Doing my due diligence and putting in the homework, it came down to who’s got the most accurate WWII style model A1 clone/reproduction and of course.. money is an issue to always factor in there.
So in weighing accuracy and authenticity, the SDS 1911A1 for about $350 and the Inland 1911A1 for maybe $850 are the two that looked the most authentic from the outside... TO ME. Love the Inland’s rollmarks.. don’t like the price tag too much. I think it was found cheaper in the $650 -$750 range at one time. They’re harder to find than the SDS and thusly, price choice is limited.
Other guns that I’ve looked at has things that are different that the original A1. Grips, larger brand rollmarks in the slide. Etc.
So between my two choices. YouTube reviews certainly helped. Several inland reviews. Several SDS reviews.
Because of the sub $400 price tag, a lot of sales, the SDS has a lot of buyer reviews on websites. Some sites have like 40 purchase reviews. The gun rocks steadying form and most importantly, in function. It’s simply not junk. The only way it seems to vary from an original other than where it’s made rollmark, is I believe the barrel chamber throat is much larger than a original, which is typically a custom feature. The reviewer believes the company does that to help it eat all ammo. Nobody seems to report feed issues nor function problems, and it seems the barrel feed ramp and the good springs that it comes with don’t need to be swapped out like many import 1911’s sometimes do. So we’ve got a gun that really works like the real deal did. Other things that are right that nobody else gets right. The non-beveled mag well. The blued barrel. Nobody seems to get that right. The color of the gun. It’s that more authentic greenish black color apparently. These things you can’t really tell in website pics. Things that are right that others get right , some don’t. The trigger is the proper short trigger, slightly longer safety tang, checkered wider hammer, lanyard loop, correct dimensioned front and rear sights, plastic stocks.
The Inland A1. Again.. sure do like those rollmarks. Sure do NOT like the series 80 safety pin, but.. ya can’t see that so mayforgetfullness could pay off for me..
The got a lot of stuff right. For me to bring it in home, approaching a grand... is it worth it ?
I watched a review where the gun had about 1500 to 1800 rounds through it I think he said. I could see finish wear and use, so I wondered about how durable the finish is since that is the one question on the SDS. Finish durability. I’m not sure on the SDS. I couldn’t find anyone that said good or bad, other than the color is right. However, one Inland reviewer very much wanted to duplicate the original WWII look, and he even said that the inland was just black, and referred to the SDS as the correct color, although he seemed pro-Inland gun. He Had contacted Inland to try to get the more greenish tinted finish , but didn’t get it to happen.
The Inland functioned perfectly also. All steel gun also. The things not right that you can see. Maybe finish color.. I’m no expert with which finish is more accurate. The things that I CAN see are the mag well bevel. No biggie, but the barrel is also polished unfinished, where se the SDS is blued. That stands out to me. Some people went ahead and blued the Inland barrel to make it appear original, but I don’t want to have to do that and pay more money for the gun too. One reviewer claimed the Inland’s trigger isn’t quite a correct short trigger, said it was a “mid trigger”. I dunno.
So that was the deciding factor for me. The SDS comes as right as I can get it without any extra effort required.
I’ve decided to go ahead with the much lesser expensive gun, try it, and if it doesn’t scratch the 1911A1 itch, then I’m out less dollar bills than a Glock, and that’s the biggest factor. Everybody mentioned how tight it gun is - slide to lower. Feels quality. I will find out.