[rcwambold]

.45\'s from who?

Gentlemen: I purely love the GI .45. It's art, it's the most ... yeah, yeah. We've heard it all before. And I especially like the idea of having a Colt. But tell me, what's a Rock Island .45? What's a Charles Daly .45? Where did these come from? Kimber and Springfield I've heard of. How can they sell for so much less tha Colt's?! I'm getting weak here, guys - shore me up!

 

[stans]

Re: .45\'s from who?

Rock Island Armory and Charles Daly are both made by Armscor, which also markets them under the name "Armscor". This is a major gun and ammo manufacturer in the Phillipines. Quality ranges from good down to bad. Those who get a good one swear by them, those who get a bad one swear at them. Another Phillipines manufacturer is S.A.M., these are frequently on the really rough side. The Phillipino guns are made from castings, Colt, Kimber, Springfield, S&W, and some Dan Wesson's are made from forgings. I think the best values in the 1911 market right now are Springfield and Dan Wesson. I have not actually seen a new production Colt, but I hear they are very good. Another good buy, if you can find one, is the Sistema. These 1911's were made in Argentina on Colt machinery and under Colt license.

[This message has been edited by stans (edited 01-18-2004).]

 

[rcwambold]

Re: .45\'s from who?

Thanks, stans - and welcome. So, the Rock Island has nothing whatever to do with the Rock Island arsenal of WWII pistols? And there's no more a Charles Daly than there is an Orville Redenbocker!? That's enough for me, I'm gonna' either get a new COLT something or hold out for a Gold Cup or, better still, a Nat'l Match. It's STILL true, I guess ... "Why do you use a Colt .45?" "'Cause Colt don't make a .46." Simplistic - yes, but I LIKE things that way. Thanks again for the info.

 

[7tenz]

Re: .45\'s from who?

Out of the box Colts are a little dirty and somewhat rough. That is easily taken care of. To my knowlege only Colt and Kimber use forgings. The difference is that Colt uses a higher quality steel, very hard. When you get done cleaning up a Colt you have the best 1911 period. What I'm saying is that I can deal with thier lack of polish in the final product. There is nothing I could do with a manufacturer's use of second rate materials

Also, according to Robbie Barkman of Robar, Colt has the most consistent quality and tolerences. Maintaing tolerences raises the costs.

 

[stans]

Re: .45\'s from who?

Colt, Kimber, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory Inc. all use forged receivers and slides. The low end Dan Wesson's, namely the Pointman series, used casting, but their higher end 1911's use forgings.