Gun Review: Metro Arms American Classic Commander 1911 .45ACP

For those of you who have been following this blog, you know that back in March of last year, I posted a review of the Metro Arms American Classic II 1911, which at the time I gave high marks.  More than a year later, my opinion of this pistol has not changed.  It continues to perform flawlessly (after having changed out the magazine catch, which I described in a post in June of 2011), and I am well pleased with this firearm.  Pleased enough, in fact, to purchase another Metro Arms 1911...  this time, the American Classic Commander.

Metro Arms American Classic Commander

As you may well know, the Commander is a somewhat shorter version of the American Classic II.  The latter is a full-sized, or ""government," model, having a full 5-inch barrel with an overall length of 8.375 inches, and weighing in at 37.28 ounces empty.  The Commander has a slightly shorter 4.25 inch barrel for an overall length of 7.5 inches, and a weight of 35.2 ounces.  Not a whole lot of difference.  In fact, the two models use the same magazines interchangeably.  Both have the same grip length, and the controls are placed in the same locations on the pistols, so muscle memory is not affected by switching from one pistol to the other the way it would be with a similar gun with a smaller form factor (like a compact 1911, or a Sig P238, for example).

The particular American Classic Commander that I chose was the deep blue model, which I purchased from my favorite local gun shop, Tri-Cities Gun Depot.  Unlike the ACII, which is the hard chrome model, my Commander has a rich, dark blued finish.  The bluing seems very even, without any noticeably light spots.  One thing I have noticed, though, since I have had the pistol, and something that has been mentioned on the firearms fora I frequent, is that manipulating the thumb safety has left some scratches in the bluing under the safety, as though there might be a burr or rough spot on the underside of the safety lever.  There was also a very light scratch under the slide-release when I first disassembled the pistol (the proverbial "idiot scratch"), I am assuming from the factory.  Neither of these are deal-breakers for me, especially considering this is going to be a carry gun (provided it meets my reliability requirements) and therefor will be subject to much wear, but I would have preferred a little better QC on this front.

Shown with 8-round ACT mag, 7-round flush fit mag not included

For the most part, this particular pistol seems as well-made as the Classic II.  All of the parts seem well-fitted.  Like the ACII, this model comes with the extended slide-stop, extended magazine release, full beavertail, and extended thumb safety.  The grip safety is a bit more loosely fitted than that of the ACII, but it is not loose enough that it rattles.  The thumb safety engages positively, the trigger is smooth and has very little take-up (it is fitted with an over-travel adjustment screw, too), and the magazine catch engages easily and releases the magazines freely.  The slide to frame fit is also very tight, but not so tight that it drags and causes feeding issues.  Also, like the ACII, the wood grip panels that come with the Commander are nothing to write home about.  Functional, but not fancy.  One thing I will point out is that should you desire to change the grips, the oversized controls may necessitate some minor alteration of the replacement grip panels to allow them to fit without interfering with the operation of the thumb safety and slide release.

Thus far, using four different magazines, I have fired one hundred seventy rounds through the Commander, and I have had one failure during that time.  The ACT magazine that comes with the Commander is the same 8-round mag that is sold with the Classic II, and I had no issues using that magazine.  Likewise, my Springfield, Colt, and Kimber 7-round magazines have thus far been flawless with this pistol.  The one failure to feed that I have experienced has been with a flush-fit 8-round Triple K magazine, and that was with the second round during the first time I used that particular magazine.  Subsequent uses did not result in similar failures, so I am chalking that one up to magazine break-in.  I have only fired 100 rounds of Blazer Brass and 50 rounds of PMC Bronze 230 gr. FMJ rounds, and 20 rounds of Hornady Custom 185 gr. XTP JHP through the pistol at this time (the single FTF was with the ball ammo).  Thus far, it looks as though the factory magazine catch is working well, so perhaps Metro Arms has addressed that particular issue.

Accuracy has been very good.  Out of the box, my point of impact was about four inches to the left at 50 yards, consistently.  The Commander, like the ACII, has adjustable 3-dot Novak-type sights, so this was easily and quickly remedied.  Recoil is stronger than with the 5" model, enough that it is noticeable, but still not enough to be uncomfortable.  These pistols are just a lot of fun to shoot.

I have been well-pleased with the Metro Arms Commander up to this point.  I will continue to post updates if anything changes, but it looks as though this company is continuing to manufacture and market an excellent line of firearms.  And at an excellent price point...  this particular gun is in the sub-$500 range, but runs like a top of the line model.  I think JMB would be happy.

MetroArms American Classic II -- EGW magazine catch and Pearce grip insert review

This episode of Shooting from the Hip is a follow-up to my review of the MetroArms American Classic II model 1911 pistol.  Specifically, I recently completed my first two upgrades, and I wanted to share with you what I changed, as well as why I did so.

