1911 in the $500 range...?

[Glock9mmOldStyle]

Buyer beware.....

When MGO gets working, he might do better looking for a used gun in the classifieds.

MGO has some good sellers, it also has some very slippery ones too. Tell him to asks lots of questions. You'll see adds like this often there, very sparse on info:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For sale like new Glock 17 $499.99
200 rounds down the pipe works great. No pics (my camera doesn't work) or picture taken from 50ft away.

upon further investigation - what model is it? Well its a..... stutter, stutter a Gen 2 (twenty years old)!
Are you the original owner? Well no I bought it from a pawn shop 10yrs ago (for $399.99) but his use of it has increased the value I guess? Run of serial number shows he's the 5th owner. So this thing could have 25,000 rounds thought it + plus his 200?
==========================================================
A new Gen4 for can be found on sale for $500! Why would anyone pay a premium price for someones cast off?

Just a word of caution

Now if your buddy is flexible he might want to check into the SIG P250 Compact, Med. or Full size in 9mm, 357sig 40SW (swap of caliber kits avail) or 45ACP I am told it can be had in his price range new on sale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF23KiuZkxI

 

[gasgasmi]

I have an RIA mid sized 9. Pretty new and still working on getting it to feed JHPs but shoots very good on FMJ. Wife has a Gov sized 9 Tac, shoots very good, son has one like it that never fails. Never had to send any of my Rocks in for repair. Can't say that about some others I paid A LOT more for. My Taurus PT1911 9 (was wife's first) had to be sent in, didn't work well at all, FTF, FTE, threw empties right at your face. After I got it back it's been fine. Very curious about the new officer size 9 from RIA but haven't seen one available for sale yet. Rocks have been great at our house, between the 3 of us we've had 3 9s, 1 45, and now an XT22, all worked perfect right outa the box except the new MS9 which needs break in and a feed ramp polish and I think it'll be just as good. The XT is very new and seems to prefer premium ammo which tics me off but my GSG was the same way till it had 500 or so rds down the tube so I'm not too worried. Buy the Rock, it'll make ya smile!

 

[dragongtr]

http://www.slickguns.com/product/ro...combo-ac-ri1911-9mm-22tcm-52999-free-shipping

 

[Scooter]

Thanks to you all for the info, opinions and ideas so far!

 

[Yance]

If they decide to go with .45, I second the American Classic line, its my daily carry and its a great gun. I had 2 fail to feeds when I first bought it, but 200+ rounds later I havent had a single problem. I credit my 2 FTFs to shooting the gun right out of the box and not cleaning it before hand.

 

[Scooter]

If they decide to go with .45, I second the American Classic line, its my daily carry and its a great gun. I had 2 fail to feeds when I first bought it, but 200+ rounds later I havent had a single problem. I credit my 2 FTFs to shooting the gun right out of the box and not cleaning it before hand.

Nice! The American Classic looks great!
All this gun shopping for someone else is making me hungry for one myself!

 

[Yance]

Its a terrible thing...I know. lol

 

[RetiredOC]

I have owned 5 Taurus pistols in my life time. One thing I've discovered, you either hate them, or you love them. I've never owned a PT1911, yet. But I have a PT92AFS, that is nearly 20 years old. It's never jammed, never broken on me and never failed to fire. Of the others I've owned, I had one that gave me any problems at all, and it was just a total mystery. But, if I had the money, I'd buy another Taurus pistol or revolver tomorrow.

That's just my .10. (Inflation)

I think what happens is 50% of their guns are junk. I just happened to get nothing but junk, and you just happened to get all the good ones. Hey, if yours run great, then good for you. I'm glad you didn't have to deal with the aches and pains I did. Sending a gun back to the manufacturer isn't cheap if you don't have an FFL.

Sometimes I feel like maybe taurus was playing a cruel trick on just me.

I'll NEVER purchase a taurus firearm EVER again. Yea...blanket words...I just used them.

 

[Yance]

I was looking at a Taurus PT1911 when I was browsing for a 1911, I read a lot of the reviews and they were all saying the same thing its either "hit or miss" with the quality. Personally if I'm spending $500+ I dont want it to be on a wing and a prayer that my gun will work right for me with no problems

 

[Operator_223]

my 9mm PT1911 came NIB.

Safety on -pull trigger -nothing happens - good to go

drop safety -HOLY BAJESUS HAMMER FALLS THANKGODFORDAHALFCOCKPOSITION
Sent back and returned in a week fixed.

In a gun that requires all the internals to fit together with great precision (1911s) I do not trust Taurus.

Here, enjoy some pictures of the internals of a NIB PT1911 from Taurus. This is a separate pt1911 from the one described above. I've owned 4 PT1911s. Took me a while to learn my lesson about Taurus' terrible quality.

My .02...actually...my $2,100 (appx)

This sorta struck a nerve on me....... people go out and want to spend 400 on a gun that was designed a hundred years ago..... it's a really good and solid proven design PROVIDED that it is made with the intention of using quality steel parts that are smoothly finished..... I look at the picture above and just shake my head. Look at the cracks and the bend in the hammer strut.... look at where the strut connects to the hammer, it's loose as a goose... looks like it was pinned with a piece of paper clip wire.

Lesson learned, I bought a Kimber Raptor II in blue for $1500, I got it home and after a few days I discovered the mainspring housing was plastic and then I stripped it to the frame and the whole damned gun is cast, slide frame, and all the internal parts, all of them were MIM metal injection molded parts.

I have a couple springfield loaded pistols and the guts are even worse. the sear face had mold pits and the hammer feet werent machined evenly.... so I spent another $500 on top of the line parts and rebuilt it from the frame up. Now I got a fairly decent pistol.

