Used 1911 Buyer’s Guide 2026: Brand Tiers, Prices & Inspection

May 23, 2026May 21, 2026 by Nick Hall

Used 1911 three-tier knolling on dark wood with a GI Mil-Spec Colt Government Model ($550 parkerized GI), a Kimber Custom II ($875 production tier with beavertail and fiber-optic front sight), and a Nighthawk Custom Fire Hawk ($2,295 semi-custom with hexagonal G10 grips), with .45 ACP brass casings, spare 7-round single-stack magazines, a brass plunger-tube alignment tool, and a Series 70 vs Series 80 armorer inspection clipboard

Used 1911 prices span $300 (Tisas) to $4,000+ (Wilson Combat). Five brand tiers, Series 70 vs Series 80 decoder, forged vs cast inspection, CMP M1911A1 surplus program (restarted 2025), 7-point inspection, and where to buy.

John Moses Browning: His Life, Greatest Designs & Legacy (2026)

May 30, 2026February 13, 2024 by Nick Hall

The basic 1911 recipe, refined and yet basically unchanged.

John Moses Browning designed the 1911, the Hi-Power, the BAR, the M2 .50 cal, the Auto-5 shotgun, and 120+ more firearms. Here is the complete story of the greatest gun designer who ever lived.