AFFORDABLE 1911S

[Snake45]

Most commonly I saw Glock clones fail to fire, fail to feed, fail to eject. Their 24/7 pistol was notorious for firing when you shake it, though I only saw that on video. I had a new security guard company send a group of 5 students to me for state certification with new Taurus S&W k-frame revolver clones that they bought cheap and every one of them had frequent failures to fire. We ended up loaning them S&W revolvers so they could complete the course and the company dumped them to buy Glocks. My thought was, if you arm your security officers with Taurus, you don't think very highly of them.

When I was shooting CAS I shot with guys shooting SAA clones that had repeated failures to fire. I have a close friend whose Gaucho never worked right out of the box. But other guys shot them without trouble and loved them.

Those are a few specifics, there are more.

In fairness I have no experience with their specialty guns like the .44 magnum or Judge, and have heard from folks who have them and like them.

So you've experienced a wide variety of problems with Taurus products of all kinds. Got it. That would sour me on the whole line, too. I notice you didn't mention their 1911s, but I can see where you'd be down on the whole line due to your personal experience. Thanks!

 

[Snake45]

As I told every one of my students, if low price is your primary determining factor when selecting a defensive pistol, you have your priorities wrong.

Yah, I can see this point of view. OTOH, with a bit of experience such as you and I have, we DON'T want to pay for a bunch of foofraw, gadgets, bling-bling, or what I call BOSAJ (Bunch Of Silly-Ass Junk). This most often applies with 1911s and AR-platform rifles, but I see it turning up with Glocks and some other common platforms, too.

 

[Annihilator]

For once an article that is not titled: “the Best… blah, blah, blah”.

Some good choices. Surprised SA Mil Spec defended was not on the list but a Ronin was

I have noticed a lot of 1911 articles omit the Mil Spec, I personally think it’s one of the best buys and durable 1911’s out there, it always goes bang, for me if your looking for an economical 1911, the SA Mil Spec and RIA Mil Spec

 

[Annihilator]

Apparently at least a couple of you had bad experiences with Taurus 1911s. Can you tell us more? What kind of problems did you have, and even more importantly, how long ago?

No issues with the one I had, owned it for many years, only got rid of it for a Ruger Scout rifle, which my brother now owns

 

[Snake45]

No issues with the one I had, owned it for many years, only got rid of it for a Ruger Scout rifle, which my brother now owns

Thank you!

 

[Annihilator]

Haven’t personally owned one…but friends (who disregarded my dire warnings) did buy them…

One snapped the barrel link during the first range session; went back to Taurus, came back and did it again within 100 rounds. It went back again, got replaced entirely (new gun). That one ran, but had terrible galling issues on the frame rails. The machining inside was also craptastic; made Soviet machine work look top notch.

The other had feed issues constantly. No matter what mag, what ammo, despite polishing the ramp, trying different recoil springs…it would love to FTRB, FTE, and even occasionally stovepipe. It was great for failure drills, though. Also had the craptastic machining.

This was late 2000’s, iirc. I doubt they’ve gotten any better.

Mess with the bull, get the horns.

The barrel link will always be the one of the 1911’s weakest link, which has been addressed over the years, this part takes a lot of stress, and should be made with machined steel, not cast or MIM like some manufacturers do today

 

[Hammer67]

Personally, I'd rather have one Dan Wesson for $2k, than two $1k 1911s.

 

[HansGruber]

Yah, I can see this point of view. OTOH, with a bit of experience such as you and I have, we DON'T want to pay for a bunch of foofraw, gadgets, bling-bling, or what I call BOSAJ (Bunch Of Silly-Ass Junk). This most often applies with 1911s and AR-platform rifles, but I see it turning up with Glocks and some other common platforms, too.

I had a buddy who really wasn’t much of a gun guy, just did a little hunting in the fall, get into 3-gun, running Heavy Metal (.45 pistol, .308 rifle, 12ga shotgun)…bought a Witness .45, a PSA .308, and a Franchi 12ga…and didn’t do too bad. I think he said he was into it for under $1500…

There’s decent guns—a lot of them, in fact—for fairly little money. You just have to look for them.

 

[HansGruber]

Personally, I'd rather have one Dan Wesson for $2k, than two $1k 1911s.

