Savage Enters The 1911 Market
BY Herschel Smith
12 months ago
Savage enters the 1911 market. They have a .45 ACP gun and a 9mm gun.
I hate cheaply made firearms, and I hate the idea of paying $3000 or more for a 1911. I like the price point of around $1500 for a 1911. It doesn’t appeal to folks looking for a steal to get a good 1911 (there is no such thing as a 1911 for cheap, just cheaply made 1911s), and it doesn’t break the bank.
If they work right, I’d like one of each, but it’s very easy for manufacturers to make bad 1911s. Has anyone had a chance to shoot either of these builds?
On November 27, 2023 at 4:18 am, Reader said:
I work at a shop. I fix (Cert’d Armorer) , do the books, Sell (not fun on many levels), Do NFA Paperwork and eForms…
Here’s what I can tell you as fact.
Since the Great Flu Con…
Prior to it, not so much.
Savage Rifles, are the guns I have had to ship back the most for repair.
Brand new guns.
That either Did Not work, period (no bang) or had some sort of issue. ie, triggers didn’t work, didn’t eject, didn’t extract, didn’t shoot worth a darn (I shoot before the warranty call, customers sometimes can’t shoot) , MISSING PARTS (this ia huge imo, how the heck, did it get thru final QC?)
So, a 1911 with 50 plus parts….
Perhaps folks may want to wait for a year or so.
There Will Be Serious Issues. I Promise.
Not to dump all over Savage.
I have had to zero quite afew, they shot Great.
Truth be told, just about every manufacturers Final QC since the Great Con has gone Seriously down hill.
I have also had to shipback $2000 plus Kimber Rifles.
3” groups at 50yds! I mean c’mon!
Granted that is extremely rare. And only 2.
I can also tell you getting ahold of Customer Service for Rossi, ATI and Heritage is, A FULL TIME JOB!
And that, is unacceptable, period!
I’ll also say, Tsis, turk 1911’s, they do afew.
Fit, Fell and Dry Function, as I haven’t shot any, are worth a look for the dollar.
And IMI, they imo, have the Best Out of the Box Trigger for a Production 1911.
I have sold quite arew of those on that alone.
Good Luck to all.
Oh, one other thing. Don’t run to your Local Shop expecting to see one or feel one up..
I haven’t seen one yet. And we have alot…of savage inventory.
On November 27, 2023 at 4:25 am, Reader said:
Correction—-
Not IMI, my bad.
MAGNUM RESEARCH 1911’s.
Great Triggers out of the Box
On November 27, 2023 at 6:08 am, Mark Matis said:
Does anyone make a quality 1911 in double-stack 10 mm?
On November 27, 2023 at 8:05 am, Latigo Morgan said:
My kid recently purchased a Tisas Government Model 1911A1 – basically, a WWII clone – for $299 on a PSA one day sale.
Now, I’ll be up front and say I’m biased against the Turk firearms for – reasons which don’t have anything to do with their manufacturing capabilities.
However; that pistol is something that should make US manufacturers ashamed. Forged frame, and receiver. Colt series 70 internals. Cold hammer-forged one piece barrel. Fit is like a hand fit 1911, but these are CNC made. Finish is some kind of Ceracoat instead of parkerizing or blueing, but it looks all right.
It shoots 1 hole groups at 15 yards.
The only down side, which I can’t really fault them for, is the sights are minimal – like a true WWII reproduction should be.
I’m interested in some of their higher end offerings now, all of which still stay under $1,000.
As for Savage, I believe it is just a name now, like Winchester. Like a Charles Daly, you never know who actually made the firearm. Except I’ve had and seen some really nice Charles Daly branded firearms.
On November 27, 2023 at 9:00 am, Herschel Smith said:
Yeah, I’ve heard good things about Tisas 1911s. And you’re right, how much should this shame American manufacturers?
On November 27, 2023 at 1:47 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Yeah, they’re perceived as low-rent compared to Springfield Armory, Colt, etc. ~ but in my experience, Armscor-RIA M1911s are a great value for the buck. The one exception would be their 10mm model which has the strangest and most-difficult field-stripping procedure I have ever seen on a M1911 type handgun. If you buy one, you’ll need a bent paper clip…
That aside, their 9mm, 45ACP and other std. models offer a lot of bang for the buck and compare favorably with manufacturers asking much higher prices. One other caveat is that I can’t vouch for the grades of steel used, for those who want to shoot +P or +P+ loads.
Armscor is now the world’s largest maker of 1911s, if their PR is to be believed…
One last item is that the Tauson family, who own the company, named Rock Island Armory after the island of Corregedor in Manila Bay, the site of the famous siege and battle during the early days of World War Two. The island being known colloquially as “The Rock”…
From what I have seen in interviews, etc. of Martin Tauson, the company CEO, he is a quality individual. Very pro-Trad-American, too… don’t you wish you could get that attitude to be contagious on this side of the Pacific?!
