The Wilson Combat CQB Elite 1911 paired with the Quell P-S suppressor is an exceptional defensive setup. While not concealable, this combination makes for an excellent home defense or travel gun. The ergonomics of the CQB Elite accommodates all hand sizes, thanks to its thin frame, checkering on the...
Standard Manufacturing submitted a sample of their 1911 Full Damascus, and while I have seen other manufacturers offer a Damascus slide, Standard is the first, to the best of my knowledge, to offer a complete gun including a pattern welded frame. Standard’s craftsmen hand forge their own billets of...
I suppose it is only fitting that we start our roundup with a Colt as they were the first company to manufacture the 1911. This year their submission came to us from their Custom Shop and started life as a stainless steel Series 80 Commander that their craftsmen skillfully...
Kimber sent us a sample of their new Rapide Dawn that sports some updated cosmetics for the 112-year-old gun. Sporting stepped cocking serrations and slide lightening ports, the stainless steel gun boasts polished flats, and the stepped reliefs are coated with KimPro II for a two-tone finish. Its G10...
Wilson Combat’s new SFT9 features a Commander-size slide and compact size frame yet boasts a capacity of 15+1 9mm rounds. Its solid body frame is machined from aluminum and given Wilson Combat’s TRAK texturing for a secure firing grip without being abrasive. It possesses excellent ergonomics, and the curve...
Nighthawk Custom, the firm with the motto ‘One Gun—One Gunsmith,” sent us a sample of their new Sand Hawk for this year’s Ballistic’s Best competition and boy is it a doozey! It features a full-length steel frame and dust cover with a machined aluminum grip frame that takes 17-round...
In September of 2022, Springfield Armory rocked the shooting world when they introduced the Prodigy—a double-stack 9mm 1911 with a hybrid frame and optics-ready slide. Springfield machines the slide and frame from carbon steel and Cerakotes them black. The polymer grip module attaches to the steel frame and is...
There's a new player in the 1911 world named Tisas. Manufactured in Turkey, these new 1911s feature good metal, excellent fitting and a degree of fit and finish I'm not used to seeing in an economy grade 1911. While they have worked very hard for the last couple years...
When it looked like this year’s 1911 Round-Up would only have eight contestants, Gunsite’s Ken Campbell came to the rescue again and provided us with a sample of their Colt Gunsite Lightweight Commander chambered for .45 ACP. Without hesitation, Campbell pulled the unfired gun from Gunsite’s Pro shop inventory...
Smith & Wesson sent me a full-size 1911 from their Performance Center. All Performance Center guns are given an extra degree of attention during the fitting and polishing of the parts. The PC1911 with ports features a satin-finished stainless steel slide and frame. For dramatic effect there are three...
