David Freeman
Most, if not all, gunwriters are also collectors. We almost have to be in order to be knowledgeable enough to write intelligently for our target audience. We have the luxury of being able to buy guns at reduced prices, which makes it tempting to acquire and keep guns we really like. For the past few months, along with a friend, I have been shooting the guns in my collection just to keep them exercised and to remind myself what’s in the safes. We went through the collection more or less alphabetically. Now we’re going back through by what I’m calling category. These are the categories I’ve defined so far: Pistol, Revolver, Rimfire Rifle, Centerfire rifle, Shotgun and Combination. The subcategories in pistols for example are: Full-size, Micro, 1911, etc. Today’s topic as you can tell by the title of the article is 1911s. Having recently shot them all I thought it might be a good time to review why they are in my collection. Here they are in the order of acquisition. There’s a point in here where you learn I haven’t always been a 1911 fan.
Colt/Umarex Government Model With Rail
This rimfire is the oldest one in my collection. It’s not the first 1911 I owned, however. I had three or four before this one I let them get away for some reason or the other. And yes, I regret that I didn’t value them enough to keep them around. I’m glad I decided to keep this one. It has been in my collection since December 2011 when I got it to use in the NRA Basic Pistol classes I was teaching at time. It’s a good teaching tool for any beginner, plus it’s a lot of fun to shoot. It is very similar to the standard Colt Government Model 1911 except it has a Picatinny rail on the frame, double slide serrations, skeleton trigger, low mount 3-dot combat style sights and a commander style hammer. It was manufactured by Umarex in Germany and imported and distributed by Walther. It was licensed by Colt with the Colt Logo. I purchased this 1911 through the gun store I owned at the time, Texas Gun Pros.
Colt Ace Service Model .22
This is one of two collector’s guns I have in my 1911 inventory. It has a very interesting history, some of which I unfortunately don’t have any record of. According to the Colt letter I received from the factory my gun was originally sold to the US Army and delivered to the Commanding General at Springfield Armory on December 16, 1941. Here’s where the history is unknown to me. It was obviously used in training somewhere during WWII, but I don’t know where. My Father-in-Law Joe Ireland bought it at a gun store in Atlanta for his wife Reecy when they were in the Navy and on their way to a duty station at Norfolk. How did it get from Government ownership to being in a civilian gun store? I have no idea. Joe was gone from home a lot and wanted Reecy to have something for personal protection. Reecy carried it in a military holster in her purse whenever she was out and about in the Tidewater Virginia area.
This gun has some unique features that make it valuable. The Colt Ace was derived from the powerful .45 ACP chambered Colt 1911 to allow military, police, or civilian shooters to train with the Ace without the recoil and expense of the 1911, but with similar ergonomics and sighting. Chambered for the far less powerful .22 LR cartridge, its barrel was constructed with a hinged floating rear chamber that amplifies the recoil when cycling the heavy slide, giving it more of the feel of the larger, heavier gun. These were used primarily by the Navy. Since my father and my wife’s father were Navy officers during WWII there is a good chance they both trained with these firearms. There were only 3,800 of these made and I have serial number 2565. Some of these guns have sold at auction for as much as $8,500.
Remington 1911 R1 Carry Commander
Remington jumped into the 1911 game with both Government and Commander models. I bought one of each back on 2/23/2014 but somewhere along the way I sold the Government model and kept the Commander. I have used this gun as a learning platform for gun finishes. Itt was blued when it came from the factory but the bluing was weak. I tried two or three different methods to get a deep color blue on it, then I managed to scratch it up a bit with my Dremel tool. My fix for that was to polish the slide and I really like the results. This is a .45 ACP with a de-horned forged carbon steel frame and slide with a 4.25 match grade stainless steel barrel with a target crown, lowered and flared ejection port, enhanced hammer, skeletonized aluminum match trigger, Novak sights with Tritium front night sight, checkered front strap and mainspring housing, beavertail grip safety with checkered memory bump and ambidextrous safety.
Smith and Wesson SW1911 SCE
This is the closest thing I have to a BBQ gun, or the gun I’d wear to show off if I actually showed off my guns, which he don’t. I bought this gun on March 21, 2014, and have carried it from time to time. When I was working at an office, I carried it often in an IWB holster. It is light, easy to carry and easy to shoot. There is some scandium in its frame which helps make it light, but there’s not really a lot. I still where it every now and then when it’s a dress up occasion or when I want to enjoy some good shooting. It never disappoints me in the accuracy department.
Ruger SR1911 LW
I had a Ruger 1911 Commander before this one, but it was all steel. That was actually the gun which won me over to the 1911 platform. It found a home with a good customer of ours and I replaced it with this one which is an aluminum frame model in 45 ACP with a gray anodized finish on the frame, 4.25 inch stainless steel barrel, stainless steel slide with low-glare finish, oversized ejection port and extended mag. release, skeletonized hammer, aluminum skeletonized trigger, drift adjustable Novak 3-dot sights, hardwood grip panels, checkered backstrap, oversized beavertail grip safety, extended thumb safety, standard recoil guide system, slide serrations and it came with a soft case. This one came aboard on January 23, 1915.
