09-19-2005, 08:35 AM | #7 |
Senior Member Location: Northern Nevada | I will disagree with most of what dfariswheel said. Essex has been making frames for decades and it's true they were one of the first makers of cast frames. Then, and to a much lesser degree even now, you will see some minor flaws in the casting process, but I've never seen it in an area that was anything but cosmetic. I have built countless of M-1911's with Essex frames and I've never had a problem with them in ANY way. Back in the late '70's and early '80's, Essex was one of the only makers of M1911 frams worth working with. While pin holes being out of spec was the most common problem with other makers, Essex tended to get it right most of the time. Remember, back then 'spec' was a vague term and no one could agree on who's spec. These days, Essex benefits from the same CNC technology that everyone else uses. Essex frames are never real pretty, but they're good functional frames and I'll use one any time. Now- Specific to your gun, and here's where dfariswheel and I agree. That's a lot to spend on a non OEM M1911. In essence, it's a parts gun and although it may be a good or even excellent gun, it has absolutely no collectors value whatsoever. At that price range, you can get a brand new Mil-Spec Springfield, or shave $100.00 and you can get a Rock Island gun. |