Ruger .45 or Armscorp/Rock Island/Charles Daily 1911 clone?

[Old Griz]

:cb2: Thinking about an inexpensive .45. Which do you guys suggest? The Ruger P97, or one of the 1911s made in the Philippines? I have never had a 1911 and really don't know that much about them.

[txpete]

best but for the buck.ruger P97D
pete

[Savage]

Well----Griz, if you want a good cheap, spartan yet generally reliable 45 autoloader, the Ruger will do just fine.
Everyone needs to own a 1911. The inexpensive clones can be a hit or miss proposition. Just about any of them can be made right with a little TLC. I recently bought a Charles Daly in officer's model. It doesn't compare with my other 1911s in maching quality and detail, but shoots a lot better than a $300 compact 1911 should. The Dan Wesson 1911s deserve a look. The're not as inexpensive as the Ruger, but then the Ruger's no 1911!!
Savage

[oso45-70]

Griz.
When i was in the buisness i handled a lot of Norinco's. They are a long way from the old calt 1911s but with a little tinkering you can make a pretty good gun out of them. I used to carry one that i had reworked and it performed as good as you could expect. I received some Llamas in the 45 configeration and they were JUNK. I think i would stay away from them
unless they have done something to bring them up to par. I like the ruger as a rule but can't get used to the way they look,, Which don't mean they will not do a good job. I even like my Glook ( Tupperware ) according to some, But i didn't get them at a party. Good luck Griz.......Joe..........

[Old Griz]

:cb2: Thanks a lot guys. My gun purchases have been put on hold for a while. I just blew my squirrel fund on a new Nikon and lens. (Something to shoot on vacation that won't hurt anything. Can that really be any fun?!?)

Joe, I have very strong anti-China political feelings, and I just couldn't bring myself to buy a Norinco. This isn't meant in an insult in any way to anyone else. One of the professors I taught with was a leader in the pro-democracy movement in China and he and his wife barely escaped with their lives. He has some incredible stories. It's impossible to boycott all Chinese goods, but we try not to buy anything that we can see on the package "Made in China."

I think, however, that I'm leaning toward the Ruger, and I want to wait and see their new 345. (Do ya think that stands for our 3rd 45?

Oh, so many toys, and so little money.  :mrgreen:

And no kids. Who's gonna get this arsenal when I die?  :eek:

[stolivar]

I just bought one of the p345 rugers yesterday... It had only been on the shelf for 1 hour... I love it. better than the old p97.. I still don't like the safety on the ruger. up is fire.


steve

[Old Griz]

:cb2: Good reason to go decock.

[Iowegan]

Although I'm a 1911 guy at heart, with the choices you posted I'd definitely go with the Ruger.  Any of the Ruger P-guns will function well, not bad accuracy, and are built stout.  Can't say that for the Oriental 1911s. The metallurgy is poor, internal parts are grim, and they typically don't hold up well. You may get lucky and find one that actually shoots decent, at least for a while. I recently reworked a Charles Daly that had about 1000 rounds through it. The slide was beat, the frame was battered, the sear, disconnecter, hammer, grip safety, and thumb safety were all worn beyond repair. With the money I spent on parts, you could have bought a new Ruger.

[oso45-70]

Old Griz.
I have a lot of the same feelings about the guns made in china, But i was in the buisness of selling guns and at that time a lot of people were wanting cheaper 1911 look alike pistols, So in order to stay up with the demands of some I had to handle all sorts of junk i didn' care for. This being a rather poor town I didn't get a lot of calls for Colt, S&W and Ruger
It was at that time that I Learned to work on the 1911 clone's. I understand what you said and no offence was taken. Life is way to short to do that. Have a good day all,............Joe................

[Old Griz]

:cb2: Joe, I'm sure glad to hear it, cuz I sure didn't mean to offend anyone. I ruffled some feathers on another thread, and I didn't even mean to. I know I'm opinionated, pigheaded, ignorant, and ugly, but there's not much I can do about the last one. I'm still working on the others, but it's sure slow going.

We'll be cutting across your fair state next week as we meander our way from Texas to Trinidad to Boulder. If we do wind up cruising through Tucumcari, we'll wave as we go by! :grin:

[jimmyp50]

I sure like the single action trigger and grip feel of a 1911 gun, I have owned 4 of them, sadly I never could seem to get all the money in one place to afford a custom built gun like a Wilson.  I purchased a full size stainless steel kimber and had it for a few years.  It was a fun range gun, but its weight bothered me when carrying it.  Also I guess after a gun fails to feed round-ball a couple of times, and you play with it, changing clips, recoil springs you kind of lose interest in it. How reliable is reliable enough?  That my friends is a personal decision.  I have three friends that (still) have Ruger p97's, in all honesty in shooting with them and us all trying the Kimber and Ruger's none of us were good enough shots to tell the difference in accuracy, but I don't have the Kimber anymore. I personally have never seen a Ruger p97 fail to fire.  At a local range I frequent a man came in with a P97 45, bought a box of 40 S&W cartridges and after firing the box of them came out an complained that the gun was not accurate.  This may seem to be a tall tale, but I saw the split cases and the man who told the story is as honest as the day is long. (In this case no one told me how many failures to fire he had.)   I personally shot a box of hand loaded lead semi wad cutters through a p97, the gun shot them all without a stoppage, very accurate.  The owner proudly showed me how his p97 would feed empty cases as well. This was a plain blue p97 and the owner a former police officer taught pistol classes and was a very good shot.  His only modification to the gun was some skateboard tape to reduce grip slippage in his hand.  For me although I do not like ruger rifles, the p97 pistol seems like a good old fashion wonder, it does exactly like it is supposed to do. I guess most elite pistol Aficionado's would sneer at the lowly ruger, it's clunky looks and all, but that's OK,we should value what works.  It is better to suffer someone's derision rather than suffer 6 yards of new earth.   My next pistol will most likely be the p97 in 45 or the new Ruger in 45. The new one has a new lock up system and I am waiting to see some reports on it before buying it.  Jimmyp

[patm41]

The cheap Rock Island Armscor has got great reviews in the articals that i have read..  I have one on lay-a-way now at my dealer... I bought it for fun .. as i dont really need it.. the price was right 350.00 out the door..
Being these are mil spec guns most any accessory for a 1911 will fit them..

[Tacoma]

I've had  a couple mil spec  1911's. All were fairly finiky about ammo.  All took some smithing to get them reliable with reloads and get past those ugly triggers.  I'd either hunt up a used 1911 that has already seen some work or buy a more modern ( and /or forgiving design.) Lots of used S&W & Ruger semis out there  would fit the bill.

Personal favorites in (used) sub $500 45 ACPs:
S&W 4506  ( about $400)
S&W 625 revolver ( $500)
Firestar M45 ( about $275)

All time favorite ; S&W 1911 but it costs a bit more.

[Border Bandit]

Ruger p345........... got it for 389 + tax. alot of tough reliable 45 acp firepower for the money !!!!!!!!!!!