Ah yes, 1911's, my other addiction.
As much as I love Paras (Owned 4 in the past) I do not recommend them as your first 1911. They can be finicky and have been know to have extractor problems with their PXT extractor. So much so, that just this year, they switched over all of their designs to use a standard HD extractor. Over the years they have gotten a bad rep for the little issues, but most have been cured with simple fixes. However, I would definitely rate them better than a Kimber. That particular Para you spoke of, is not your ordinary garden variety 1911. It is a double stack 14+1 round full size pistol with target sights and alot of accessories, when compared to a normal Government model full size 1911. Magazines will cost more than your standard full size or compact size 1911.
Here are some questions that need to be answered first, as there are buku amounts of 1911 pistols on the market today.
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Budget? Are we talking minimum $500-$650? Or unlimited?
That Para you were looking at, the SX1445S has a MSRP of $1289. For that kind of money, there are a lot of better options out there. Don't let the guy at the gun store up sell you on something that you really don't need, just because that is all he has in stock.
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Will this be used for range fun, self defense, concealed carry, or home defense?
Range and home defense are perfectly fine for a full size 5" 1911. But concealing a full size can be difficult.
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Do you have any semi automatic pistol shooting fundamentals or experience?
If you do, then learning the 1911 is not that hard. However, if you have none and are a revolver skills only type, it can be challenging. The 1911 has many parts and a more complicated break down/field strip method than your average Glock. Not impossible, but can be frustrating if you are just learning. Not all 1911s are created the same. Some have traditional guide rod/barrel bushing and spring combination, others have a one piece guide rod setup that requires a special tool or paper clip for disassembly.
When I worked at my local gun store selling firearms, here is the grading scale I used for 1911 pistols, from lower tier to top tier. Some might call BS on me labeling Kimber as lower tier, but with all of the out of box issues I witnessed first hand like, rusty barrels, failure to load, failure to eject and broken parts within the first 100 rounds, it got to where this store would not even order Kimbers for stock unless someone specifically just had to have one. My personal list goes in order from worse to best and is just my opinion based on hands on experience.
Lower tier:
Kimber
Llama
Remington
American Tactical
GSG
American Classic
Metro Arms
ATI
Mid tier:
Taurus
ARMSCOR
Regent
Citadel
Rock Island Armory
Ruger SR1911
Para USA
Sig Sauer
Smith & Wesson
Springfield Armory
STI
Colt
Top tier:
Dan Wesson
Caspian Arms
Les Baer
Fusion Firearms
Nighthawk Custom
Wilson Combat
Ed Brown
There are some really good books out there that are must have books about 1911 pistols. Here they are.
And this website is the best on the internet when it comes to 1911 pistols. I highly recommend reading up and checking out all the hundreds and hundreds of different models available.
http://forums.1911forum.com/
My personal choices for your first full size 1911, depending on budget are as follows.
$450-$600 Budget
1. Rock Island Armory, 2. Citadel, 3. ARMSCOR
$700-$900 Budget
1. Springfield Armory, 2. Ruger SR1911, 3. Smith & Wesson
$999-$1,600 Budget
1. Dan Wesson, 2. Colt, 3. STI
Unlimited Budget
1. Dan Wesson, 2. Ed Brown, 3. Wilson Combat
Yeah, kinda partial to Dan Wesson pistols if you couldn't tell. You get a lot of 1911 for the money with their products. Also, use Youtube to learn more about a specific model that you find, before you buy. There are literally tens of thousands of videos on 1911 pistols on youtube. Over the past 8 years, I myself was on a 1911 kick. Looking at my records, I went through 14 pistols before I finally settled on my two that I have now. If I would have known now, what I didn't know then, I would have made a Dan Wesson my second 1911 and been done. But you gotta crawl before you can walk. The best advice I can give you is, go to many different gun stores, handle as many different model 1911's as you can and you start to get a feel for them. The differences in grips, grip lengths, control differences, weight differences, sights, etc etc etc. Just for record here are some basics.
Full Size Government model 1911 characterisitics:
- 5" barrel
- Full size grip frame in either steel or aluminum with typical full size grips
- 7 or 8 round magazine
- 32 - 40 oz weight unloaded, depending on make and model
Commander model 1911 characteristics:
- 4.5" - 4" length barrel depending on make and model, but mainly 4.25" for original Commanders.
- Full size grip frame in either steel or aluminum with full size or thin grips
- 7 or 8 round magazine
- 30- 36 oz weight unloaded, depending on make and model
CCO or Concealed Carry Officer model 1911 characteristics:
- 4.25" - 4" length barrel
- Officer size grip frame in aluminum with thin grips
- 6 or 7 round magazine
- 26 - 32 oz weight unloaded, depending on make and model
- Dan Wesson made the CCO model popular as well as Colt with their CCO Talo Edition.
Officer Compact model 1911 characteristics:
- 3.5" - 3" length barrel
- Officer size grip frame in steel or aluminum with thin grips or thick grips
- 6 or 7 round magazine
- 25 - 28 oz weight unloaded, depending on make and model
- Colt, STI, Kimber, Springfield, Dan Wesson, Rock Island Armory, Citadel, Para, Smith & Wesson, and all the Top Tier companies make Officer models.
Hybrids:
Smith & Wesson makes a hybrid that I have not seen by any other, but I'm sure someone else makes it as well. But it is a Full size grip frame with an Officer Compact size barrel and slide in their Pro series pistols. Para makes double stack models that hold 14 rounds and use Para specific magazines. STI also makes double stack models. STI and Rock River Arms offer polymer frame 1911's but no eta on the RRA models.
Hope some of this helps.
Patrick
- 1911 BRING ENOUGH HANDGUN -