I had them not pay because the sender didnt pack the item well enough. even though with the damage to the box unless it was packed in adimantium it wouldnt have survived anyways. ??????????????

You guys have an opinion of the Springfield Armoury Range Officer? Look like a good starter .45? Not going to do anything for awhile...but thinking about it.

My father has a springfield 1911 loaded stainless it seems pretty well put together for the price. I say go for it.

Springfields are full of MIM parts if that matters to you? I'm a "wait a little longer for a better gun" person.

As such, I'd recommend looking at a Dan Wesson Valor or used Les Baer Custom Carry or TRS.

No MIM in the Valor line or any LB.

I've had several Springfields and recently traded my TRP. The TRP was a nice gun but no where near the slightly more expensive / massively better built options.

Personally, if I wanted a inexpensive entry level gun I'd consider a Colt 1991. The Colt will retain value when you're ready to trade up because it says Colt on it.

This is where we differ Arch I would rather have something now and build it up over time for enjoyment than be without waiting to save up for a top of the line. But with that being said I have the mechanical ability and (most of the) tools to do the work needed to bring a subpar weapon up to snuff.

PS my way usually ends up costing more in the long run.

Have you seen these guys Arch I am hearing nothing but good stuff.

http://www.egwguns.com/index.php?p=home

What is this "Thick Flange Bushing" they speak of? I have a Colt 1991A1 I had built with night sights, beavertail safety, trigger job W/new trigger, SOME hand fitting Harrts recoil reduction rod. Guess I don't really need to get a smaller carry gun after all!

I have been doing the same research. And I stopped and have spent a few hours talking to a gun smith at a local range. He said that for a starter build pistol the SA RO is his go to for himself and his customers. If you don't do that than he said Dan Wesson. Then if you have the funds for any more.... Well we can dream

I just found a sale for a war sports industries lower complete for $699...
It an ambi forged lower with some upgrades it also comes with a carry case fora broken down ar rifle and some other stuff. Not sure if it's a good or bad buy. Comes with plenty of upgrades. But I'm torn between that or buying tools and starting to build from scratch.

Sides, IF I want to go smaller I've got my Star .40S&W and my Sig P225 9mm.

Working on a 1911 is a skill that is built over years. At Wilson they have their techs spend 12-24 months learning each job (tuning a trigger, etc).

Having worked on DOZENS of gun designs over the past 30 years has taught me a few things:

a) Buy right and cry once. Buy wrong and cry thrice (when you buy wrong, when you lose money selling it, and again when you buy right).

b) Life is too short for subpar gear.

c) I'm more committed than 99% of people. After all, I've read many many times the average "shooter" actually shoots less than 200 RDS of center fire year (I shoot that many per week per weapon design - which is a huge step down for me brought on by ammo prices).

d) A lot of people think they can build up a "just as good as a top brand" with a tier two base gun. This simply is not true. A typical Les Baer starts life with 24-48 hours of hand fitting and assembly by master builders. A Wilson is hand built and fired between each step - by master craftsman that have been doing that ONE function for years. A Colt Defense AR complies with 40 years of US Military testing, experimentation, and research by complying with the MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF RESEACH/TESTING AND BILLIONS OF ROUNDS EXPENDED inspired TDP which only a few have ever even had the priviledge of reading.

I'm not trying to be a male reproductive organ, but I 100% disagree and have WELL over 100,000 rounds down range and hundreds of guns owned over 30 years as a basis of my opinion.