1) Out of your 3 brands I choose Colt (the original this is one of the reasons I like my Colt best) then S&W
2) 5in would do great for what you want and if you decide to get into ccw it isn't that bad to carry
3) I'm in favor of the 8rd Wilson Combat mags
4) I like the regular spring guides, if you want more weight for muzzle control get a full length
5) true here. and really with a good holster a full steel 1911 isn't all that bad
6) I got some models below that all have ambi safeties already so less upgrading for you
7) no opinion either way on this. I heard the carbon is stronger and the stainless is more rustproof and prettier
8) If you want a full lefty gun it will cost you, all of the models I found have ambi safeties


Colt Special Combat Government®


Colt XSE? Series


Colt Rail Gun®


1911 Tactical Operations


1911 Scorpion


1911 Extreme


Product: Model SW1911

Sounds like you know what to look for and what you want. For a starter I'd Suggest a Remington 1911. There are many out there as you know.

Might want to take a look at the Sig 1911, although my favorite is the S&W

A SA milspec is also a good place to start. Gives you a platform to customize for the features you want later. That's where I started many years ago. Never customized it because I like it as is. Just ended up buying higher end 1911's.

Thanks guys.
So after some more research and browsing the web I've decided to buy a Colt.
I've Narrowed it down to 3 models:

1) O1070XSE (XSE)
2) O5070X (GOLD CUP)
3) O1970CM (SPECIAL COMBAT GOV)

In the link I made a little spreadsheet with the specs of those 3 guns. (They are almost identical spec-wise)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...lJ1bWJTb3JtT2c

Please post your pros and cons on those guns and if you know how much they are approximately brand new.
P.S. I will most likely end up changing the sights, and the grips.

Since you're not going to carry it,the GC and SCG have adjustable sights and is a plus.On any of those 3 changing sights is a waste of money unless you are going to carry it.Being a lefty,the SCG comes with an ambi thumb safety,so that's a plus.If you need an ambi safety to upgrade or replace one,Wilson Combat makes the best around now,it's called Bulletproof and is very strong to prevent the old issues with ambies.Unfortunately it is quite expensive.

I think the SCG is your best bet to save money for grips,etc.The one drawback to Colt's adjustable sight (if it's the same as the usual GC) is eventually the pin will walk out of the rear sight,but it's easily fixed by replacing it with a drill rod pretty cheap.

Originally Posted by rex

Since you're not going to carry it,the GC and SCG have adjustable sights and is a plus.On any of those 3 changing sights is a waste of money unless you are going to carry it.Being a lefty,the SCG comes with an ambi thumb safety,so that's a plus.If you need an ambi safety to upgrade or replace one,Wilson Combat makes the best around now,it's called Bulletproof and is very strong to prevent the old issues with ambies.Unfortunately it is quite expensive.

I think the SCG is your best bet to save money for grips,etc.The one drawback to Colt's adjustable sight (if it's the same as the usual GC) is eventually the pin will walk out of the rear sight,but it's easily fixed by replacing it with a drill rod pretty cheap.

Thanks! Do you know what kind of spring is in the 3 guns I mentioned? And from what I understand SCG has the "match" barrel which the other guns dont + its from the colt custom shop?

The Springs will be 16lb springs standard to the Gov't model,but the GC will come with a 12lb spring for light loads since it is intended as a target pistol.The guide rods are all most likely the short standard,but I can't say for sure since I've been away from the newer models a while.There's a long standing debate on short vs. long guide rods,I have run them in competition but I use the short most of the time.

I think the SCG is a normal production model,like the GC or older Combat Elite,they just don't make as many as the XSE Gov't and Commanders.The "match" barrel is kind of a misnomer,it's basically the same as the rest but the chambers are cut with a little more care.A real match barrel is oversized for hand fitting and the chambers are normally short chambered,that means they need a finish reaming but most will shoot as is depending on the spec of the ammo.The GC should also have the match barrel but may not say it.

Any of the 3 will serve you well but the GC and SCG are set up closer to your needs,and usually have a little more attention paid to them as far as tolerances and being sloppy in assembly.

Originally Posted by rex

The Springs will be 16lb springs standard to the Gov't model,but the GC will come with a 12lb spring for light loads since it is intended as a target pistol.The guide rods are all most likely the short standard,but I can't say for sure since I've been away from the newer models a while.There's a long standing debate on short vs. long guide rods,I have run them in competition but I use the short most of the time.

I think the SCG is a normal production model,like the GC or older Combat Elite,they just don't make as many as the XSE Gov't and Commanders.The "match" barrel is kind of a misnomer,it's basically the same as the rest but the chambers are cut with a little more care.A real match barrel is oversized for hand fitting and the chambers are normally short chambered,that means they need a finish reaming but most will shoot as is depending on the spec of the ammo.The GC should also have the match barrel but may not say it.

Any of the 3 will serve you well but the GC and SCG are set up closer to your needs,and usually have a little more attention paid to them as far as tolerances and being sloppy in assembly.

Thanks a lot! I'm still gonna think about it and try to find some ranges where I can rent those guns but so far I will probably end up buying SCG.