1911 owners... questions concerns or fun lets make this long

Zembonez · August 7, 2012

I love my Kimber Custom TLE II. Once you own a 1911, you'll always want to own one. I have others but the 1911 is a big time favorite.

dave_benn · August 7, 2012

that is real nice looking, iv been trying to fing differences between all the different kimbers. Is there a difference between them or are the more expensive ones are set up set up differently than the custom II, or is it a quality thing?

Zembonez · August 7, 2012

Many of the differences are visual differences. The custom shop guns are all hand fitted and are supposed to have a better feel overall... but I find that you still need to look at each one individually to get the feel you are looking for. It's like anything else, there are going to be more and more expensive models, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are better..

waumo1 · August 7, 2012

that is real nice looking, iv been trying to fing differences between all the different kimbers. Is there a difference between them or are the more expensive ones are set up set up differently than the custom II, or is it a quality thing?

Designs and materials change from time to time but my Kimber Stainless Gold Match has polished slide sides, extended slide release, ambidextrous safety and nice wood grip panels. The Custom Stainless Target II has none of the previous, the main spring housing is plastic (but nicely finished), the overall finish is a uniform matte or sandblast finish and the grip panels are black rubber. As for fit and finish where it counts, they both appear equal.

The Target models will have adjustable sights and the carry guns will have fixed no snag type sights. The Kimber web site has very good details on the models.

Mojavered · August 9, 2012

Colt, Kimber, Les Baer, there are quite a few out there that are respectable. Grab them, shoot them, hang out at the range for a little to see what you like. There are a lot of forums that may be somewhat local (state wide??) to you that have guns for sale. People buy a gun, thinking they like it and they do not, or they just want to clean house. Good deals all around, you just have to find them. Good luck on whatever you decide. Just remember to post some pics when you finally decide to pull the trigger and bring one home!

dave_benn · August 9, 2012

I am waiting for new jersey to get my firearms purchasers permit done, then i will be buying one. So hopefully it will only be another month or so. I will be looking for a used one as for those reasons you pointed out. I bought a used Marlin 336 that was built in '07 so it was the year before Remington took them over and i when i got it i looked it over, never had a shell in it. The blue on the the gun looks like i just took it out of the box. So like i said i will be trying to buy used cause alota people shoot them a handfull of times then put them away to collect dust.

Zembonez · August 9, 2012

Don't forget to check out STI.

http://www.stiguns.com/

Mojavered · August 9, 2012

I was trying to remember the name of that co. Thanks! Good piece, a lot use for competition.

Zembonez · August 9, 2012

Good folks over at STI. They make em right up the road from me in Georgetown Tx. I've been through their facility and even seen inside their cool "special safe" of sweet firearms. Like I say... great bunch of guys there.

Pknitty86 · August 12, 2012

Has anyone here had any experience with the Rock Island 1911s?

Nitro375 · September 1, 2012

Has anyone here had any experience with the Rock Island 1911s?

They are ok, the slide and frame are built pretty nice. I have had problems with the interernals though. Once I replaced all that and fitted everything it was fine. Of course adding up parts and labor I could have bought a Colt or Kimber, and thats what I did!

RCP · September 3, 2012

I carry a series 1 Kimber Pro Carry quite often. Mines been 100% reliable and is a tack driver, actually I think it's one of the most accurate pistols I've ever had the pleasure of shooting.

As for the sights I'd suggest taking a look at the TruGlo TFOs (TFO stands for Tritium Fiber Optic). They are a hybrid that uses fiber optic rods during daylight and tritium like other nights at night. They are super bright day or night and I've outfitted my carry guns with them. Here they are in daylight on my Glock 26.

Spurshot · September 11, 2012

I've been a 1911 guy for over 30 yrs. I worked on them as a gunsmith, modifying them and fixing them. I have owned a pile of them. I quit buying them quite some time ago and I'm really not up on the newer guns like the S&W and Kimber. But, I still love the 1911. I still have 2 70 series Gold Cups and a compensated target gun from the old days that I built.

But, in recent years, I needed a compact gun for road trips since my subcompact 1911 Detonics was stolen.

A friend gave me a Glock knowing I needed a road gun for my hunting trips across the country. But I hate that thing. I don't need 14 or 15 shots for a defensive gun and I don't like fat grips. He's getting that thing back.

After looking over all the options for a road trip gun, I settled on a Sig P239 in .40 S&W. It was really tough for me to get anything besides a 1911. Now when you stop booing and hissing, take a really good look at a Sig. It's a high quality piece that goes bang everytime. The DA first shot is a feature I've always sat on the fence over. I even had two STI DA conversion kits that I was going to build a couple guns on, but never did. Now that I have a DA first shot gun, I love that feature.

Still, for anything else, I still love my 1911's.

paoutlaw · September 11, 2012

+1 for the meprolites on my kimber tle II.

EvanWilliams · October 6, 2012

I just picked up a Remington 1911 this spring. I have only put 100 rounds through it during a trip to the range but it was a joy to shoot. Looking forward to my next trip.

Heard a lot of good things. Congrats on a great gun.

Frank.