Now, you may be asking yourself why, if I like the ACII so much, I felt the need to change something.  Well, for one thing, it is a 1911, after all, and one of the beautiful things about this pistol is that it is a platform that begs one to customize it to one's own preferences.  From grips, to sights, to triggers, hammers, even guide-rods, there isn't much on the 1911 that cannot be tweaked to fit the individual shooter.  In this particular case, my first upgrade was to add a Pearce rubber grip insert.

(Image courtesy of pearcegrip.com)  Now, while I am a big fan of wood grips on a 1911, the slim aspect of the 1911 doesn't fill my hand very well.  I have big hands, and I am used to double-stack guns that are wide enough to fit my hand well.  Part of the attraction of the 1911 though is the slimness, making it a good carry pistol, easy to conceal, so I did not want to lose that aspect.  My choice, therefor, was to try the Pearce grip insert:  a rubber insert that adds finger grooves to the frontstrap, while not greatly altering the thickness of the grip itself, and still allowing the use of the wood stocks.  Installation could not be simpler:  simply unscrew the grips, put the grip insert on aligning the precut holes over the grip screw bushings, then replace the grips.  The insert is cut generously, leaving some trimming to be done, but an X-acto knife makes quick work of that.

Range time with the new grip definitely showed a difference in the handling of the pistol.  The rubber grip afforded me a firmer grasp on the firearm, and it seemed to point more naturally.  Whereas before I installed the Pearce grip, recoil would occasionally cause the pistol to shift in my hand, I found that this was no longer the case with the new finger grooves.  Speed and accuracy of follow-up shots increased perceptibly.  I am curious as to whether the grip will prove to be durable, since the rubber under the stocks is rather thin (by design, of course), but time will tell.

The second modification I made to my ACII was to install a new magazine catch.  The one issue I have had with the pistol is that on a couple of occasions, it has failed to chamber a round when I have manually racked the slide.  I have not had this issue when using the slide release, only when "slingshotting" the slide.  This issue has been mentioned on a couple of firearms forums, as well.  It seems that the magazine catch on the ACII may be a bit low, allowing the magazine to sit a fraction of an inch lower in the magwell than normal.  This causes the top round in the magazine to have a bit of a higher jump to make it into the chamber.  Not much of an issue with round ball, but it can cause hollowpoints to jam.  As I intend to use this gun for home defense and possibly self-defense, it must reliably cycle hollowpoints.

One solution to this problem that I discovered on the M1911 forum (a great place to find information about this amazing weapon platform) was to change out the factory mag catch with a replacement that is machined to hold the magazine higher in the magwell.  One such product is manufactured by the company EGW, or Evolution Gun Works.  The HD Higher Mag Catch is available in either blued or stainless, is milled from solid 4140 Chromoly steel, and is designed to hold the magazine .020 inches higher than a standard mag catch.

While the company states that the part should fit "in most good quality 1911s," like any other "drop-in" 1911 part, some fitting is often required.  This was the case with the ACII:  a couple of minutes of light grinding and buffing, and the catch fit perfectly.  And it works as advertised.  The factory catch allowed the magazines to sit just a fraction of an inch lower in the magwell, and I could hold up on the bottom of the magazine and it would move ever-so-slightly up.  With the EGW catch, the magazine base is flush with the bottom of the magwell -- a nice, tight fit, holding the top round in a more direct line with the chamber.  Hand racking the slide several times with three different magazines showed that the rounds fed much easier into battery.  Pressing the EGW catch still allows the empty magazines to fall away freely, as well, so there should be no issue with tactical magazine changes.

After another 50 rounds (Federal 230 gr. FMJ) through it today, with no failures of any kind, the American Classic II by MetroArms continues to impress me.  It is definitely worth looking at if you are interested in a 1911.  I would also recommend looking at what EGW has to offer, with respect to aftermarket 1911 parts.  The website is easy to navigate, ordering was simple, and delivery was fast.  Three things I look for in an online seller.  You might also check out what Pearce has to offer, not only for the 1911, but for a variety of other pistols as well.

Metro Arms American Classic II -- First Shooting Video

Had a few free minutes today, so I thought I would take a quick little video of some range time with my Metro Arms American Classic II.  Not the best shooting, and not the best video, but I am working on both.  All told, I put another fifty rounds through my ACII today, all Remington 230 grain JHPs, without a single failure of any kind.  Here are the last four magazines worth -- 8 rounds in the ACT magazine that comes with the pistol, 7 rounds in my Springfield magazine, 7 rounds in my Kimber magazine, and the last six shots were also in the Springfield mag.  At a distance of about 15 yards.

(Note:  The shots on the left hand target are from an earlier session with my wife shooting her Ruger LCR.)

The more I shoot this ACII, the more I like it.  The action is tight, yet slick, and seems to be getting better the more I shoot it.  Absolutely no problems at all with the jacketed hollow points, even cheap Remington bulk box rounds.  I would like stocks with a little more "grip," as the factory stocks are a little smooth for my taste, so that may be my first real customization.  Still, it is a great gun for a great price.  I cannot wait for the Amigo to make its way to my locale, as I am really looking forward to getting my hands on one.

