Went to the range yesterday with my SA 1911A1. I took a friend along who hadn't been to this particular range before, and he brought his 1911. His gun is a High Standard version. I looked his gun over and saw that it's stamped "made in Phillipines" on the underside of the dust cover. When we were done shooting we both field stripped our guns to clean them (there's a nice place to do so right at the range) and I had the opportunity to do a comparison of the two guns. The difference in the manufacturing quality was quite evident. The craftsmanship put into the SA was far better than the High Standard. Fit and function were also much better. Also, being that we are both at about the same level of shooting ability, my groups were tighter and better placed than his were. This held true when we switched guns too. The High Standard did not shoot as well as the SA. The High Standard also had two stove pipes, which I noted since we were both using the same ammo. Some of this may be coincidental, of course. I just thought I'd put it out there. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
Quality Comparison
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The High Standard 1911 is, as you discovered, made by Armscor in the Philippines. High Standard has passed from being a mark of the truly highest standards (the finest target pistol of all time, the USRA pistol, was their crowning achievement - Designed by Walter Roper, their chief engineer), to being nothing more than a name.
Armscor pistols have gone through a revolution in quality in recent years, but they are a commodity maker of low price-point guns, and their 1911's do not bear comparison with SA guns selling for twice the price (or more). I was able to make an Armscor pistol shoot extraordinarily well by doing nothing more than installing an oversize link.
Armscor pistols are commonly out of tolerance (undersize pin holes are common) and will present special problems if used as the base gun for a custom build. A GI Armscor 1911 would be a tough and reliable SD gun. Armscor barrels are typically parkerized inside the bore. This is done as an expedient to prevent corrosion at the factory.
Swapping out sights on an Armscor gun is a nightmare, since the factory sight installation method practically ruins the dovetails. JB Weld will save much frustration when replacing sights on an Armscor gun
Armscor pistols have gone through a revolution in quality in recent years, but they are a commodity maker of low price-point guns, and their 1911's do not bear comparison with SA guns selling for twice the price (or more). I was able to make an Armscor pistol shoot extraordinarily well by doing nothing more than installing an oversize link.
Armscor pistols are commonly out of tolerance (undersize pin holes are common) and will present special problems if used as the base gun for a custom build. A GI Armscor 1911 would be a tough and reliable SD gun. Armscor barrels are typically parkerized inside the bore. This is done as an expedient to prevent corrosion at the factory.
Swapping out sights on an Armscor gun is a nightmare, since the factory sight installation method practically ruins the dovetails. JB Weld will save much frustration when replacing sights on an Armscor gun
My friend payed $500 for his High Standard brand new. It came in a plastic case with one spare magazine. I bought my SA 1911A1 from it's original owner for the same price, and got the blue plastic case, two spare magazines, the holster and magazine holder and cleaning rod that "the package" comes with. I think that I got the better deal.
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You got a helluva deal. Your friend paid for some gun dealer to have a steak dinner with all the trimmings, and throw a few bowling balls in the bargain.
Now, if you ever see a High Standard USRA pistol for $500...
http://www.gunauction.com/buy/9457792
Now, if you ever see a High Standard USRA pistol for $500...
http://www.gunauction.com/buy/9457792
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Arent all the Springfield pistols now made in Brazil or Argentina ? ? ?
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The one Rock Island Armory pistol I drool over is the 10mm caliber
1911 version. I have not however heard of how well it holds up to
thousands of shots fired of that much more powerful round.
1911 version. I have not however heard of how well it holds up to
thousands of shots fired of that much more powerful round.
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10mm is an excellent round. There's no reason to worry about the 1911 standing up to the 10mm, it handles it just fine. I run 200gr bullets at ~1200fps in mine.
The FBI said it hurt their agents' tender little hands.
By the way, most of the edgy loads for the 10mm can be used in a govt 45acp if your barrel has good case head support and you run upgraded springs. Should only be attempted by very experienced reloaders intimately familiar with the 1911 platform. An HG68 in soft lead going close to 1200fps would be devastating.
The FBI said it hurt their agents' tender little hands.
By the way, most of the edgy loads for the 10mm can be used in a govt 45acp if your barrel has good case head support and you run upgraded springs. Should only be attempted by very experienced reloaders intimately familiar with the 1911 platform. An HG68 in soft lead going close to 1200fps would be devastating.
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