Colt XSE Commander
Gotta have a Colt, right? I have two or three but this is the one that gets the most use. It joined my collection in March 1915 through a Colt Stocking Dealer arrangement with the gun store owned at the time. I picked it out of the lineup because it has an aluminum alloy frame that makes for a nice carry gun. It also has a 4 1/4 in. barrel, brushed stainless steel slide and an 8 shot magazine. Being a Colt puts added pressure on it to be a great gun and so far, it has kept up that responsibility. It is accurate and reliable. You may notice the Hogue rubber grips with the finger grooves, which are an add-on my son talked me into trying and although I don’t necessarily like the look, they do feel good and help with recoil.
Sig Sauer 1911 Emporer Scorpion Commander
This is the most accurate handgun I’ve ever shot. I discovered that the first day I took it to the range, right after acquiring it on March 31, 2015. It was an indoor range and I had the target set at 10 yards. Because I like to use Colt 8-round, flush fit magazines in all my 1911s I had it loaded with nine rounds when I started shooting. It put round after round in the same hole. When the magazine was empty you could have covered that 9-round hole with a quarter. I gave my IPhone camera to one of my fellow instructors and asked him to take photos of the target as I continued to shoot. By the end of the second magazine load, it would have taken a half dollar to cover the hole. It doesn’t always do that well, rarely does it disappoint and when it does, it’s more my fault than that of the gun.
This was my main carry gun as long as I was comfortable shooting .45 ACP. It got replaced by a Mossberg MC2C when recoil became a factor, but I have never stopped bragging on and enjoying this gun. It’s a .45 ACP Commander with a carry-size fastback frame, 4.2 in. barrel, two 8 shot mags., stainless steel frame and slide (with traditional contour), Siglite night sights, ambi safety, Flat Dark Earth PVD coated finish, 35 oz. I replaced the stock black grips with a pair of Cool Hand Coyote Tan grips.
Springfield 1911-A1 Loaded Lightweight Operator
If you’re going to be a 1911 collector, you’ve got to have a Springfield, and this is the one that fills that role from me. I’m just noticing as I type these guns how many of them were acquired in 2015. This is another one I picked up on August 1, 2015. Springfield Armory offers a lot of different 1911 models. This one is made from an alloy material so it’s lighter than an all-steel gun and it has an accessory rail for mounting a light or laser. Those two features are why it is called the Lightweight Operator. It’s also called Loaded because it has all the features offered by Springfield on its 1911s. That would refer to sights, trigger, grip and so on. It is a .45 ACP caliber with a 5 in. stainless steel barrel, blue finish, fixed low profile combat rear sight, dovetail front sight, Cocobolo grips and it weighs 34 ounces. Attractive, don’t you think?
Colt M45A1 Marine Corps
The M45A1 Colts were originally issued to U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) Marine Raiders and the Corp’s Force Reconnaissance Marines. They were marked “USMC” on left side of slide. When released to the civilian market the USMC had a laser etched “X” over it. Approximately 1,000 guns like this were made and they were decommissioned late 2018. Both early and later models were released into the civilian market. The first ones still had the word Marines on the slide but with an X etched over it. Some M45A1s were released through the Colt custom shop and another round released through normal distribution, but when they hit around 2,600 they were no longer offered.
I purchased this one from Texas Gun Pros and it came at a time when I had no full-size Colt 1911s in my collection. It was unique enough I thought it would hold its value well. I didn’t know it would become one of a limited run and its value would escalate to about five times what I paid for it due to collector demand for such a limited availability. Remember, it was designed for use by the Marine Corps Special Operations Command and though this is a Commercial version it has the same features as the Marine pistol and is labeled the same as the Marine pistol. Colt only made about2,600 of these.
Ruger SR1911 LW Commander
This Ruger came on board in August 2016 as the first 9mm 1911 in my collection. I got it for two reasons. Number one was because I was a 9mm. Arthritis does affect your ability to manage recoil, like it or not, and my arthritis had significantly worsened. Number two was because of the positive experiences I had with my other Ruger 1911s. During the first few months of this gun being a part of my collection, all of the instructors who worked with me enjoyed shooting it. That’s when we discovered Colt had some 10-round magazines, which is what I use now.
Rock Island XT 22 Magnum
I got this 1911 on September 6, 2019 from Rock Island for an article. This was a writer’s T&E (test and evaluation) sample purchased directly from Rock Island Armory, also known as Armscor. I was interested in the engineering Armscor did to get it to cycle properly. The cartridges it shoots are .22 WMR, also known as .22 Magnum, are very loud cartridges and they spit fire. While they’re not ballistically a great stopping cartridge, nobody wants to get shot with one. This is an all-steel construction pistol with a modular barrel, 15 shot magazine, delayed blowback action with integral rail mount, low profile snag free sights, checkered synthetic grips and parkerized finish that weighs 2.22 pounds. I did a feature article this pistol for GUNS Magazine’s December 2019 issue.
