A few questions for .45 enthisiasts

[Dave Ritsema]

I am looking for a nice range gun. This won't be a primary carry gun, but of course I want the ability to do so if I wish. I am trying to simplify my life in my advancing years so I want to stick with .45 as I already have others in this caliber and am comfortable with the ballistics.

That being said, I have narrowed my choices down to two weapons, the Smith and Wesson "E Series"

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_785114_-1_770151_757752_757751_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y 


and the Kimber Tactical Custom HD II.

http://www.kimberamerica.com/1911/tactical-ii/tactical-custom-hd-ii



I prefer the heavier frame for recoil control, and willl likely be putting a set of laser grips as they seem to help my wife considerably when she joins me. In terms of re-sale, should I ever wish to sell it at least around here the Kimbers carry their value much better. The smith has the external extractor which I don't fullly understand if that is a more desireable feature. At the gun store today the action appeared smoother on the Kimber but that is very subjective, especially when it is simply dry firing. Any objective thoughts and ideas would be appreciated!

[The Anvil]

I like Kimber, nice gun. That said, you're going to pay about 30% too much for one and they're no more reliable than any other 1911. Some people don't mind paying a premium for what they really want (myself included, I paid "too much" for my H&K's) but just know that going in.

Smith has good QC and the $ is reasonable.

Stay away from Sig. Bad things have been coming out of Exeter lately.

[Jess from VA]

I can only speak to the Kimber I own, nearly perfect.  I have no experience with the Smith 1911.  

You might consider adding the Springfield Range Officer to your list, but I don't have experience with it either.

They probably all have lifetime warranties.  Looking for a lifetime keeper, I would not care much about resale values.  Unless you get unlucky, you probably cannot go wrong however you choose.

What I do in such situations is Google the specific guns and open and read thru many pages of links.  Google "Kimber Model X or Smith Model Y reviews" to try to avoid links that are just "for sale."  The most useful information often comes in links leading to various gun forums where they are discussing the item you are looking at, with Q & A.  Then, once you have it narrowed down, you begin all over looking for best prices, price matches, etc.  

I recently spent almost a week driving myself crazy looking at the hundreds of choices of optics and mounts for a .308 AR style rifle.  And one problem I found was (obviously) very little to read on relatively new stuff.  

Take your time, no sense rushing to spend big money.

Edit: Personally, I would not get a top dollar, all steel, five inch 1911 with fixed sights.   To get your full potential in accuracy I'd get good target adjustable sights.  This may detract from carry (holster hangups), but this is not really a carry gun anyway.

[Wetrudgeon]

We think either are good choices for the range or home/car defense.  We had a Kimber Tactical for a while and found it accurate and reliable with an excellent trigger, but with the aluminium frame the recoil was  objectionably harsh. We found that we did not shoot the Kimber Tact as well as our steel frame 1911A1 pistols.  Of the two, we would therefore opt for the S&W.  We grant that should you ever decide to carry it, the 26oz Kimber would be a bit more convenient than the 39oz S&W.  We think, however, there are better carry options than either of these.

Our $.02.

We trudge on.

[Pete]

Both are fine guns, but for a range gun would you be better off with adjustable sights?
Granted that if you add a laser it will be adjustable, not sure that really helps on a range gun.

I have shot both, and I see no real difference in work man ship, quality or materials.

Pick the one you like best.

[T-Bird]

Dave, I just bought a Dan Wesson Bobtail Classic a few months back, and have really enjoyed it over all my other range guns. I hope to be able to buy a Ed Brown in the near future...I used my friends at the range last week and it was sweet.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

First, I've got no personal experience with either gun. With that being said, I'd have to consider that the Kimber already has an ambi safety and night sights. If you installed both yourself it would probably cost you $200.

I'm not sure that the external extractor on the Smith would be much of an advantage. The standard 1911 type can cause problems if it's poorly fitted or defective of course, but so could any extractor. And you can be sure the Kimber people know how to install an extractor.

