opinions on a .45

i have never owned a 45 acp.i am looking at getting one.i am looking at a new in the box colt compact or a new kimber with night sights.they have several models in kimber.the kimber is a good bit higher priced than the colt.is the kimber a good beast to have?? what are your experiences with kimber?? or colt??any info or opinions are appreciated.

 

I own both. You can feel the difference in quality; the Kimber is hands down the better finished pistol. With that said, I prefer the colt, particularly the Colt Defender. It is small, light, shoots where you point it, and did I mention that it is small? The Kimber is a very well made pistol but has had some issues. They stand behind their product and quickly addressed the problems I was having. I still prefer the Colts.

 

Just thought to put in my .02 but check out Smith and wesson 45 m&P great shooters and now they have a special that you get a 50 dollar rebate and 2 extra mags.. i bought one and sending for the rebate tomorrow nice fit with changable rear grips fro different size hands check out the website..

 

Both Colt and Kimber make quality guns. The 1911 Model has been around for a long time and the bugs have all been worked out. Stick with a reputable company and you shouldn't have any problems. Personally, I have a Springfield Ultra Compact for CCW and it has never failed to fire or extract. It has never jammed or let me down in any way.

 

I like them both, but before I spend the extra money on a Kimber I would buy a Smith & Wesson 1911. I love their 1911's. If it was between the Colt and Kimber and it was an apples to apples comparison as far as models, I would probably go with the Colt if it was that much cheaper. Just my

 

Dog it sounds like you have a carry piece in mind to me .

If this is the intended purpose I have a 3rd option for you , a High Standard 1911 .45ACP compact pistol , these babys are made by Armscor which has greatly grown in reputation for quality weapons at reasonable prices .

Here is one at Gunbroker

http://gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=93818893

CenterFire Systems also has the Armscor RIA compacts for $499.00 .

I don't know about you but if I were to have to use a Carry piece and have it confiscated by the cops I would rather have as little invested in it as possible as long as it was a dependable and accurate weapon .

If on the other hand I am completely wrong and you have no intention of using it for concealed carry , you might be much better suited with a full sized or Commander sized 1911 for your first 45 .

 

Hey Dog; The first handgun I purchesed after I redeployed was a USP Tactical 45, very expensive, but well worth it. With 13 rounds on hand on top of being the most accurate and reliable, it has been the best 1,000.00 bucks I have spent.

 

I carry a Kimber CDP and also have a Compact Custom and one Series II 10mm. All my Kimbers have been great and if you can find the pre-series II ones the Compact Custom should be around $600 and the Compact CDP around $900.

I have a Springfield Mil-Spec that was such a great shooter I did a bunch of work to it and now it is just outstanding - I would always recommend SA.

I only have one Colt, a NRM and it's by far the worst 1911 I have so I can't recommend them. Love their AR's though.

I also love XD45's - if you don't want to drop the coin for a Kimber they're a great gun for the money and hold 14 rounds.

 

i'd have to put in a vote for the springfield armory XD.45 i have one and it runs great and is no where near as pricey as a 1911 style. i took some firearms training classes at a school in s.ohio and most of the teaching staff were testing the xd's and liking them so much they were switching to them from glocks or 1911 style guns.

 

Like Valkman said you might check some gen 1 kimbers made in Yonkers, around here their about $500+ and mine will shoot just as good if not better than my Colt GC.

 

Ditto, I have a couple of XD .45s and I really, really like them. I carry them now for CHL duty instead of my 1911s.

 

I took it apart and stoned all the surfaces, installed a new trigger and a Cylinder & Slide package that made the trigger pull 4.5#. I installed a beavertail and Commander hammer and removed all the ILS stuff and replaced it with Ed Brown parts. I also installed a Wilson Combat recoil system thing that uses those little rubber discs as I wanted to try it. Man that thing shoots so good it's unbelievable!

I did not mess with the sights or feed ramp. If I get new sights I'd probably buy a sight installer from Midway or have them put on where I get 'em. On the XD Forum there's a place selling night sights for XD's and installing them for $15! The installer is over $100 so you'd have to do a bunch of guns to make it pay.

On my Colt NRM the trigger pull and accuracy is horrible so I hope to replace most of the same stuff but will probably have to get a better barrel.

 

ghrit just send your gun off to one of the big names like Yost , Robar or Clark with a check for say $3,000 you'll be really happy with what they send back LOL !!!!

 

Just send it to me with $3000 and I'll be happy! I'll send a knife back with it!

I always wanted to try milling a 1911....

 

Check out the Springfield loaded series, I have a SA Stainless champ, it has been perfect.

 

Can't comment on Kimber, never had or shot one.

If you can afford a Colt Defender, I highly recommend it. Even though I don't own mine anymore and didn't shoot it much, it was the best out of the box Colt I've yet to own. Both mil-spec Colt's I've purchased needed work to run right, maybe it was just my dumb luck. I've heard good reports from a buddy who bought a Springfield full size Loaded 1911.