New Colt Combat Commander: First Impressions

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  • Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    I couldn't tell you exactly the last time I purchased a new Colt 1911 but, I'm thinking it was probably during the late 80's, maybe, the early 90's? That was the last time I actually went shopping for a .45 specifically for shooting bowling pins. The last Colt 1911 I bought for that purpose was a Combat Commander with wood grips and an electroless-nickel finish, I do remember that much. A couple of years later, though, I switched to a Sig P220 and kind of forgot about 1911's for awhile. Those early German-built Sigs back then were unbelievably good and I liked the DA option, even though I rarely took the first shot that way. I could also shoot it a little bit better than a 1911.

    xZvDckM.jpg


    I also carried a 1911A1 for several years on active duty but, I always preferred the feel of my CO's Combat Commander. I liked the balance and the wield-ability of it. While it wasn't much lighter than my 1911A1, it had a certain 'just right' vibe about it and I could shoot it well. He was an awesome guy to have as a CO, too. Officers usually kept their distance from EM's but this guy liked to shoot, hang-out on the range and bring stuff out of his own personal collection to share. That was cool with us! Anything that got us out of either picking-up trash or re-painting everything within sight on-base (our DBC's obsession) we were excited to do. LOL

    gh9iQJO.jpg


    When I got out of the Army, though, my interest in the shooting sports shifted to long range revolver (IHMSA) and the desire for a 1911 went on the back burner for several years. I want to say it was around 1986-1987 before I became obsessed with shooting bowling pins and finally had a good excuse to pick-up a 1911. I'm still obsessed. I suck at it much more than I did in my younger, thinner days but I still thoroughly enjoy it. Now, it's more about nostalgia than being super-competitive at the range.

    NJZPYTT.jpg


    Many of you have already read about my numerous travails to shoot pin matches with a CZ Shadow SP-01 and the difficulty of competing against .45 and .40 with 9mm, let alone, shooting what I consider a decent five-pin relay time. Kudos to anyone who can actually do that with a 9! During my five matches, the best relay time I had was 6.78 seconds. Most of the time, I was in the 8-9 second range, compared to others using .40 and .45 who averaged less than 5-6 second relay times. When the rules of the game are to shoot the pins off the table as fast as you can, I just couldn't get the job done with my 9mm CZ's. It always seemed to take a minimum of two shots.

    So I recently went looking for a 1911 and landed on this Colt Combat Commander because shooting at pins, IMO, doesn't require an expensive gun to do it well. In fact, the fastest times I see being shot are usually achieved by bone-stock Glock 21's(?) and standard size 1911's respectively. The club champ uses a Glock in .40 with his own loads and shoots consistently in the sub-4 second range. It's impressive to watch.

    F6825hE.jpg

    First 25 rounds, Aguila 230gr FMJ, 7 yards

    LOL Not exactly my greatest effort but there's the first 25 rounds. I started-out low-left and quickly determined that this pistol definitely prefers a dead-center (vs six o'clock) hold that differs significantly from my CZ Shadow SP-01. Good! I'll try to remember that during the heat of a match when I'm more worried about remembering to disengage the thumb safety before I take my first shot. Brain-farted twice at the last match, forgetting to do that.

    Usually, I wouldn't be all that happy about a 7 yard group that looked like that, but under the circumstances 50% in the black is about what I expected and I really don't blame the gun. I was indoors because the weather sucked too bad to shoot outdoors, I was spastic, it was a brand new gun, etc. etc. Here's what I really liked, though: this new Combat Commander shoots extremely soft. I mean, it surprised me. My DW Specialist Commander is snappy to the point of being uncomfortable to shoot but, not this Colt. Not at all. Part of that can probably be attributed to its steel frame but, Colt claims that they solved the snappier-recoil (than a standard sized 1911) of a Commander by adding an additional, smaller recoil spring that fits on the guide rod beneath the main recoil spring.

    4JPYjbU.jpg


    If that's what really does it, my hat's off to Colt. Seriously. It seems like a stupidly simple solution to a decades-old issue and one of the main reasons so many others prefer a standard sized 1911 over one that's more compact and better balanced. All I know is, I put 120 rounds thru it at Heritage last Saturday morning: 50 Aguila 230gr FMJ, 50 Fiocchi 230gr FMJ, 10 Federal 230gr Hydrashok JHP+P and 10 Cor Bon 165gr JHP+P without the least bit of discomfort and no malfunctions whatsoever.

    The other thing I liked was the trigger. It's decently crisp, with just a little take-up and breaking (by my best guesstimation) in the 4.5-5 lbs. range. If I was looking for a 1911 to carry, I'd seriously consider this one. Hopefully it serves me well at the pin matches this year!
     
    Last edited:

    Racer Doug14

    Thread killer
    MDS Supporter
    Patriot Picket
    Feb 22, 2013
    8,003
    Millers Maryland
    I like it. Nice review and impressions post. The Colt Combat Commander is on my list. Or, the SR1911CMD. I like the undercut trigger guard on the Colt.
     

