I'm in the market for a 1911 in .45 acp. My budget is between $400-$600. The top two contenders right now are the norinco 1911a1 government, and the springfield armory 1911 milspec.
I've heard very good things about the quality control improvements from the norinco line over the last few years, and as far as I can tell SA also makes a quality inexpensive firearm. The only problem is that I can not find a springfield armory retailer in canada that I could purchase from, as I believe it is my first choice.
This will be my first pistol, and I am set on the 1911 platform for right now. I don't want to turn this into the "why not try the glock, or the s+w, or the..." Conversation. I do plan on going the glock route at a later time, but for now I am sticking with the 1911. I am looking for quality, inexpensive, and durability (which is tough to do on a budget. So here are my questions for you all:
1) Where can I purchase a springfield armory 1911 milspec in canada. I am fine with online purchasing, but I am located in alberta if anyone knows of a dealer here.
2) Does anyone have experience with a norinco 1911a1 government or a springfield armory 1911 milspec. Please let me know your thoughts.
3) Are there any other brands that I should consider? I've researched the colts (to expensive), the taurus (poor reviews), the kimber (a little out of the price range), the SAM (poor reviews), and a few others, but have narrowed it to the norinco and the SA.
Thanks for taking the time to help. Any suggestions are appreciated. The firearm will be used for target shooting, home defence, and hopefully eventually as a platform for an ispc pistol.
See you all after.
No reccomendations?
See you all after.
I don't have any experience with the Norinco 1911 but I have used the Springfield a lot. I was not at all impressed. In the last couple of years, the quality control at springfield seems to have taken a turn for the worst. Personaly, I would not give my recomendation to Springfield.
Those who are unwilling to defend freedom, will become unfree.
Don't have the 1911 but I do have the NP22 9mm. Enjoy it alot. I've had a few different Norinco's and they've come a long ways. Their arms are just as reliable as their american counterparts now.
time in on both - if you can get a Norc tuned from Armco out of BC worth the money
the steel on the Norc is ordinance grade - tough and wears well finish is ok but who
cares its a shooter. I like them both but with the Norc you can get more bang for
your buck - get some Wilson mags best money spent after the gun is on reliable
mags - 8rounders are a good choice. Additionally you can get a .22Cal slide kit
cheap practice. Hope that helps
Have you looked into S.A.M. (Shooters Arms Manufacturing) Handguns? They seem to make a pretty decent 1911 series and offer it at a really good price. I have seen them at the Calgary Shooting Center for anywhere from $449.00-699.00 depending on what you want.
Hope this helps.
-S.
"It's not what you have, but what you have done".
-S.
yeah I looked at the S.A.Ms at the shooting center awhile ago... I thought they were junk myself. they have one as a rental gun so I used it for a day. 1 out of 7 rounds didnt cycle, had a couple of stove pipes, and the site fell off the back. I thought it was just the fact it was a rental gun and had been used heavily, but the clerk told me it was recently added, as their last one had been retired. it had about 500 rounds through it when I took it over to the range. I put a bag of 50 through it and said that was enough, and went to get my money back.
in related news, I did end up ordering the norc last week. went with the m1911-a1 police model, which is an upgraded version. has the creature comforts added to it like beavertail safetly, exteded mag release, ambi-safetys, improved sights, etc. should be here sometime this week. Ill put up a review after I get it out to the range.
See you all after.
In other news. At our store, we have what we call the Frankenstein gun. We put a Norinco slide on a Kimber frame. It took a little tweaking but is it ever a sweet little gun to shoot.
We use to have a gunsmith working for us. He took apart several guns for repair, then never put them back together. Of course, he left the parts scattered far and wide. Then he quit. We've been trying to jigsaw them back together ever since. Fortunately, the Norinco/Kimber 1911 turned out to be a success story. Of the 1911's we have on the range, that one is the best. I've been thinking about offering the boss a couple hundred for it. After all, it is built from used parts of different makes of guns but it's a nice ride.
