Tips on buying used 1911

Well thank you for dragging me into this! :rofl:. You gave him sound advice already.

Actually thanks for the vote of confidence. Iā€™ll try to give it my best.

The first thing you need to figure out is what flavor of 1911 you want. Wanting a 1911 is like wanting a car. You can go from a Jeep Wiley to a Ferrari and itā€™s still a car.

If this gun you want is not really a CC candidate and you only want a historical example to shoot, the Tisa is pretty darn good example of a GI type gun at a superb price that will allow you to shoot it like you stole it with no pain of wearing out an ā€œexpensiveā€ gun or collectible, which by the way is not really much of a concern anyway, but I hope you get what Iā€™m saying. My oldest 1911 is a Remington-Rand that was born in the early 40ā€™s and itā€™s still in AMAZING condition and trust me, I shoot that gun. A well maintained 1911 will be a gun for many generations to enjoy. RIA also offers a very affordable GI type gun in the high $400 to low $500 range new.

If your desire is to buy American then many of the big name guys manufacturers offer GI type guns that are relatively affordable new and can be had used for prices comparable to imports. Springfield Armory comes to mind. I see them all the time used in the low $500 range.

If you are looking for a modern rendition of the 1911, the gun I see most often pop up at a GREAT price is the Springfield Armory Loaded model. I have seen examples go in the mid to high $600s range relatively often so I would not pay more than $650 for one and it would not be a long search. It is an impressive gun with all the modern fighting features you want like a beaver tail safety and modern sights. GREAT gun for the money. New RIAs are also in that ball park, great guns that again come with modern features that improve ā€œshootabilityā€, a highly subjective term that nevertheless actually real.

The good news is that the modern crunch on guns is barely touching 1911s because it seems every new shooter wants a Glock, M&P or something similar so actually many folks are selling great examples of 1911s at somewhat bargain prices to fund high-cap guns they feel they might not be able to get during the next administration. Iā€™ve taken advantage of a few of these deals and I just saw two brand new SA Ronin 1911s for $699 each at a local store, a great guns ready to fight right out of the box. I asked the manager why so low and he said they are not ā€œmovingā€.

There are very few risks associated with buying a used 1911 as long as you buy from a reputable seller on Gunbroker or a reputable local gun store that will stand behind their products. In general if the gun feels solid in your hands and operates smoothly while you manipulate it in the store you should be good to go. One test I always perform, when the gun is cocked push on the hammer forward to make sure it does not fall without the trigger being pressed, usually a sign of a kitchen counter Gunsmithing job. Also push down on the barrel where it shows in the ejection port with the action closed to make sure itā€™s locked up tight and there is not excessive downward movement. If there is any significant movement that usually means a worn link/pin, something that is easily repaired but usually a sign of a pretty worn out gun. Shake the gun in your hands and listen for rattle, a sign of worn rails. Some movement of the slide on the frame is ok, excessive movement again is the sign of a pretty worn out gun. Look at the bore, is rifling well defined, clean and sharp.

Be slightly nervous if the trigger pull is TOO good, again usually the sign of a kitchen Gunsmithing job. Even professionals will give you a 3.5# or higher trigger pull because lower than that you are cruising into unsafe territory unless this is a tricked out target (bullseye) gun.

The good news is that as long as the gun is relatively ā€œtightā€ anything else can be easily fixed with new parts but again, quality parts cost money so any used gun you buy should be priced to reflect the potential for having to have repairs made. I will never pay more than 60-70% of the going rate for a new gun for a used example, no matter how ā€œnewā€ it looks. Overall cosmetic condition also impacts the price Iā€™m willing to pay. I will buy a gun with a lot of external ā€œwearā€ that is mechanically sound as long as the price is right (spelled L-O-W). I can polish and reblue or cerakote with the best of them. BUT, the price I will pay takes a big dive if the gun looks like hell.

