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Top Picks for 1911A1 Repro’s?

22K views 62 replies 24 participants last post by  CLASSIC12 
#1 ·
So this may have been discussed before but what recommendations do y’all have for WWII era 1911A1 reproductions? Looking for the most historically accurate offerings in terms of action and aesthetics.
 
#36 ·
I checked out Inland’s website and that brochure link. Looks like to find one available , there are a few on gunbroker, running about $830 and FFL at the least expensive that I could find. It’s tempting.. done right for a WWII A1 and Inland rollmarks. That’s a tough decision.. for less than half, correct SDS gun but turkey ... or two and a half times the money and Inland rollmarks.
 
#37 ·
Well, you can count on the collectors and aficionados to pay close attention to the details. The Inland 1911A1 has articles and reviews . It’s about as close as anyone can find. Review from G&A Hanguns, May 2018 had a good write up. The good news for me is I’m educating myself on what’s what. They had a lot of really good things to say about this gun. All steel parts except the grips , which is correct. Great flat finish and rollmarks with the patent dates. Only 2 discrepancies and one is so minor , I guess it counts. The mag well does have some inner bevel which is not correct to original. The other is kinda a biggie possibly, since it seems to matter to folks in buying any 1911 style pistol. It’s a series 80 style firing pin safety. Doesn’t change the appearance, but to quote the article, some may see that as blasphemous.
That is one thing that Colt did do right on all their retros.. Colt added the little red warning tag in the box and kept the original firing pin system. Some gotta keep the lawyers off ‘em.
 
#38 ·
+1 WWYS, that series 80 action “plagues” a few of these repro options, including the Inland Manufacturing 1911’s. I hate to admit it, as I’d love to keep it U.S., but the more I read on those SDS’s the more I can’t see passing one up. And that sub $400.00 price point is just nuts. I also hate that Springfield Armory seems to have discontinued the “GI”, as the “Mil-Spec” has a few features that turn me off. Anyone have any experience with the Cimarron 1911’s? Their high-polish offering definitely checks a lot of the boxes for a solid WWI era repro and they can be had for sub $600.00. I think the parkerized version runs about $100.00 less.
 
#41 ·
https://www.classicfirearms.com/sds-imports-1911-a1-government/

This is a nice analog for a WWII eara 1911. Unlike many "Clones" the ejection port is correct, the safety is right, the sights are right, it has a blued barrel like the originals. So may "clones" have taller sights, lowered ejection port, the post War type safety, etc.

This new Turkish gun has all the features right, and they seem to be built very well. For the price, I don't see how you can go wrong.
 
#43 · (Edited)
Another option is to look for a "trashed" GI gun. Not as common as a few years back, but they're out there. This one (Ithaca frame) had the front strap stippled, but otherwise was in good shape. A Colt GI hard slide, some small parts, a spare Flannery Bolt barrel and I was in business. I sold the slide and parts I exchanged, and now have a nice shooter that's WAY cheaper than a CMP gun. Except for the stippling, it's GI all the way. A lot of these "bubba'd" GI guns are coming out of the woodwork now; patience is required. And it helped that I had some GI parts ratholed.
Bob

 
#44 ·
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.
 
#46 ·
Here is a link to what I think is a really great review of the SDS gun. I have not followed this channel before. What I like about this review is that he directly compares , side by side, this clone to a real deal WWII Colt. This helps me greatly understand things because I am not long term experienced with the military 1911 or 1911A1, although I have been shooting 1911 style off and on since I was a teen.
I just don’t think anything else comes this close. I really wish it was made on this piece of property over here. but maybe others will step up if they see more interest.

The differences he points out is the obvious that can’t be duplicated legally wouldn’t imagine.. the rollmarks.
Other than that.. it’s subtle. The brown plastic grips are not as dark as his. The hammer spur flares a little more than his Colt, but.. in his comments others claim that original Singers and others did have that type spur. The ejection port is a smidge lower than his Colt. 1911 experts may know if there were any variances - .

The big thing is function. They put hundreds of rounds through the SDS gun over several days. Disassembled and inspected for wear, metal burrs, potential issues. It passes the tests and surpasses expectations. Nobody really expects things to be perfect with this price point, and yet it is. That’s probably the biggest plus. So I’m feeling pretty good about now buying the SDS. Guys are getting this to shoot and retire the collector for fear of breaking an original part.. although the gun can still be easily fixed, but we know how original holds value.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1LgcPCrZY0
 
#47 ·
I would have paid the money for one of the Colt reproductions but they weren't for sale here in California. I have a 1944 Colt M1911A1 and a 1946 Sistema Colt but don't shoot those regularly so the Springfield Armory fills that niche. I just checked the CA approved handguns roster and neither the SDS or Tisas guns are listed so I'll probably never have a chance to examine one.
But they do sound like a very reasonable alternative for under $400.
 
