Advice needed on 1911

[jb2012]

To start with I'm a broke college kid, so funds are limited. I have a 3.5" citadel 1911 that I currently carry, but I either want to beef it up or buy a ruger lightweight commander. Opinions? Maybe other guns y'all think would be better suited to carry? (Really only interested in .45)

If I keep it I'm going to have it cerakoted (stock finish is pretty weak), put a set of night sights on it, and have a gunsmith swap out all the springs for Wilson combat, as well as polish the feed ramp (and any other necessary parts)

If I sell it, is the ruger lightweight commander a good idea? I also like the Springfield xd series

Just looking for opinions and suggestions

[KC80]

If I could afford one firearm to carry, it wouldn't be a 1911 period. Glock, XDm, XDs, Sig. I also wouldnt carry a .45acp. 9mm is much cheaper and therefore you can shoot more. Just my $.02

[FastCarry]

I kind of agree with the above.

Can you afford to compliment the 1911 with a second gun? .45 is great and all, but after having preferred 9, then getting a .45 for a while.. I'm convinced there's nothing wrong with having both. I too prefer capacity, Nowadays. My 9mm sub holds twice as many rounds as my .45 sub.

To answer your question however, do you like the Citadel? If so, upgrade it slowly. Id prefer a customized pistol over a more expensive one that id still end up customizing anyway.

[jb2012]

Well I'm pretty much sold on the .45 over the 9mm debate. I've just heard way too many stories where 9mm wasn't enough gun. But then again shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. I think I'm more than likely going to stick with my 1911 I already have. I have one major problem with glocks: the 21 is a little too big to hide, and the smaller glocks don't even come close to fitting my gorilla hands. The 1911 I have, has a small frame but is more comfortable than the glocks. As far as reliability if our military trusted them for however many years (40 or so?) I feel comfortable. The one I have has only had a problem with steel cased ammo, which I shouldn't have used anyway. It has fed everything else pretty great.

Edit: I do have a glock 21 that I'll carry when I can, I just spend about 60-70% of my time at school where I'll need to keep it covered.

[KC80]

I have a Ruger Commander, and while it needed a little polishing here and there it's turning out to be a great firearm. But if I was to buy another one, the Springfield Champion range officer is twice the gun at the same price.

[Pawpaw]

To start with I'm a broke college kid, so funds are limited. I have a 3.5" citadel 1911 that I currently carry, but I either want to beef it up or buy a ruger lightweight commander. Opinions? Maybe other guns y'all think would be better suited to carry? (Really only interested in .45)

If your pistol is 100% reliable for you with your carry ammo, there is nothing at all wrong with it.

If I keep it I'm going to have it cerakoted (stock finish is pretty weak), put a set of night sights on it, and have a gunsmith swap out all the springs for Wilson combat, as well as polish the feed ramp (and any other necessary parts)

Night sights are a good idea and will cost you about $100 $150, installed.

Why do you want to change out all of the springs? The only one that gets much wear and needs to be replaced on a regular basis is the recoil spring. You can order recoil springs from and each one will come with an extra-power firing pin spring, just to make the pistol more "drop safe".

Why do you want to have the feed ramp polished? That is usually done on a gun that is having feeding issues. If yours ain't broke... don't fix it!

If I sell it, is the ruger lightweight commander a good idea? I also like the Springfield xd series

The Ruger will be prettier and give you one more round. Other than that, it's functionally mostly a lateral move. I've only shot one XD, but I liked it. It will greatly increase your round count.

Just looking for opinions and suggestions

If you're a broke college kid, I would add night sights and replace the recoil & FP springs and call it good. Save your refinishing money and put it towards a new gun in the future. Concealed carry isn't a fashion statement, it's about survival.

[flechero]

To the OP: if your gun runs 100% with your practice and your carry ammo than go with it. You can upgrade later when $$$ isn't so tight. After you graduate and get a decent job you'll probably want more than the ruger anyway so stick with what runs and you are used to for now. (for the rest of your life, you will always want another 1911, even right after you buy the one you want)

Also the XD feels like a brick in your waistband after carrying a single stack. I tried a few times to carry a dbl stack and just couldn't get the feel of it... I felt like I kept banging into things with it. ...lol

[Excaliber]

I have a Ruger Commander, and while it needed a little polishing here and there it's turning out to be a great firearm. But if I was to buy another one, the Springfield Champion range officer is twice the gun at the same price.

I couldn't recommend the Ruger lightweight commander either. I've spent the last couple of months trying to get mine to feed reliably, even after 2 trips back to Ruger.

Springfields are solid and a good value. I've never had problems with any of mine.

[jb2012]

Wow, I like all the advice, thanks yall! I kinda figured since it was a cheaper 1911 it wouldn't hurt to put all new springs in it, but the don't fix what ain't broke saying seems to always come true with me. Looks like maybe I'll just throw some night sights on her for now and carry until I can get something I really want.

[ghostrider]

If your pistol is 100% reliable for you with your carry ammo, there is nothing at all wrong with it.

^ good summary right there.

On of my preferred carry guns is an RIA compact 1911 in 45acp, so its not just you :-)

In my case, I had the slide hard chromed, added night sights and slim grips.

[Beiruty]

I you are broke, sell it and save the money for emergencies.

[Excaliber]

I you are broke, sell it and save the money for emergencies.

Another perspective:

There's a difference between not having enough spare change to get fancy with a 1911 and being broke.

Money also won't help with the kind of emergency the 1911 is designed to fix.

[RoyGBiv]

My vote would be to sell the 1911 and get a Glock. I'm not a Glock fanboy, I drive an H&K. But if I had a small budget, there are many flavors of Glock to choose from near the lower end of the budget range. Find a police trade-in for extra savings. Use what's left over for training and practice.

GLOCK 22 GEN 3 40SW USED 2 Mags Night Sights for $390

Glock Police Trade-ins

If you have your head set on .45.... Glock Model 21 Gen3 45 Auto Police Trade-ins (Very Good Condition). Page doesn't mention night sights. $450.