Overall: 4/5
Reliability: 5/5
Accuracy: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Rust Resistance: 3/5
Ergonomics: 3/5 (4/5 with bobbed hammer modification)
Trigger Pull: 4.5/5
This is a review of the new production Colt 1991A1 .45 ACP pistol with the factory blue finish. It represents a significant upgrade over Colt's earlier versions of the 1991A1, which came with plastic grips, plastic triggers, a coarse bead blasted finish and a reputation for spotty quality. My pistol set me back $579, and came with a long aluminum trigger, 3-dot sights, rosewood grips and 2 seven round magazines standard.
Subjectively, this gun was much nicer than I expected. Not that I ordered it expecting a dog, just that it exceeded my expectations significantly. The finish is a nice, deep black color, evenly applied with brush polished flats and matte rounds. All of the lines on the gun are crisp and straight, as are the markings, which are much more attractive than the old "COLT 1991A1" that used to be roll marked on earlier versions of the pistol in huge block letters. Slide to frame fit, while not as tight as a Kimber, isn't sloppy and is very smooth. The edges on the gun aren't as rounded as a Kimber, but aren't excessively sharp and uncomfortable like some older Colt or Springfield Armory guns have been in the past. Bushing-slide-barrel fit is very tight. Like most current 1911 pistols, the 1991A1 has a plastic mainspring housing, which I dislike. My only other negative impression at first was that the trigger is loose, and rattles if you shake the gun.
But... this gun also has the best trigger pull of any factory standard 1911 I have ever come across. It is about 4.5 lb., with no creep, grit, or stacking of any kind. It is literally on par with $1,500+ guns in the trigger department, which shocked the heck out of me when I first tried it. Amazing!
Like most 1911 pattern pistols, the Colt 1991A1 has excellent ergonomics. Its slim, single stack grip and short trigger reach make it a very handy gun for most people, and I had no problem manipulating any of the controls without having to shift my grip. However, I had to subtract a full star from its ergonomics rating because the traditional long spur hammer on this gun hit my hand when I fired it, leaving a sore spot after the first 50 rounds. This problem is not unique to the Colt1991A1, and could be expected on any "mil spec" style 1911, especially if you have larger hands. Fortunately, it only costs about $30 to have a pistolsmith bob the hammer slightly to make this problem go away completely, which leaves you with an (almost) ideal gun. I say "almost," because the ergonomics can be further improved somewhat with an extended thumb safety (which is a bit easier to manipulate) and a beavertail grip safety (which allows a higher, slightly more comfortable grip on the gun). However, these modifications will also set you back about $200, for only a minor gain in comfort and ease of use.
Colt 1991A1 with bobbed hammer. Note how little material needed to be removed to prevent "hammer bite."
On to the important part: the shooting. Colts have a mixed reputation for reliability in some circles, but this gun ran perfectly with a wide variety of ammo. A total of 275 rounds were fired through this gun with no malfunctions of any kind. The ammunition used was:
50 Winchester USA "White Box" 230gr FMJ-RN
25 Remington Golden Saber 230gr JHP
100 Speer Lawman 230gr FMJ-RN
100 Incredibly foul, cheap rounds of range supplied ammo with flat point FMJ-TC bullets
Both the stock Colt 7 round magazines and Wilson Combat #47DC 8 round magazines worked perfectly. Subjectively, the Colt ran with exceptional smoothness with all types of ammo. The ultimate accuracy of the gun remains to be seen, since I did my best shooting with the absolute worst ammo at short distances, but since the maximum spread averaged about 1/2" at 7 yards (which works out to about 2.5" at 25 yards) it has to be considered quite good. I'll update my accuracy assessment once I do some more shooting at longer ranges with better ammo, but is certainly more than adequate for a practical weapon. The stock 3-dot sights were surprisingly good, the large white dot on the front sight was easy to pick up, and the sight picture was on par with most new semi-autos. There are nicer aftermarket sights, but the stock Colt sights are very usable, and much better than the tiny GI-style sights on the old military issue guns. Recoil with all loads was very manageable, though of course more pronounced than a 9 mm gun of comparable size. Shooting this gun, I'm again baffled by the brutal reputation of the big .45 ACP cartridge for "kicking like a mule." It just isn't so.
The only thing that prevents me from unconditionally recommending this gun is the issue of hammer bite that I mentioned earlier. As long as you know that this is an issue that you might have to fix at modest cost, it is a fine weapon.
