Which 1911

[Cylinder Head]

Take a look at the Sig Ultra 1911. You'll even have money left over for the ammo. Just my 2 cents.

Hopefully enough money left to make it work right too.

[Graves]

The 4.25" ones (commander sized) are as JMB intended and they work well and you rarely hear of a problem.
But the 3" ones are hit or miss.

in the 4", Dan Wesson Guardian is right in your price range and is quite the value.

Fixed, and couldn't agree more.
I'm not a huge Kimber fan but their super carry pro is pretty slick, give me a holler if you're up north and you can see for yourself.

[spyder]

I vote for a custom build, have someone build one for you. Then you will know what's in it, and it will shoot correctly as all the custom work will be done.

Or, you could buy an STI:
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=299609007

[Gunner]

I'm leaning towards a Dan Wesson ECO. Need to.find a place with one I can fondle. How would I get a custom built one

[Graves]

I'm leaning towards a Dan Wesson ECO. Need to.find a place with one I can fondle. How would I get a custom built one

I wouldn't go all out custom right off the bat, but it's likely where you'll want to go. Get the feel for a couple quality off the shelf models, then decide what you like and don't like about them. There are more than a few members in your neck of the woods that'll be glad to show you what a real trigger feels like, youre hooked at that point.

[sroz]

Hopefully enough money left to make it work right too.

So, which one did you get and what problems did you have with it?

[spyder]

If you want.... I am getting some moving help from one of my instructors from the school that does friggen fantastic custom 1911's.... I will see what he will charge ya for a custom, if ya want, PM me.

[hatidua]

I wouldn't go all out custom right off the bat

Could not agree more - going custom from the get-go is a mistake as people don't really know what they like due to not having had any experience with various parts/makers. Do you really know if you prefer a Caspian frame to a Colt or Springer frame? How about the slide stop, is the Wilson really more to your liking than the Brown if you don't have any mileage on either?

Shoot/borrow/rent/own as many 1911's as possible before going full-custom, and "custom" is not just a named model from Brown/Kimber/Wilson/Nighthawk/Etc, those aren't any more "custom" than the cheapest model from any maker, they simply cost more due to parts used (that were not specified by you). A custom is you dictating every single part in the gun, right down to the springs and grip screw makers based on what works best for YOU.

[TriggerHappy]

I have a Kimber TLE RL, runs excellent. Probably out of 2000 rounds only had a handful of FTE. Some of the newer Kimbers have had serious QC issues with FTE/FTF. A couple buddies had bought the dessert warriors Nd had nothing but problems, even after a trip back to Kimber. It's a hit or miss. Dan Wesson, Springfield, or nighthawk if you want to spend some dough.

[Cofaler]

I don't know how much 1911 experience you have, but you might consider buying Rock Island and putting the rest of the money in ammo. Shoot it and figure out what you like/ dislike about it and go from there. 1911s are a tinkerer's dream and you can modify it to your liking, then order a custom you know will be exactly what you want. You will get another one anyway. No one I know who is into 1911s owns only one. Just a thought.