The 1911-style pistol remains wildly popular more than 100 years after its birth. At last count, roughly 50 manufacturers are producing hundreds of different 1911 models ranging from mil-spec, GI-type versions that recall John Browning’s original design, to uber-refined and customized 1911s that cost thousands of dollars.

This article pulls together info on the 15 least-expensive full-size 1911s in production today into one place. To make this list, a pistol must cost $500 max in actual retail pricing (not MSRP, which is almost always inflated).

Each pistol’s listing is an excerpt from its main-info page, which contains the full description, specs, more photos, pricing info (when available) and links to external articles and reviews. To go to that page, click on the gun’s name or photo.

Note: The listings below include only the cheapest model offered by each company. Many of these companies also offer other 1911 models with enhanced features, different finishes, shortened barrels and shortened grips, and in many cases the prices of these models are also relatively low. To see all the 1911s produced by one of the companies below, visit its category page on our site. Continue reading →