Reliability: 5/5
Accuracy: 4/5
Durability: 4/5
Rust Resistance: 3/5
Ergonomics: 3/5 (4/5 with bobbed hammer modification)
Trigger Pull: 4.5/5
This is a review of the new production Colt 1991A1 .45 ACP pistol with the factory blue finish. It represents a significant upgrade over Colt's earlier versions of the 1991A1, which came with plastic grips, plastic triggers, a coarse bead blasted finish and a reputation for spotty quality. My pistol set me back $579, and came with a long aluminum trigger, 3-dot sights, rosewood grips and 2 seven round magazines standard.
Subjectively, this gun was much nicer than I expected. Not that I ordered it expecting a dog, just that it exceeded my expectations significantly. The finish is a nice, deep black color, evenly applied with brush polished flats and matte rounds. All of the lines on the gun are crisp and straight, as are the markings, which are much more attractive than the old "COLT 1991A1" that used to be roll marked on earlier versions of the pistol in huge block letters. Slide to frame fit, while not as tight as a Kimber, isn't sloppy and is very smooth. The edges on the gun aren't as rounded as a Kimber, but aren't excessively sharp and uncomfortable like some older Colt or Springfield Armory guns have been in the past. Bushing-slide-barrel fit is very tight. Like most current 1911 pistols, the 1991A1 has a plastic mainspring housing, which I dislike. My only other negative impression at first was that the trigger is loose, and rattles if you shake the gun.
But... this gun also has the best trigger pull of any factory standard 1911 I have ever come across. It is about 4.5 lb., with no creep, grit, or stacking of any kind. It is literally on par with $1,500+ guns in the trigger department, which shocked the heck out of me when I first tried it. Amazing!
Like most 1911 pattern pistols, the Colt 1991A1 has excellent ergonomics. Its slim, single stack grip and short trigger reach make it a very handy gun for most people, and I had no problem manipulating any of the controls without having to shift my grip. However, I had to subtract a full star from its ergonomics rating because the traditional long spur hammer on this gun hit my hand when I fired it, leaving a sore spot after the first 50 rounds. This problem is not unique to the Colt1991A1, and could be expected on any "mil spec" style 1911, especially if you have larger hands. Fortunately, it only costs about $30 to have a pistolsmith bob the hammer slightly to make this problem go away completely, which leaves you with an (almost) ideal gun. I say "almost," because the ergonomics can be further improved somewhat with an extended thumb safety (which is a bit easier to manipulate) and a beavertail grip safety (which allows a higher, slightly more comfortable grip on the gun). However, these modifications will also set you back about $200, for only a minor gain in comfort and ease of use.
Colt 1991A1 with bobbed hammer. Note how little material needed to be removed to prevent "hammer bite."
On to the important part: the shooting. Colts have a mixed reputation for reliability in some circles, but this gun ran perfectly with a wide variety of ammo. A total of 275 rounds were fired through this gun with no malfunctions of any kind. The ammunition used was:
50 Winchester USA "White Box" 230gr FMJ-RN
25 Remington Golden Saber 230gr JHP
100 Speer Lawman 230gr FMJ-RN
100 Incredibly foul, cheap rounds of range supplied ammo with flat point FMJ-TC bullets
Both the stock Colt 7 round magazines and Wilson Combat #47DC 8 round magazines worked perfectly. Subjectively, the Colt ran with exceptional smoothness with all types of ammo. The ultimate accuracy of the gun remains to be seen, since I did my best shooting with the absolute worst ammo at short distances, but since the maximum spread averaged about 1/2" at 7 yards (which works out to about 2.5" at 25 yards) it has to be considered quite good. I'll update my accuracy assessment once I do some more shooting at longer ranges with better ammo, but is certainly more than adequate for a practical weapon. The stock 3-dot sights were surprisingly good, the large white dot on the front sight was easy to pick up, and the sight picture was on par with most new semi-autos. There are nicer aftermarket sights, but the stock Colt sights are very usable, and much better than the tiny GI-style sights on the old military issue guns. Recoil with all loads was very manageable, though of course more pronounced than a 9 mm gun of comparable size. Shooting this gun, I'm again baffled by the brutal reputation of the big .45 ACP cartridge for "kicking like a mule." It just isn't so.
The only thing that prevents me from unconditionally recommending this gun is the issue of hammer bite that I mentioned earlier. As long as you know that this is an issue that you might have to fix at modest cost, it is a fine weapon.