Thought I would throw in a couple of pictures of the hard chrome ACII:

Gun Review: Metro Arms American Classic II 1911

It has been a while since I have added to Shooting from the Hip, but I am happy to be back and share another review with you.  I am especially happy to share this particular review, since it is about my most recent firearm purchase. And what a firearm it is, too.

As many of you are certainly aware, this year marks the centennial anniversary of the adoption by the United States' military of the m1911 Colt Automatic Pistol, what many consider John Moses Browning's finest creation. I happen to be one of that particular group.  I, and many others, feel that while this particular design may be one hundred years old, it is still a viable side-arm, with perhaps the finest trigger of any automatic pistol ever designed.  And as I have never personally owned a 1911, I decided that this year would be the year to remedy that particular deficiency.

So, a couple of weeks ago, I went by my favorite gun shop, Tri-Cities Gun Depot (see my previous post for a review of this fantastic shop) to see what 1911s they had in stock.  And they had several.  There was, of course, a Centennial Colt; a beautiful Kimber; a new Remington (very glad to see them return to the 1911 game); a few Rock Island Armory pieces (very well-made Philippine guns, and very affordable, too); and one with which I was unfamiliar:  the Metro Arms American Classic series, another Philippine gun.  The particular model I was looking at was a very well-made pistol, a full-sized Government model with the 5" barrel.  But there were some additions to this gun that you do not normally see on a stock pistol:  a full beavertail grip safety, combat hammer, light-weight trigger with overtravel adjustment, three-dot Novak-style sights, extended magazine release, extended slide release, and extended thumb safety to boot.  These guns have a nice blued finish, as well, rather than the Parkerized finish you see on many guns these days.  And most importantly, the fit and finish on the guns I looked at were exceptional for a gun in this price range (sub-$500).  The slide-to-frame fit, especially, was as good as a number of high-dollar guns I had looked at.

Faced with this unexpected choice, I decided to do some homework, and I searched the internet looking for information on these guns.  To be honest, there is not a great deal, but I was able to find some reviews on a few gun forums (or fora, to those guys and girls I had Latin classes with), and for the most part, every review was positive.  One thing that was brought up a few times is the fact that these guns include several MIM parts, but I discount this as a detraction since many "premier" gunmakers, such as Springfield and Kimber, include such parts as well.  I did find that the slide and barrel are forged, which was an added bonus in my estimation.

So, having just about decided to make the American Classic II my newest addition, Tom at TCGD had to throw me another curve.  He asked if I had seen the hard chrome version.  I had not.  To be perfectly honest, I am not much of a shiny gun kind of guy.  I like black guns.  They look like they mean business.  You don't see fingerprints on them.  They look like tools, not accessories.  But as part of my research, I looked up pictures of the chrome version...  and I was impressed.  Impressed enough to want to see one in person.  Now for the problem:  the Gun Depot didn't have a chrome gun, and didn't know when they would be getting one.  Hard to come by apparently, this shiny gun.  Well, I could wait, right?  Right...

As luck would have it, I did not need to wait.  Tom got one in the next week.  And it was love at first sight.  This gun looks even better in person.  The finish was excellent.  The checkered wood grips, while not superb, are much nicer than those on the blued version.  The fit was every bit as tight as on the ones I had previously fondled, er, I mean held.  And the trigger was sweet, breaking at around 4 lbs, I estimate.  Not much more than on the Colt Tom had in the case.  And I knew that it had to be mine.  And following a transfer of currency (the hard chrome is about $100 more than the blued version) and a nod from the TBI, it was indeed mine.

At home, a quick wipe-down and run a patch through the barrel to clear the packing grease and I proceeded to send fifty rounds of PMC Bronze 230 grain FMJ downrange without a single failure of any kind.  As quickly as I could load the single magazine, I would then empty it nearly as quickly.  And the accuracy of this gun is noteworthy.  Recoil is almost negligible (the gun does weigh over 30 ounces).  At thirty yards, all fifty rounds fell within a 6 inch circle, and this shooting standing free-hand about as quickly as I could pull the trigger.  Very nice.  I will update when I am able to get out again and shoot from the bench for groups.

All-in-all, I am very pleased with the ACII.  I feel that it is a lot of gun for the money, and it just goes to show that you do not need to drop a couple of grand on a custom build in order to get a quality firearm.  Since the ACII is full milspec, however, you can feel free to upgrade whatever you want, should you feel the need.  I would recommend to anyone who is looking to celebrate the year of the Colt with a new 1911, stop by Tri-Cities Gun Depot, or your nearest gun shop, and check out the Metro Arms offerings.  I think you will be impressed.

UPDATE:  I recently posted a new entry on the ACII and a couple of upgrades that I have installed.  The post can be seen here.