Revolver guy thinking about a 1911...

[Tony Mig]

I had a Colt Series 70 many moons ago, and it was a total POS, I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn at close quarters with that gun. I traded it in on a revolver, and swore I'd never waste my money on one again.....(that was 25 years ago)
Recently I've had the pleasure of shooting several modern 1911's from Springfield, and Kimber, and I'm tossing around the idea of giving this type of gun another try.
I see Auto Ordnance has added a custom model to thier line of mil-spec 1911's, and the price isn't bad at all. It's made of stainless steel, has the commander style hammer, light weight trigger, and target sights with an MSRP around $750.00.
Anybody have any experiance with any of the 1911 offerings from Auto Ordnance.....?
If so....
Are you happy with the gun....?
Is the gun accurate enough for bullseye type target shooting, or is it more in line with other mil-spec models.....?
Has the gun had any failures, broken parts, poor fit & finish......?
How's their customer service to deal with......?

 

[Sean Smith]

Auto-Ord are, by almost all accounts, still pretty sketchy.

Just speaking in general, people frequently confuse external features with actual quality. Just because it has fake Bo-Mars doesn't make it good.

As for bullseye shooting... I don't think any of the mass producers of 1911s (Colt, Kimber, Springfield Armory) consistently make a sub-$1,000 gun that is accurate enough. Your best bet if you want an economical bullseye gun might be to find a gun store that carries Dan Wessons, and cherry-pick the best one based on the test target that comes with the gun... they made alot of moderately-priced guns with Jarvis match barrels.

Pre-Series II Kimbers were often extremely accurate factory guns, current Kimbers on average less so. Just my impression.

Either one of those options would keep you <$800 if you shop around, and be way better than anything Auto-Ord ever put out. If nothing else, the resale value would be alot better.

 

[Valkman]

If you liked shooting the Springers and Kimbers you should get one of those. Shooting them and then buying what many consider a lesser brand may set you up to be unhappy again. A SA Mil-Spec is a great gun for the money and the accuracy is great!

 

[Bacchus]

Don't have experience with AOs, but you can find a ton of info on 1911s at this forum:

www.1911forum.com

We'll see you in a few years when you've read all the info...

 

[Sean Smith]

Thing is, there is accuracy, and then there is accuracy. When you are trying to keep all the rounds in a ~ 3" X-ring, the difference between a gun that shoots 3" @ 25 yards from a rest, and 1" @ 25 yards from a rest, can be non-trivial. Assuming you are a better shot than I am, of course.

 

[Tony Mig]

How about Charles Daley, I was just looking over their website, and they offer a lot more details on their 1911's, lifetime warrentee, and the MSRP is even better than Auto Ordnance.

I've heard a few say the Charles Daly guns are good products, what do you guys think of them.....?

 

[Sean Smith]

I think you know you like the Kimber and SA guns, so you should spring for one, rather than settle for something else.

I would suggest that there is cheap, and then there is a good value. There is no such thing as a free ride. Charles Daly, RIA, Armscor, and Auto-Ordnance are all the bottom-feeders of the 1911 world (no pun intended ). Fairly, or not, their reputations stink.

I've owned 5 1911s, and have a 6th on the way, ranging from Colt beaters to full custom jobs. My advice is simple: stick to Colt, Kimber or Springfield Armory if you are shopping in the $500-1,000 price range. The cheapest 1911 you should buy is a Springfield Armory Milspec variant. Just my take on it.

 

[R.H. Lee]

Try it, you'll like it. I recently found a 1970's era Colt Combat Gov't I stored in the garage and forgotten about. Took it to the range and I'm hooked. Since bought another one, a Springfield stainless Milspec. Now I've got one for each hand.

 

[horge]

I would suggest that there is cheap, and then there is a good value. There is no such thing as a free ride. Charles Daly, RIA, Armscor, and Auto-Ordnance are all the bottom-feeders of the 1911 world (no pun intended ). Fairly, or not, their reputations stink.

Sean,

Uhm, Charles Daly, yes.
Auto-Ordnance, maybe.
But a quick perusal of 1911forum's 'Other 1911 brands' subforum will yield
pretty positive reactions and reviews from longtime and new users of
Armscor and especially Armscor's RIA line.

Go ahead, visit and verify their 'reputations'...
That point aside I'd rather buy an old-school Colt,
and the 'Springfield' 1911's out of Geneseo look like terrific values.


horge