Deacon KC

Here is some more info: Cimarron's 1911 is a 1911 model, available in Blue and Nickel. It is blessed with the nubbin sights, and is a gorgeously finished pistol. MSRP is $635 and up. Taylor's is another 1911 model with a high polish Blue or Nickel finish and again the nubbin sights. MSRP is $729 in blue. Iver Johnson's 1911A1 with better sights and has a good reputation, but I haven't handled one of these myself. MSRP is $900+ Fusion Firearms has a 1911A1 with an interesting "semi-improved" set of sights, somewhere between nubs and taller sights as on the Colt 1911A1. I have built guns on Fusion frames and their stuff is very good. MSRP starts at $750. The Charles Daly is a 1911 style frame with nub sights and the stuff carrying their name seems to be well made. MSRP starts at $604 And the Auto-Ordnance and Thompson branded guns are made on the same line, so I am putting them together. They are a 1911A1 pattern with nubbin sights and all sorts of finishes available. Well finished and made over the years. MSRP starts at $750 and goes up from there. If you buy a used 1911 or A1, I would suggest in the strongest way possible to replace all the springs. Detail stripping is not difficult and Wolff makes a spring pack that is very reasonably priced, and is very cheap insurance to make your 1911 run well.

Okay, starting with the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec 1911. This is a 1911A1 available in stainless or blued. The sights are larger than the traditional JMB nubs and have 3 dots. A dab of paint or a Sharpie will black the sights out, making this legal. Finish and machining are first class and It comes with an excellent trigger and comes with one 7 round magazine with a MSRP of $725. Next up is the Tisas 1911 also called Zig, again 1911A1 models this time with a couple of options. If you have youthful eyes, there is one with the JMB sight nubs and the "US Army" model is so close to the original Colt that the CMP is selling them. Their Service PB 45 comes with a ceracoated slide, better sights and a flat mainspring housing. I have one of the basic ones and can say the trigger is decent and the machining inside is properly done where it needs to be done. The exteriors are a heavy matte eggshell bead blast. Comes with one magazine and is made in Turkey. MSRPs are from $429 to 449. Rock Island Armory makes a solid parkerized 1911A1 and one in Nickel. These have JMB style nub sights and come with two 8 round magazines. Early ones had magazine problems but the current guns come with Act-Mags, which are very good mags. Much lie the Tisas' guns, interior work is very good, while the base gun exteriors are even and matte. MSRP on the Parkerized gun is $499 while the Nickel one goes for $799. If you find a used American Tactical 1911, they are very good running guns, but it seems ATI is not listing them anymore. And Daddy of the 1911s Colt. Since CZ's acquisition of Colt their quality is spotless. Their new guns come in Matte, High Polish Blue and Stainless. The sights are excellent, clear and very easy to pick up. All finishing and machine work is excellent with very good Series 70 triggers. Comes with one 8 round magazine. Most have flat MSHs and MSRP runs from $899 to $1700. Sadly Ruger, S&W and Sig do not offer Traditional style guns.

