Czechnologist
Concerned Citizen
- Mar 9, 2016
- 6,531
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
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