It's been about a year since another member found this for me . If you've never shot one they are a blast , especially with some warmed over hand loads . I was lucky , I don't know if it had ever been shot , but it sure has now . A 357 semi-auto , what's not to like ? Well , maybe the price of mags , they are worse than 52 mags .

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“What’s not to like?”

I’ll start with $400+ magazines.

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213th FBINA

Very nice indeed. Hows the reliability on yours? Back in the day there were a lot of reports of them being prone to jamming.

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Who watches the watchers?

One of our Detectives is actually carrying one of those. It was a loophole in policy and he's the only one, so it's good to go. We approved 1911 style pistols. We also approved .357magnum as a caliber, intended for backup or off duty guns since nobody carries a wheel gun on duty anymore. Well, combine the two and theirs nothing preventing him. I torched it off at our range a few years ago - holy hell what a handful! He claims it's reliable and he's not had any issues for a few years on our qualifications.

I watched a Hickok45 video the other day where he shot one. He liked it and said it had no failures as long as using 357 ammo. It did fail when using 38s.
That guy can shoot.

I'll add in "everything else". I have never cared for, or got the appeal of semi auto " magnums" you usually get an awkward gun/grip, questionable reliability , usually more expensive than the revolver equivalent, and often not even gaining any capacity.

Mine's absolutely reliable with more than 5,000 rounds through it. I could write volumes here and in years past and on other forums, I have. At the moment I don't have the time, but dropping this post will remind me to get back to it. I have many thoughts.

I own a lot of handguns, handguns are my passion. I own some that are better guns than my Coonan. I don't own any single handgun that is straight-up more pure fun than my Coonan.

They aren't for everyone, but if you dismiss them never having owned one, never shot one, maybe never seen one or held one, just discard the idea based on a sweeping thought process and a wide-open generalization?

I wonder what other things in life get categorically wiped away without any experience. Is it food? Cars? Movies, books, vacation destinations? Pets? People?

All good. More for me and my friends.

I knew you'd chime in Sevens ! I've never tried 38's , probably never will . I don't have as many rounds through mine as yours , but I have NEVER had a problem . Yes the early ones had their issues , but you can't hold that against them . If they are so bad , why do they sell at the amount of money they do ?

I'm interested in getting one. The 125gr @ 1800fps thing is definitely part of it. From everything I've read, the main issue is weak factory ammo, the stuff that states good velocity but it's through a 10" barrel with no cylinder gap.

Coonan can't keep up with demand...I'm not sure this is a $1700 gun retail. It's definitely not a $2300+ gun as I've seen on Gunbroker.

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Psalm 27:2

AFAIK, Coonan closed its doors December 2019.
One thing to keep an eye on is to be aware of cracking slides. Mine had that happen at less than 500 rounds, but it was fixed under warranty (whew!). Ironically, it was purchased to satisfy my jonesing for big booms whilst limiting wear on my Auto Mag. Yeah, that didn't work out like I hoped, but I will keep shooting the Coonan until it wears out or is unrepairable.

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The triple smoker

There's nothing quite like a Coonan. There aren't many autoloaders chambered in .357 Magnum, and in my opinion the Coonan is the coolest. Yes, the Desert Eagle is cool too, but it's too big/heavy for a .357 Magnum, IMO. If you want a Deagle, you get it in .44 Magnum if not a straight up .50AE.

That being said, while Coonan 1911s are undeniably cool for what they are, unless you specifically want a Coonan or a 1911 scambered in .357 Magnum, their appeal becomes a bit more niche. Because if all one really wants is a 1911 chambered in a hotrod cartridge, there are other opinions which can duplicate or even surpass .357 Magnum ballistics.
I see the Coonan 1911 as a firearm which is best enjoyed for exactly what it is. You buy a Coonan because you want a Coonan, not because you want it as a carry gun, or a trail gun, or to a lesser extent a Home Defense gun, although it could most certainly be successfully used in such roles. In other words, the Coonan is a lot like a Desert Eagle, an Automag, FiveseveN, or a Judge/Governor, a gun you buy just because it's cool and a blast to take out to the range.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

With regards to what is posted at the Coonan site... sadly, there is no truth to it whatsoever. The entire shop was auctioned off somewhere around a year ago. While anything is possible and Dan Coonan could show up again in a similar or different form, this iteration of Coonan (the Classic) is over and while I have no idea who is paying the web hosting fees for that two year old message, these guns are DONE.