The Smith is a gorgeous pistol. Being SS and sporting those "fish scale" slide serrations for that price really seems like a deal if you can live without the ambi safety and if it has a good feeling trigger.

[lakehunter]

With the price of 1911 style pistols these days I decided to try something different. I shoot informal competitions with a local pistol club, reload my own ammo and own several .45's, including a Colt from the factory custom shop from years ago when one could be special ordered without breaking the bank.
Check out the EAA Elite Match pistol in .45 ...


This one is a very accurate out of the box competition pistol for under 600 bucks, similar to a CZ-75, 10 round mag, tack driver at 25 yards.

Good luck with your search !

[PAVALKER]

I have a stainless Ruger P90 (.45cal), that is very similar to my other stainless Ruger P-series guns and it is very accurate and reliable.  Recently picked up some revolvers in my common calibers .45, 9mm and .22.  The .45 and 9mm revolvers use stellar clips and I have been very happy with them. I like having the revolvers for  a change but not having to stock up on many different calibers.

[BigAl]

I'll stick with an 8 shot .357 magnum.

Simply the best for me.

45 is a great round though.

They are historically the best show stopper we have ever had.

[NITRO]

Check out Para USA's line of 1911s. I love mine!

[Dave Ritsema]

Thanks to all for the great feedback!

[The Anvil]

With the price of 1911 style pistols these days I decided to try something different. I shoot informal competitions with a local pistol club, reload my own ammo and own several .45's, including a Colt from the factory custom shop from years ago when one could be special ordered without breaking the bank.
Check out the EAA Elite Match pistol in .45 ...


This one is a very accurate out of the box competition pistol for under 600 bucks, similar to a CZ-75, 10 round mag, tack driver at 25 yards.

Good luck with your search !

For a second I thought that was a Bren Ten.

[BigChris99]

This some great information. A .45 auto is on my big time wish list. I'm really enjoying reading everyones thoughts and recommendations. Please keep the information coming.

[Psychotic Bovine]

I like 1911's.  With that being said, I own two Kimbers.  A Stainless LE (only 700 produced supposedly), and a Kimber Ultra Carry II.  Slide to frame fit is nearly perfect, no play at all and the action is butter. 
I have never had an opportunity to check the Smith, but they have a good reputation for quality.  My brother just picked up a new Ruger 1911 and it's very nice.  However, my Kimbers are smoother (but they also command a premium price, my Ultra Carry II was over $900 with no options).  But, the Ruger is a solid pistol.

Also, another option if you like 1911's but LOVE the .357 mag cartridge, you can go the Coonan route.  Very high build quality, incredible feel, and massive .357 power.  However, be prepared to wait...  I ordered mine in March of last year, got it in October.  Worth the wait?  yeah, for sure.

[Psycho]

Dave, whats wrong with a Colt?

[designer]

Ruger SR1911, I own a few 1911's and they all function flawless.  Good choice staying with that frame.

[Chattanooga Mark]

If you've not tried a classic Sig Sauer P220 non rail, try one out. They're near .45 perfection IMHO. Mines 15+ years old is has never had a single issue. Never, no not one issue, ever. It's more accurate than I am to boot. I never found the need nor ever had the desire for a 1911. Sig Sauer in .45 and 357Sig plus all stainless Ruger Mark II's in .22LR  pretty much cover my handgun preferences.

All the best,

Mark

[shooter64]

If you've not tried a classic Sig Sauer P220 non rail, try one out. They're near .45 perfection IMHO. Mines 15+ years old is has never had a single issue. Never, no not one issue, ever. It's more accurate than I am to boot. I never found the need nor ever had the desire for a 1911. Sig Sauer in .45 and 357Sig plus all stainless Ruger Mark II's in .22LR  pretty much cover my handgun preferences.

