If you had a grand...

[motoman]

45 ACP
hands down must have atleast 1 1911.
springfield armory loaded (dont think you can get an operator for less than $1k.)
i've never seen/shot/held the sti trojan but adam knows a thing or two so he might be on to something there.
.

I've seen the champion operator for $850-$900 a few places online when I've looked in the past.

[momo]

I've seen the champion operator for $850-$900 a few places online when I've looked in the past.

i might be in for a brand upgrade in the near future.

is champion springfields name for a 4" model?
i only down with 5" 1911s.

[YALE]

Does it come in both steel and polymer frames? Did a quick Google search for images and it appears to be produced in both forms.

Sig's 1911's only come in forged stainless. All the black guns are ion-coated. FWIW, they're actually hand-fitting the pistols now, instead of just throwing match parts together and hoping it runs. They also apparently have Storm Lake barrels and only about 4 MIM parts, so that's nice. They seem to start around $850, and there isn't a tiered quality level, the only premiums are for features.

[Trick Pony]

i might be in for a brand upgrade in the near future.

I think Bud's Gun Shop had good deals on them.

[motoman]

i might be in for a brand upgrade in the near future.

is champion springfields name for a 4" ? i like 5" 1911s.

Yes the champion is their 4 inch "carry" frame.

I think Bud's Gun Shop had good deals on them.

That's exactly where I've seen it in the past, they had a couple and they went quick.

[momo]

i have to give honorable mention to the tanfoglio witness elite limited.

[Samhain]

You could end up with two Witness pistols for a grand. They are a hell of a deal IMO.

[ceyko]

2 Glocks, more gee-s, more gangster.

[bulldog896]

That is my biggest pick with HK as a whole is that they refuse to conform to industry standard rails and mounts. Have suppressor that you can use on every other pistol known to man? Fuck you! We like nonsensical metric left hand thread just to be dicks. Have a scope you want to mount on your G3? Cool bro, but first you need to buy this weird ass proprietary clamp thing and then you are good to go! Nice USP man, thanks for buying HK. Oh, you want a light? Well you sure can have one, but it has to be this uber expensive one that we helped design because.... fuck you and your picatinny bullshit.

Yeah I agree Problem is they are following eastern block stuff for threads tho most companies have a "US" and "EURO" version now. I still kick myself for not buying a sig P229 I found factory threaded 1/2x28 AS for the rail I cannot defend HK there If the mounts were better or even as good as picatinny I might could follow but that clamp shit sucks. Only benefit I can see is the quick release but that is only good if it doesn't shift. Only way it doesn't shift is if you do tons of tuning and setup which you get on HK. Same with the rail I'd understand if the rail was better but damn all it consists of is two grooves cut in the frame

[ThreeFingerPete]

Sig's 1911's only come in forged stainless. All the black guns are ion-coated. FWIW, they're actually hand-fitting the pistols now, instead of just throwing match parts together and hoping it runs. They also apparently have Storm Lake barrels and only about 4 MIM parts, so that's nice. They seem to start around $850, and there isn't a tiered quality level, the only premiums are for features.

Forged SS frames imported from Germany, and their barrels are currently made in house.

What is it about STI that makes them popular with the educated gun enthusiast? Where do they fall in comparison to the Wilson Combat, Dan Wesson, or Les Baer line?

STI has made as many or more competition winning guns as any other manufacturer. People who use their guns hard like STI. They have offerings at most price points, and all of them except for the spartan are hand fitted in Georgetown. They stand behind their guns and will fix any issues that arise, but of all of them that I've owned/shot, I have yet to have a problem. They are also the ones who popularized the "2011" doublestack polymer grip guns, giving you high capacity with similar ergonomics as a traditional 1911.

Upside:
Extremely well fitted, accurate, durable guns made for people who are going to shoot a lot. High grade steels, tool steel sear, etc.

Downside:
Not as many options as others, and the custom shop is gone.

i have to give honorable mention to the tanfoglio witness elite limited.

Agreed. Only downside is that EAA isn't great on Customer service and magazines are expensive.

If you want to shoot competitions, the STI Trojan is class ready for a dozen classes.

If you want to shoot IPSC Limited, get the EAA and enjoy it. It shoots like a million bucks.

Oh, and Adam has me wanting a damn Alaskan now but I need to try one out first to decide whether I'm man enough for a big bore snubby.

The Ruger SRH is a great gun, and the Alaskan in .44 Mag would be great, but I'd still buy a .454 gun and shoot .45lc through it. You can approach .44 Mag levels in .45lc, or step up to the fire breathers if you hate yourself.

[Bassics]

If you like the CZ design, and had a cool thousand to spend, have you considered a witness with extra slides, barrels and mags so you can run various calibers?

I believe all of them now are built on the large frame, so consider one frame, three slides, three mags and 12 barrels (I know for a fact that all of these exist, there are probably more readily available and some are a waste, but they are like pokemons, you gotta collect em all):

9mm
40s&w
10mm
45ACP
400 Corbon
38 super
9x21
9x23
41AE
357 sig
45 GAP
9x25 Dillon

You can also get the factory 22 conversion, I have no idea how well that works though.

[D. Lil]

Probably a P30.


Carry mine every day. Fit and finish is great and what you would expect from a German outfit. Accurate as all get out, night sights, decocker, ambi, can be had with or without a safety, high capacity, picatinny rail, and it feels like it was molded to your hand by God thanks to the 9 interchangeable back and side straps it comes with.

What holster do you use and what position? My ultra carry is small but I still find it hard to not print at the 3 or 4 o clock position. And I'm talking when you're wearing just a shirt no jacket or anything

[propellerhead]

I'd go with a 9mm 1911. It's not as common as a regular 1911 or Glock, but still fun to shoot.

[Bassics]

Coonan responed and told me they could only go to 3.5lb on the trigger, but I'm still considering it:

http://coonaninc.com/

I got to get away from this novelty crap, but hey at least it isn't some oddball caliber. Now if only I had a coupon for half off...

[ThreeFingerPete]

Coonan responed and told me they could only go to 3.5lb on the trigger, but I'm still considering it:

http://coonaninc.com/

I got to get away from this novelty crap, but hey at least it isn't some oddball caliber. Now if only I had a coupon for half off...

.357? I'm guessing you reload. Why not 9x23, and put it in any 1911 you want?