Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Who carries a Lightweight Commander

Friend sent me this thread yesterday...thought it was pretty well done...

https://www.ar15.com/forums/handgun...968-Rounds-Initial-Reflections/4-179413/

The gouges are caused by unskirted followers, not the bullet. I've seen scratches on steel frame guns. The last round drags the point of the follower into the frame ramp - there are plenty of lightweights with beat up frame ramps out there. Chip McCormick specifically changed their PM+ follower design to address the problem.

You can tell he is a newbie to 1911's. He has not come full circle yet.

But he will. Maybe.

At least he is out there shooting.

Note: I always lost my worst targets too.

I have seen this to a small degree due to the follower. In the lower left of the ramp. Very small area.

I use to buy CM, Wilson and other magazines. Not for a long time. A Colt C or M mag cannot be beat for the money. They use to be $20.00, now $22.00 . I like metal flush magazines. The butt of a 1911 is a good weapon too you know.

If you have a magazine well on your gun, that is a different story.

You covered it rather well.

I called a local GS yesterday. They have a new Colt standard LW Commander. Stock production model. The owner said he would sell it to me at a pretty good discount. I buy a decent amount of guns from him. I told him to hold it until I get to his shop. It's a series 80, but that is no problem what so ever. Hope I can find some oval grip panels for it.

Test gun, truck gun, work horse or whatever.

Thanks FG!

That said I really really like Mr. 38 Super's (aka RJM) Commanders. He has the coolest old Colts, and they were duty guns, which give them some extra cool points.

The blue one did get carried for about 4 years when I was with Dallas PD before an idiot chief who didn't like semis banned them...Officers had been carrying semis LONG before most PDs but this idiot wanted to run backwards to catch up with everyone else....

Bob

SCG...those Super Lites are nice guns...I have only seen a few for sale over the years... Love the lack of frontstrap checking and the little Officers ACP grip safety...

Bob

Been carrying a S&W M1911PD for about 15 years now.


Here's a photo I had on hand. That's a Milt Sparks VM II that I used to carry, but rarely carry it anymore. When carrying 1911's (Commander or Government), these days I carry in an HBE Leatherworks Com III, which although similar to the VM II, it doesn't have the steel reinforcement at the mouth of the holster (something I love on a range or field holster, but for an IWB just adds bulk), and the leather is much thinner, making the whole package just a bit more comfortable to carry.

What I love about the LW Commander is how easy it carries for a full sized handgun. Mine is .45 ACP, and I really prefer a .38 Super in a LW Commander. But at the time I bought my S&W, no one had a LWC in Super that I much liked. Colt's latest iteration of the LWC is available in 9mm and I REALLY like it. I have been considering buying it and just fitting a .38 Super barrel.

As for ammo, I don't sweat it much. I tent to buy 230 grain JHP’s from Winchester, Federal, Remington, Speer, or Hornady. All these guys have top shelf 230 JHP’s and there’s just no need to sweat which one to use; any of them from these makers will work very well.
When I’m carrying a Super, I most often carry the old 125gr Winchester Silvertip. Winchester has constantly updated that load to where it’s a very competent load…and you can even get it in 50 round boxes; which is nice.

Those 38 Super 125gr Silvertips are legendary. Fine factory ammo.

Best barnyard medicine around for larger pests.

...but compared to fully loaded .38 Supers they are as slow as molasses. Last ones I clocked were in the low 1200s. Not much more than a 9mm+P. A 125 grain .38 Super should break 1300 easy.

But as bad as Silvertips are the new Federal 115

.38 Super caliber
• 115 grains
• 50-round box
• Jacketed hollow point bullets
• Reloadable brass cases
• Great for target shooting, training and practice
• 326 ft.-lb. of muzzle energy
• 1,130 fps muzzle velocity


I corresponded with Federal CS about why the ammo was so slow...they gave me some BS about SAAMI specs...

Some of you where talking about recoil buffers. The slightly used Sig Tacops I bought had one installed. It didn't seem to bother it when I was shooting WWB. So I just left it in there.

Great pics guys.

Make sure you check the buffer when cleaning the gun. Especially if you plan on using it as a CC piece. If it breaks apart, it can jamb the gun up.

Carry a Wiley Clapp CCO in .45acp, usually in a Simply Rugged Cuda holster

Nice

For a carry 1911 I've got a Colt 21st Century LW Commander, 45 ACP. I carry it in a Milt Sparks Summer Special. No need to fix what isn't broke.

That is what they called the Wiley Commander back when I bought mine. Before they made the other model of Wiley's.

Yup, Wiley Clapp model. The first and, to my mind, the best of his "signature" guns from Ruger or Colt.

Gibby, both Cooper and I were specifically referring to the Star PD. He characterized it as "being meant to be carried much and shot little." My observation was meant to point out that the original CCO, at least produced as a factory rather than a custom product - a Commander slide (or in the case of the PD, a 4" barrel and slide) - on an Officer's frame, was the Star PD.

I didn't intend to infer that other Commanders or CCOs, such as my EDC, Colt Wiley Clapp CCO 45 ACP, aren't intended to be shot much. I believe they are and I treat mine that way.

I treat the Ruger SR1911 9x23 differently only because I can practice mostly with 38 Super +P level loads, shoot a few full power 9x23, and carry the latter for SD. YMMV but that's my routine. We'll have to see how it works out after several 1000 rounds.