I have had the same experience with my 1995 Sig 220. I have a couple of 1911's but not a Kimber or Smith. At the range I see lots of Smiths and they seem to run flawlessly. The only "drawback" to the Smith is that it has an external extractor. This would only be a drawback for a purist that wants a more exact look like the original. Kimbers are top quality also, but have seen a few that needed tweaking to run right. Seems like every Smith runs great right out of the box. You mention ".45" Are you only looking for a 1911?

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Both my .45's are 14 shot Para-Ordnance pistols. One is the classic 1911 and one is Para's LDA (light double action). Both guns are too heavy for carry but the single action is a great shooting/fun gun and the double action is a great auto/home defensive firearm which is fun to shoot too. Don't get me wrong, either firearm makes a great home/auto defense gun, I just prefer the hammer down, safety on LDA for that use.

I'd never heard of the .357 Coonan until now. What a cool firearm and it would be legal for deer hunting here in Indiana too. I wondered how they got it to feed rimmed cartridges, but a little research explained that. That's a cool firearm. 

[Psychotic Bovine]

The Coonan is a wonder of engineering, for sure.
I had a minor magazine problem, emailed them and their head engineer/machinist called me back personally and we discussed it.  Had a new mag sent out and everything was 5 by 5.
It feels a lot like a traditional 1911 until you squeeze the trigger.  That huge muzzle report dispels that "feeling" pretty quick!  The only real different between it and a .45 1911 is that the grip is longer, so larger hands are a benefit.   On the website, Dan Coonan's daughters are shown shooting it, so it's not at all uncontrollable for people with smaller hands.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I noticed on their website it doesn't use a barrel link like the 1911 does. It looks more like the cam system the Hi-Power uses? I've wondered many times about building a 45acp using that system instead of the barrel link.

My next pistol is going to have to be a light weight, good shooting 22. I wish the new polymer/aluminum Ruger 22/45 was less expensive. I want a light weight squirrel pistol to carry when I'm bow-hunting. I'll probably settle for a Walther because of the cost. One of my sons has a Sig .22, the other has a Walther, I like the Walther better. After that, a 357 semi-auto sounds good.

Man, it's easy to have all the firearms you need, and impossible to have all the firearms you want. 

[The Anvil]

My next pistol is going to have to be a light weight, good shooting 22. I wish the new polymer/aluminum Ruger 22/45 was less expensive.

Compared to what I spent on my 10150 (Ruger MkII 22/45 with threaded barrel) and Pac-Lite 6" inch upper the 22/45 Lite is cheap. If you can live with the gold color it's a very, very good deal.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

My next pistol is going to have to be a light weight, good shooting 22. I wish the new polymer/aluminum Ruger 22/45 was less expensive.

Compared to what I spent on my 10150 (Ruger MkII 22/45 with threaded barrel) and Pac-Lite 6" inch upper the 22/45 Lite is cheap. If you can live with the gold color it's a very, very good deal.

I like those uppers and have a Ruger standard I could put one on but it was my Dad's only handgun and I hate to change it.  Are you happy with it?

[The Anvil]

My next pistol is going to have to be a light weight, good shooting 22. I wish the new polymer/aluminum Ruger 22/45 was less expensive.

Compared to what I spent on my 10150 (Ruger MkII 22/45 with threaded barrel) and Pac-Lite 6" inch upper the 22/45 Lite is cheap. If you can live with the gold color it's a very, very good deal.

I like those uppers and have a Ruger standard I could put one on but it was my Dad's only handgun and I hate to change it.  Are you happy with it?

I like it a lot. But I would not molest an heirloom (I'm looking for a nice old Mark series or Silver Eagle myself) and put a Pac-Lite on it. There are plenty of cheap used Mark III's out there to build up.

Just a note though, the Pac-Lite May require some peening with a punch in the forward tab area to get it to fit properly to a 22/45 frame (mine did) but it's easy work.

I also completely replaced the trigger group with Volquartsen parts. Well worth the money for the results.