We love budget guns, but the $2000 mark is a real sexy price point when it comes to 1911s. It gives you access to some of the biggest names, the best finishes and a gun that could easily last you a lifetime.
This is a gun you’ll bond with. You’ll give her, or him, a name and you’ll spend hours days lovingly polishing and maintaining this luxury 1911. When you look back on the tapestry of your life, this designer gun could well be woven into your story.
So what are the best 1911s for sale under $2000? Here are our picks.
1. Colt Gold Cup Trophy
- Price: $1,699
- Barrel length: 5 inch
- Total Length: 8.5 inch
- Weight: 2.38lb
- Capacity: 8+1
Is the Colt Gold Cup Trophy the best shooting 1911 in the business? Well some would argue with that, but they tend to be the bespoke, boutique firms that blur the line between gunsmiths, tuners and full-blown manufacturers.
Most of the world agrees that this Colt is pretty much the standard for a 1911, which is why so many competition shooters take them into battle.
They are keenly priced considering the cache this gun carries and those blue grips are instantly
There is an even cheaper ‘entry-level’ Colt Performance model that is right up there in our list of the best $1000 45 ACP 1911s for sale. This feels like twice the pistol in your hand. If you can, it’s worth the upgrade.
This is a true Colt competition handgun and this is a great price when you add up all the finishing touches.
They include the brushed stainless steel finish on this single action semi-auto handgun that I think is leagues better than the polished gun or even Colt’s cerakote alternatives.
25 LPI checkering on the front and back strap are just part of an ergonmic package aimed at weekend warriors and top level professionals alike. They include a bevelled magwell for easy reloading, a Novak fiber optic front sight and adjustable Bomar style rear sight.
It’s a beautifully balanced gun that has felt the benefit of feedback from thousands of club shooters around the world that have adopted this as their go-to 1911 pistol.
The Colt Gold Cup Trophy is as near as you’ll get to a perfect 45 ACP 1911. Some would argue there are better 1911s these days in 9mm, but this is the absolute flagbearer for the industry when it comes to 45 ACP at a sane price.
Is the Colt Gold Cup Trophy the best 45 ACP 1911 for sale under $2000? Yes, it is…
You can get a cheaper $1,299 Colt Gold Cup National Match in a more subdued finish, but this is the gun you want. Get the brushed stainless steel competition version with the match grade components and it might just turn into your favorite handgun.
Where to Buy Colt 1911 Handguns Online at Cheap Prices
Not every USA gun store carries Colt handguns. They can be a little on the pricey side, but they are beautiful handguns with engineering that should last a lifetime. Or thousands of rounds in any case…
If you’re looking to buy a cheap Colt 1911, well it’s possible. Bargain guns do come up and we keep an eye on the prices with these direct links to Colt handgun discounts online.
We’re sharing our favorite places to buy guns online and giving you direct links as we go. They have proved popular so far!
So where is the best place to buy Colt handguns online? Try here…
- Sportsman’s Warehouse – Amazing Colt pistols for sale at the right price.
- Brownells – Great selection of Colt pistols from $1000-$$2000+
- PSA – Small selection of
cut price Colt 1911 pistols. - Guns.com – Complete line at great prices. Discount Colt handguns.
2. Dan Wesson Bruin
- Price: $2,031
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel Length: 6.3 inch
- Total Length: 9.7 inch
- Weight: 2.75lb
Never underestimate the power of an extra inch…
The Dan Wesson Bruin has the 6 inch barrel that gives this 45 ACP an absolute hammer blow of an impact. It was designed around the 45 ACP and 10mm rounds and it’s an absolute handgun hunter at its core.
You get a long sight radius thanks to that longer slide and fully adjustable Tritium night sights, combined with a fiber optic at the front, so they’re the best manual night sights you can get. You still might opt for a proper optic up there and this gun has that kind of vibe. It wants an optic and the night sights are for the target shooters who want a challenge.
Dan Wesson doesn’t have much left to prove to us. It’s basically a guarantee of a near perfectly engineered 1911 that is more accurate than most of us will ever be. It’s right on the $2000 mark cut off, but it is worth every cent.
This matte black gun is all business, but the detail work has to be seen to be believed and you will love the checkering on the front and back strap, those real wood grips and the skeletonised hammer, competition trigger and that elegant, long barrel all look fantastic.
It isn’t nearly as dramatic as a lot of other Dan Wesson guns in terms of design, but it is classy like a Swiss sports watch. And in terms of impact, this gun will get it done.
Where to buy Dan Wesson handguns online
Dan Wesson 1911s are among the best of the best and some of them are more affordable than you might think. The Dan Wesson Eco featured on our Concealed Carry 45 ACP best of not so long ago and they tend to find their way on to any list where we can get away with it.
