced a Commander sized one I think; check it out.
 
probaly the .45 that'll last the longest is the Ruger P90.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that aluminum will outwear steel, uh huh. :rolleyes:

Many 98 year old 1911's out there still working and people will say stuff like that. I really don't want to offend anyone but please,,,,
 
S&W 1911 would be the first on the list.
However, you should consider a S&W M&P full size. They are well made (the problems that plagued early M&Ps have been ironed out with the .45), extra mags are reasonably priced, and a joy to shoot. Also, a bright eight year old could field strip and clean one.
Downside to the M&P: match grade replacement barrels aren't available readily- yet.
Go to a good range and rent 'em all. Shoot plenty of ammo. Most decent ranges will waive your rental and range fee if you buy a pistol from them that day. Just tell the guys there what you're up to.
BTW---glad to see the Glocksters haven't gotten ahold of this post yet! ;>
 
Buy Colt and never look back. I got the Stainless Combat Comander. It rattles a bit but the targets say it does not matter much. Haven't tried it, but I feel it can eat a lot of dirt and still run. If you want a carry gun, I'd choose reliability over a little extra accuracy you won't be utilizing in the "fog of war". I've added a lot of crap to mine over the years and about the only thing I really needed was the Ciener 22lr Conversion kit.
 
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