How well do lightweight 1911's shoot?

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Tman

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I was wondering what people thought of lightweight (aluminum, scandium) commander sized 1911's. How do they shoot, is the recoil bad, are they accurate? Does any one know of a range where they rent compact 45's (1911's, maybe sigs/HK's) in the Central Texas area, or perhaps Dallas (I go up there frequently)? thanks in advance :)
 
i have both full sized and compact 1911's--the recoil is of course worse, but certainly not punishing. They are still accurate, but you may not shoot them quite as well without more concentration, but if you practice no problem shooting them well. Nicer to carry all day.
 
I have a 5" Al-framed 1911. It shoots quite well, and I find the ramped barrel (SA outfits their Al frames with ramped barrels) makes reliability, well, bulletproof.
 
Have a 1911sc and soon a lightweight springfield recoil isnt that bad and its performance is on par with a steel 5 inch
 
I tried an aluminum framed 1911 a while ago and don't remember it being too different than an all steel model. Accuracy was on par and recoil wasn't that bad.
 
Now I had the opposite experience the other day at the range. Thought I'd try a 4" Kimber just because, and neither me or my two friends cared for the recoil on that gun.

A couple months ago I tried a fullsize 1911 and really didn't notice much more recoil than a compact 9mm. If I get a 1911, it will be a 5".
 
I carry an aluminum frame Commander size 1911. I've shot over 25K through it and have no problem using it to qualify with. It has a little more recoil than a full size 1911 with a steel frame but it's not objectional. My wife shoots it a lot and has no complaints about recoil.
 
I find I notice the difference in carry (mucho better) but not at all while shooting.

It's not like .45 (at standard velocities/pressure) is a punishing round anyway, with decent technique I don't miss the pound of steel.
 
I have a lightweight Springfield 4" 1911 and it shoots great! Even with 230gr +P RangerT it's very manageable. With 185gr target ammo it's a pussycat. If you want a 1911 to carry everyday and shoot occasionally, a lightweight is the way to go. If you want to shoot the heck out of it and don't mind lugging the extra weight get an all steel 1911.
 
Not enough difference to worry about. The slide mass and spring weights are so similar between Government and Commander that the total gun weight doesn't matter as much as one would think.
 
I've put this to the test by comparing my Ltwt. Gov't or Ltwt. Commander head-to-head with an all-steel 1911, at the range using my shot timer.

Briefly, the split times on my standard practice drills are roughly the same between the steel and alloy 5" guns, and just a bit slower with the Ltwt. Commander. However, that (perhaps all important) first shot is a bit quicker with the shorter barreled gun, on up-close targets anyhow, because it clears the holster just a wee bit quicker. One would likely never notice this sort of thing without a timer that measures in 1/100ths of a second though.
 
Question:
Do you believe the recoil of a ltwt 1911 would make a difference in a pistol class where you might shoot 200-400 rnds? Fatigue, pain? Thanks for all the input.
 
When I was testing different ammo in my LW for reliability years ago I went through several hundred rounds at a time. I never noticed any pain. You do learn where all the sharp edges on the thing are and the importance of maintaining a good grip at all times.

A little fatigue? Maybe, but then, who shoots a couple hundred a day as a usual thing? At that point it's conditioning and the type of pistol is probably irrelevent.
 
I carry (and shoot regularly) a Colt Defender; alloy frame and 3 inch barrel and I love it. It's a great .45 carry gun. Very light. Very little difference in felt recoil from my full size steel Springfield. I attribute part of that to the Hogue rubber finger grips that come stock on the Defender. Not very pretty but they sure give you a firm grasp. It pops up a bit more but by no means is it "punishing". Hold it tight and let'r rip.
Charlie
 
Do you believe the recoil of a ltwt 1911 would make a difference in a pistol class where you might shoot 200-400 rnds? Fatigue, pain?
Click to expand...

Not for me. We went shooting on the 4th and I put over 500 rounds through my LW 45 with no problems. What kind of pain are you talking about?
 
2400:
Pain - referring to any arm fatigue/pain that might be related to heavier recoil. I have steel 1911's, and if I were to shoot 500 rnds in 1 day (I usually shoot 150 rnds/range session), arms might get a little shaky at the end. Pain? perhaps from extra recoil from lighter weight guns? Just trying to find out as much info about ltwt 1911's. BTW, thanks for all the insights and opinions :)
 
Like Brian D. I did some timed tests and competition with a steel 5”, a lightweight Commander and a lightweight Officer’s ACP and my findings mirror his. In fact at very close range the splits from the LTWT OM were consistently better. I think that the shorter sight radius gave me a little faster sight picture. At longer range the shorter sight radius had a slight negative affect on the accuracy/speed equation.

A friend that carries a lightweight Commander and has arthritis in his wrists does notice fatigue and pain faster with higher round counts compared to a steel 5”
 
I switched from an all steel 5" to an alloy-framed 1911 a few months ago and I haven't noticed a difference in the recoil. I have noticed a difference at the end of the day when I take it off.....lol.

W
 
Kimber Pro Carry CDp and an Ultra Carry CDP.

Both are excellent shooters, reliable and well made guns.

Love them both. Not a lot of rounds through either one but so far no wear is evident. Neither one has ever hiccuped with any orund fed.

Can tell little difference in recoil between them or my steel guns.

'cept maybe they shoot better.... :confused:

Smoke
 
My lightweight Officer's model seems to be totally reliable, which shocks me. The rest of my 1911 formats are currently all steel and being heavier recoil less of course. :)
 
Any Aluminum alloy framed 1911's I've owned and shot were just as easy to manipulate as the steel frames and easier to carry all day.I don't have any knowlege on the Ti models however.tom.
 
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