That’s because Dan Wesson 1911s are awesome, but where do you buy Dan Wesson guns online? Here are some places to buy Dan Wesson firearms online you might not know about.
3. Springfield Armory TRP Operator
- Price: $1,499
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel Length: 5 inch
- Total Length: 8.6 inch
This isn’t just a great 1911, the Springfield Armory Tactical Response Pistol Operator is a great semi-automatic handgun that can hold its own with anything that its rivals can offer.
It’s Springfield Armory’s ‘almost pro-grade’ weaponry. It’s not quite as pricey as the Springfield Custom guns that can comfortably top $3,000, but this is basically as good as a mass-produced 1911 can get.
You could certainly make a solid case for choosing the Springfield Armory vs Colt. The FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team made that very call in the 1990s, after inviting proposals for a new service 1911.
Springfield’s Professional model swept the board and won the deal after one of the most exhaustive group tests in living memory. In fact, the Springfield Armory 1911 that spawned the TRP and its brethren was the only gun left standing.
Over the course of the next few years the FBI’s regional SWAT teams turned to the Springfield Armory TRP Operator. As endorsements go, that’s not bad. Government agencies have continued to snap up the majority of Springfield Armory TRP Operator pistols. So you can have the same gun as the men in black, kind of…
The TRP isn’t quite a custom product, but it is handbuilt by the most skilled gunsmiths at the Illinois company.
Starting with a National Match steel frame, the gunsmith hand-laps the slide to the frame, cuts the rails and drills the pin holes by hand. A match-grade bull barrel and zero play in the slide makes for an accurate and reliable handgun for sale.
The proprietary black Armory Kote finish and snakeskin effect G10 grips complete a stunning looking gun that could easily last you a lifetime.
You’ll get to know the folks at Springfield Armory’s custom gunsmiths over the years as they refresh your TRP from time to time. But treat it well and this match grade gun will last longer than you will.
A Bomar style adjustable sights with Tritium inserts on the rear is low profile and all part of the TRP combat ready package.
There’s a 6 inch barrel version in 10mm aimed at handgun hunters. But the 5 inch package is considered the combat package and it’s probably the one you’ll enjoy the most.
There’s another great gun on Palmetto State Armory right now, a Springfield Armory Master Class Silent Operator. The RRP is $2,195, but PSA has this suppressor ready gun on offer right now for $1,699. By the time you get there, it may have already gone…
4. Smith & Wesson Performance Center 1911
- Price: $1,549.99
- Barrel length: 5 inch
- Total Length: 8.7 inch
- Weight: 2.53lb
- Capacity: 8+1
This is a stunning gun isn’t it? It’s basically a custom 1911, to competition specification, that hasn’t been sent off to a third party tuner along with a blank check.
Smith & Wesson Performance Center engineers are effectively the skunkworks of S&W, so they have a big budget, the best tools and intimate knowledge of the base firearms from the design phase. A SMith and Wesson custom gun, then, was always going to be good.
Essentially they are providing the finishing touches to the iconic SW1911 that just wouldn’t be cost effective in the mass market guns, for those that want to pay for them.
The results speak for themselves. The gun reviews online for the SW1911 Performance Center handgun are absolutely incredible and it’s a five-star gun in more than one store.
The three slide ports look the absolute business and they probably do confer a small performance advantage. There’s a throated barrel, a precision crowned muzzle, a polished feed ramp, a spherical barrel bushing and a skeletonized trigger to complete the lightweight look.
It’s an awesome handgun that you might even be tempted to carry as an EDC thanks to the manageable weight. It’s still cumbersome, but it’s lighter than some on this list. You can also use it as a competition shooter, a nightstand pistol or just a general personal defense 45 ACP handgun.
Any way you use it, you will not be disappointed. You might spend a little more time cleaning those ports after practising shooting technique at the firing range. But that’s a price you will probably be happy to pay for the performance of this almighty 1911 for sale.
5. Kimber 1911 Super Carry Custom
- Price: $1,399
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel Length: 5 inch
- Total Length: 8.7 inch
- Weight: 1.94lb
- Capacity: 8+1
Kimber’s consumer grade handguns are works of art that don’t always have the best reputation for reliability or functionality. This, though, is a Kimber Custom and that is a different ballgame entirely.
This is the service pistol that the LAPD SWAT team takes into action. If your testing regime consists of some steel-cased ammo at the range, then rest assured that LA’s finest have done that for you and more. This is a gun you can rely on and it has been put together by Kimber’s absolute best.
