StillCrazy
US Veteran
Finally had a date with my (new to me) 1911PD Commander at the range. I am totally impressed by how much better a shooter it is than I am. This is my first 1911, and my first .45, so factor that into what I say.
The gun seems spot-on accurate. I attributed all flyers to user incompetence. I put 100 rounds through it using four 8-round mags. When really concentrating, 15 and 20 yard groups were better than anything I've experienced.
A couple of mechanical annoyances did crop up. Had one failure to return to battery, using an aftermarket Mec-Gar mag with flat plastic follower. The mag was used and came with the gun when I bought it, so it's possible it had a weak spring. I bagged it, used the other three mags for the rest of the session, and the problem didn't occur again.
Those other three mags were - two new CMC Power Mag+, and an original S&W. The S&W was stamped "Made in Italy," so I suspect it was manufactured by Mec-Gar. It had a metal follower, unlike the one stamped "Mec-Gar." All performed flawlessly.
The only other issue was that several times, the slide did not lock back after the last round. I spoke to a range officer about that later, and he suggested that my strong thumb may have been riding on the slide release. I wasn't concious of that during the firing session, but I'll focus on it next time.
Otherwise, I love this gun! Next time, I'm gonna use different ammo, though. I've shot Winchester white box in my 9mm for a few years, and thought it was pretty clean. So, that's what I used in .45 for this gun. I gotta say, the stuff is pretty nasty. After 75 rounds, I couldn't acquire a good sight picture due to the smoke on the front sight dot.
Anyhow, after the first outing, I'm a happy camper.
The gun seems spot-on accurate. I attributed all flyers to user incompetence. I put 100 rounds through it using four 8-round mags. When really concentrating, 15 and 20 yard groups were better than anything I've experienced.
A couple of mechanical annoyances did crop up. Had one failure to return to battery, using an aftermarket Mec-Gar mag with flat plastic follower. The mag was used and came with the gun when I bought it, so it's possible it had a weak spring. I bagged it, used the other three mags for the rest of the session, and the problem didn't occur again.
Those other three mags were - two new CMC Power Mag+, and an original S&W. The S&W was stamped "Made in Italy," so I suspect it was manufactured by Mec-Gar. It had a metal follower, unlike the one stamped "Mec-Gar." All performed flawlessly.
The only other issue was that several times, the slide did not lock back after the last round. I spoke to a range officer about that later, and he suggested that my strong thumb may have been riding on the slide release. I wasn't concious of that during the firing session, but I'll focus on it next time.
Otherwise, I love this gun! Next time, I'm gonna use different ammo, though. I've shot Winchester white box in my 9mm for a few years, and thought it was pretty clean. So, that's what I used in .45 for this gun. I gotta say, the stuff is pretty nasty. After 75 rounds, I couldn't acquire a good sight picture due to the smoke on the front sight dot.
Anyhow, after the first outing, I'm a happy camper.
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