OK I have been a Glock guy for some time now. I have a concealed carry permit for my state and am licensed to carry in other states as well and have carried a Glock 17. I own a 1911 by American Tactical imports though and found it to be a very good and reliable gun. Well my wife knew I really liked 1911 guns and decided when we had some extra money that she wanted to buy me a Colt. I was not wild about spending almost $1,000 for a gun, but when my wife makes up her mind it’s made unless I really assert myself. Since I kind of wanted the gun I gave her this win.
The Colt 1911 Commander is built like a tank. They make these in the United States in Connecticut. (talk about ironic with the gun laws there). It is made with a quality carbon steel metal frame and slide and blued metal finish. The barrel is 4.25 inches for increased accuracy with front and rear dovetail three dot sights. it also has a combat hammer and standard trigger. The Colt Commander also features walnut wood grips. It has a standard capacity of 7 rounds + 1 in the chamber, but you can use many extended magazines. It comes with a case and two 7 round magazines. It will run you about $550 Online and $650 in store. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty. This sounds tricky, but unless you attempt to customize the gun in some way that can’t be easily removed ( like switching out the sights compared to changing the grips) they are known for standing behind their products.
I was very impressed at the range with the Colt 1911 Commander. I found the trigger pull to be very crisp and clean, It was not overly heavy as a couple 1911 pistols I have encountered lately. I found it to shoot very accurately even with a double tap. This is in large part due to the weight. I personally think it has less recoil than my Glock 17. It is relatively slim and could be carried with an in the waist band for a concealed carry weapon or easily tucked under a jacket or vest. another great thing about the Colt Commander compared to other 1911 pistols is how it handles hollow point ammunition. 1911 pistols were not meant to shoot hollow point ammo but ball ammo or full metal jacket ( FMJ), I got all kinds of jams with Rock Island and ATI 1911 pistols with most hollow points, but the Colt Commander handles everything fine. Even the cheap Wal-Mart Winchester White Box hollow points. I personally carry Hornady Critical Defense in mine, but that is my personal preference. The only drawback I have found is one of the grips seems to have the screw loosen every 100 or so rounds, but that is easily fixed with some glue.
Overall I will say that Colt has made a really nice gun that is reasonably priced for the quality. IT shoots really well and I have not seen one malfunction yet. There are many people who customize their 1911 pistols with various things from trigger jobs to changing out the main spring housing. I think the gun is really good as is. I will say I do like the main spring housing in my ATI 1911 a little better than the colt but overall I can deal with it. I would have rather had night sights but that is not a big deal either.