That’s why we are seeing their current prices on Gunbroker.

I have a lot of experience with the Coonan Classic in particular, six different examples if I have counted right. In this day and age, I would passionately make my argument that they are definitely worth $1600-$1700. Market bobbles that have some selling for $STUPID on Gunbroker are data points. They are not to be ignored, but they don’t tell the whole story and they are not the final word.

I would love to have one. I had a Desert Eagle .357 magnum some 20-something years ago. I bought it to carry around riding the ATV and possibly to deer hunt. But after a few months packing that monster around, I decided to sell it and ordered a 625 Mountain Gun in 45 colt.

I'm a total idiot for not keeping both of them. The DE was a lot of fun to shoot and with the gas operated recoil, it was a *****cat to shoot, if you could hold it up. I tired of constantly pulling my pants up. I forget what it weighed, but it was a lot.

The Coonan looks a lot easier to lug around. Maybe someday......

[QUOTE=Forte Smitten Wesson;140978792

In other words, the Coonan is a lot like a Desert Eagle, an Automag, FiveseveN, or a Judge/Governor, a gun you buy just because it's cool and a blast to take out to the range.[/QUOTE]

Don't forget the British .455 Mark VI Webley and Finnish Lahti.

Someone had a couple listed here a while ago and I think about it more often than not... should have grabbed it up... maybe another some day...

Seeing this makes me want one

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This is the way....

That guy had some interesting variations , but wanted your first born . Now he probably put them on GB and might have hit asking price , but you know how GB is . I don't know how he sat on them without shooting at least one .

I'm unfamiliar with the Lahti, but I completely agree with you on the Webley Mark VI.

There are a lot of firearms out there that are just plain interesting and fun to shoot. I'm hesitant to call them "novelties" due to the fact that the term seems to be used more often in a sarcastic, derogatory sense here on firearms forums, but by definition the term fits.

I honestly pity the poor folks who are so darn self-conscious that they feel the need to play the part of some highly trained, no nonsense professional at all times, so they don't own any firearms just because they're cool, or fun, or just interesting because that doesn't fit their image. Meanwhile, nobody is impressed by it, so all they're really doing is cheating themselves.
Granted, some folks are legitimately only interested in military firearms, and that's cool, nobody is going to argue that military weapons aren't cool or fun to shoot in their own right. I'm talking about, I dunno... That guy who owns multiple Smith & Wesson Model 29s yet feels the need to pretend that he's never seen Dirty Harry or at least that seeing it in movies or video games had nothing to do with him owning one because he has super legitimate uses for the Model 29, like he might go hiking someday so he got it incase that ever happens, or maybe he lives nearby a zoo.

Because, you know, it's nerdy to be brave enough to openly admit to liking something, yet totally manly to mask all of your interests behind the façade of some illusive stoic professional who may or may not be a Government android because apparently he lacks anything even vaguely resembling a human personality.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I've shot several examples, none really tickled my fancy (beyond the basic baseline of enjoying any shooting, and getting to try new guns) nothing wrong with impractical guns, I just prefer mine in revolver format.

One of my clubs has a match twice a year called the Great Wars Match. The idea is to bring out military handguns (or their replicas or clones) that were used by any military body from World War I to the end of World War II. I've used my Lahti and the Webley in them. We've had Commando revolvers, old 1911s, Smith & Wesson 1917 .45 revolvers, and a .30 Luger. It's a chance to bring out and play with some of this old neat stuff.

I just got a Coonan purely by accident. I wasn’t looking for one but a fellow inherited one and didn’t want it and offered it up to me for a great price.

Having now put 100 rounds through it, I can honestly say I would have gladly given him full price if he had asked. It’s 100% reliable with my full-power reloads, and recoil is lighter than a 10mm 1911 due to its added weight. Accuracy is good although mine shoots low and to the left. Rear sight is drift adjustable for windage only which I must do before my next range outing.

The trigger is phenomenal, easily on par with my Gold Cup and superior to anything else I have.

A great purchase, I think.