Another Newbie

Ed... You've gotten two very different but equally worthwhile comments.

It is rarely a good idea to buy any gun because it is cheaper than what you really want. What happens is you end up actually spending more money and may be stuck with a gun or end up taking a bath when you get rid of it.

The Springfield Rob mentions is a good buy and would also make a nice foundation if later on you wanted to have something built.

But Mike's suggestion of a Rock River will put you in a gun that doesn't need anything done to it and will shoot as well or better than stuff that costs lots more. If you look at the price of a bare bones gun and then what you will probably spend down the road getting it fixed up, there is usually a significant economy to biting the bullet and getting a more expensive gun up front.

I own a Rock River Basic Limited Match which will routinely shoot under 3" 10 shot groups at 50 yd. with decent ammo. The downside is that they're slow so it will give you the chance to save up.

welcome aboard.

Re: Whoa Fellas!

SpecialEd said:

I checked out the Rock River Arms page and they sure do look nice but the least expensive gun was $1150.

Click to expand...

I suspect that Mikegunner really meant Rock Island instead of Rock River. The Rock Island, Charles Daly, and at least one other importer's M1911 are all made by the firm ARMSCOR in the Philippines.

The few Charles Daly that I have had the displeasure of examining were quite poorly made with serious fitting issues and more often than not poor reliability. Seriously, they make the Norinco M1911s look like pre-Gold Cup Colt National Match. (In spite of their often rough machinework, most Norinco M1911 pistols which I encountered would actually work, and some were even reasonably accurate.)

In one example, the sear was so far out of spec that a replacement Wilson thumb safety dropped in and worked without fitting of the safety surfaces. (The thumb safety was replaced since the factory ambi-safety had its own problems.) Some examples wouldn't even feed factory ball ammo with any regularity. One fellow was smart enough to immediately get rid of his. The other, an immigrant from the Philippines, was feeling nationalistic and as a glutton for punishment, bought a second Daly pistol as a companion to his first. Neither were sterling performers, but at least the second pistol looked better than the first. Eventually, the reality of the matter sunk in, and I understand that he has finally dumped both pistols and moved up the M1911 food chain.

Used S&W4566

Hola Ed,

If you're willing to consider used .45 autos, other than the Ruger or the CZ, here's a contact that may interest you:

Phil Flack
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (828)252-9487
Location: Asheville NC
Price: $400.00
For sale: Three consecutive serial number Smith model 4566. PD trade ins, excellent condition, 90-95% with two mags each. $400 each plus shipping. Take all three, shipped insured: $1175. Must ship to FFL.

The S&W's are good serviceable and PDW worthy semiautos and may be within your price range.

Cheers,
8)