1911
 

I hear this term thrown around. I'd like to make sure I understand it.

The "original" 1911 was the Colt model 1911 in .45 ACP that was adopted as a military sidearm.

The way the term "1911" is now used, it refers to any clone of that gun, or really anything chambered in .45 ACP that looks similar and has a hammer, correct?

Legion,

That is what I am referring to in general. There are many makes and variations today so it’s not quite the specific term/reference it was years ago.

S/F, FOG

I think you'll find that most 1911s start with the same basic design, and every company has their own take.

Yups, same basic design. Most will interchange parts with little/no fitting.

There are also some variations - for example, the Sistema, which was made on Colt tooling, etc. in South America. There is also the Ballester Molina, which is just like the 1911 except it has no grip safety (neither did John Browning's original design - it was added at the request of the US Army Cavalry).

If you want into the 1911 game for *cheap* with a good quality gun, look at the current production Rock Island Armory stuff. I have a basic GI model, less than $400 out the door, and only had a few jams in the first hundred rounds or so. The other 1900 rounds I've put thru it have been flawless...

My Springfield Mil-Spec has also been a really good gun, under $500 at most stores. If you're interested in "modding" a 1911, there's a number of really good factory custom guns that get you the same features at a much better price.

onewhippedpuppy - yup. wish I had gotten the RIA "tactical" model instead of the base GI. About $100 more, but has extended ambi safety, beaver tail, etc. About $250 worth of mods...

When you say 1911..you are referring to the design. An HK USP in 45 ACP is not a 1911. A friend had a Springfield Operator that he loved.

I personally only like earlier Colt 1911s. Down the road a bit I would like to get an Ed Brown Custom Classic as a shooter.

In the past 7 years or so early Colt 1911s and their variations have gone nuts in price. Quiet frankly I have a hard time justifing over 10K for a Colt 1911. I would much rather put my money in a good ole single shot rifle.

Tabs,

Damn!!! I bought and built mine years ago. Colts were series 70 and otherwise use Caspian to build on.

10 grand, WTF? Collector or full race w/titanium compensator, etc. and engraving or???

S/F, FOG

1911's are similar to 911's in that there is no end to the number of mods you can do, how much $$ you can dump into it and will be left with something worth a fraction of what you have into it.

+1

Collector...Prices have gone over in the past 1 1/2 years. A WW1 Remington UMC went for 13K and change. An early Commercial ( C 36XX) went for 13K last weekend, it was pristine. Also the prewar 38 Super Matches have been in that range for quiet awhile now.

has Sig fixed the GSRs, or are they still sketchy? The dealer I bought my p226 from actually steered me away from buying one.

When most people use the term 1911 they are referring to one that looks like a 1911A1. I think the last 1911 was made in 1925. The easiest way to spot one is the lack of the milling cuts on each side of the trigger.
Jim

Flat mainspring housing and shorter tang on the grip safety too.

Dunno, but even if they did fix it, the GSR is still just an overpriced Caspian. SIG is good enough at their classic line. They don't need to muddy the 1911 waters.