IMHO I would be leary of a new Kimber or a Colt (less than 10-12 years old). Both companies have had quite a few issues with quality control over the past 10 years or so. Someone I am very close to was a Quality Control Engineer at Colt for quite a while; I wouldn’t spend that much for a Colt. Keep in mind the same COO who wrecked Kimber’s quality and production was hired by Colt. Just sayin..... Now stuff coming out of the Colt custom shop is much, much better but still needs to be gone over with a fine tooth comb. But then you are well above your $1k threshold.
Springfield, Dan Wesson, Wilson Combat, STI are excellent. Rock Island makes a pretty good setup in their higher end, Remington is also pretty darn good in the higher end. All can be had around or just over $1,000 with GOOD shopping, coupons/sales and oddball discounts. Don’t be afraid to contact the manufacturer and ask about blemish guns or display/demo guns. I like picking up demo guns as they are typically factory ‘upgraded’ to guarantee they don’t fail while showcasing. Any blemishes or wear marks makes me worry less about carry and use.
Also, use good magazines. I ran Wilson Combat 8+1 and have a couple odd ball 10+1 and 12+1 mags. I think they are older Dan Wesson.
Caveat to all the crap above: I snagged a low end RIA 1911A1 for $200. I slapped a Wilson Combat upgrade kit in, polished the trigger and a drop in Storm Lake barrel/bushing. All that was another $450. Had to fix the sights, but that was easy.
Just my $0.02.
, that was the starting point for the meet