#53 ·
Copied this from a post I made on a similar thread (modified a bit). I have about $600 in this Auto Ordnance parkerized model. Purchased used but in very good condition & not fired much. Added a USGI stamped trigger, replaced magazine with USGI magazine, USGI mainspring housing w/ lanyard loop. It does have a slight bevel in the magazine well and is Series 80 instead of 70, but you can’t always get what you want.

Now I have a GI 1911A1 clone that I’m not afraid to shoot a bunch. Complete with tiny sights that old guys like me that actually used them can’t see very well any more.

Firearm Gun Trigger Gun accessory Gun barrel
 
#54 ·
Owned a Cimarron high polish once. Liked it. Shot well. The thing I didn’t like most was that in order to remove the the slight magazine bevel, they just ground off the bottom of the grip frame, instead of making a casting that didn’t have the bevel in the first place. Sold it.
 
#56 ·
Just wanted to post a follow up.
After LOTS of deliberation and research I settled on this LNIB 90’s Springfield Armory 1911 A1.

The primary contenders for me were as follows:

1.) Tisas/SDS (Turkish made but dang fine replica by all accounts)
2.) ATI (Made in the Philippines but pretty well respected...the slide markings are a bit much for me.)
3.) RIA (Again...Philippines but great guns)
4.) AO and Inland arms (Seem to be the same gun. Plenty of positive reviews and made in the US, but series 80 action. Also, while AO is currently owned by Kahr firearms group and their quality is purportedly top-notch these days...they did have a bit of a reputation early on for piss poor QC.)


Ultimately, the Springfield checked the following boxes for me:

1.) These early NM serial numbered SA’s are allegedly all US “built” and have a really solid reputation. Many of the later Springfield GI editions (WW and N serial number prefixes) actually have Brazil stamped on the frame...not a big deal as all the Springfield fans have respect for Imbel...I just wanted to avoid it on my GI repro.
(P.S. The whole “Where are Springfield Armory guns actually made?” debate is one of those internet sink holes guaranteed to suck you in for hours and spit you back out more confused than ever)
2.) No firing pin block. Again, the series 80 action isn’t something I’ve ever complained about in my other 1911’s, I just wanted to keep things as “authentic” as possible in terms of the internals and many of the other offerings from US manufacturers of these A1 repros incorporate the Series 80 action.
3.) Decently accurate finish and aesthetics including the parkerizing, arched mainspring housing, GI sights, non-ambi thumb safety, grips, non-beveled mag well, short trigger, grip safety and a few other items I won’t bother to list.
4.) Price was good @ $450.00 shipped , factory box and all.

A few “demerits” in terms of external authenticity:
1.) Slanted slide serrations
2.) Lack of lanyard loop
3.) Thumb safety knob
4.) It doesn’t say Colt

All and all I’m pleased with the gun and I’m sure it will provide years of faithful service as an all-around, no frills beater.

See below for some pics. Range report coming soon...
 

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#58 · (Edited)
Good catch on finding the S/A GI model hardly ever see them used for sale same with the Mil/Spec model.

A very good choice imo, I have the Springfield 1911 Mil Spec seems to be the same as the S/A GI- except for more visable 3 dot sights. I needed that as my eyes are fading.



Right now, its my favorite pistol- forged frame, reliable, retro, accurate, tough finish, no 80's firing pin block, Started shooting it solo about six months ago- did not clean it to see how long it could go without jamming- its still running, *may take it to the range again today. Don't worry if it gets a scratch, its a $600 pistol, well worth the money- I won't holler to much if it does get a scratch, with some wear on it, I will like it better.

*It will get a bath after that. lol
 
#59 ·
Des, according to everything I’ve read on the subject, all of Springfield Armory’s frames have been forged by Brazil based Imbel since day one. SA received these rough forged pieces, and completed all the final assembly, fit and finish state side. There’s a lot of debate as to what extent certain early serial number ranges indicate that the bulk of the frame milling/finishing was done in the US vs Brazil. These days...again, “allegedly”...SA is manufacturing everything in house. So to answer your question...I really have no idea!
 
#60 ·
I’m with you on those GI sights Ugly...even at the ripe old age of 31 I have trouble picking them up. But again, I’ve got other 1911’s with all the bells and whistles. I appreciate these bare bones “Mil Specs” for their nostalgia more so than their performance. Although they do flat shoot, even my 1944 RR still drives freaking tacks.
 
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