When I began this report, I did not think it would be an introduction to the unfamiliar. Most everyone interested in shooting is aware of the 1911 handgun. This is a survey of a few of the handguns available. These handguns are useful within their niche. And that is something that must be understood. All 1911s are not created equal.
Some are barely serviceable; others are works of art in steel. The 1911 by virtue of its hand fitting requires considerable effort to get right. The two halves of the feed ramp demand polish. The slide lock safety must be properly fitted.
The extractor must have sufficient tension but not too much to properly guide the cartridge during its feed cycle. The 1911 is a controlled feed handgun. A good example is as reliable as a machine may be. A poor example is much less so.
There are several grades of 1911 handgun. These grades don’t exist with Glocks — all Glocks are the same. SIG pistols are much the same. The 1911 is available in economy grade guns. Some like to get their feet wet in the 1911 without a huge outlay. They may wish to own a 1911 but carry a Glock or rely on some other handgun.
Revolvers are much the same with grades. A recreational gun is OK, a hunting grade gun another. Collector grade guns are another creature altogether. So, the economy gun is OK for informal target practice. An entry-grade 1911, purchased new, may need the extractor tuned and the feed ramp polished. This is a great learning experience that some enjoy. Some shooters don’t enjoy this fiddling and detail work.
Then we have pistols suitable for defense use. They are a higher grade with better fit and finish and good sights. They are suited to personal defense and have proven reliable. Service grade 1911 handguns are well fitted and accurate with better controls. They are likely to be as reliable as a machine can be.
I understand the emotional attachment and a sense of history that comes with owning a 1911. But history favors the best made guns of the era, not the cheapest. I narrowed down the offerings to five worthwhile 1911 handguns. While I own Wilson Combat and Les Baer pistols, I did not include these types. They are the minority of 1911 handguns in use. While excellent firearms, the chore may be done with less expensive, but not cheap, handguns.
Girsan 1911
My friend Virgil doesn’t purchase jewelry that turns the wrist green. His watch doesn’t come from Walmart. He didn’t like the Girsan much but had to admit it is worth its price. The sights are Novak type with an acceptable sight picture. The pistol tested is a five-inch barrel Government Model with steel frame. The pistol features ambidextrous safety levers and a nicely designed beavertail grip safety.
The barrel and barrel bushing are well fitted. The feed ramps are polished OK and fed the half dozen hollow point loads tested. This is good to have on a pistol retailing for less than $500. Trigger compression is 7.4 pounds. The grips are plastic checkered slabs. The front strap is slightly serrated.
The pistol was initially tested with 230-grain full metal jacket loads. The Girsan short cycled or failed to go into battery about a half dozen times during the first 50 cartridges but apparently smoothed in. Some 1911 handguns endure a break-in period.
I also tuned the extractor as it was too tight from the factory, failing to take a bite of the .45 ACP extractor groove. This is a minor thing for someone with my experience, and for a recreational handgun, not a huge deal. This is a good hobbyist pistol. In absolute accuracy the Girsan proved to be accurate enough for most chores. Federal 230-grain FMJ grouped five shots into four inches from a solid rest at 25 yards.
Tisas 1911 Duty
If a 1911 may be manufactured for less expense, but not cheaply, there is a recipe for success. The primary advantage of the Tisas 1911 is that the pistol is of forged steel rather than cast material. Tisas offers a pistol with GI type sights and controls. This is fine if you want a recreational shooter or a GI gun.
The Tisas Duty offers several improved features. The stainless steel Duty pistol seems well machined and free of internal and external tool marks. The barrel bushing is only finger tight and does not require a bushing wrench. The slide lock safety is an ambidextrous type. The Tisas safety indents properly. The sights are Novak types with three dot inserts.
The slide is well fitted and polished with minimal lateral play against the frame. The pistol features a cut out behind the trigger guard that lowers the bore axis. When the line of the bore above the hand is lower, muzzle flip is less.
The slide stop is polished flat with the receiver on the right side. The slide features forward cocking serrations. The grips are utilitarian plastic. The trigger is smooth, breaking at a relatively clean 6.9 pounds. Reset is sharp.
Performance is the key to value. I lubricated the pistol on the long bearing surfaces, barrel hood, and barrel bushing. Firing the pistol with Remington 230-grain FMJ ammunition, results were good. The pistol is fast on target, and drills out the X-ring on demand in true 1911 fashion.
A steel frame Government Model is a joy to fire and use. The Tisas is accurate enough with a five-shot group at 25 yards of 3.5 inches. So far, so good!
