Walther pdp pro or other options.

[Astro14]

I had a Range Officer in 9mm. It was a nice pistol, but it wasn't as nice of a pistol as a Colt. Ive got more than one super 38 colt with a 9mm barrel which is a good option too if you can get and fit the barrel.

A word about 1911/s in other than 45. Many of them use a ramped barrel (and there are 2 different types of ramp) VS properly forging and matching the frame to the proper dimensions for 10/40 or 9/38. I am not a fan of ramped barrels and would avoid them, every trouble child 1911 ive owned has had a ramped barrel and i don't think it's a coincidence. Ramped barrels are also not necessary in a properly dimensioned 1911 shooting "normal" ammunition. IF you were loading super or 9x23 to major power factor and shooting a lot of it i might be persuaded to entertain an argument about it. Even at that i shot a fair amount (thousands of rounds) of max load VV out of a standard barrel with no issues and my normal had load in both 9mm and super exceeds anything but specialty ammunition.

This is why my first choice would be Colt.

Yeah…except that my one Colt - a 1911 Competition model in .38 super - needed work out of the box. The safety was hard to select on and off.

I had to disassemble my brand new gun, and fit the safety properly. A real lack of QC from the factory.

Then, in the first hundred rounds, the fiber optic rod fell out of the front sight, so, I had to fit a new length of rod.

It’s a good gun now, and very reliable, but quality and Colt don’t necessarily go hand in hand.

Contrast that with the Range Officer and the Mil-Spec from SA in .45 ACP that ran great right out of the box. No parts fitting, no parts replacement, needed.

 

[DuckRyder]

Yeah…except that my one Colt - a 1911 Competition model in .38 super - needed work out of the box. The safety was hard to select on and off.

I had to disassemble my brand new gun, and fit the safety properly. A real lack of QC from the factory.

Then, in the first hundred rounds, the fiber optic rod fell out of the front sight, so, I had to fit a new length of rod.

It’s a good gun now, and very reliable, but quality and Colt don’t necessarily go hand in hand.

Contrast that with the Range Officer and the Mil-Spec from SA in .45 ACP that ran great right out of the box. No parts fitting, no parts replacement, needed.

Well we could talk about the 3 Dan Wesson's, or the 2 Springfield's I've had, and i will just say i have more Colts than your average gun store. I have NEVER had one not work.

While i would never invalidate your personal experience as you shouldn't mine, i will say my multitude is probably more statically relevant than your one.

 

[HyundaiAbuser]

I've started down the 1911 rabbit hole. Does anybody have the RockIsland Armory? I'm also more interested in 9mm 1911 because ammo is cheaper so target/ fun shooting will be more enjoyable.

Any other recommendations on 1911 around $1k or less?

my father has a RIA 1911 and it has been flawless for him despite admittedly lacking maintenance as well as tough conditions (rides in a truck door that sees a lot of dust/dirt/grime). I had a tisas 9mm i think i only paid 350 for that had a better trigger and never had any problems with it. Funnily enough that same friend who has the m&p metal comp bought it from me and loved to shoot it. It was just a bit heavy for lugging around so he sought something more convenient.

 

[GenSan]

Just got this with my points at Cabelas. Beretta LTT 92G Elite. The trigger reminds me of my Kahr PM9. DA is ultra smooth, not gritty, no stacking/binding, and it just rolls until hammer drops. SA is as light as a 1911. Reset is very minimal. Trigger is excellent for a DA/SA. Just a tad heavier than the trigger on my CZ Customs Pro Tek I but ultra smooth.

2nd pic is with a Sig P239 above and Springfield Armory Prodigy below. Which are other great options as well.

 

[Astro14]

Well we could talk about the 3 Dan Wesson's, or the 2 Springfield's I've had, and i will just say i have more Colts than your average gun store. I have NEVER had one not work.

While i would never invalidate your personal experience as you shouldn't mine, i will say my multitude is probably more statically relevant than your one.

You have more Colts, and so, more data points, but I was disappointed with my Colt, at first. A bit of work, and it's among my favorites.

Part of that is the .38 Super caliber - easy to find when everyone is buying up everything else!

I grew up in CT, and the Colt Factory was an iconic part of the Hartford Skyline when I was young. I always wanted a Colt, which is why I jumped on this particular pistol when I got it, new, for a great deal less than retail.

But Colt lost its DOD contracts in 2013 for poor quality control. In 2015, they filed for bankruptcy. I got my Colt in 2017, and wonder when, during the bankruptcy, restructuring, and layoffs, it was produced. I have to believe there were some quality problems during those couple of years.

Sounds like Colt is past that, now, at least the part of the company that sells to the consumer market. I wonder what the effect of CZ ownership has been on Colt.

For a REAL disappointment - see my thread on the Dan Wesson Razorback.

 

[DuckRyder]

I got my Colt in 2017, and wonder when, during the bankruptcy, restructuring, and layoffs, it was produced. I have to believe there were some quality problems during those couple of years.

Unless they have changed, they will tell you when it was built if you call or e-mail the archive department, if you want more you have to pay for the report though.

You're right there were defiantly years with some issues, and the mushy safety was a sort ow well known issue for a while, i never heard of one that was unsafe, but there were some that positively did not feel right, something that would be apparent to someone familiar but maybe less so to the average buyer.

Brent Turchi who has unfortunately left (he was at USFA last i heard) turned a lot of that around, his predecessor (Jim Csomthing) was more than a bit crusty and not as proactive.

I also think Keith at DW cares about the product and assuming he's still there id be confident with one of there guns with the knowledge that they have some particular needs for break in.

It is also important that one understand that Colts are not "tight" Even the custom shop pistols are not going to lock up like a Brown or a Baer. If you want that for less than a Baer or Brown, DW is probably your best bet.

Sounds like Colt is past that, now, at least the part of the company that sells to the consumer market. I wonder what the effect of CZ ownership has been on Colt.

All of mine certainly are, i think i have one new enough the be a CZ gun, my experience with CZs is that they are top notch in all respects, Id expect that ownership to benefit all 3 companies.