1911/45s

Question
Thank you for your previous answer to my question. I would like your thoughts on the STI 1911/45s, Escort & the Guardian. How good are they & will they hold their value.

Answer
William,

STI makes an excellent product. While computer aided engineer certainly mitigates some trial and error, I don't trust 1911s smaller than the commander sized guns, and I don't even entirely trust them vis-a-vis the original 5" guns.

If I were going to take my chances on a mini .45 though, one of the STI's would be as good as any, and better than most.

It depends on what you mean by "holds its value." An acquaintance who used an XD9 to save his life thinks that it's the best $400 he's ever spent, and wouldn't trade that gun for the world.

If you mean monetary value, no gun holds its value, since they are not a scarce commodity. If you sit on it until prices go up, it might be worth something (e.g. the old Colt SAAs), but generally if you buy a gun and then turn around and sell it to a private individual, you can generally get 75-80% of what people can get them for new. If you sell it to a gun store, probably about 50% of what you'd get for it in a sale to a private individual (since gun stores have to make a profit on it, and dealer profits are generally between 40-60%).

Last time I bought a used Glock, I offered the guy $375 for it. He was a little taken aback as he had paid $589 for it. I told him of a dealer where he could get new Glocks any time he wanted for $450. I then explained to him that a $75 difference was all I was willing to pay for a used gun. If the gap was smaller (say, $25) I may as well just buy a new gun.