Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Who carries a Lightweight Commander

As some of you know, I collect 1911's. Shoot all but a couple of them. I fell in love with the platform when I was even too young to buy them myself. Never got over it. Always had a savings account building to buy more. For a lot of years.


I carry full size around the farm mostly. But when I go in town I find myself grabbing the Commander size more and more.

Lately it has been the Wiley Clapp Lightweight Commander. Regardless what you may think about W.C., he, Colt and TALO came up with some really nice guns. I think their moto is "everything you need, nothing you don't". Not real fancy, but it means business. WC listened to people at all those shows and events he attended. I think they came up with a good pistol for not a lot of money.

I have been having trouble with my eyes in the last few years. The Novak front and rear sights on the WC work the best for me now for quick target acquisition.
Series 70, National Match barrel, standard small safety, true Colt Custom Shop build and the flat mainspring housing are things I like. Those Oval grips are the best out there for my hands. Nothing fancy, but it works. I bought mine when they first came out. Paid list price for it if I remember. You can find them new a lot cheaper now.

I've owned two Commanders, both lightweights. Neither of them ever gagged or choked, they'd run anything, including the old Speer 200gr. JHPs. I didn't do anything to the first one, just shot it, as is.
.The second Commander I bought after I'd been shooting a lot, and had developed my tastes accordingly. It had MMC fixed sights, no longer made, (like on RJMs first picture) but perfect for my eyes. I did put a larger safety on it, and had a beavertail GS put on. Nothing else, it wasn't needed. It never choked or puked, even with the Series 80 stuff inside.

I shot a helluva lot of IPSC/USPSA stuff in those days, along with an IDPA-based local club, and every now and then I'd shoot the Commander to to stay "current". I'd often come within a half-point of the same scores shot with a compensated pistol. Based on my experiences with a Gold Cup Series '70, the Commanders are fit together better than the GC. Mine was a lemon, for danged sure, but the Commanders would shoot right with the Cup. My plain old Government Model outshot the GC, Colt does a lot of good things, and some bad. I've owned both examples.

No. Sparing use of carry ammo for practice, EGW firing pin stop and proper weight recoil and mainsprings. So far so good.

I traded into a Colt CCO Gunsite model. I’ve been shooting it getting used to it. When I’m satisfied it’s reliable I’ll start carring it in cold weather. I’m real happy with it so far. Hasbeen

Collet bushing on that lemon GC?

That EGW SBFPS helps a lot . I use them on a lot of 1911's. John Browning originally designed it that way. The Calvary balked on using them. Made it too hard to rack the slide while on horseback.

I like that gun. Should serve you well IMO.

Not exactly a Commander, but close.

I've been packing a Springfield Armory EMP 4 1911 in 9mm, for close to a year now, in a Milt Sparks Summer Special IWB holster.

It's actually about 7/8 scale of a Commander, with a 4" barrel and 10+1 round capacity..

It's my all time favorite carry gun.

Virgil B.

According to the "old time writers" 4" is still good. Going below that causes reliability problems. But I think the current manufactures have solved the problem. Ammo has improved also. The small guns might be a little more picky on ammo. Maybe, maybe not. Only one way to find out.

Yep, it had one, until it snapped in two. Then I pulled the bushing out of the GM, and shot it until the sights fell off again (didn't take long, this thing was a whole orchard of lemons), and peddled it for an S&W 745 IPSC Commemorative. I shot that one for awhile, and got rid of it, too. They come and go. It soured me on Gold Cups ever since, though.

I owned a couple Gold Cups that the roll pin in the sights would drift out or break, the front sight flew off one of them during a match and one had a finger on the collet bushing break tying up the gun pretty solid. Aggravating...

DETONICS Combat Masterpiece .45 Bought new in 1980. Seattle original

My own custom grips

Carry in one of my own yaki holsters

Hand Loads (secret)

Been carrying this great piece since new

Hey Hasbeen,

If you decide that Gunsite no longer trips your trigger, let me know!

Todd

I’m liking it so far. But it looks to me that the Wiley Clapp model is about the same thing. Hasbeen

There sure are some great guns posted in this thread.

That one has more soul than James Brown and Aretha Franklin combined.

I've owned three steel Commanders all purchased new in 1978, 1987 and 1994. The 78 was a dud from the get-go and was eventually a frame-out rebuild that got MMC sights, a BarSto barrel/bushing and front strap stippling (The cool kids were stippling in those days). It ran like a champ after that.

The 87 was also a dud and got swapped.

The 94 Commander was a 1991A1 from the era of ugly, deep matte black and the even uglier old, large roll mark. But the ugly was only skin deep and that gun ran flawlessly for somewhere north of 4500 rounds of FMJ, 200 grain SWC target loads and whatever JHP's were hot at the time. Still kick myself in the ass for trading it.

These days the Para P13/45 fits my idea of a perfect carry Commander. Too bad they are now considered a rarity.

http://www.armslist.com/posts/35789...-para-p13-45-high-cap-45-like-new-cond--

I held a Para about three months ago. Try to buy it. The owner said no. Prior to that it was a long time since I had seen one.

S&W Commander , 45ACP. I use to carry it for awhile in one of the two Milt Sparks holsters. It has about 3500 rounds through it and has been utterly reliable. Got into Xd's then Glocks so it has been resting in the back of the safe for awhile.

I had a female reserve officer who carried a P14 LDA. She handled it great and with a little coaching, out shot the majority of her male counterparts.

I don't doubt it. Women do not come to the party thinking that they know it all. I have seen it many times.


My wife was one. Long tome ago, got her a PPKS. After a little while she was shooting good. Even with that 18lb DA trigger pull.

She went to a Sig P230 twenty years ago. She still shoots good.