Stretch another grand, and you can have a Baer, Brown, or Wilson…

 

[youngolddude]

My first handgun was a Taurus model 66 in the mid-80's. It was a nice gun. It's been awhile so I probably sold it to buy something else. I bought 2 Taurus .22 autos a bit later and both fell apart before shooting a box of ammo. They were traded upon return from the factory. I've hear other anecdotal stories about them in gun shops and from friends: autos, Gauchos and Thunderbolts. Even if they were repaired at the factory, they often came back months later. That said, a lot of reviewers seem to like the G models lately and haven't heard negativity about them. I would rather try others before buying one of theirs again.

 

[Talyn]

I think the US Taurus's are better than the Brazil ones.

 

[HansGruber]

I think the US Taurus's are better than the Brazil ones.

Jury is out for me.

Then again, the only Taurus I’ve mucked about with recently was a TX22…

And I bought a Sig 322 instead.

 

[XD94045]

I personally believe Taurus needs to stick to their great revolvers and leave semi auto’s alone, but thats just me. You know. My unbiased firearms .02 cents

Here, here. I had a Model 85 back in the day that ate anything and I wish I still had it.

 

[Annihilator]

Jury is out for me.

Then again, the only Taurus I’ve mucked about with recently was a TX22…

And I bought an Sig 322 instead.

Did your P322 still have the barrel fouling issues the early ones had, been looking at one for some time, just leary cause of this issue, figured Sig would correct the issue soon

 

[HansGruber]

Did your P322 still have the barrel fouling issues the early ones had, been looking at one for some time, just leary cause of this issue, figured Sig would correct the issue soon

Haven’t had a chance to shoot it yet.

 

[SimonRL]

FWIW—my recommendation to anyone starting out on a 1911 is the Rock Island FS Ultra; they run around $600 in stores in my area. G10 grips, FO front sight, adjustable rear, beaver tail safety…and they run great.

For the $500 range—the Rock Standard 1911 is also a great budget choice. Novak-style sights, rubber grips, beaver tail…

Not as familiar with the Turks, but…I think there are comparably outfitted & priced models from both Girsan & Tisas.

After looking at this thread earlier I came across an article on a series of new 1911s that EAA Girsan are bringing out called Untouchable and Influencer. They look like pretty decent 1911s with extremely competitive prices. The thing that caught my eye is that the Influence series is optic ready. I would be lying if I said that didn’t intrigue me.

 

[SimonRL]

Girsan Influencer™ MC1911

The Influencer™ is designed to cater to a wide range of preferences, offering multiple barrel lengths, including a 5” barrel (S) model, 4.4” barrel (C) model, and 3.4” barrel (SC) model options, and an array of calibers, such as 9mm, 45acp, 10mm, and 38 Super. This versatility ensures that...

eaacorp.com

Girsan Untouchable™ MC1911

The gloves are off at EAA with our new MC1911 series, the Untouchable™. First in price, product range, and warranty, the EAA/Girsan MC1911 Untouchable™ sets a new standard for the 1911 platform in the USA small arms market. Available in multiple configurations, barrel lengths, calibers and...

eaacorp.com

 

[Talyn]

They look like pretty decent 1911s with extremely competitive prices

The benefit of much lower manufacturing costs.

 

[PAGunGuy]

As I told every one of my students, if low price is your primary determining factor when selecting a defensive pistol, you have your priorities wrong.

I think for most that low price point is a reality out of necessity, not because they are cheap.

My first handgun, (first firearm, period) about 12 years ago, was the Hi Point C9. Not because I was too cheap to spend more, but because I really couldn't afford to. I was working for a non-profit making $24K a year trying to support a family of 4. Crime was getting worse and I wanted something to protect myself and family. I did months of research and was comfortable with my decision.

Since then, my situation has drastically changed, and I have nicer (more expensive) guns. But I still see the necessity of inexpensive guns.

 

[HayesGreener]

I think for most that low price point is a reality out of necessity, not because they are cheap.

My first handgun, (first firearm, period) about 12 years ago, was the Hi Point C9. Not because I was too cheap to spend more, but because I really couldn't afford to. I was working for a non-profit making $24K a year trying to support a family of 4. Crime was getting worse and I wanted something to protect myself and family. I did months of research and was comfortable with my decision.

Since then, my situation has drastically changed, and I have nicer (more expensive) guns. But I still see the necessity of inexpensive guns.

If they work. There are plenty quality used guns available at the price point