    Mightydog

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Nice looking shooter! Been looking at the exact same thing since last year. List then was around $999. We have to get together sometime and you can try my Sig C3 and I can try yours. Then tell some stories over a few beers of our time in the “Divided City”. Good report.
     

    jkasprz

    Member
    May 7, 2017
    68
    Annapolis, MD
    Thanks for your insight in how this new Colt shot; you wrote a really interesting post.
    I have been wanting to buy a 1911 for a while now and was looking at the SR1911’s, but now I think I need to look into this model.
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    n0Vrw89.jpg


    Thanks everybody. I don't have any big plans to modify it, other than maybe lightening the trigger pull a bit and replacing the factory grips with either some VZ's or LOK's. The Novak sights seem GTG and will work just fine for my purposes. An extended mag release would be a nice addition, too.

    Nice looking shooter! Been looking at the exact same thing since last year. List then was around $999. We have to get together sometime and you can try my Sig C3 and I can try yours. Then tell some stories over a few beers of our time in the “Divided City”. Good report.

    Thanks! Yeah, I'd like that and I owe ya that much for all the $$$ you saved me on home repair recommendations around Frederick. I still can't believe how good Putman Plumbing treated us. Those guys are the best. Let's plan to do it.

    I also got a PM the other day from another MDS'er who was in 4/6 INF during the late 80's/early 90's. We should get him, too, and plan a Berlin Brigade reunion of some kind. I'll see if I can't get some outta-towners to join-in the mayhem.
     

    fidelity

    piled higher and deeper
    MDS Supporter
    Aug 15, 2012
    22,400
    Frederick County
    She's a beaut. Enjoyed the background perspective on the Commander - quite a story in general. Really nice carry size and probably fast on the draw. Did you get a new holster for it, or have a past 1911 holster that served the purpose?

    Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    She's a beaut. Enjoyed the background perspective on the Commander - quite a story in general. Really nice carry size and probably fast on the draw. Did you get a new holster for it, or have a past 1911 holster that served the purpose?

    Thanks! Sometimes it takes longer than you expect to go full-circle. ;) I originally selected a 1911 Combat Commander for my first pin match pistol, deviated from that to a Sig P220 and eventually failed with my CZ's several times before going back to the same gun 35+ years later.

    The holster I have for my DW Specialist Commander should work just fine for the Colt but I haven't tried it yet. If not, I'll need to burn some Hilton Honors points on Amazon unless you've got an extra holster you'd like to sell?

    I'm eager to see your reaction to shooting this new pistol. You shoot my CZ's extremely well and I don't think this one will be any exception but, I was skeptical about how effective just an extra spring would be at mitigating recoil. Colt did a great job.
     

    Pinecone

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Feb 4, 2013
    28,175
    The Combat Commander never made a lot of sense to me. Just slightly smaller, almost the same weight.

    NOW, the Light Weight Commander is a different story. Smaller and lighter. :D

    But choices, that is why they are both available. Enjoy, it is a nice looking pistol.
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    The Combat Commander never made a lot of sense to me. Just slightly smaller, almost the same weight.

    NOW, the Light Weight Commander is a different story. Smaller and lighter. :D

    But choices, that is why they are both available. Enjoy, it is a nice looking pistol.

    It's hard to know what Colt was thinking back in 1970 when they first introduced the all-steel Combat Commander. During my time in service, though, it was what all of the officers and senior NCO's in my unit wanted as a sidearm and because Colt didn't make that many of them, it was highly coveted. My CO and 1st Sergeant had them. I think it took my platoon leader about six months to get one via the Rod & Gun Club on base.

    Like you said, there's very little benefit in either size or weight but, there's something 'just right' about the Combat Commander in terms of feel. This latest refresh by Colt was very well done.

    Good informative write up. Good luck in your bowling pin shoots. One of my favorite shooting sports!

    Thanks! I still enjoy it a lot even though I'm not as fast as I used to be.
     

    Mightydog

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    It's hard to know what Colt was thinking back in 1970 when they first introduced the all-steel Combat Commander. During my time in service, though, it was what all of the officers and senior NCO's in my unit wanted as a sidearm and because Colt didn't make that many of them, it was highly coveted. My CO and 1st Sergeant had them. I think it took my platoon leader about six months to get one via the Rod & Gun Club on base.

    Like you said, there's very little benefit in either size or weight but, there's something 'just right' about the Combat Commander in terms of feel. This latest refresh by Colt was very well done.



    Thanks! I still enjoy it a lot even though I'm not as fast as I used to be.


    Who did you happen to purchase that from if you don’t mind me asking? Local IP like Hafers?
     

    Czechnologist

    Concerned Citizen
    Mar 9, 2016
    6,522
    Who did you happen to purchase that from if you don’t mind me asking? Local IP like Hafers?

    Gunrunners. Bob has done a lot of FFL transfers for me the last couple of years and has always been very nice to do business with. He's a certifiable Colt-nut, too.
     

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