I work in a gun store and see all sorts of 1911s come in all the time. There are a half dozen 1911s here at my house right now, ranging from a 1917 Colt to a S&W Scandium Bobtail Commander, so I am familiar with these beasties. So here is a brief break down of things to consider using the WB Shooters Handbook: 12 1911 PISTOL A full-size single stack 1911 semi-auto pistol is used in Wild Bunch Action Shooting. - Must be .45 ACP caliber - The term “1911 pistol” herein refers to the 1911A1 model as well as its clones. - No more than one main match pistol may be carried to the firing line. 1911 Pistol – Modern & Traditional Category The Modern and Traditional shooting categories carry a number of the same parameters when it comes to the 1911 Pistol. First, we will list the common parameters for both categories, then in the subsequent sections we will address the parameters specific to each of the categories individually. Common Parameters - Barrel length must be five inches. - No barrel porting or compensators or other recoil reducing devices are allowed. - Barrel with standard barrel bushing. No Bull barrels are allowed. - Magazine wells may be beveled, but may not be oversized, extended, or flared. - Stainless steel full size 1911 pistols are permitted. - Aluminum frame full size 1911 pistols are permitted. - Wrap around grips that cover a portion of the front strap are illegal. - No target style or thumb rests are allowed. - A groove can be cut in the grip to facilitate the shooter reaching the magazine release, but no material may extend beyond the original profile of the grip. Grips that are thinner at one end or the other but have a straight taper are allowed. - Magazines must be standard length and may be loaded with up to seven rounds. - Overloaded rounds that are fired are penalized as “illegally acquired” ammunition. - A base pad may be added to the magazine if it meets the following requirements: it must be made from natural leather material only. It must be no larger than the contour of the base of the magazine. The total thickness of the pad may not extend more than ¼” beyond the original base plate. - Empty magazines may not weigh more than three ounces. - Flat, wedge, or arched mainspring housings are permitted. The mainspring housing may be serrated or checkered. - Lanyard loop is optional. - Internal accurizing and action tuning is allowed. - Thumb and grip safeties must function correctly. 1911 Pistol – Traditional Category Modifications The Wild Bunch Traditional Category has specific parameters that must be adhered to, in addition to the rules Traditional shares with the Modern Category. The frame and slide must conform to the “military style” 1911 or 1911Al configuration (e.g., no light rails, enlarged dust covers, and so forth). The finish on traditional pistols varies from polished blue to very matted Parkerizing. All these finishes are legal. Also allowed are any dull color such as OD green, flat dark earth, desert tan, etc. No bright color such as red, yellow, orange, or white is allowed. 13 Pistols may also be plated, color case finished or painted. When checkering, matting, or stippling is mentioned, it means actually cutting a pattern in the frame or slide. Note: “Standard” in all cases means Standard Military Specs. - Unloaded pistol weight may not exceed 40 ounces with an empty magazine inserted - Only non-adjustable “military style” simple blade rear and front sights allowed. The 10-8 National Match and the Harrison Design 003 are approved rear sights. - Front sights may be dovetailed, pinned, or staked. - Sights may be the color of the slide or any combination of the slide color, including but not limited to blue, black, or natural stainless (natural colored) steel. The back of a colored front sight may be polished to a natural steel color. - Only rear slide checkering or serrations. No front slide checkering or serrations are allowed. - Only standard grip safeties are allowed. No beavertail style grip safeties. - Standard thumb safety only- it may not be extended. - Standard slide release only – it may not be extended. - Standard recoil spring guide only. No full-length guide rods allowed. - Short or long solid triggers are permitted. No flat or lightweight match triggers are allowed. - Lowered and flared ejection port is allowed. - Checkered front strap or trigger guard is not allowed. - Standard spur type hammer only. - Standard length magazine release only- it may not be extended or oversized. 1911 Pistol – Modern Category Modifications The Wild Bunch Modern Category has specific parameters that must be adhered to, in addition to the rules the Modern category shares with the Traditional Category. Pistol finishes vary widely. Bluing, plating, polishing, painting, etc. are all legal. - Dust cover light rails are legal. - Unloaded pistol weight may not exceed 42 ounces with an empty magazine inserted. - Adjustable or non-adjustable rear sights and blade type front sights are allowed. - Sights may not be optical or fiber optic. Laser sights are not allowed. Sights may be painted or have colored dots or inserts. - Front and rear slide checkering or serrations allowed. - No external “rib” allowed on top of slide. This means no external rib such as a BoMar may be attached to the top of the slide by screws, welding, or any other means. - The top of the slide may be flattened, serrated, and/or matted to reduce glare. - Original Colt Gold Cup ribs are legal. Ribs machined as part of the slide by the manufacturer, such as the Colt Gold Cup rib are approved. - Extended beavertail grip safeties are allowed. - Extended magazine releases are allowed. - Thumb safeties may be extended and be ambidextrous. - Slide release may be extended. - Full-length recoil spring guide rod allowed. - Match trigger allowed. 14 - Lightweight competition hammer is allowed. - Checkered front strap and trigger guard allowed. This means any type of checkering, stippling, and/or serrations are legal. - Finger grooves on the front strap are illegal. - External extractor allowed.

Good news is always welcome!

Sounds great! Thanks for the report.

Got the email this morning that CMP is taking orders for the last expected batch of surplus 1911s.

Thank you!

Thank you!

+1 on the magazines, add MecGar to the list of good mags. KimPro magazines are very good, but the standard Kimber magazines are a crap shoot. I always swap out all the springs with a Wolff spring pack whenever I pick up a used 1911. Also, this is extremely rare, but there can be a burr on the barrel bushing, which can drag on the barrel. Look for a lengthwise scratch on the outside of your barrel if you suspect this, but it is one of the very last things to suspect.

Maybe we could see a trial run of a category allowing guns introduced before 11/11/1918. This would allow many shooters to use Lugers, C96 Mausers, 1917 Colt and S&Ws and Tommy Guns. This would also spark a great deal of interest among our fellow CAS shooters. Crud, maybe even allow the .388 Super in a 1911!

Since you are starting with the 1911, maybe look at a replica airsoft or pellet version of one in your basement until the weather is decent. At least get your hands familiar with the feel of the gun.

If I didn't have a good one already, I would consider that one! Good luck.

Check over at cascity.com they have a leatherworking section there.

Okay, am I the only one who keeps a Wolff 1911 spring pack on hand for when I buy a used 1911?

Soak it in Kroil for a couple of days, then try again using channel locks with a thick piece of leather to protect the finish.