Budget 1911

[CZDave]

Just picked up an American Classic Commander. So far Im happy with it but have only put about 60 rds of 230gr FMJ thru it, which cycled flawlessly..mostly. Had a few casings smack me in the head, but otherwise functioned perfectly. POA and POI were consistent at about 10yds.

Does anyone else have any experience with Metro Arms pistols? I cannot find much regarding their customer service so particularly interested in hearing more about it.

 

[Stringfellow]

Good looking pistol. I am going watch this thread closely.

My only complaint: could they have made that billboard cheesier? I don't think the folks who appreciate a Commander want thick lettering across their slide. What I might save in upgrades might be spent in having a smith sand off the slide...

Fill us in on how it shoots as it breaks in. Once again, good looking pistol!

 

[brandon_mcg]

from all i could tell about them at the gun shop, they seem to be great guns. glad to know its feeding the hollow points well

 

[Jason977]

I have their full size, "American Classic II". It is my first/ only 1911. I bought it planning on it being a 'project' gun, and it has, in fact, been just that. I can't say I'm disappointed, since I wanted something to fool around with.

Factory ammo has been 98% or so reliable. And very accurate. I think I have an exceptionally tight chamber, so if a round is slightly oversized it won't go fully into battery. This could be fixed with a reamer. I also had a 'nosedive' every now and then, more on that later.

The sear broke after 1000 rounds or so, but I was mostly to blame for that. I did some bad trigger work which resulted in the hammer following whenever the slide was dropped on an empty chamber. I figured no big deal, I'll just ride the slide forward, but I always seemed to forget and finally after banging into the safety notch a few dozen times, the tip of the sear broke off. This made it easy to order the Wilson drop in kit that I wanted anyway.

The feed ramp on mine was poorly cut, not deep enough, and at the wrong angle. Mostly fixed with a milling machine. I couldn't get it quite as deep as I wanted, but it fixed my nose dive issue with ball ammo, at least.

I had a problem where about twice out of a hundred rounds the trigger would not reset. I finally found the problem was the trigger bow rubbing against the magazine. Either the bow was unusually thick, narrow, or the channel in the frame was not quite deep enough. Either way, that too has been fixed.

I bought the gun because I didn't have a 1911, and I wanted to shoot it in IDPA. As much as i enjoyed shooting it, it got tiresome having a malfunction every other stage in the beginning. I think I've got all the kinks worked out, but until I put several hundred trouble-free rounds through it, it will stay out of the compete/ carry rotation.

All that said, if I didn't try to compete with it I would probably have less than 200 rounds through it, and think it was nearly perfect. As it is, I know it's far from perfect, but I love it anyway.

 

[MICHAEL T]

Well I own one of the first AC brought to America .It has 2 digit low serial number. I have never had a problem with mine . Their on whole very reliable out of the box.. At present time been 10,000 imported since 2008 when they started importation .
If you go to my link. I have a section for the American Classic and I will explain the warranty and I have all the addresses post their also.
You getting hit in head likely needs the extractor tuned You can do this your self Their directions on internet it a simple little job.Lots 1911 need this when new. No matter brand
If you which to change grips(every body does) Be advised the extended slide release will require a slight trimming of the L/grip to clear
This pistols are 1911 compatible I have swapped some Colt parts to see they fit and functioned fine. . These would best be described as 70 series They don't have the firing pin block like Colt or Kimber They are the way browning designed .


Now here's my board and you can find warrant info there.

http://bersachat.com Before some one asks Metro Arms and Bersa are not related Bersa has nothing to do with the American Classic. They share the same importer and warranty centers. That is only common link. And of course my board.
If your in America the imported gives you a life time warrenty .
out side of USA I believe one year.

If I get enough interest. I will start a American Classic board I have it ready just be a start up really .

 

[Olympus]

Great looking Commander. I think that will probably be my next purchase. Metro Arms/American Classic are quickly becoming one of the up-and-comers in the budget 1911 arena. Quality is on par with other Filipino-made 1911s and it looks like the American Classics have a higher quality finish.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of information about their customer service or repair process. You'll probably find more information at 1911-specific forums. But to me, a lack of information about their customer service is probably a good thing. There's a high probability that people haven't had any need or reason to have to contact their customer service.

Anyway, let us know how it shoots. It sure looks good!

 

[rellascout]

it looks like the American Classics have a higher quality finish.

This seems to be the feature which seperates them from the others. RIA's finish is thin and if you carry the gun it seems to come off within a very short time.

 

[Olympus]

This seems to be the feature which seperates them from the others. RIA's finish is thin and if you carry the gun it seems to come off within a very short time.

Or if the ejector isn't tuned right, it will through brass into the slide and the gun can literally take it's own finish off!

The 4" RIAs that I've seen have all had the downsloped grip safety instead of the upsloped beavertail safety on the American Classic. The 4" RIAs that I've seen also had a spur hammer compared to the skeleton hammer on the American Classic. And the 4" RIAs I've seen also have fixed sights compared to the Novak-style sights on the American Classic. But the only RIAs I seen are the ones listed in the Centerfire Systems catalog. RIA may make a mid-size version with the same features as the American Classic, I just haven't seen one.

 

[bdb benzino]

I have a full size Metro Arms 1911 and absolutely love it. Mine has been flawless and seems to be in perfect Colt specs as all the parts I have added dropped in tight with no fitting needed. The add ons are a Wilson Combat 2 peice FLGR, an Ed Brown chainlink MSH, a SA SS barrel bushing, and a Colt 5'' Enhanced SS barrel. Its on the way to being my "affordable custom", love this 1911! Good luck with yours!

 

[modifiedbrowning]

I have a 5" American Classic. Mine has been great so far with 500 or so rnds through it.

 

[SteelManCM]

I have an American Classic Commander and LOVE IT! The finish is beautiful, has all the features I wanted, and for $425 OTD, what's to complain about?

I also have 3 RIAs and love them, too. Not an issue with any of them, and no, the do NOT make a 4" in anything but the standard GI configuration. That's what made me start looking at other brands.

 

[BIGBANG]

Hi new to the forum but i have an american classic 2 and it funtions great right now, when i first got it i thought i got ripped off big time, it wouldnt feed at all!!! i got some new mags and cleaned her up good polished the feed ramp and havent had a ftf yet!!! i carry it everyday as my primary and love it!!!

 

[CZDave]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. As for the billboard Stringfellow mentioned...doesn't really bother me cuz Im not lookin at it when Im shootin, and when Im not shootin its parked in a holster But I do see your point...

As I said I dont have too many rounds thru it yet, but I will be reloading for it so in the coming months I'll find out how it holds up. Funny thing is Im already eyeballing my next 1911. The Springfields are lookin mighty tasty!

 

[Jason977]

Here's my full size American Classic II. The only thing you can see that I've modified is the Wilson hammer. I also took the finish off the trigger just for a little different look. You may notice that the kydex holster has rubbed off some finish on the slide and dust cover near the muzzle, but I like it, kind of gives it some 'cred'.