JD77

I am in the market for a 1911 style pistol but living in Mass I am very limited as to what I can buy. Due to the laws and regulations I've narrowed my search down to 3 possible candidates, the Ruger, Remington R1 or S&W. What are your thoughts and opinions? At this point I am leaning more and more toward a S&W but would love to get some feedback from some people on this forum. Thanks in advance.

CampWI

First of all, what is your goal? CC if allowed in MA? Home defense? Range gun?

JERGENSEN

Why no Kimber ?

BuckJM53

Kimber is not on the MA "Approved Firearm Roster"

JD77

This would be primarily a range and home defense gun with occasional concealed carry. I guess I'm looking for a general purpose 1911. Kimber, Colt, STI, Springfield and all custom 1911's are not approved for sale in this state.

JD77

So sad isn't it?

Marine Division Two

While waiting on my Ruger 1911,I purchased a Springfield stainless 45,gotta say now that I have both guns I am more impressed with the Springfield,JMO

CampWI

I have a S&W1911SC and last night I brought home a SR1911. The S&W is about 2 months old and I have about 500 rounds through it. Other than an occasional errant spent case in the forehead it's has been flawless. It has the 4.25" barrel and I carry it daily. I'm still struggling with a good CC method. The S&W was considerably more than my Ruger. I don't know all the models and how that compare price wise.

I read about the SR1911 last fall and started looking for one. A local range had one available for rent and I fell in love with it. It as the first .45 that I remember shooting. At 10 yards it was quite accurate and very easy to shoot. I finally found one and had it shipped to me from NH. It is bigger than my S&W and I can't imagine it as my EDC. I will use it mainly for home defense and at the range. $799 MSRP for a stainless steel American made gun sealed the deal for me.

Hopefully others will chime in with more experience. I would not hesitate to recommend the Ruger or the S&W.

Ruger Redhawk

Posting this on the Ruger forum I'm sure you know what answers you'll get.
My first choice would be a Colt. Since I already have the Colt I went with the Ruger. I can't speak for the newer S&W semi autos. I know the ones from back in the 70's left allot to be desired. The way Remington's quality has slipped over the last several years I wouldn't chance a Remington. This is just my honest opinion.

Pat-inCO

Well . . . . . . . . . . . . since the majority of good 1911s are not "acceptable" to the Kennedys . . . . . . . . I'll make a few suggestions.

First, get a copy of the Kuhnausen "The Colt .45 Automatic - A Shop Manual". It presents a huge amount of information on the 1911 in a very usable way. If you can not find hard copy, . . . . carefully . . . . look for soft copy. The reason I state it that way is that there is one site that installs a virus on your system as you try to download the manual. Take a look at the 1911 forum for info on which site to avoid.

Second, a 1911 with the original grip safety is very uncomfortable for some to shoot. As such, I prefer the models with what is known as a beaver tail grip safety. You can grip the gun far higher and have better control with those.

Third, spend some time viewing the There is an amazing amount of really good information there and all presented in less than five minutes.

FLGR (Full Length Guide Rod) is a subject for internet discussion, but not actually an issue. Pick which ever one you like.

Ambidextrous safety is an issue for some, but being Left handed and fully capable of using the "Right Handed" safety of the 1911, I think it is just another subject for people to expound on to little need.

Grip panels are another item of discussion on the internet. I prefer the Hogue 45090 because of the built in palm swell. Some love them, others hate them. Since the are only $15, don't let it be an issue.

Have fun, shoot safe.

JD77

Thanks for the input and nice little video. There's a gunshow coming to town in a couple weeks so I might try to put my hands on some 1911's and see how they feel.

Does anyone have a S&W "E" series or scandium frame?

CampWI

Yep. New SR1911 owner

lafflin rand

I would take the ruger over the smith but i would be very happy with the smiths if avaailability of other factors ruled out the ruger. I just like remington for long guns not short ones.

JD77

The more research I do the more I'm leaning toward the SW1911 e. The light weight scandium frame and almost custom features make the SR1911 and R1 just look plain. There's an obvious difference in price but if I trade in the brand new P99 I just got back as a warranty replacement it'll make for a lighter hit on the wallet.

thank you all for the input.

kingpins9

SIG Sauer XO is on the MA. approved list and is 100% American made: 1911 XO Black