Got some choices here and some questions.

[Rednecktastic]

Hi I'm new to 1911's and have to say this site is a great resource. I feel like a woman in a shoe store.

It has gone from Kimber Stainless II to SA FullSize "loaded" and now I'm looking at the Dan Wesson PM-7.

Also, anyone know a comparable Colt and where to buy?

I'm definately going to get this first 1911 in stainless since I'll be using it out on my land and it'll be exposed to the elements, I will also want the flats polished and get wood grips (call me vain). But I think if I got a colt it might be blued just for historic reasons... Maybe I'll pick up a blued one later on :D .

As far as it goes now, the Kimber is looking like less of a value, but it has the future modifications aspect and name going for it.

The SA looks like a great deal and has everything I'd put on the Kimber, which would push the Kimber up to about $300 in mods. But the SA is so mass produced, and I think I'm looking for something a little more "special" to put on my nightstand. A conversation piece if I may.

The Wesson looks like a good value, my plan on the wesson is to go shopping and find a shop owner that wants to "get it off his shelf" and is running a good deal on it. Or find a good deal at a gun show. Does the wesson have night sights?

What are some other comparable brands/models that I should be looking at.

FWIW, I can get the Kimber Stainless II for $670 and the SA is going to run about $50-100 more from what it seems.

Thanks, and I have a warning from saying the S word in another thread, LOL :) .


Joe

[John]

Thanks, and I have a warning from saying the S word in another thread, LOL .

Are you so proud of it, that you want to share your warning with the rest of the members?

[Rednecktastic]

No, just making sure that no one thinks I'm harrassing anyone when they see the big RED warning/alert in my header.

Any info on the questions/guns would be appreciated before I make my purchase.

Thanks.

[Canuck-IL]

I don't see the Kimber name as being inherently preferable to SA - maybe before they began the Series II external extractor runs but certainly not now.

The big RED warning is for your benefit only...other users don't see it.
/Bryan

[John]

No, just making sure that no one thinks I'm harrassing anyone when they see the big RED warning/alert in my header.

No one but you can see that you are warned.

[Rednecktastic]

Yes, thanks.

How about the Colts. What is comparable to the 3 models I listed above. Overall the only feature the Wesson has over the SA is the adjustable sights...

I think I'm pretty much interested in the Dan Wesson now, but I'd like some info on the comparable Colts available. They don't advertise much.

Remember this is gonna be my nice hand gun I keep in a nice box on my night stand. I don't want a run of the mill gun.

As it stands right now my first hand gun was a Sig P229 .40/.357sig and my second was a little Kel-tech .380. I still have both, I'm 24 year old so I plan on hanging on to the 1911 for a long time.

[larry starling]

Also, anyone know a comparable Colt and where to buy?
May I suggest a Colt XSE Government model. Its the gun that the Kimber and the springfield loaded want to be. And its not full of cheap mim and cast parts..... :)

[Rednecktastic]

Thanks, I'll look into that.

What is mim. made in mold...

I used to own a machine shop (handed down), I keep an eye out for quality, it's a curse.

[Rednecktastic]

Alright, I did a search on google and didn't come up with much.. Also searched here and didn't come up with much.

What is the features of the Colt XSE Government model compared to the Dan Wesson and specifically the SA. I know it has fixed sights, are they night sights? Everything else looks about the same as far as features go.

I'm getting more interested in getting a Colt since it is the original. Still very interested in the Dan Wesson to.

Thanks again.

Joe

[Hawkmoon]

MIM is an acronym for "metal injection molded," so you weren't far off. Some folks call it "cast," but that's not accurate. MIM parts are molded using a sacrificial carrier material and metal powder. They come out of the mold shaped to final shape but over-sized. Then they are baked, which drives off the molding carrier material and fuses the powdered steel into solid metal. Done correctly, it ends up being a virtually finished part requiring little or no machining, but far less brittle or porous than a casting.

[Texas Boy86]

MIM stands for metal injection molding. pretty much explains it self. As far as i know most Colts do not have tritium night sights. I personally like the SA loadeds especially in black stainless but colt is definitly a top of the line handgun. I like luminous white dots over tritiums anyway.

[Roper]

For a number of reasons I am rapidly becoming rabidly anti Kimber, so take what I say with a large grain of salt. SA makes a fine gun; sturdy , well made and reliable. I don't think Colts are the gun they were, but still one of the leaders of the pack. You might consider the Sig GSR. They had some problems at first but seem to have the bugs worked out. One word of caution: Sig assembles from outsourced parts and I do not know how many (if any) MIM parts they use. I personally don't have a problem with MIM on a production gun, it helps keep cost down and good MIM is very good. Kimber makes a fine gun, but customer service is often very lacking and availability can be spotty. They also seem to be attempting to run off the small dealer. You might also consider Rock Island. The RIAs are probably the best value on the 1911 market now and customer service is so good that at any time I expect someone to say that Ivan personally delivered and installed a part for them. By the way, Ivan, DO you make house calls?

[DanC]

Roper, Sig does not use MIM parts in the GSR. However, I have a GSR Revolution, and had problems with it from the get go. To make a long story short, the barrel link was out of spec, and has now been replaced. This took 2 trips back to Sig, and I had to diagnose the problem myself (along with some reading of 1911Tuner's posts in the technical issues page here.) (BTW, he's a genius.) Anyway, what I have now is a GSR that is reliable as any of my Glocks, and feels as well made as any 1911 I have ever handled. This includes Nighthawks and Les Baers. If you do consider the GSR, Rednecktastic, you run the chance of getting a gun that is not quite right, but you may also get a great gun in the end. Of course, you may also get one that runs great out of the box.