American Tactical FNX Moxie
The Moxie is a hybrid 1911 built with a polymer frame with two metal inserts for added stability and durability. The slide is 4140 steel with a parkerized finish. The frame was built to have an ergonomic feel with built in finger grooves. Even though it’s a hybrid, most 1911 parts and grips will fit it. American Tactical was originally an importer who now makes many of its products in house. This is one of them.
Tisas U.S. Army 1911A1
I was writing an article about using military guns as mentoring tools and I didn’t have a good example of a true military 1911 except for the Colt M45. Several companies make WWII replicas of the 1911 but I felt this was the best value around. It was $400 where other companies were charging something like $700. This gun has not been a disappoinment at all. It looks and shoots just like an original US Army 1911A1.
Taurus 1911 Commander
When I purchased this Commander in October 2022, I had owned a Taurus 1911 before. It was during a time when the Taurus reputation was not so good, and my Taurus 1911 had the Taurus name in big bold letters along the slide. That and that alone was why I sold the gun. That’s too bad, too, because I had a story to tell about the day I bought that other Taurus 1911. I paid something like $750 and when I got it back to the Texas Gun Pros training facility there was a guy there who had a Springfield 1911 he had paid $2,500 for. After looking the Taurus over for features the Springfield owner said, “Dang, I paid about $1,700 too much for my gun,” meaning feature for feature the Taurus had it beat. I bought this one because it was a very reasonably price 9mm and I only had one 9mm 1911 Commander. Though it hasn’t gotten much use I have some upcoming training events that should remedy that.
CSG 1911 22 LR
German Sports Guns subcontracts to Sig Sauer to make the rimfire guns Sig sells. American Tactical cut a deal to import GSG guns to the US and that’s how come I wound up with this gun. It’s no secret I like .22s and this is an especially attractive .22 1911. It’s also relatively inexpensive, so when I saw several examples of these in Cheaper Than Dirt’s inventory, I bought this one to have another .22 1911 for shooting with the grandkids and friends who were new shooters. This one joined my collection on 11/9/2022.
Kimber LW Shadow Ghost
I was not a fan of Kimbers for a long time because of the number of FTF and FTEs I observed when teaching live gun classes. A couple of things opened my mind toward them. One was shooters who came to the Texas License to Carry course who had been on a military shooting team and who owned Kimbers. Most of them blamed Kimber’s ills on the magazines and reported that Wilson or Chip McCormick magazines solved the feeding issues. The other thing that caused me to be more open was when the Hurst, Texas, police department adopted Kimber 1911s as their official sidearm. The training officer there told me they had done significant testing and it appeared Kimber had solved their feeding issues. When a local gun store ran a Christmas special on the LW Shadow Ghost, I decided to give it a try. Much to my surprise, it has been totally reliable since day one. In fact,it has been a delight to shoot.
Kimber Custom Raptor F22 Fighting Eagles
What do you know? I’m the second Kimber in the collection of this former Kimber dissenter. Maybe this doesn’t count however, because this Kimber lives in a display case with the idea being it will increase in value over the years and someday be sold or traded at a profit. Although there is another collector’s item 1911 in the collection, I’m not sure this one would be here if wasn’t for it belonging to a friend who was moving overseas and needed to find a home for it. This particular gun was part of a limited-edition special order for the original pilots and ground crew of the F22 Raptor when it began its mission as a US Air Force fighter aircraft. The original owner died and his family sold it at auction. I’ve tried to learn something more about but no one at Kimber now seems to have any recollecion of this particular issue.
Tisas B9BA Carry Commander
I got this Tisas in October 23 because I wanted to do an article about it, but I also wanted a good 9mm 1911 for a carry gun. It’s well-built and has all the features I like in a carry pistol. It has an aluminum frame which makes me it lighter than its all-steel counterparts. Also, I’ve has the Ed Brown curved grip that reduces the tendency to print through outer garments. The G10 grips fill the hand and provide a slip-resistant texture. It is equipped with Novak style sight for a precise sight picture. I has an ambidextrous safety and a Cerakote finish.
Tisas 1911 Raider
You may notice this one looks very much like a pistol you see a little earlier in this article, the Colt Marine M45 Close Quarters Combat Pistol. That’s because it is a clone of that pistol. They are both .45 ACP pistols with Series 70 internals, a full-size frame, a 5-inch hammer forged barrel, a skeletonized hammer and trigger, flared and lowered ejection port, 3-dot low-profile sights, Novak style cut, with a Picatinny rail. Want to hear something kind of funny? Everybody who shoots this gun and the Colt M45 likes this one a little bit better. Imagine that, the copy being better than the original.
David Freeman 