Although I originally set out to find a .451 Magnum Detonics pistol, I stumbled upon its generic .45ACP counterpart at a gun store in Easton, PA. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it came with the factory box and paperwork, and it was in great shape, so I took a chance & grabbed it. I suspect the gun was for a competition shooter, as when I picked it up, it had a "Quadra-Lok" ported barrel assembly and adjustable slide stop (never saw one of those before), skeletonized hammer, extended safety, and S&A mag well. Fortunately, the original owner kept almost all of the original parts with the exception of the factory Pachmayr rubber coated mainspring housing. He even had the extra two interchangeable Millett front sights. I ended up returning it to stock with the exception of the single sided safety, which I really like.
First Impressions:
This is a Bellevue WA gun; I believe the first ones were produced in Seattle. The owner's manual has a sticker on it that indicates their address has changed to Bellevue. From the factory, this gun came with a bull barrel with recessed crown, extended beaver tail safety, a lowered ejection port, and an ambi safety. These things are pretty common now, but back in the 1980s, this was some high-speed stuff. The magazine release protrudes quite a bit more than my other 1911s, but it feels "right". The wrap-around Pachmayr is very comfortable, and I'm now on a hunt to find the matching Pachmayr rubber mainspring housing.
Inside the box was paperwork pertaining to the Quadra-Lok barrel system. Apparently, the whole setup would have consisted of the barrel, slide stop and captive recoil spring system. My pistol does not have the recoil spring assembly, and uses the factory Detonics system instead. I never heard of Quadra-Lok, so I did some research on it. It appears the creator of the system was a Detonics employee, so I wonder if the owner purchased the Quadra-Lok items at the same time he bought the pistol.
But how does it shoot?
When I went to the range today, I kept an open mind about the accuracy of a 40+ year old gun. After the first magazine, I am now a Detonics fanboy. This thing is is one of the softest shooting 1911s that I have ever used, most likely because it's a fairly heavy gun. The accuracy is freakishly good - better than most, if not all of my Colt 1911s. My 8 shot strings at ten yards resulted in one ragged hole the size of a half dollar over and over again. I put three boxes of 230gr FMJ through it without a hiccup. To say I am pleased with my purchase is an understatement.
Now, I just have to find a .451 version.
First Impressions:
This is a Bellevue WA gun; I believe the first ones were produced in Seattle. The owner's manual has a sticker on it that indicates their address has changed to Bellevue. From the factory, this gun came with a bull barrel with recessed crown, extended beaver tail safety, a lowered ejection port, and an ambi safety. These things are pretty common now, but back in the 1980s, this was some high-speed stuff. The magazine release protrudes quite a bit more than my other 1911s, but it feels "right". The wrap-around Pachmayr is very comfortable, and I'm now on a hunt to find the matching Pachmayr rubber mainspring housing.
Inside the box was paperwork pertaining to the Quadra-Lok barrel system. Apparently, the whole setup would have consisted of the barrel, slide stop and captive recoil spring system. My pistol does not have the recoil spring assembly, and uses the factory Detonics system instead. I never heard of Quadra-Lok, so I did some research on it. It appears the creator of the system was a Detonics employee, so I wonder if the owner purchased the Quadra-Lok items at the same time he bought the pistol.
But how does it shoot?
When I went to the range today, I kept an open mind about the accuracy of a 40+ year old gun. After the first magazine, I am now a Detonics fanboy. This thing is is one of the softest shooting 1911s that I have ever used, most likely because it's a fairly heavy gun. The accuracy is freakishly good - better than most, if not all of my Colt 1911s. My 8 shot strings at ten yards resulted in one ragged hole the size of a half dollar over and over again. I put three boxes of 230gr FMJ through it without a hiccup. To say I am pleased with my purchase is an understatement.
Now, I just have to find a .451 version.
