Buying a FACTORY 1911

I get an awful lot of phone calls asking me what factory 1911 pistol is the best to purchase. It is not always that easy, you can NOT rely on magazine articles with an agenda, you can NOT rely on advertisers with an agenda, you can NOT rely on the limited experience of an entry level person who is a tinkerer or salesman with an agenda. Its best to ask some one like me who only does extensive internal work on them.
I have NO agenda of any kind and I do not have to be politically correct as I am not obligated to anyone or any company. My only concern is to tell the truth. First question, are you buying a 1911 for target shooting or self defense, most cases its both. If you live in a humid climate, I would recommend Stainless Steel.

I can only recommend the Government or the Commander model in a 1911 style pistol. The smaller 1911 pistols lack the slide weight you need for reliability. The companies that make these small 1911 style pistols use spring power to substitute for lack of slide weight. This represents problems which I will write about in detail in a future comment.

You must understand that some of the companies that manufacture and sell these pistols often restrict the sale of critical parts to anyone. Example, Smith and Wesson will not sell their external extractor unless you have attended their armorers course.

Most people want to personalize their pistol, this can lead to more problems, depending on what you want and who does the work at a premium additional cost. Many 45 caliber 1911 pistols use a 9mm firing pin, dimensions vary. Some 1911 Brands have various safety features that SHOULD NEVER BE REMOVED. I never remove the series 80 firing pin safety parts out of a Colt series 80 pistol.

Imagine going before a GRAND JURY after a SOCIAL ENCOUNTER resulting in death and these safety parts were removed from your pistol, here comes MAJOR LEGAL PROBLEMS.
I can achieve just as good a trigger pull with the series 80 parts in place as I can with a series 70 pistol.
After working on all these current production 1911 pistols available, I would still buy the Stainless Steel Colt "XSE" 1911 pistol. The parts and springs are good and the frame and slide are good steel. They do lack some quality control, but over all it would still be my choice.
I have worked on all Brands and there are pros and cons to be said for each one. There are good qualities that we can say about all the 1911 pistols of current manufacture.
Springfield Armory and Kimber have a very good frame to slide fit, but I would personally puchase the Stainless Steel Colt "XSE" with out a doubt. It does Not need a new barrel.

I would use a CONVENTIONAL Silicone wire recoil spring with a 16 lb. rating for the Government model, and an 18 lb. rating for the commander.
I would buy COBRA magazines made by Virgil Tripp using a silicone wire magazine spring with his newly designed premium follower.

Teddy Jacobson