Auto Ordnance 1911A1
This pistol gave me pause. Most GI-type pistols are inexpensive pistols that resemble the original in appearance. Auto Ordnance gives us an accurate replica of the 1911A1 as produced from 1928 on. The original 1911 as manufactured by Colt, Ithaca, Remington Rand, and a few others, was well made of good material.
Each had interchangeable parts and performed well. Original specifications were that the pistol be accurate enough to stay in a five inch circle at 25 yards and a 10-inch group at 50 yards. These handguns were models of reliability and durability. Larger sights and controls made the pistol easier to use well in later models.
Some don’t feel that the ‘feature creep’ found in 1911s is always a good thing. In particular, target-style additions, such as an adjustable trigger, are not best for use in service guns. The Auto Ordnance is a GI gun that may be counted on to save your life.
Just as many original GI guns were more accurate than specifications called for, the Auto Ordnance is more accurate than most GI guns. Federal 230-grain American Eagle ammunition gave the author a 3-inch, 25-yard group — plenty accurate for most uses. Remington ball ammunition practically overlapped this group. While the sights are small, they are well regulated.
I sacrificed a magazine of my hoarded Federal 230-grain Punch hollow point loads. Punch is a formidable defense loading. Feed reliability was perfect. I like this pistol more than I first thought I would. It is among a very few modern GI replicas that is also service grade.
Colt Stainless 1911
I acquired a lot of knowledge as I wrote three books on the 1911. I have absorbed quite a bit concerning fit tolerance and even metal hardness. The Colt Stainless Government Model (in current production) in my opinion is the best Colt series ever made. Modern CNC control is one reason.
Colts have the internal parts to beat in a production handgun. The Colt Government Model will last a lifetime. For personal defense, a properly maintained Colt 1911 is all you will need and may be counted on to go many thousands of rounds without a problem. My impression has been that the stainless Colt pistols are fitted slightly tighter and generally have a better level of accuracy. This isn’t something I would testify to in a court of law, but I would bet on it in Vegas.
Stainless steel makes a lot of sense in a service pistol and a handgun to be carried in all conditions including in concealed carry close to the body. The sights are superior to GI sights, but they are not Novak-type sights. The slide lock safety is crisp in operation.
The grip safety properly releases its hold on the trigger about midway into compression. This is a pistol to be fired, trained with, and to save your life — not to live in a safe. The tactical is more important than the technical and this pistol is long on tactical
The slide and frame fit well together. The feed ramp is smooth. The extractor tension and ejector height are correct. The 1/32-inch gap between the two sections of the feed ramp — necessary for good feeding — are spot on. The barrel bushing is snug but not so tight a tool is needed for disassembly.
The stainless steel barrel measures out at .580 at the muzzle and .573 for the rest of the barrel to the barrel hood. The barrel bushing has .003-inch clearance. A tighter bushing may produce greater accuracy for the shooter who recognizes the need. The pistol uses a standard recoil spring plug, recoil spring, and spring guide without a full-length recoil spring guide to complicate matters. The Colt shoots well in fast combat shooting.
As for absolute accuracy, the pistol is quite accurate. While most groups with 230-grain ball run around 3 inches. With Federal Hydra Shok and Remington Golden Saber, I have fired five-shot groups at 25 yards as small as 2.25 inches. This takes a firm consistent hold, good trigger control and sight alignment that are as close to perfect as possible. The Colt is still the 1911 by which all others are judged by.
SIG Classic Two Tone
Sometimes you feel that a pistol was made just for you. The SIG reverse two tone with Nitron stainless slide is among these. SIG manufacturers some of the most reliable and accurate handguns in the world. The SIG 1911 illustrated is a steel frame Government Model.
With a very clean 5-pound trigger and superb sights, the pistol also features a modern beavertail grip safety and well fitted slide lock safety. The sights are an uncommon set up that I find well suited to personal defense. The Bar Dot type sight is a bright tritium front, with a tritium bar in the rear. This makes for a sight that is unlikely to be misaligned in dark or near dark conditions.
The pistol features an external extractor — a departure from the original. When has a SIG extractor given trouble? The pistol has proven reliable with a wide range of ammunition. As for accuracy, the SIG 1911 is among the most accurate factory 1911 handguns.
Firing from a solid benchrest, it isn’t unusual for the pistol to put five shots into 2.5 inches at 25 yards, sometimes a little less, seldom a little more. This is one of the best buys in the 1911 world. While the price isn’t top end, the performance is.
The 1911 handgun is an American icon but also a great shooter. It is among the finest personal defense handguns in the world in a good example. For different purposes, these five affordable 1911 handguns are good all-around pistols, each worth its price.
It’s hard not to love and revere the 1911 platform. It is considered to be pistol design perfection by shooters around the world. What’s your favorite 1911? Which grade of 1911 do you prefer? Share your answers in the comment section.