#1911A1

According to Tisas USA, no one has produced a true replica of the issue M1911A1, but that is going to change with the introduction of their museum-grade 1911A1 replica. The model is made to be an accurate reproduction of the WWII-issued 1911 Remington Rand 1943-1945, in the caliber 45 ACP and a barrel length of 5 inches. Two 7-round magazines and 2 sets of grips including accurate reproduction brown plastic grips, and walnut double diamond checkered grips are included. The MSRP is $479.99.

When it comes to the more affordable side of civilian reproductions of classic firearms, few names are as well known as Tisas, a Turkish firearms manufacturer with a US branch in Knoxville, TN. Tisas is proud to introduce their new walnut gripped 1911A1 pistols. Following up on the popularity of the previous iteration of the Tisas 1911A1 which featured plastic grip panels, Tisas now includes genuine walnut wood grips with their 1911A1 pistol.

The CMP Board of Directors has discussed at length how the sales of 1911s would be handled, if the CMP were to ever receive them from the United States Army.

Take a look at our test of Speer’s .45 Auto 230 Gold Dot. The Gold Dot is not technically a bonded bullet, but rather a plated one. Nevertheless, it tends to perform like bonded bullets and the plated construction is essentially the same as a bonded bullet in that core and “jacket” are chemically bonded to each other, resulting in high weight retention. This bullet lives up to its reputation as one of the very best defense loads by expanding well and penetrating perfectly in both bare gel and when fired through heavy clothing. The moderate velocity of approximately 830 fps proved adequate to initiate expansion and the bullet was able to perform properly even when fired through four layers of denim. The IWBA standard of four layers of denim is a more difficult protocol to pass than the more realistic FBI heavy clothing standard. The IWBA heavy clothing test is not intended to simulate real world clothing, but rather to present a worst case scenario of many, closely packed, dense fibers which can clog the cavity of some hollow point ammunition, preventing expansion. Having performed well even in this worst case scenario, the Gold Dot proves to be an outstanding choice for personal defense and the more rounded nose tends to feed better in unmodified 1911A1 pistols than some other hollow point designs. Not only was the bullet able to expand adequately in adverse conditions, it was also able to penetrate to an appropriate depth. The variation in penetration depth was also extremely consistent, with only a small difference between bare gel and heavy clothing. Retained weight was also 100% for every bullet and expansion measurements varied little from bullet to bullet. This highly consistent performance indicates excellent quality and speaks to superior performance across a range of other conditions not evaluated in this test.
Avg velocity: 834 fps
Avg penetration: 14.6″
Avg retained weight: 229.6 gr
Avg max expansion: 0.695″
Avg min expansion: 0.601″

Despite its detractors, the 1911 continues to solider on in the shooting world. Millions have been made in recent years and looking at the introduction of various models and new chamberings, its not likely the platform is going away. Further, its found new life within the competition shooting community. Its single stage trigger is almost impossible to beat in a handgun and now available with double-stack magazines, the platform is synonymous with professional shooters.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program has been providing arms to civilian match shooters and riflemen for over 110 years, but one weapon left off the list of civilian-legal surplus firearms the CMP is allowed to sell to civilian shooters is the venerable 1911 handgun. However, that may soon change. For the past couple of years, variations of the National Defense Authorization Act have been proposed that would change the law establishing the CMP to allow them to sell 1911 handguns to the American public, but so far none of these versions have passed and become law. The most recent version of the NDAA provides for the sale of 1911 handguns (albeit in a different manner than the rifles, i.e. through an FFL) through the organization, and is poised to be signed in the next week. Hognose of WeaponsMan reports:

A congressman by the name of Mike Rogers representing Alabama is proposing a plan to take almost 100,000 1911A1s currently in storage with the U.S. Army and transfer them over to the CMP South Store in Anniston, Alabama. If this move works, it’ll be an amazing moment for 1911 collectors across the country as more will come into the market at much better prices than they are currently at. However, they most likely won’t be in their original wartime condition as the CMP will refurbish, replace parts, and bring to working order the pistols that have been in storage for so long (probably since the 1980s as the M9 was phased in). Regardless, the market price for Garands today is in the $800-1200 range and CMP sells their basic Garands for about $500. Taking a quick look at Gunbroker, prices for World War Two era 1911A1s start at $600 and go into the thousands. Even if CMP Anniston sells them for $100 below the minimal market price at $500 out the door, it’s stilly a pretty great deal. In addition, (someone correct me if I’m wrong about this) but the last military contract 1911A1 rolled off the Ithaca assembly line in 1945 ( serial number 2660318 ). That means every legitimate military contract 1911A1 in storage was either made before or during World War Two. Unlike the Garands sold by CMP, which have productions runs from during and after the war, making some of the post war rifles less valued.

If you’re a gun person, John Browning probably makes the top of your list of “greatest firearms designers”, and for many, the 1911 handgun is his finest creation. There’s an argument to be made that (certainly for the time) the 1911 is as perfect a handgun as can be made by human hands, but it didn’t spring fully formed from the head of John Browning like Athena from the head of Zeus. A lot of development went into turning John Browning’s original creation into the “perfected” 1911. And there’s probably no better illustration of that online than the video Forgotten Weapons posted at the end of last month:

Inland Manufacturing announced the company is now making WW II era 1911A1 clones. This could be a nice compliment to the recent announcement from the company regarding the manufacture of M1 Carbine clones.

The 1911 needs no introduction.  As the standard service pistol for the U.S. Armed Forces from 1911 to 1985, the 1911 served our country for a literal lifetime.  This storied heritage of performance, in combination with the 1911’s ubiquity, translated to a steady and enthusiastic adoption in the civilian market.  Without question, the M1911 .45ACP enjoys one of the most fervent fan bases in the civilian shooting world for a number of reasons.  The ease of obtaining aftermarket parts, the typically crisp single-action trigger, and the patriotic symbolism of this old standard have made this one of the most popular guns on the market today.

Iver Johnson is offering several of their shotguns and 1911 pistols in snake skin finishes.  The finishes are called copperhead and water moccasin, and are presumably based on the snakes of the same names.