In 1911's you get what you pay for. I laugh when someone wants to pay 400/500 for a 1911 and they think it's top quality. It isnt. If you ever tried a $2000 to $3000 pistol you will know what a real pistol is.

aint got the bucks then go get a glock until you do. thats what I did. you need a durable, supremely reliable gun.

 

[Yance]

I have to disagree. Yes the $1000-$3000 guns are probably worth their weight in what they are made of, but you can find extreme quality without spending the extreme amount. Quality is just that...if a gun is made with poor quality then the gun will be poor quality regardless of what its made of. If I spend $500 on a gun that works better than a gun of the same model that was $1300 and it has less problems, then I would say I came out on top.

 

[Shadow Bear]

This sorta struck a nerve on me....... people go out and want to spend 400 on a gun that was designed a hundred years ago..... it's a really good and solid proven design PROVIDED that it is made with the intention of using quality steel parts that are smoothly finished..... I look at the picture above and just shake my head. Look at the cracks and the bend in the hammer strut.... look at where the strut connects to the hammer, it's loose as a goose... looks like it was pinned with a piece of paper clip wire.

Lesson learned, I bought a Kimber Raptor II in blue for $1500, I got it home and after a few days I discovered the mainspring housing was plastic and then I stripped it to the frame and the whole damned gun is cast, slide frame, and all the internal parts, all of them were MIM metal injection molded parts.

I have a couple springfield loaded pistols and the guts are even worse. the sear face had mold pits and the hammer feet werent machined evenly.... so I spent another $500 on top of the line parts and rebuilt it from the frame up. Now I got a fairly decent pistol.

In 1911's you get what you pay for. I laugh when someone wants to pay 400/500 for a 1911 and they think it's top quality. It isnt. If you ever tried a $2000 to $3000 pistol you will know what a real pistol is.

aint got the bucks then go get a glock until you do. thats what I did. you need a durable, supremely reliable gun.

You forgot to rip on the OP for even considering 9mm.:lol:

Yes, you can spend more, certainly. It will better, beyond a doubt. Can you get a REALLY crappy one for $500? Sounds like 50/50 chance. I've looked at some of the $1000-1200 1911, and saw some stinkers. Haven't had a chance to fondle some of the really high dollar guns.

OP didn't say if it was a first gun. No indication if he intended it for self defense. Perhaps he's taking up pin shooting. Maybe's he's got six Glocks in a variety of calibers.

Living within one's budget? Always a good plan.

Crap, already broke one of my New Year's resolutions.....:uhoh:

 

[Big Gay Al]

I have to disagree. Yes the $1000-$3000 guns are probably worth their weight in what they are made of, but you can find extreme quality without spending the extreme amount. Quality is just that...if a gun is made with poor quality then the gun will be poor quality regardless of what its made of. If I spend $500 on a gun that works better than a gun of the same model that was $1300 and it has less problems, then I would say I came out on top.

I'm with Yance on this. I've owned 2 Rock Island Armory 1911s. The only reason I sold them is I needed the money. In both cases, I didn't lose any money in the sale either. Both were well made, well put together, and I had zero problems with them. The people I sold them to were just as satisfied as I was with their performance.

I wish I knew what it was with Taurus. Like I said previously, I've never had a problem with them, except on pistol. But I've heard from others about problems with them. I dunno. Personally, I'm thinking of looking for the Ruger 1911. It might be a bit more than the $500.00 limit, but I think it might be worth it.

 

[Scooter]

To answer some of the questions brought up: This would be his first gun and he would carry for personal defense. He would mostly have it on him while trucking, he is going to get his CPL. His initial interest is a 1911 style pistol but he is also considering hammerless semi-autos. Glock is not an option as they do not fit his hand right. He does like the M&P line and they are on the short list. He is leaning toward 9mm for cost/capacity although 45 is not out of the question. Reloading was mentioned but the initial investment may be more than he can currently handle. It's all a lot to take in so he is taking his time to figure it out and get as many guns in his hand to see what he thinks.
The posts on this forum have been very helpful, thanks to all again!

 

[Yance]

As far 1911s get in YouTube as well, you can find a lot of reviews from just regular people that are giving their honest thoughts. The m&p in 9mm is impressive, and it fits the hand similar to the way a 1911 does. I rented one at my gun shop an was so impressed with it I put one in layaway. I never thought about 9mm until I shot one of those.

 

[gasgasmi]

I have an M&P9C that is one of my carry guns. I like it, fairly light and accurate enough. Son has the M&P 4 1/4 inch Pro, I like the way it shoots too. Probably my best carry is a Colt Defender 9 but that costs a bit more.

To answer some of the questions brought up: This would be his first gun and he would carry for personal defense. He would mostly have it on him while trucking, he is going to get his CPL. His initial interest is a 1911 style pistol but he is also considering hammerless semi-autos. Glock is not an option as they do not fit his hand right. He does like the M&P line and they are on the short list. He is leaning toward 9mm for cost/capacity although 45 is not out of the question. Reloading was mentioned but the initial investment may be more than he can currently handle. It's all a lot to take in so he is taking his time to figure it out and get as many guns in his hand to see what he thinks.
The posts on this forum have been very helpful, thanks to all again!

 

[smellslikemichigan]

meijer
hollywood supermarket
home depot

 

[Bronson]

His initial interest is a 1911 style pistol but he is also considering hammerless semi-autos.

Bersa just released a poly framed, single stack 9mm with an 8+1 capacity. So far I've got approx. 350 flawless rounds through mine. They can be had for around $350.00 if price is a concern. I've been pretty impressed with this little pistol and I've always had good service from the Bersa service centers (except Gander Mntn...don't go there for service). This new little pistol also comes with the same lifetime warranty that all Bersas have.

Just another option that won't break the bank.

Bronson