*Both about the same price with similar features : For all - around use and gun games - which one would you pick and why ?
Thanks in advance !

Springfield has the better reputation for competition guns, but they are basically the same gun. I like the solid front sight of the Springfield, but the fiber optic on the Colt might be better for short rage shooting like IDPA. Given how cheap and easy it is to change a dovetail front sight, that only matters if they are otherwise 100% equal.

I'd probably make my choice based on the slide to frame fit and trigger pull on the two guns. It isn't hard to find Springfields that have a great trigger right out of the box. Find that and, for action shooting purposes, you've got a gun that's ready to go without a gunsmith being involved.

 

I’ve been a 1911 guy since the last turn of the century. I’ve had Springfields, Colts, Kimbers, and a Baer. Shot a few others. I’ve sold a lot of the Springfields over the years. Never sold a Colt. Still have a Kimber Super Carry Pro my wife carries and loves. All of that to say this…. Every Colt I have now is worth several hundred dollars more than what I paid for it. Most of them have at least doubled and one has quadrupled in value. None of the Springfields ever sold for more than I paid for them, although they all shot well with just a little fine tuning. I currently own a Garrison 9mm that is still having a high number of failure to return to battery malfunctions after about 150 rds. I believe this will be resolved soon, and it could be fixed immediately with a higher spring rate. I just disassembled it and cleaned the breach face and feedramp. Those are things I’ve done to every SA I have ever owned. That amounts to about 12-13. I also have a TRP that I had to do a little edge and polish work on to get it right for carry. Of all my Colts, I’ve never had to do anything to get them to function reliably. I have fitted new Brown bushings to the Match barrels to get them really tight. They will all shoot a one hole clover group at 12 yds. I’ve done it. My TRP may do that on a good day. The bushing is pretty loose though. I have no problems with my Colts and they are built to run well. I keep my Colts, I’d sell my Springfields. Unfortunately, I’ve only seen one Colt for sale in all the gun stores I’ve been in over the last three years.

 

*Interesting 1911 comments - also find the lack of new Colt 1911's in stores a bit of a concern - hopefully we can see more of the Colt newer 1911 models available for sale soon !

 

Nice looking Colt... I was Navy Mobile Riverine Force, Mekong Delta, RVN;

My father was 1st Battalion, 506PIR, 101st Airborne ETO...slept at Berchtesgaden and guarded Goring's castle, loved Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland...he also taught me how to shoot an '03 Springfield at extended ranges while I was in high school.

I'm a big fan of the Super, first reading about it, IIRC a Gun Digest article, in the mid '60s...for the handloader, it can push .357mag 125gr XTPs into the mid to high 1400s with N105 powder and Federal primers that are good for an additional ~20fps MVs...with recoil like a G17 +P ammunition.

Sound familiar???

 

Well, I was Charlie Company, 1st of 502nd, 101st Airborne.

The Widowmakers patch was actually from one of my best friends. He was with 3rd of the 502nd.

 

Probably either are good. Look at both and decide where you want to spend your $.

BTW Colt didn't just get back into making good quality 1911's. They've being doing it for a while. This isn't the 80's and 90's when their 1911's reputation took a dump, and their competitors started selling quality replicas.

I've always thought that my 2010 Colt Combat Elite felt like a Springer did, back when Colt was making sloppy feeling 1911's. It's smooth, tight without being TIGHT, accurate and reliable. I love it. In fact the Ed Brown magwell I put on it is a bigger POS than the Colt stuff. (Even though the Colt poly mainspring housing is extremely corny and cheap in a 4 figure 1911) This is the 3rd Ed Brown magwell I put on it and they all develop rust. What kind of cheap stainless is Ed Brown using? I got to the point where I said the heck with it, and deal with a little rust, as I got tire of dealing with Ed Brown and exchanging magwells and the new ones quickly developing the same issue over and over.

 

I like aluminum main spring housings.

 

I own both colt and Springfield, not a colt competition but two 73B prefix 70’s government and four O1911C, one in .38 super I like them all but they are sloppier than need be, but they do shoot very well. The super is the sloppiest yet seems to be the best shooter.
Now for springfields I have one RO TARGET 9mm converted to .38 super, three milspec defenders and now a Garrison.
I realize colts, even used will probably gain in value but the springfields are a very good gun and the Garrison after spending the weekend with it has become one of my favorites.
It is tight, accurate and very smooth right out of the box.
Other than investment return the only advantage the competition colt really has is adjustable rear and fiber optic front sight
and I don’t think one can be had for $800 including tax.
So unless you really want colt, which believe me I completely understand buy a Garrison and spend the rest on ammo.
Don’t think you will regret either one!

 

COLT for me.
I think the Competition is a better gun than the Garrison even if its not by much.
One nice touch on the Colt that I don't think has been mentioned is the undercut trigger guard.

Even the TRP mentioned in this thread doesn't have this feature.

 

Just saw a nice blued Garrison in a gun shop last week. $659. That's a feature the Colt doesn't have. With features like that, I'd undercut the trigger guard myself if there was really any reason to do it.

 

I'm interested in seeing what happens with Colt now that CZ bought them. Wonder how they'll place them with DW also being owned by CZ. I'm assuming DW with be their higher-end offering, I just hope they don't require Colt to do away with some of their higher-end 1911's.

 

Don’t expect any major changes overnight. It took CZ a few years to straighten out Dan Wesson, and it will be the same with Colt.

Colt is currently making more of their revolvers than anything else because Colt wheelies are sold like hot cakes. They did expand their AR15 line to include the Monolithic again.

 

Would love to see Colt and DW co-exist with each learning best practices from one another in making outstanding 1911's .

 

Agreed. I'm a big fan of CZ. If Colt had to sell, I can't think of another firearm manufacture that I'd rather see having bought then. I would of said FN, but with the way FN farmed out all their Winchester and Browning manufacturing to Portugal, Turkey and Japan, I'm not happy about that.

Gun makers like Browning, Winchester, S&W, Colt, Remington, etc are supposed to be at the top of firearm Americana, and sending their manufacturing overseas is not cool IMO.

 

I don’t know about Portugal and Turkey but those new Winchesters made by Miroku are head and shoulder above the American made Winchesters of both golden yesteryear and recent memories.