On November 27, 2023 at 1:59 pm, ambiguousfrog said:
A friend purchased a used TISAS and I have to say for something of that budget it shoots accurately. I’m surprised by the tolerances, no slop. The coating is nice. The grips are plastic which can be swapped. Reading on their website it implied the sights could be upgraded. The hammer and/or beaver tail are standard and does make slide bite a possibility. My Kimber is a safe queen, so I’ve been looking into the Tisas for fun and not having to worry about abusing it.
On November 27, 2023 at 1:59 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Far as Savage is concerned, I have to echo “Reader” and his remarks. In the past Savage firearms have been a tremendous value, often out-shooting and out-performing firearms costing 2-3x more money. They are ~ or at least were ~ renowned for the accuracy of their rifle barrels, and their “Accu-Trigger” is top-notch.
Never had a lemon from them until taking a chance on an Axis II in 7mm-08. Four inch groups at a hundred yards no matter what ammo it used. Considering that many Savage rifles, even the cheap entry-level models, routinely shoot inside of 1 moa, that was a shocker. See ya! Sent it down the road. In retrospect, maybe replacing the cheap stock would have improved things, but maybe not… kind of a head-scratcher, to be honest. Oh well… even good companies goof up and let a clinker get out the door sometimes.
IMO, Savage has gone down the wrong path with their “Accu-Stock” synthetic stocks. It isn’t so much that they offer them ~ there’s nothing wrong with that ~ it is that they no longer offer traditional options for those prefer them, whether of shape/design, or of materials. Nary a wood stock to be seen in their vast lineup. And virtually everything in that humpbacked “Accu-Stock”…. hard pass, no way on those suckers. Whoever green-lighted that one ought to be demoted. Just my two cents, not that anyone asked for them.
On November 27, 2023 at 2:46 pm, Fred said:
Take a look at the Rock Island 1911’s. For your budget of $1500 you can buy the basic model 1911 and then send it to a place like Hayes Custom who does a lot of RIA work. Get the basic package and you will have a heck of a shooter with a great trigger and very reliable.
On November 27, 2023 at 5:49 pm, Bill Buppert said:
Take a look at the Glock 21 for reliability and accuracy in a 45ACP…
On November 27, 2023 at 5:52 pm, Steady Steve said:
I’ve been fortunate to own a couple of 1911’s from Nighthawk Custom. And while the price was steep, they shoot like nothing else I’ve owned. Super smooth operation with any ammo. The closest is a Kimber TLE which took a little time to break in and smooth out. I think I’d wait for an assessment by Gun Tests before buying any 1911 (or other pistol)over $1000 now. Savage does seem to have QC issues so better to wait and see.
On November 28, 2023 at 9:44 am, Herschel Smith said:
Thanks Bill, but I don’t shoot Tupperware guns.
; – )
On November 28, 2023 at 10:29 am, george 1 said:
RE: Glock 21. I would note that all of my Tupperware pistols are completely reliable over thousands of rds and always have been. That includes a bunch of Glocks and a few H&Ks. They also require little maintenance.
I have a neighbor who recently purchased a Sig 1911. In the present times I was not optimistic for his pistol. However I went with him shooting and he put 200 rds through it. The thing was completely reliable and accurate. The trigger leaves a little to be desired in a 1911 IMHO. If it was mine I would probably have a trigger job done but other than that seems like a good 1911. He paid $1300 and change for it.
On November 28, 2023 at 10:48 am, george 1 said:
I should have said that my Glocks and H&Ks are older models. They long predate the Covid scam. I have heard that many of the post covid Tupperware guns have had issues as well.
On November 29, 2023 at 8:58 pm, Rocketguy said:
I believe they have since parted ways but remember Vista owned Savage there for a while. They were known for buying reputable brands, doing extreme cost cutting then squeezing them for profit while riding the reputation into the ground. Remember Blackhawk? Back when they were ATK and also in the defense industry, there were some cost cutting decisions that ended very badly.
On December 1, 2023 at 9:51 pm, X said:
+1 on the Glock.
I wanted to hate Glocks for years, they were ugly and I had by-God stainless steel 3rd gen S&W hip anchors with cut-rifled barrels that were stone-cold reliable. Then I felt up a 5th Gen Glock in the gun shop…holy crap, I liked it.
I bought one…and then two. And the Smiths became forgotten in my gun safe.
The Glocks point naturally, shoot great, holster great, are light, 100% reliable, simple, you don’t worry about rust or moisture, they have nitrided slides and barrels, and now rifled barrels that you can shoot lead bullets through. And they’re cheap — if you pay more than $539 for a basic G19 you’re getting ripped off.
Got one six inches from my computer right now as I type this.
Best selling handgun in the world for a reason…