Recommend 1911 for Bullseye Competition?

[NUCWO3]

I've returned to bullseye pistol competition after an absence of decades. I'm currently only a Marksman level shooter in .22 and centerfire, but I'm improving. I'd like to compete in full 2700 tournaments, but I don't own a 1911. If I were to get one, it would be strictly for bullseye competition; I don't shoot IPSC, and I don't need it for personal protection.

Back in the day, the bullseye quality choices were limited, but now everyone seems to offer half a dozen or more 1911 choices, and it's gotten confusing. I want a good shooter right out of the box; I'm certainly not ready for a custom gun, and I'm too impatient to wait for one.

Can you recommend some factory guns that are bullyseye worthy? Please be as specific as you can. Telling me to "buy the best that you can afford" doesn't help enough.

Thanks,
NUCWO3

[Mr. Nail]

I could recommend some of the best 1911's but as far as league shooting 1911's you'd better take advise from bullseye or one of the other regular target competetors.

[perazzi]

Unfortunately, your request is akin to "I want to drive the Daytona 500" but, I don't want to buy a race car lol...

I'm sure BE will be along to give his sage advice, but, in the meantime. check out

http://www.lava.net/~perrone/bullseye/

this is a great place to watch for great guns for sale.

Good luck

[woody57]

My 2 cents worth.
I was in your position a year ago. I did not like the option of getting a gun and having to send it to a pistol smith and waiting a year for it to come back. I did a lot of online research and talking to fellow bullseye shooters I decided on a Les Baer Premium 2 with the 1 1/2 inch guarantee at 50 yards. It is a great pistol and shoots way better than me.
I did have a slide mount put on the 1911 for my red dot then it was ready to go. I am also a Marksman and in the next month or so should be moving up to Sharpshooter. If I had sent it to a pistol smith I would just now be able to start shooting a 45, and for me there was a big learning curve.
I found the gun on gunbroker.com, paid 1500 for it. New it would be about 2000. Hope this helps.
Woody

[ronn]

Les Baer is considered on of the finest for the money. At our club more and more Kimbers are showing and replacing Colt #70's. I replaced my Gold Match rather than invest in a rebuild. I have a Kimber Target Match and a Gold Match II. Both are excellent bullseye guns, but both needed a trigger job. Kimber has not learned how to produce a clean breaking trigger. Just a little polishing and adjusting of the fork spring took care of them.

[Pete D.]

I was in a similar position when I wanted to buy a 1911 for Bullseye matches.
I bought a Colt Gold Cup and out of the box it shot better than I did. It had a good clean trigger and was super reliable.
When I had some money, I sent it to that wizard of the 1911, the late George Madore. I bought a Clark match barrel and some other parts, speed trigger, etc. and sent it away.
George did the accurizing. He sent the gun back and the Clark barrel with a note to return it and save the $ as there was nothing wrong with the Colt barrel. He had improved the trigger without using the parts that I sent to him.
He returned it with a test target of 10xs shot from a rest at a target 50 yards away. The x-ring is 1.6" diameter.
The gun still shoots pretty darn well.
So....I got a good gun in stages. Gold Cups were nice guns then, don't know about now.
Pete

[stork]

George Madore, God rest his soul, was truly one of the great 1911 smiths.

Pete, you are fortunate to own one of his creations.

FWIW

[Pete D.]

you are fortunate to own one of his creations.

Yes. I know. Glad he was around when I was looking. There are six people in my club who had their guns done by him.
Pete