Those who are unwilling to defend freedom, will become unfree.
yeah I looked at the S.A.Ms at the shooting center awhile ago... I thought they were junk myself. they have one as a rental gun so I used it for a day. 1 out of 7 rounds didnt cycle, had a couple of stove pipes, and the site fell off the back. I thought it was just the fact it was a rental gun and had been used heavily, but the clerk told me it was recently added, as their last one had been retired. it had about 500 rounds through it when I took it over to the range. I put a bag of 50 through it and said that was enough, and went to get my money back.
in related news, I did end up ordering the norc last week. went with the m1911-a1 police model, which is an upgraded version. has the creature comforts added to it like beavertail safetly, exteded mag release, ambi-safetys, improved sights, etc. should be here sometime this week. Ill put up a review after I get it out to the range.
I hear Guunar at ARMCO does wonders with Norinco stuff...
Sorry to hear about the SAM being that crappy, I had high hopes for it... Oh well.
So I know why I selected a .45 pistol for my deck, what made you decide on one for yourself?
-S.
"It's not what you have, but what you have done".
-S.
USMC gunfighting rules: Never enter into a gunfight with a pistol whose caliber starts with a number less than 4. 😈
Those who are unwilling to defend freedom, will become unfree.
USMC gunfighting rules: Never enter into a gunfight with a pistol whose caliber starts with a number less than 4. 😈
exactley.
main reason is for stopping power. all that talk about "shot placement being king" is for the birds. Maybe it has some weight in the rifle classes, but when your within 20 yards id rather be able to stop an attacker with one round then have to pepper him with 3 or 4 in a lower caliber. im not a highly trained pistol fighter, so in the heat of the attack I would be lucky to hit them with one round out of 7 at this point. id rather that round dropped them, instead of just pissed them off. Also, Ive had an affinity for the 1911 style of pistol for as long as ive been interested in firearms, and it just so happens that .45 is the standard caliber. seemed like a no brainer to me! If its good enough for the military for nearly 100 years, then its more then good enough for me.
also, with the development of barrel swapping I can still get the benifet of smaller and cheaper caliber rounds for target practice.
See you all after.
exactley.
main reason is for stopping power. all that talk about "shot placement being king" is for the birds. Maybe it has some weight in the rifle classes, but when your within 20 yards id rather be able to stop an attacker with one round then have to pepper him with 3 or 4 in a lower caliber. im not a highly trained pistol fighter, so in the heat of the attack I would be lucky to hit them with one round out of 7 at this point. id rather that round dropped them, instead of just pissed them off. Also, Ive had an affinity for the 1911 style of pistol for as long as ive been interested in firearms, and it just so happens that .45 is the standard caliber. seemed like a no brainer to me! If its good enough for the military for nearly 100 years, then its more then good enough for me.
also, with the development of barrel swapping I can still get the benifet of smaller and cheaper caliber rounds for target practice.
I have to respectfully disagree with the internet myth of "stopping power". I have watched guys get tagged multiple times in the chest with both rifle and pistol fire and continue to function for far too long when the chips were down. Shot placement IS king. An X-ray will drop from a single well placed .22lr round, but can continue to fight even after absorbing multiple poorly placed .45ACP rounds, heck, even 7.62x51mmN can take time to have an effect. Remember, as long as the X-ray is in the fight, he can shoot back. Do not fall for the .45 death ray myth.
By the way, I can make you a highly trained gun fighter. 🙂
-S.
"It's not what you have, but what you have done".
-S.
Many years ago, I dropped an Elk with a .22 long rifle. I've talked to guys that have shot a deer with their big bore rifle and watched it runaway.
I too, believe that shot placement is king. My sidearm is a CZ85 in 9 mil.
Those who are unwilling to defend freedom, will become unfree.
We both have cz85's and enjoy them. We were sold on their reliability/durability.
She got the nickel plated version so we could tell them apart; I lost the coin toss 😳
well, time for an update. received the norc 1911, and I must say, the fit and finish is actually quite good. I must have gotten one of the nice ones. I have yet to take it to the range, but ive taken it apart down to the bare screws and built it back up again, and I havnt found any obvious machine marks. I DID however, manage to put a nice little scratch on the fram while trying to figure out how the ambidextrous safety comes off. luckily it hides underneith the grips. I wasnt too worried about the finish as I plan on putting rounds through this till the slide melts. It was a nice suprise though I must say.
I will be taking it to the range soon. So far im impressed, but the true test will be on the range. a Heavy pistol for sure, and not for the feint of heart... But if I run out of ammo or it has a serious malfunction, I can always throw it at the bad guys.
See you all after.