Best 1911-45 cal. for Home Defense?

[Sneaky]

With a spending cap of 1300 dollars what 1911 do you recommend that you find very reliable and and is less prone to jamming or mal-functioning. My wife & I have fired 1911's at our range but we both lack the knowledge of what 1911's will function reliably if & when a lethal situation should arise in a home defense encounter.
What 1911 would you recommend & why would you recommend this 1911 for home defense.

Many Thank-You's!

P.S. I shot 1911's in the USMC for 3 years and find this firearm points & fires the best for me and my wife!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[pogo2]

I believe that 1911 reliability is more of an individual gun characteristic than a brand and model characteristic, and that it can only be tested and proven by running the individual gun through adequate rounds of the ammunition to be used.

But given your $1300 budget and the wide variety of 1911s on the market, I would recommend a full size Colt based on my experience. I got my first Colt about 20 years ago and have owned about 10 of them. My experience with them has been generally excellent, and I believe they are well made and reliable guns. I would not be afraid to buy a used gun in excellent condition, and most of mine have been bought used, without aftermarket modifications.

But the testing of the gun is very important.

[sass20485]

Take a look at the Taurus PT1911, Not one problem out of the box with over 500 rds and still counting.

[frankmako]

any gun no matter the brand, cal, or type can jam. so there is no one brand of gun that will not jam. if you are looking for home defense i would take a look at a good used shotgun.

now for the 1911. there are many good 1911 type guns out now. not like the old days when colt was the leading brand and also the only brand out there, except for some cheap knock offs. i got into the 1911 thing back in the 70's and i still look for a colt first. then i look for a older springfield arms. after that there are some many different brands to chose from. i would also look at the glocks. you got a boat load of money to spend. i would not spend all of it for a "race gun", get a basic gun. you can add things to the gun later. i would get a mid price basic named brand gun and use the rest for ammo to practive.

[Squidrow]

Have had excellent performance with the Smith&Wesson. Reasonable, accurate and very reliable. After 3,500 rounds through my scandium frame model, I am very pleased. Reasonably priced and shoot straight.

[DOGOFWAR01]

SIG 1911

others IN 45 ACP:

PARA ORD LDA 1911

SIG 220

XD

XD M

GLOCK

[Teufelhunden]

Kimber has worked out great for me.

[ELCruisr]

As with others it's not so much the particular make as the individual pistol. I lean towards Springfield Armory just 'cause I've had such a good experience with them. Mostly I'd say for a house gun I'd go full size, not a lot of frills. A model with a beavertail to help with hand placement. Then spend the rest on ammo and good practice. Find the rounds that function flawlessly and some extra quality mags.

Good luck!

[SIXTO]

If I were going to buy a 1911 for HD today, I'd choose the Springfield Operator or a Kimber Custom TLE/RL or perhaps a Royal.

[JD]

With a spending cap of 1300 dollars what 1911 do you recommend that you find very reliable and and is less prone to jamming or mal-functioning. My wife & I have fired 1911's at our range but we both lack the knowledge of what 1911's will function reliably if & when a lethal situation should arise in a home defense encounter.
What 1911 would you recommend & why would you recommend this 1911 for home defense.

Many Thank-You's!

P.S. I shot 1911's in the USMC for 3 years and find this firearm points & fires the best for me and my wife!

less prone to jamming or mal-functioning

Going of personal experiences, and looking at the "on-line" history, I would forgo Kimber, again looking at internet complaints I would leave out the Sig GSR line. I don't have any experience with the GSR line, but when they first came out there were some issues, if you go the GSR route, find a newer model that will NOT have the "manhole" cover in the slide. One thing I don't like about the GSR line is the lanyard cutout in the mainspring housing, it just digs into my hand the wrong way.

*I know a lot of people have Kimbers that never had an issue, that's fine, I'm not bashing your gun just stating my personal opinion and stating that there is a history with QC issues with Kimber and that's all, you've got a good Kimber, good for you.

Those two have probably had more reports of issues than any other makers out there in the mid tier of 1911 producers.

Given that this is going to be a home defense gun, I would recommend a railed 1911 that will accomodate a light.

Railed 1911s that I would recommend in the desired price range.

Springfield MC Operator
Springfield LW Operator
Smith&Wesson Tactical

If you shop around, you may be able to find a TRP Operator in the price range.

[scout06]

I wouldn't have a 1911 in .45 cal for home defense unless my walls were all made of cinder block or I loaded it with a frangable round although I do own one for carry and target practice.

There are way too many variables to consider other than make or style of weapon. Consider who might be in the home with you, how much damage you'll do to your home when you miss with a round (you will most likely miss as most rounds in a firefight don't hit the intended target or every firefight would be one shot, one kill).

I'd suggest you sit down with your wife and reasonably talk through all your options and be realistic about both your and her abilities with handguns. If you decide on a 1911, test the weapon out with self-defense ammo prior to purchase and ensure it accepts hollow points ALL THE TIME. Most 1911's (except the high end ones) are designed to feed ball ammunition and not hollow points since they were specifically designed as a military weapon.

I'd suggest you consider a shotgun as well as any caliber handgun over .380 caliber. Shotguns are a huge deterent to the enemy and are easily adapted for home defense. I'm a cheap SOB, so if you think like me (although I have 4 rifle, 1 shotgun and 10 pistols/revolvers in my home), you'll be able to purchase a shotgun, lots of ammo (buckshot, birdshot and slugs) and a good night sight/light and be way under budget.

[Cloudpeak]

I think scout06 hit the nail on the head and it's good advice.

OTOH, if you WANT a 1911, I don't blame you. I have two Springfield's (45) and a STI Trojan (9mm) that I really like and these are the handguns I shoot the best. All three guns have been great and customer service is good from both companies. If I had to pick one 1911 for the home, it would be a Trojan in 45 ACP or possibly the Ranger ll in 45 ACP (1" shorter barrel).

But, as was suggested, the shotgun would be superior for home protection when compared to any handgun. I'd getting both!

Cloudpeak

[SIXTO]

The O/P's question was

Best 1911-45 cal. for Home Defense?

Not what was the best firearm for home defense...

But since it came up, I think its very dangerous to suggest that one particular type of gun the the "best" across the board. It really depends on the plan of action and the shooters ability far more than caliber or pistol vs. long gun.

Back to the thread and the question that was asked.

[Siafu]

Sig 1911's suck. Pricey and nicely finished but utterly jam-o-matic. I had my best 1911 results with a Norinco Chinese 1911 that was absolute perfection. I recently saw a very lightly used one with box and all manuals for $475.

[houndawg75]

I have a SA Mil-spec. It's got everything I wanted and was around $550. With your budget, you could probably get 2 or your could get a 1911 and a 12 gauge pump and still have money left over. Thats would I would do, but that just my opinion. Then you would arguably have the best home defense gun (the shotty) and pretty damn good back-up. The way I look it is that a pistol should not be your primary weapon unless you have no other choice.