Of course this is for working guns. If you put an original brand new in the box Colt Series 70 in unmolested factory condition in front of me you might walk out with my right kidney in your pocket. :grin:

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My 1st mdl.1911 was from a gun show for abt. $200.00 itā€™s an old Auto-Ord. and still my favorite. Remember this is a military type weapon so most parts are interchangeable. Mine has a Colt barrel, Springfield grips and I added aftermarket sights and new slide stop. The grip screws and sights are held on with JB Weld and the old piece shakes, rattles, and rolls but is far more accurate than the 1911A1 I bought brand new for abt. $1,000 made by major popular brand. When you buy just make sure the feed lips on the magazine and follower are in good shape and you are good to go.

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Any advice for finding a TSAS or RIA 1911 right now?

I was tempted with a lumber for $650, but itā€™s easier to flip the bill for $500 or less.

Check GunBroker.
But donā€™t expect them on stock all the time.
Right now I can see RIA 1911 GI model for fair price only.
Just be patientā€¦

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RIA 1911s used to be at my local big box stores. When I look it up on their website they donā€™t come up, so I wonder why :thinking:. Could be out of stock, but they have tons of guns on the catalog that are out of stock. Iā€™m in no rush though.

I would assume it may have to do with the Pandemic. I spoke with a family member recently that said they were policing people just going from one neighborhood to the next in the Metro Manila area. I would assume that the factories might be slower on production. Armscor makes the RIA 1911ā€™s IIRC.

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Hey Jerzy, Is there any substantial difference between Tsas and RIA 1911?

I was looking at a Kimber LW for 650 but Iā€™m not sure itā€™s really worth the extra $150-200.

substantial? noā€¦ both manufacturers made well done, not fancy, regular 1911sā€¦ what means - not ideal quality but reliable firearm.

Iā€™ve never had a chance to shoot Tisas, I knew this brand when I was looking for affordable 1911 handgun. The only reason I chose RIA was the fact that they used original Colt design (and machinery). Tisas is Turkish so I donā€™t expect to be bad firearm.

1911 is well known pistol for over 100 yearsā€¦ If new production uses its technology from 1970ā€™s - it is still good firearm. And these are the Tisas and RIA. They can cost below $500 - I can still trust them.

Kimber LW may be interesting optionā€¦but only because of aluminium frameā€¦ but Iā€™m not sure how is it reliable. Iā€™ve never shot Kimber alu frame 1911.

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Thank you,

Iā€™m really intrigued with the TSAS because of what it is and itā€™s price.

The limber to me just seems like a nice piece. I know theyā€™re are a lot of kimber users on here. They make some decent carry options, but Iā€™ve also read arguments that they are not worth their price (but Iā€™m not sure if this is a critique of theirs lower priced guns or their $1000+ options.).

TSAS and RIA both look like they are a good value.

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I have a Tisas version of a Browning Hi-power and am very pleased with the quality and functional performance. Full disclosure a original Hi-power is the one pistol I really regret selling many years ago.
If the Tisas 1911 version is anything near the quality I see in the Hi-power I would certainly add it to my 1911"s.
Bill

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This thread made me to look on other forums for more information about Tisas 1911.
I couldnā€™t find anything negative but quality of finishā€¦ so nothing wrong with this price range. I would say - the same expectiations as Rock Island 1911.
Everybody says about good reliability of this Turkish product. :+1:

Tisa, tisa , tisa haha. Looked for these before I purchased a ria 1911. Both are good weapons. Everyone should own at least one 1911, itā€™s Americaā€™s firearm.

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But it should be made in 'Murica. :grinning:

Joking, mine are American made, but nothing wrong with the RIA or Turkish guns that I know about. Fit and finish might not be as good, but the RIA I had was a very functional 1911.

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I like RIAā€™sā€¦ even they are Filipino made, they are American style, being Coltā€™s copies.

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Yeah agreed. The. Ria 1911s are mostly made on our machines in the Philippines left there during the war. Theyā€™ve been making 1911s for quite some time. Canā€™t say if this is true for some of the newer models

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I have a Tisas duty 1911. All stainless steel w/ 3-dot sights. Iā€™ve only put about 400 rounds through it, but I havenā€™t had any problems with it yet. I may look into an a1 model come summer.

You can take a factory tour on YT. I was impressed with how modern & professional it was

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