A match grade Kimber is about the same money, but this is a tactical response pistol and is aimed at open carry and personal defense. You can’t really say it’s a convenient concealed carry, but you could just about do it. You could also buy the shorter versions with a 4 inch barrel, or the 3 inch CCW version.
The frame is aluminum to save weight, the rounded heel is a classic carry gun flourish, there’s a match grade trigger and the stainless steel slide is coated in KimPro II, which doesn’t need lubrication and should last basically forever.
The bi-tone finish looks the business, especially in combination with the real wood grips that give a touch of gravitas to this gun.
It’s properly lightweight for a full-size 1911 handgun hammering out 45 ACP and that alone could be the USP you’re looking for. it’s also a beautifully put together handgun that might turn you into a Kimber convert, along with the LAPD SWAT team.
6. Colt Special Combat Government
- Price: $2,098.99
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel Length: 5 inch
- Total Length: 8.5 inch
- Weight: 2.41lb
- Capacity: 8+1
Combat match shooters are a demanding bunch, but basically the features they want on their pistol are pretty much what you’re looking for in a defensive handgun.
So if your gun’s main job is guard duty on the nightstand, then you still want the same qualities as a match shooter goes looking for.
What are they? Reliability, consistency, accuracy, great balance, reduced felt recoil and a solid grip high up on the gun. These all sound like pretty good traits in any handgun to be honest.
A pronounced beavertail and a checkered front and back strap mean you can get a real solid grip on this real solid gun. The Colt Upswept Beavertail Safety joins forces with a Colt Single Side Tactical Safety, so there’s no real excuse for accidental discharges. Aside from that, this gun will be a sweet shooting 1911, possibly for the rest of your life.
The Colt Special Combat Government is a great all-round gun, even if you’re not going to enter shooting competitions. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it.
7. Sig Sauer We The People
- Price: $1279.99
- Caliber: 45 ACP
- Barrel Length: 5 inch
- Total Length: 8.7 inch
- Weight: 2.6lb
Sig’s We The People is a limited edition that you can still buy. It isn’t cheap, and it’s a very definite look that you either love or, well, don’t, but the Sig Sauer We The People is a great value 1911 that you can carry with pride.
Now there are better guns on this list if you want that last nth degree of accuracy. There is no match grade bull barrel here, or billet frame washed down with unicorn’s tears. This is basic engineering, done well.
It was designed as a tribute to America and as a pro Second Amendment statement. The grips are adorned with 50 stars. The all over distressed look on the stainless steel slide and frame is certainly unique and it gives this designer 1911 a custom handgun feel.
With this gun the features list includes a checkered front and back strap and an ambidextrous manual safety rather than competition spec parts. It isn’t going to win any sharp-shooting competitions anytime soon, but it is a great looking gun that will serve you well. It’s a Sig Sauer too, so it should stand the test of time.
I was pretty surprised to see the Bruin at number 2. I give you props for recognizing it specifically when choosing one from Dan Wesson. Though I have to say the Colt still probably isn’t number 1. Really for the fact that it’s a competition gun so the features for the price ratio is a bit low. The quality is definitely there, but given all the extra chamfering and dehorning that comes standard on some of these other options, I think that would be more preferable to most shooters over a nice finish and history of pro shooter choices. Part of the reason the Gold Cup model is even chosen for pros is because Colt was producing high quality handguns for competition like this at least a decade before other manufacturers. Colt hasn’t really broken any ground in the 1911 world in the past 10 years and yet makers like Kimber, Springfield, Dan Wesson, Smith and Wesson, Les Baer, and more unknown groups have continued to make more and more changes without the price of a Wilson. I would have to put the Colt near 5 since it doesn’t really include anything you can’t find anywhere else. Just using the Bruin as an example, there is 45° chamfering on the bottom edges of the slide, a ball cut on the slide, slide serrations on the top to reduce glare, a slight bobtail on the mag well, flared mag well, a flared and extended safety lever, an extended slide stop, 6 inch match grade barrel, 25lpi checkering, the front sight is actually fiber optic with tritium, the rear sight is fully adjustable tritium, a square hammer that also has chamfering, and it comes in 10mm. What all of that tells me is Dan Wesson puts a ton of time into each and every part. They don’t even use MIM even though they could and have few issues if any. Anyway, enough of my shilling. Your list is well founded and it was great to read.
Thanks ever so much for this comment! That’s what I’m hoping for to be honest, lively debates on everybody’s personal favorites. I take your points on the Colt, but stuck with it as a flagbearer of sorts. You know if I’d put the Colt fifth, somebody would have been calling me a Dan Wesson shill 🙂 But I’m glad to see stuff like this and thanks for the input, stick around!